Giving, not buying

My husband and I have our bank accounts set up so that as each of us gets our paycheck, a small amount automatically gets transferred into our individual spending accounts.  These are used for discretionary spending on whatever we want.  Up until October of 2016, most of my money went toward clothing purchases.

Over this past weekend when I saw the news and protests about the immigration ban from 7 predominantly Muslim countries, I was appalled.  When I saw that the new administration would 'consider' anyone of the Christian faith from those countries on a case by case basis, I literally got ill.  As a non-religious person, the idea of a using a person's faith to judge them in any way shape or form offends me beyond words.  In response, I immediately sent money to the ACLU.  I am already a monthly donor, but knowing I had extra money in my personal spending account, I gladly sent it to them.  I can't think of a better way to turn my clothing challenge into a benefit for someone else (besides the clothing I donate).  It was also really nice to know that I could just use that money for this (something I believed in) without a second thought.

This past week I traveled to North Carolina for work.  One of the items I took with me was this black wool sweater/jacket thing that my husband gave me for Christmas.  I was so pleased with it's performance (how it felt, how it remained fresh looking after a 6 hour flight, etc) that I immediately pulled another black wool jacket/sweater thing from my work wardrobe and moved it to my casual wardrobe.  Then I pulled the identical one that was in my casual wardrobe (this one had two holes that had been patched up), and put it in the donation pile.  One less thing I own.

While I was in the hotel, I also noticed that the white t-shirt I'd taken with me has holes appearing in the front near the waist.  I will continue to wear it for a layering piece until I can get a replacement. I cannot wear a hole-ridden t-shirt to work. This particular shirt has been my go-to white v-neck for a number of years as it's just the right fit, material and look to use for a bunch of situations and still look professional.  Finding a replacement will mean that I'll have to go into a store to find what I want.  It'll be the first time since last October that I'll be going into a clothing store with the intent to buy something.  The real trick will be to buy only that t-shirt and not try to justify anything else.  Maybe I'll try to keep the protesters at the front of my mind while shopping.  The less I spend, the more I can give to Planned Parenthood, the ACLU or to media outlets who focus on investigative journalism.  Focus on giving...not on buying.

The Urge to Buy

In short...I still have it.  As much as I love having less in my closet and in my life, I still find myself wanting to buy new clothing (or...new to me).  Part of this is boredom at work and part of it is advertisements.  In fact, those two reasons are really tied together.  If I wasn't bored at work, I wouldn't be online and seeing ads!

This morning was a great example of why I'm doing this challenge.  For whatever reason, I woke up super tired today so I barely dragged myself out of bed in time to get my morning routine done.  I had not planned an outfit or even thought about it.  After I took the dogs out, made breakfast and packed my lunch, I jumped in the shower.  When I got out, I just started to grab clothing - jeans, boots, black turtleneck, knit scarf, hoop earrings and then topped it off with my black rain coat and off to work I go.  As I was walking into my office building, I thought to myself "I like my look today".  A look that I just tossed together. THAT is why a capsule wardrobe is so awesome!  Because I like everything I own and it all goes together (for the most part), I can grab and go and still look fabulous (or more importantly, FEEL fabulous)!

On the buying front, I almost succumbed to temptation and bought a scarf at Banana Republic.  It's the perfect scarf for me and my current wardrobe, but I left it in my virtual cart and thought about it for a day or two and then I deleted it.  I don't NEED it.  I just don't.  That said, I did notice that I have a $50 credit on my account at BR that will expire in April.  While that could have been considered a 'waste', I actually used it to buy something for my husband for valentine's day.  Unlike me, his wardrobe could use some help...it's mostly just sweatpants and t-shirts.  The result of working from home for the past 9 years!

In the past couple of days, I've set aside three more things to remove from my wardrobe.  Two scarves that I just don't wear (one is a bad color for me now that my hair is natural/silver, and one no longer goes with anything in my wardrobe) and a sleeveless white T.  I put the T on to use as a layer yesterday and saw that the material around the neck is literally shredding.  That T was purchased when I worked for the Gap...circa 1993!  No wonder it's literally falling apart.  If I can find a replacement, I'm giving myself permission to buy it as this was a staple in my wardrobe.  The scarves will go to Goodwill.

Gifts, old and new

The end of Dec and first few days of January afforded me a bunch of time off which was very welcome.  I've been less than thrilled with my situation at work, so it's nice to get a break to recharge my brain and get my mindset better aligned.  It also afforded me some time to do a bit of purging around the house!  I managed to clear out a TON of random junk from my drawer in the bathroom and from under my sink.  I also did some purging from a few places in the kitchen and goodwill benefited in the form of some cook wear!

For Christmas, my husband gifted me with a new wool zip jacket, a new scarf and a pair of new boots. All three items have served to help me 'freshen' my wardrobe a bit and allows for some new outfit looks.  Just what I needed as I felt my resolve to not buy anything weaken in the wake of major holiday sale prices.  50% off everything!!! (eye roll)

In the process of purging, I stumbled upon a gift card to Banana Republic in a dresser drawer.  I only vaguely remembered putting it there for 'safe keeping'.  When I looked it up on their website, I discovered it was valued at $500!  I think I received this as a birthday or Christmas gift a few years back while I was in the midst of a weight loss challenge, so I set it aside to spend once I'd reached my goals.  It was then forgotten...  Admittedly I briefly contemplated spending it since it was a gift back in the day but that kind of defeats the purpose of this challenge.  I've tucked it into my wallet (where I am less likely to forget about it!) and I'll not spend it until after Oct 1, 2017.  I'm thinking I'll likely use it to replace things that will be worn out by then...that seems to be the trend.

I am still donating one thing for each day that passes, but I will say, it's getting more challenging!

Easy donations: four sweatshirts, sweat pants, camel pea coat, four sports bras, two sports bra tops, two pairs of shorts, a pair of tights, three tech t's (from races), four t-shirts, and two pair of yoga pants.

Harder donations (things I still like but that I have to admit that I am just not wearing):

Sorel boots - bought these for a recruiting trip to Maine a few years back (in Nov).  They are just too warm for around here - my feet sweat!  I do appreciate how comfy they are though...

















little black dress - my mom gave me this a couple of years ago.  It was hers and she never wore it and since it fit me, I thought it would be a good basic to have.  I've never worn it so it's time to go.  Still has tags!!

flannel from Madewell - cute black and white basic flannel that fits me great.  I've worn it once or twice but I feel weird in it.  It's just not me.  Not truly my look and it's obvious when I have it on.  Someone else will make much better use of it.

wool jacket from jcrew - I bought this from thredup last year.  It's the exact same style as a black blazer I already have and LOVE but it's not the same fabric.  This one is much heavier weight and I just don't wear it.  The one I love is fast wearing out but unless I can find an exact duplicate, I'll likely wear it until it's rags!

funky moto jacket from Banana Republic - bought this in Vegas last year.  Loved it there.  Got it home and it just feels too flashy for the real world. It's also too big in the body for me, so I don't feel like it's flattering.  I still adore it, I just don't adore it on me. Letting it go...















wool wrap from Neve - this is the hardest one of all to donate.  I LOVE this wrap. It's gorgeous, soft and it looks great on me...I just don't wear it.  It's really hard to wear a big soft wrap to work because 1, it's hot in my building on the second floor and 2, there is no way to wear a coat over it (because of how it wraps).  Love it in theory (and in the mirror) but in practice, it's just not working for me.












All of the pictured items will to go www.thredup.com so at least they'll earn me some credit and ultimately go to someone who really wants and appreciates them (instead of ending up in some bargain bin somewhere!).  I just noticed that there is a definite theme to the items I like...all black, white and/or grey.  You should see the remainder of my closet!  Its that a bad thing?  When I truly weed out my closet and curate it down to my favorite pieces...they are mostly black, white or grey.  Oh well, it is what it is...

I also stumbled upon my old Bates Rugby jacket that I'll likely not wear again any time soon, but I just can't bear to part with it...not yet, anyway.

These all bring me up to date as of next Saturday, 1/21/17.  I'll be out of town the 23rd - 27th, so if I can't get to more donations before then, they'll have to wait until I return.