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This is more for myself, but I'm sharing. I had an idea 2 years back to buy just 2 items a month, inspired by Queen Mum's 12 for 12 for the whole year.
It worked - sort of. I had planned jeans and boots in winter, shorts and sandals in summer months, etc. Put it on a spreadsheet. But I was jumping out of sequence and into other months. This year I simply started moving things around as I found them. A lot of cut and paste going on!
For next year, I thought I would do a more traditional list and just fill in when I found an item. No particular order. This also lessens the 'hunt it down' phenomenon when one feels a hole needs to be filled. You know, the "I need jeans, it's January, let's check this off the list!"
I realized what amounts I want to stay under in each category and looked around for a Windows template I could use. I may keep a running spreadsheet for cost reasons as well, but I like this visually for an overall summary.

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11 years ago

texstyle

(website)

Veteran

Looks great Mo - what a good idea!

rae

Cool! I like the idea that you have just enough "slots" for how many items you want to get. When the list is full, you're done!

Thanks! Yes, Rae, that was the idea. I don't necessarily need all 12 tops, but I know I don't want more than 4 in any one category. (ideally I will buy 10 total.) Also, I'm hoping this gets me back to items surprising me with their fabness that I just have to have, and then checking it off the list, instead of hunting one particular item in order to check it off. Curious to see how it works out!

Susie

Oh I like it. You do follow a calendar year, correct? Have you given any thought to making it more seasonal- maybe say your year starts in the month that you return to Tahoe for instance? In my mind, back to school time still feels like a new year to me. And since fall is my favorite season to buy for, I think I would love having the total number of pieces still available then!!

Gigi

I like this too. What I like most about it is that you can see right away, "Oh, I need four short-sleeved tops." So after you have purchased two tops, when you come across a possible third and it's just so-so, it will be easier to say, "You know what, I have only two slots left for tops. This top isn't great enough that I want it to take one of those slots. I'll pass."

I think it also allows you to keep your shopping pinpointed. You can see at a glance that maybe you're halfway done with getting the tops you wanted, but you haven't even started on bottoms. Therefore, you will see that you need to change your shopping target.

What do you think about adding "F/W" or "S/S" to each of the slots? For me, I might already have enough S/S shoes for a year in advance but be in dire need of winter shoes. So on the "Shoes" list, I might want to earmark three pairs for cold weather and only one for warm weather. Oh, I see Susie has alluded to this a bit, though in a different way.

So many great ideas on the forum lately about wardrobe planning!

Actually, I purposefully avoided seasons, since doing that in the past didn't work out as well. I sometimes buy suede booties in June (last month, ahem).
For myself, I know my habits well enough to know I'm going to want a winter boot out of my 4 pairs of shoes. I don't need to specifically list it, ya know? But I can see how that would be helpful for first timers of wardrobe planning.
I will be starting on Jan 1, the calendar year. Back to school or fall don't have much wardrobe meaning here in FL honestly. (I do have a jacket and coat on the end of 2014's list for when I return to Tahoe later this year)

Very smart plan! I like your idea of *not* listing specific items beforehand, as I've gotten too caught up in the hunt too. Gaylene said something that really clicked with me on Anna's CPW thread:

I learned the hard way that being logical and systematic about my wardrobe too often leads me towards buying things I theoretically think would be smart buys but which don't work out in practice. My most "practical" purchases have been things that I've fallen in love with in the dressing room, brought home, and wore to death. I can stick to an overall budget, and be responsible about replacing basics and necessities when needed, but that's as far as it goes.

I think I'm like that too, for all of my enjoyment of reading about wardrobe building! I can fall in love with some theoretical HEWI that turns out to not actually be that relevant to my practical closet. I'll have to keep that in mind in the future.

Yes, E! Gaylene's point is so valid. I want to move from hunting down and plugging gaps to happening upon things that strike me, but still keeping the overall plan in mind and stopping when I've got enough of any category.

Lisbet

Active Member

Mo, I was intrigued by your idea. Can you tell me what the 12 for 12 list of the Queen Mum was about? Just 12 items for the year? I could do that. I think I need to go on a shopping diet. Have been in a spree mode for the last 4 months and really need to be much more disciplined. I think I need to go for a 1 in, 2 out program over the next couple of years. I can't pass up a good bargain but I have to change strategy. I want to upgrade my items this year. If I am able to follow a strict regimen, it would be easier to justify higher end items and quality.

Yes, several years back forum member Queen Mum embarked on a 12 items for the year plan. It really made her stop and consider each purchase. I think I could do this for a year, but not long term. So I decided to try a 24 for 12. I came close, but still bought more than that. In my efforts to curtail I did learn some.

rachylou

That's cool. I too like the *slots.* The other thing about a no-season list - stores bring out stuff before a season starts. I mean, some hot weather is finally starting to show up here, but the summer stuff has been reduced to remnants.

On the other hand - good time to shop summer clothing sale items.

Great point about your 'out of season' shopping, Mo. And I love Gaylene's point that E shared. I think that is definitely true for me too.

Anonymous

What a cute list template. I was also trying to follow the one or two things a month, hoping I'd spend more on less rather than nickel and diming. I found that as soon as I thought of a wardrobe hole I started shopping to fill it. This was a disaster. I ended up with three red jackets when I wanted one, none of them quite right. That's just one example. I also shop and buy several things at the beginning of a season, then try to avoid shopping for a couple of months.

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