Why this probably isn't as big a sacrifice as it could be...

Let me explain something of my current situation. I'm a Film-with-a-minor-in-French student studying in Canterbury, England, but currently completing a sabbatical year in Montreal, Canada, where I've been living, working and practising my French. I've been here for about a year, and am coming to the end of my stay (leaving mid-August). During the past year my shopping habits have reached a whole new level, due, I think, to several reasons (I'm not making excuses, I promise...well maybe a little):

- Working full-time instead of living off my student loan means I have a little more spare cash floating about, so I've become accustomed to being able to afford clothes at a higher price-point than I would normally buy them on my student budget. This is perfectly normal, but does make me feel a little bourgeois.
- I essentially brought over just one suitcase of clothes for an entire year - remember that Montreal has freezing cold winters and boiling hot summers - resulting in little variety and a severe case of wardrobe-boredom. Hence lots of buying new stuff to rectify the situation.
- I work opposite Zara. Nuff said.
- *Cough*Sexandthecitythemovie*cough*...

I'm leaving Montreal in just over two weeks to go back home to Belfast, then have another fortnight after that before I enter shopping rehab. You know what that means? I'll be reunited with all the clothes I left behind that I couldn't bring to Montreal, and will be able to rediscover them all as though they were new. Moreover, mid-September (less than a month after I start my detox) I'll be heading back to Canterbury to finish my studies, where I'll, again, be reunited with all the boxes of clothes I put in storage after I left in May 2007. As you can see, it's not like I'm going cold-turkey from that "new clothes" feeling. I fully expect there to be clothes I forgot I even owned that I have the pleasure of rediscovering, and old favourites to introduce once more to my heavy rotation.

The "yey I have an old-yet-brand-new wardrobe" thing will probably wear off after a while, however, at which point I imagine the urge to buy new clothes will kick in, pretty hard...the fact that my university is minutes away from Topshop, Zara, Warehouse and H&M doesn't help...I doubt very much that I will stop window-shopping for a year.

It has to be said, though, Canterbury has some awesome charity shops.