I can't help smiling as I read these posts. I can't think of a single year when I've bought AS MANY as 12 wardrobe items!!! Four of five is usually my ABSOLUTE limit. This year, it will be a few more: in the NAS I bought my famous Burberry (though that was to replace a twenty-year-old one, and it is heart-warming to see that they are virtually identical!! At least they were. The old one has gone to a charity shop.), and I replaced a LBD that needed it with a cobalt-and-black Diane Von Furstenberg in silk. OK, not quite a LBD, but close enough. So that was my two 'basic' needs met. I've also bought some black and white tile-pattern pants Angie recommended, and a stunning pair of polka dot pumps. That's already four items, but I'm still below budget, since I saved several hundred dollars on my NAS buys. So I'll probably buy myself a treat in the form of an Autumn/Winter cashmere sweater in a 'happening' colour. Five items in total (I don't count small accessories like scarves or fun knit hats in an 'on trend' style, or things like zingy-coloured opaque tights.) Those five pieces of true clothing are all I can truthfully justify. They are the only elements my small (by your standards) wardrobe GENUINELY needs!! QED, methinks!!

Traci, I thought I'd answer a couple of your questions, at least from my experience.

I didn't give myself a dollar limit, because, as you pointed out, that might feel limiting. The financial aspect was not as important to me as getting more control over my shopping habits. I also wanted the freedom to buy "investment" pieces so it made more sense to think of the project as a yearly goal, instead of focusing on $$$/month. But, because I included items like the man's watch I bought for next to nothing at a flea market, my overall total is probably going to be much less than previous years.

I considered almost EVERYTHING as one of my 12 items. My only exceptions were a couple of pairs of socks, a package of skivvies, and an inexpensive workout short (necessary to avoid a fashion malfunction in the gym!). Since I wanted to break out of the multiple buying syndrome--mostly because one item would always get worn more than the others--I also told myself I had to choose which color I'd like the best, or would get the most wear.

Finally, and, I think, most important-- I didn't try to make too many rules for this. It was a personal challenge for me to help me become a more thoughtful consumer. My focus was on making sure that I made more thoughtful purchases, not putting myself on a clothing "diet". I recently shed 25 pounds by eating more thoughtfully and guess I wanted to see if this approach could work in other areas.

Just curious - I guess this may be a question for both LF and Gaylene, as well as for others who practice this approach. Do most of the things you buy last for many seasons and do not need to be replaced because of wear/fading? I am sure this is part of the "buy quality" approach but I find that there are some things, such as t-shirts or sweaters, that just don't seem to survive more than a year if worn regularly. Perhaps if I switched to cashmere sweaters from cotton they would last longer but I generally find both merino wool and cashmere to be too warm for fall and spring so I end up with a lot of cotton. I air dry a lot of my clothes but even so they show signs of fading and wear after a year.

Right now I am practicing the "one good pair of dark wash premium bootcut jeans at a time" approach and I am curious to see how long the jeans will hold up with machine-washing and air-drying (I am not prepared to dry-clean my jeans).

I have one last question for the 12 items per year challengers - what size would you describe your wardrobe? Small? Average? Over 100 items or under?
I have a medium to large size and am aiming to stay in medium territory (which to me is 100 items, not including shoes or jackets, or 150 if I do include them). I'm about 25 or 30 above this amount now, give or take. I believe that keeping to buying just 1 or 2 items a month next year will help me in reaching this limit, as other items naturally wear out or become dated and need to be purged.

Makrame, you already sound more disciplined than I was when I gave myself the challenge. And Angie hit the nail squarely on the head with her advice to WEAR what is in your closet.

My problem was a wardrobe surplus. For example, if T's were on sale 3/$$, I'd pick up three, but then I'd tend to wear my favorite colour over and over, leaving the other 2 languishing in the closet. And the next time I was out shopping, I'd find another style I'd like... So the issue was not about tossing the worn-out, faded T at the end of the summer, but dealing with a stack of almost unworn garments that kept growing in my closet. Tossing almost new items into the recycle box made me feel like an idiot.

QM also made an excellent point when she mentions that it is often possible to "get by" with what you currently have instead of always thinking of wardrobe "holes". Since I take good care of my clothes, I found restricting my buying made me rethink self-imposed categories, as in why couldn't I wear that six-year-old, slightly dated silk blouse with my jeans instead of buying a new casual top. And, because I was now wearing it casually, it seemed to look fresh instead of dated.

I think that the "rules" you'd set for yourself ought to reflect your needs and goals. If cotton cardigans fit your lifestyle, then it makes sense to continue wearing them. If stuff gets faded because you've washed and worn it several time, then it would make total sense to my mind if YOUR "rules" have an exemption for replacing worn-out workhorses. Challenges are OK, but, to quote Angie, horses for courses (I get a kick out of that phrase!).

Mo- I just counted 86 items...

this count did not include:
special occasion dresses (2)
winter coats
camisoles and tanks
"b-team" jeans (I have 5 pairs of jeans that are really only for putzing around in, housework, etc... I only keep them cuz they fit and aren't falling apart yet)
workout wear

Thanks Kim, that's helpful! I think my moving between climates affects my overall count, which is why I need to allow for as many sundresses as coats :/

yes Mo, that makes a difference.

Hi Gaylene, thanks for your reply!

I actually have used this and other recent threads on budgeting to make more disciplined purchases this weekend. I stopped by TJMax and they had a lot of new items for sale, some of which were similar to my favorites. I was tempted to duplicate but remembered what you and LF and others were saying about wearing favorites rather than getting more of the same.

Wow! This post really has legs.

Thanks so much to all who posted about their shopping habits (Gaylene, SM, LF and all). I can really identify with much of what you've said. Gaylene, I was a multiples shopper as well, buying three colors of the same item and then wearing only one. Thankfully, I've stopped that wasteful habit.

Reading everyone's posts is REALLY getting me encouraged to shop more thoughtfully going forward. Like you, Gaylene, I'm not so concerned about cutting down on the $$ I spend on clothes as much as the volume and just being more mindful about purchases.

I told a good friend at work today that I was considering this and I wish I could have snapped a picture of the look on her face to share with you. Her eyes were like saucers!

I should adopt this philosophy, I mindlessly shop for entertainment, and then end the next year, tossing the item(s) in the Amity bin, maybe only worn once, if at all...and when I lick the shopping challenge, I should apply it to my eating habits, lol

I lived in Central America for almost a decade and was forced to shop only once a year when we went home to the States for Christmas. I don't think I even bought 12 items a year. Does that count? I certainly had to shop my closet and be mindful of my purchases. We were on a very tight budget back then.