Why I'm not shopping for clothes this year...
I love dresses. And I love coats. My wardrobe was once teeming with mis-matched items that I had bought at "such a good price"! Alas, many of the items could not be matched with anything. I'm not much of a shoe lover (I keep it pretty basic and comfortable) so often I had no shoes to match with an outfit.
All this changed when I started (slowly) realising that I had a dependency. Every time I felt a bit low, buying a pretty item of clothing helped me feel better about myself. Often, I felt too guilty to 'splurge' and so I'd convince myself it was okay to buy a cheap item. So my wardrobe was filled with cheap items that I didn't really love that much and didn't match with anything else. Also, keeping up with laundry, ironing and mending was a MASSIVE job!
I finally decided I no longer wanted to:
1) be a mindless consumer
2) waste money on a gazillion tops, dresses, skirts etc. when there are people in the world who don't even have enough clothes to protect themselves from the heat/cold.
3) be dependent on something external to make me feel good about myself.
I wanted to, instead:
1) redefine the word "need". How many party dresses do I really need? How often do I get to wear formal clothes anyway?(I'm a stay at home mum!). Or how many daggy at home outfits do I need?(you know when a loved shirt gets too old to wear out so you relegate it to the ever-increasing 'wear at home' pile)?
2) buy quality not quantity (so yes, 'splurge' on something that is lovely, elegant, good quality material and cut, modest, versatile).
3) simplify my life by decluttering my wardrobe and thereby cutting the time it takes to figure out 'what to wear' each day, laundry, ironing etc.
I was partially inspired by this wonderful blog by a honest and lovely lady, Leesa: http://simpleryear.blogspot.com.au/2012_03_01_archive.html
Part of decluttering my wardrobe was the decision not to buy any items of clothes this whole year. Call it an exercise of self-control. I don't want to be controlled by the fashion industry/consumerism.
I don't need a constant stream of new things to feel good about myself. If a dress looks good on me, then it will still look good in a years time. I've spent more than enough money on clothes in my lifetime- one year without won't hurt! The time/money I've gained has been better invested in things such as:
-actually taking the time to do my hair (when your hair/skin looks great, you don't feel like you need a new dress etc.)
-giving extra money to charity.
-sewing something new (yet to try this)!
-mending clothes that's been in the 'fix it' pile forever. Feels like you have a new item!
There are a lot of 'de-cluttering' blogs/websites out there, just google it!
Here is a 'sample' of a table you can fill out if you want to declutter your wardrobe. You make a table of what clothes you NEED (be reasonable!) and then 'slot in' your favorite items. Any 'excess' items go to ebay or charity! I filled out a few columns, as an example.
(Also, if you want to join me in not buying any clothes for the rest of this year, leave a comment! I'd love to hear from you about your reason/s and what you will use the money on instead.)
Work/Uni
|
Social
|
Church
|
Formal/Party
|
At
home
|
Sport/Gym
|
|
SUMMER
|
1 pair of pants
2 skirts
3 tops
2 cardigans
|
|||||
WINTER
|
1 coat
1 jacket
2 skirts
2 pairs of pants
3 tops
2 jumpers
|
