Thanks for starting this challenge! I am most definitely in. My bullet journal has 38 lines but I’ve already bought 5 items. I’m counting anything that enters my closet in 2019 with the exception of underwear, sleepwear and socks. I’m hoping this will help me to be more mindful of my purchases.

I'd like to join in, although I'm not sure about what numbers or rules to put on it. Maybe that will become clear after a few months of information gathering.

I actually want to pay MORE attention to underpinnings/ sleepwear/ loungewear this year so I don't want to set up a rubric that says they "don't count" because that just encourages me to ignore them if you know what I mean.

One conundrum I'm currently wrestling with is the tension between wanting to focus on immediate needs and what would most improve my style right this minute (basically the buy-the-damn-trainers issue), while being open to buying out of season since I do a lot of secondhand shopping. I'm not sure how to resolve that.

I would also like to pay more attention to what leaves my closet this year (and why), not just what enters it.

The idea of a monthly check-in is extremely appealing to me, so I will definitely plan to join in that part of the challenge.

Sure. I’ll give it a go. Thanks for suggesting it and organizing.

My 2018 review revealed I purchased 65 wardrobe items. That includes everything. In our fall closet edit, I donated 62 items so my closet stayed relatively stable. In 2018 I refreshed my jeans capsule and pj pants.

I’ve been seeing a physiotherapist since November for right hip mobility and lower back pain so I’ve added some new footwear in early 2019 - 2 pairs. We’ve also started keeping our house colder (love to sleep in colder temps!) so my loungewear needs have changed slightly. I added sweatpants and a hoodie this month. So far I’m 4 new items for 2019. I’d like to try 36 items but not sure if that’s too draconian. I had set a limit of 48 items (25% less than last year) which seemed easier to achieve. Since I’m 4 items for the month already, I think I’ll stick to that benchmark and hope I come in under!

This sounds like the perfect challenge for me. Last year I added 35 items to my wardrobe, which was much less than the previous three years that I've been tracking my purchases, and I'd like to stay with the same number this year. I have about 150 items in my wardrobe and for me that seems like the perfect size. Thirty five items will allow me to refresh and update. The new items will mean starting a strict one in one out, so that will be the real challenge for me.

I also need to avoid shopping too much earlier than the wearing season. I tend to buy more during mild weather, as my energy levels are so high, and the things I buy are not whats needed for cold weather. Thin pants, elbow length sleeve blouses, open work sweaters Im looking at you!

suntiger it sounds like you share my shopping-out-of-season conundrums. How interesting that warm-weather shopping is connected to energy levels for you. I wanted to pop back in because this thread prompted a brainstorm for me yesterday.

It occurred to me that I could assign purchases to the month when I expect to wear them, regardless of when they are bought. So I might buy something in January that I would expect to wear in summer, so I would put it on my "July" purchases list. At some level this is a little bit arbitrary -- I'll be wearing similar items in July as I will in August. But I don't think that matters much. If you wanted to buy no more than 36 items for the year, you could have 3 slots for July and 3 for August. So after you'd made 3 summer purchases and filled in July you could then fill in the August slots. (Adjust as necessary based on your goals.) It's just a way to help give me a heads-up if I'm over-shopping for a coming season.

I'm also trying to make a list of what I think the best, most useful purchases would be for each month (for July, a navy/white Breton tank, for example). So then, if I'm tempted to purchase something I can say to myself: Ok, is this as useful or more useful to my wardrobe as X thing I identified as a priority?

IDK if that makes sense to anyone but me. It is probably too much analysis/tracking for some. But I love that sort of thing, so... going to give it a go.

I am in - this is about my 2018 purchases which I want to reduce on so
I will include gear. I won’t include lingerie, socks, camisoles but I will
footwear, clothing, outerwear, bags, belts etc

I am well set up for most things aside from 2-3 big ticket items, some essentials for winter. My beach, gym and occasionwear capsules are in good shape.

SarahD8, I love your idea of the monthly purchases! I sort of do that with my French 5, which gives me five big statement purchases for each season, but last year I just combined all ten items into one big pot.

What I like about the monthly “bucket” system is that it works for any climate. When I move to LA, it won’t make sense of me to buy half “fall/winter” items, but I’ll still have seasonal nuances to dress for.

Jenn, exactly! I'm so glad this makes sense to at least one person outside my own head, lol. You're so right about seasonal nuances. When I think about June for example, what will I be wearing then? Not summer clothes! June ("Junuary") is "transitional" weather in Seattle. Hopefully it will be a good reminder to shop for those nuances of my actual climate.

And, if you have one particular season where your wardrobe is weaker than others, you don't have to split the purchases up evenly by month (if you need to build your summer wardrobe you could assign 4 to the July and August buckets, and fewer to other months).

I'm a bit late, but I would like to join as well. I don't need much at the moment.

Last year, I bought some pre-owned (non-returnable) items on ebay, with mixed results. I like to thrift, but there aren't really any good thrift stores around here, which made me turn to ebay. Some of the items turned out to be great, while others were disappointing, so as a consequence, I want to limit my ebay purchases.

I also have a favourite clothing brand and browse their website a lot, and therefore, find a lot of tempting items there. I should either reduce my browsing, or be stricter about what I can buy.

I wanted to participate in the No shopping in November challenge, but then didn't commit, and bought a few things, so this time I want to hold myself accountable.

My rules will be to buy a maximum of 2 items per month. I already ordered and returned a few things, and now have four items that I am undecided about, so two of them will need to be returned!