Hi all, I decided to do this as one post because I think they go hand in hand, for me. Here are my 2019 goals, which I want to review briefly:

1. Update home/lounge capsule - DONE. No need to expand on that, except that Gap was my go-to here.

2. Shop less. Hahahahaahaha. I will expand on this below.

3Figure out if I’ll be able to wear all my shoes as my injury heals. Done. I assessed my shoes and winnowed out the ones that don't have much shock absorption, for the most part.

4. Figure out how to balance dressy and casual at work - Done. I am pretty happy with my balance. Even my more casual outfits have a level of polish they didn't have before.

5. Look for quality/shop from Boden, etc - Done. I kept buying from Boden and other quality brands, and less lower quality items

6.Otherwise, keep doing what I’m doing.

NOPE. I experienced a shift in silhouette by going for roomier bottoms; I haven't eschewed skinnies but they are not the go-to anymore. My craving for the new silhouettes went hand in hand at my failure at #2. I am very happy with the direction I took, though I think my moniker is still Fun NYC Eclectic. I looka little trendier now, but "NYC" covers that.

For 2020, I do want to shop less and I've come up with some strategies. I am sorry, though-I don't want to share them right now, nor make this any kind of official goal. Public accountability is not motivating to me, particularly. Arbitrary limits don't work. I am going to try some stuff and I'll report how it's working for me after a few months. I am not comfortable making any grand pronouncements about this right now. (BTW, I am fully aware of why I shop so much and what my triggers are, as well as some of the deeper reasons why I do it. I haven't prioritized this area of self-improvement because I've been focused more on my impulse control around snacking, and building exercise habits. I've made progress on those but have a ways to go, and those are still my top priorities. I know that I will resist adopting too many lifestyle changes all at once). I am starting here with a few small changes and expect progress to go in fits and starts.

I do have a few goals:

1. I should strive for each wardrobe item to be at least an 8 out of 10, if possible. This won't be universally successful. Sometimes a wardrobe essential is no higher than a 7. But I have so many nice pieces and my standards for keeping them should be high. This is NOT a shopping goal, though it's applicable there, but more for decreasing the side of my wardrobe over time. I'd like to edit out still-nice pieces so they can be resold by a local charity. I don't want to over-edit, as that will make me shop more, but I have a few categories I'd like fewer choices in (tops, mostly). I've also become pickier about fit, as well as quality and how much I love a piece, so I'd like to continue working on that.

2. Wear my accessories more, especially jewelry. This is partly a time in the morning issue and partly a storage issue (I will move to a bigger home but not for a year or more.) I keep grabbing the same things over and over because they're easy. I will try to keep a list of things to incorporate each week, which is sort of what I do with clothes, to make sure I don't have lots of orphans.

3. I'd like to wear makeup more, as another tool in my style arsenal, but this is also a time in the morning issue.

4. Continue to judiciously add non-skinny bottoms - I have almost a full capsule here but would like a couple more choices. I have holiday money that's going to this so it may be done for the winter soon. I am feeling skirts and dresses less right now, so I will keep what I have in those categories and not acquire more right now.

5. Don't beat myself up - I am a maximalist at heart, though I'd like to shop less (even if I refuse to quantify what that means for me right now). I prefer to have options and to pass on items in good condition. I can't really compare myself to folks who like small-to-moderate, tight wardrobe, although I admire the heck out of them. I work in an office and live in a four-season climate and have lots of varied activities, from hiking to the opera. I see lots of fun trends early on here on the streets. My walking lifestyle is hard on shoes. Etc etc. Beating myself up and comparing myself to others will be counterproductive if I really do want to shop less. ETA Also, as Suz pointed out recently, I work in environmental fundraising, which means that I am already making more of a contribution to climate issues as an individual than other people are able to.

One note for 2020 - when I hurt my foot last month, I severed a tendon (dropped a knife that cut into it before glancing off my foot). The pain is gone but the tendon needs to be repaired surgically late next month, just so my toe is not always dangling a bit. I'll be wearing a boot for part of the winter, probably. I may end up shopping less because I'll be less mobile for a while. Even when I shop online, I like to return in person because it's easy where I live and work. Or I may shop more online because I'll have cabin fever while I recover (I can work from home). We shall see how it goes... This is one reason I'm not making any kind of public resolutions around shopping, though