If you're a longtime reader or have an elephant-like memory, you may recall that I determined to stop shopping last summer. I didn't stay disciplined or committed to that plan at all! There are a few reasons why I think I'm going to be successful this year. First, this is a shorter time frame. It was unrealistic to think that I was going to go from shopping like crazy to cold turkey. That may work for some people, but I don't operate that way. Second, I'm more disciplined overall this year. I still have a long way to go and grow, but the act of getting up and working out 4-5 times a week has made me more focused in other areas. Third, we REALLY need to save money because we want to buy a house! There's nothing like knowing that a mortgage company is going to be looking at your financial history that makes you question how many times you want retail establishments appearing on your bank statements!
(I also have written a few times about shopping more ethically and have been failing at that as well. I have a couple of ideas about why I'm having trouble in that arena that I may share soon).
After I counted all of my clothes, I started thinking more about remixing. During my research, I started reading about the Tiny Closet Challenge from Alison Sherwood at fresh. The challenge runs from June 1 to July 12 and involves remixing 33 items (including shoes and jewelry- but not including jewelry you wear regularly, like your wedding ring) during this 6 week period. It took me a few days to figure out my items, but this is what I settled upon:
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| The jewelry |
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| Not a great shot but my entire wardrobe! |
TN necklace
silver hoops
silver studs
garnet ring
silver ring
plain white tank
plain white tanks
gray lace tank
black lace tank
chevron tank
chambray tank
lacy t-shirt
graphic t-shirt
black and purple polka dot shirt
white 3/4 shirt
light red button down
chambray tunic
white cardigan
purple cardigan
black cardigan
pink shorts
green shorts
white capris
green capris
black capris
denim capris
black and white polka dot skirt
black and white maxi skirt
anchor dress
tan sandals
silver sandals
black sandals
flowered TOMS
Here's the first outfit. It was super windy, so this isn't the best picture!
I am going to try to take pictures daily, but if I don't, I will at least keep a list of what I wear and have a breakdown at the end of the challenge. I'm excited about this (and a little nervous). Wish me luck! =)
Here's the first outfit. It was super windy, so this isn't the best picture!
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| Summer to-do list: Pressure wash house Learn to apply self tanner to legs |
Wow you made me realize I should count all I have too. If you read the book Overdressed (which is AWESOME about overconsumption of cheap clothing) she starts the book by counting all her things. Did you count accessories and shoes too? I was really good a few years ago not shopping for half a year. But I lost almost 30 lbs last year and had to get rid of a lot of stuff and buy new, since I had not a single pant that fit me in my closet. I didn't want to shop, but I had to...now there's no excuse!
ReplyDeleteI forgot that she did that! I tend not to have the best reading retention so things leave my head pretty quickly! I did count shoes but not accessories. I imagine my earring count alone would be close to 100! Way to go on the weight loss. I'm 15 pounds down so far, so I'm able to fit into some of the clothes that stopped fitting last summer. I did think about the shopping issue after I reach my goal. I don't think I'm going to hit it this summer, so I should be able to refrain from spending as long as possible, but there may be some baggy looks! Are you going to try to stop shopping for a certain time period or just as long as possible?
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