Today marks the biggest shopping day of the year. Black Friday? Nope. Cyber Monday? Nope.

Instead, it’s Singles’ Day, or 11.11, widely celebrated in China.

Never heard of it? I hadn’t either, until today. 

I’ve just passed my 100 day milestone of no new clothes shopping, so have been deliberately staying away from any ‘shopping festival’ or ‘shopping holiday’. But seeing online retailer Alibaba take $16.3 billion in sales in under 90 minutes made me sit up and pay attention.

As we get towards the end of the year, it’s not only discounting season but party season. And for many of us – especially women – that means a new something special to wear.

My office Christmas party theme has just been announced: “Make an Entrance”. The moment I saw it I had visions of the crazy outfits I could turn up in. And as I’m now well into the no-shopping flow, it only took me another moment to remember that I couldn’t buy an outfit. It’s the perfect opportunity to try out a local clothes rental boutique I’ve been wanting to try for a while.

So as we approach the time of year when we’re encouraged to shop (even in the spirit of generosity) I urge you to shop and gift mindfully. Here are a few questions I’ll be asking myself as the unmissable, too-good-to-be-true deals come along:

• Do I know who made it? Can I trace what it was made from and where?
• How many times will it be used? More than 30?
• Would I be buying it if it wasn’t discounted?
• Is this purchase necessary (honestly)?
• Will it help the planet more than it will harm it?