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.