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My name is Jessie, and it has been 87 days since I last shopped.

No clothes, shoes or accessories, no $5 pashminas or $3 sunglasses off the street. Nothing. Since December 25 I have been on a self-induced five-month cold-turkey shopping cleanse intended to forever alter my relationship with the power of purchase.

Going into this I think it's important to note that I am not a shopaholic. I don't binge-buy thousands of dollars worth of clothes I don't need. You won't find me trolling the shops for retail therapy. I'm not that kind of shopper.

My issue is more of a co-dependent relationship with outfits. I love them. I need them. I fully believe that without the right one, my meeting or party or first date will be negatively impacted to the point of why-would-I-even-go? In 1962, Jackie Kennedy wore a mint green, Greek-inspired gown for a dinner honoring Nobel Prize–winning writers ... because its columnar structure was a nod to the architecture of the ancient poets.

I'm that kind of shopper.

And so, this past Christmas morning, with a pile of shirt boxes before me, when I said, "Wow! With this many new outfits I bet I won't have to shop until May!" I got the reaction I probably deserved. My three little sisters guffawed in age order -- Dani: "That'll be the day." Sara: "Yeah right, Jess." Alex: "Hahahaha!"

My mom choked on her coffee, and my dad delivered his classic, "Whatchu talkin' 'bout, Willis?" look.

I fought back hard: "It's only a few months! I have more than enough clothes! You really think I can't do it?!"

They fought back harder: "It's five months including a season change; it's not about how many clothes you have; and no, we know you can't do it."

So it was on. Partly because I'm stubborn. Mostly because I thought it would be a cinch.

The plan was, I would take a break from my attachment, re-discover the gems already in my wardrobe, and save a bundle in the peace-of-mind process. Three birds, one stone -- plus family told-you-so domination.

To prepare for the challenge, I went through a full closet re-assess, shifting older items to the front of the closet and trying out new pairings to remind myself of ensembles I already owned. I also made a decision to avoid entering clothing, shoe, and accessory stores. Ever. If my goal was a mindset shift -- a lesson in want versus need -- then not looking was as important as not purchasing.Jessie Rosen goes on a five month shopping cleanse

I coasted through the first month, boasting about my cold-turkey quit whenever a shopportunity presented itself. "I'm actually on a five-month shopping cleanse," I would chirp. "And can I just tell you how wonderful it's been to take a break from the rampant consumerism of this city?"

Then, somewhere around a month and a half in, I hit my first major roadblock.

I had written a set of monologues that were to be performed on Valentine's Day -- the premiere of my first, full theatrical work, and the first time I'd be performing. Read: new outfit required. I wanted to wear a simple black number with a skinny red patent leather belt and matching peep-toe heels; I owned none of the above. My Want Devil fought feverishly against the Need Angel ("Hundreds of people will be there, photos will be taken, that sweater dress you have is totally outdated!"), but a logic/pride combo won out. I sucked it up (after the tantrum passed) and wore something I'd debuted at an earlier event. But I wasn't thrilled, and for the first time I wasn't confident I could make it all the way to May.

Click Next below for part 2.