Progress Report on Shopping Fast (Day 50) - YouLookFab Forum

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Progress Report on Shopping Fast (Day 50)

Anonymous

Day 60. It has gotten easier and easier and easier. I didn't think about shopping one single time during this past week. The idea of shopping was even boring to me (and I used to routinely scan retail sites as a form of relaxation).

Most importantly, I am wearing the clothing I own. I am really appreciating what I own and am experimenting with new combinations. I have been reading a lot of the Vivienne Files as prep work to develop a Spring/Summer wardrobe plan.

I am convinced that although I always said I had a plan, I never really did and that resulted in lots of random and impulsive purchases. The most important thing I want to come out of this purchasing fast is a check on that impulsivity when I resume shopping. I want an actual plan, one that is written down so it has form.

I have given up on finding simple words to describe my style. They were always forced.

Shopping

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kkards

Veteran

congratulations.....have you worked up a plan or is that still a work in progress?

anne

Veteran

Sterling I am so impressed! Going great guns!

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Well done! That's a great milestone. That's so encouraging that it's getting easier.

I placed a Nordstrom order a couple of weeks ago but nothing worked out except this hoodie. Even that, I wore a few days ago, and even though I love the color and the easy vibe, it tends to slip around a bit and is a little fidgety. It's just a titch short on me too. I actually thought about returning it even though the tags are off. I feel guilty about returning something after I've already worn it though.

I also bought a lightweight sweater from JCrew because I love the color and it's not an easy color to find, but now that it's home, I feel a bit underwhelmed by it and am thinking of returning it (tags are still on).

So I'm on pace to have bought maybe one thing in February, after only buying two things in January. I'm focusing my shopping efforts on picking out finishes for our bathroom renovation project.

Treasure&Bond Velour Hoodie

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cindysmith

Veteran

I think you're doing great work thus far! It's not easy to stop shopping, and examine what pushes us to keep shopping when we don't really need anything; I'm proud of you for taking on such a heavy examination & task

I'm trying to stick to a list as well. I don't NEED anything, not really, there are just a few pieces I'd like to add. I'm hoping I can stick to that list, and wear the things that I already have and that I already love.

We're building a little house, and I would like to use the money I'm hoping to save (by not impulse purchasing) towards upgraded fixtures and finishes. I'm going to have to look at the house for a long long time; I can always "freshen up" my closet later, right?

approprio

(website)

Veteran

Well done you! Sounds like you're making some real changes. Shopping the closet is always fun.

I've been thinking about how I should revise my own strategies in this venture. For me, it's all about finding focus and managing my resources better. I don't want to make any more ill-considered or impulsive purchases, but I do want to be able to swoop on those special items which would ordinarily be beyond my budget when I see them at an accessible price.

I have zero regrets about this month's purchase because it feels like a positive investment in my wardrobe. The latest addition may not get worn all the time but it's a signature item which will help me further define and refine my style. It's been a huge motivator to clear out some dead wood too. I boxed up a few items today which either aren't pulling their weight or don't match my current style objectives but have some clear resale value, so that's another win.

In other words, while our paths are diverging, I feel like we're both making progress. High-5!!

JAileen

Veteran

I'm very impressed. Congratulations! My husband wanted to go to the Patagonia outlet store yesterday because they were having a big sale, and I declined. I'm pretty well stocked with gear. I returned the crazy fur jacket I posted about a couple weeks ago. I returned nine skirts, too (eight denim skirts and one EF jersey skirt), and that felt great. I did keep the one, though.

I've lost some weight too, and so lots of things that were too tight are now wearable. So I have lots more options available, plus I feel better.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

I am finding something interesting. Cooling my heels on what I am now mentally calling "mindless shopping" clears my head to better identify actual wardrobe NEEDS.

I discovered some of my most-worn Smartwool winter socks have just about worn through in the heels. So onto a shopping list go socks. Similarly, my two black tank tops that serve as frequent under layers for countless year-round outfits, have become ratty and need to go. So two black replacement tank tops go on my shopping list. And I'm typically NOT a shopping list person when it comes to clothing. But I'm finding it easier to identify and focus on what is really critical to my getting dressed every day. Another jacket -- as much as it may inspire my lust -- won't make it easier to dress every day, it will just give me more choices when I already have an abundance!

Anonymous

I hear you about thinking you have a plan, but the plan is actually just a collection of whims.
Great job on de-programming yourself from the buy cycle.
The thing is, once you've had a hiatus, a shopping excursion becomes more sweet.
Would be keen to hear about your spring/summer style direction.

Anonymous

I just wanted to say you inspired me to start my own fast. I'm a little over a week in, which is actually saying something for me (there's a thrift store just a few blocks from me that I'm in the habit of going to fill my spare time).

I have a shopping list for spring/summer, but warm-weather clothes haven't quite hit the stores in full force yet. So I will use this opportunity to reset.

Bonnie

Veteran

Having also tried a purchasing fast and failing big time after only three weeks, I admire what you have accomplished. I like the idea of a purchasing plan and list to take shopping. I'm curious to know if you have chosen a color palette for spring/summer. Will you start a new wardrobe or add to things you already have in your closet?

Dottie

Your shopping fast has really inspired me and I'm quietly going about the same. In addition, I'm doing some early spring cleaning - room by room - and getting rid of things we don't need or use, sorting and organizing, and feeling much "lighter" overall.

Anonymous

Nice. And you speak for me too - I could have written those words myself.

Anonymous

Thank you, LisaP and Anne.

Dottie -- I am so happy to hear that I inspired you!! I have had some remodeling work done in a bathroom. I stopped cleaning altogether until the job is done. Hopefully that will be by Friday of this week. Then I am going to clean and clean and clean. I too intend to take it one room at time. My goal is to clean from the ceiling to the floor. Everything. People told me there would be dust. I never imagined how much dust.

Bonnie -- I never felt you failed. I felt you found some items that you needed on sale. Had that happened to me, I would have done exactly the same thing. It is the strangest thing. I have had the same color palette for all time (black, white, red or pink). It served me well. I am actually considering YELLOW and navy. Yellow is a very new to me color. It was one of Angie's early posts that featured a yellow top and I never stopped thinking about it. I won't wear yellow with black (bumble bee look), but I will definitely wear it with pink and navy. I'm going to build my spring/summer wardrobe around a base of what I already own.

Congratulations on your shopping reset, Catty. It feels really grounding. I was amazed at the benefits of not shopping. For me it was the buy/return cycle that was just exhausting and demoralizing. I am starting to see a few warm weather clothes around, but like you I want to wait until I have a larger volume to chose from.

Creating a real plan is a lot harder than I think it should be, Smittie. Janice from the Vivienne Files and Angie make it look so easy. It is my goal to go very slowly and very intentionally. Each new piece will fit into a framework.

Congratulations on the weight loss and the fortitude to decline shopping the Patagonia sale, Jaileen. I am glad you did find a skirt you liked. Which one did you keep?

Kkards -- I am still working on a plan. I know I need at least two new bottoms for work. I am thinking along the lines of ankle length (not cropped) and slim fitting. I want basic colors, but no more black for summer months.

Cynthia -- I think planning to spend money on your future house as opposed to impulsive fashion buys is a sound plan. I love my house and nothing delights me more than to do upgrades. Money that was saved in January and February is being used to get some painting done on the exterior and I remodeling one bathroom. If I survive the bathroom project, I think this is my last house project in 2017.

Anonymous

Janet -- I think you are doing great!!!! Buying two things in January (on sale, if I remember correctly) and only one thing in February is just great. I have returned things if the tags have been removed if the quality of the garment was not that good. It rare for me to return items without tags though.

Your comment about "cooling my heels on what I am now mentally calling "mindless shopping" clears my head to better identify actual wardrobe NEEDS" interested me. I am not mindlessly shopping, but I haven't actually identified anything that I actually do need. I hadn't realized just how well stocked my wardrobe really was. Most of my needs are already met. I just to wear them.

This statement is SO TRUE: Another jacket -- as much as it may inspire my lust -- won't make it easier to dress every day, it will just give me more choices when I already have an abundance!

Anonymous

Approprio -- I think this is a brilliant strategy: I've been thinking about how I should revise my own strategies in this venture. For me, it's all about finding focus and managing my resources better. I don't want to make any more ill-considered or impulsive purchases, but I do want to be able to swoop on those special items which would ordinarily be beyond my budget when I see them at an accessible price.

IF I had to articulate my future strategy, I think it would exactly match your statement. And I am so glad the shoes worked out for you. They were meant to be.

I hope you post your final decision as to how you plan to resale some of your items. I was interested in that post, but I don't remember a final decision on your part. There were some very good suggestions. I may attempt to sell some coach bags this year. The coach bags don't meet my current needs any more (too heavy).

approprio

(website)

Veteran

Thanks for the reminder Sterling! I'll return to that resale thread in a little while once I've figured out my game plan.

MsMaven

Veteran

I love reporting in--it does help.

I had two temptations this month: both sales. First was the Neiman Marcus sale catalogue with a scarf a color of purple I like but is hard to find. There was also an unusual lightweight jacket. But, I resisted. If it is meant to be, they will still be there in a couple of weeks.

Now comes the announcements of the President's day sales. I'm going to try to not look.

I haven't been motivated to go out shopping--too much rain and too much to do right now. Also, my weight is still up--ugh. And it is all around the middle. I don't want to buy larger sizes for now.

My biggest waste of money is on shoes. I keep trying and buying. My feet are getting worse and I have spent too much money on shoes I've only worn a few times. So, before I even shop again, I'm going to spend some time on Barking Dog shoes. I will also shop in person, but often stores don't have my difficult size. Still, I could eliminate many mistakes if I take more time.

Thank you Sterling, for your accounts and input. And thanks to all the rest of you who are doing serious thinking about what and why we buy.

Sal

Veteran

Well done Sterling and all.

I am not shopping right now, but I am browsing, mostly online. As I said on Janet's thread I plan mindful purchases that create long term happiness - I have had lots in the past, pieces I still love pulling out after many many wears. There will be some show ponies too, but very few. And while socks or layering tanks in themselves are not exciting, having a quality ones that make life comfortable does make morning dressing a happier experience:)

Anonymous

Ms Maven -- I think shoes ARE SO IMPORTANT. If my feet hurt during the day, it seems to affect my entire body and brain. Buying shoes is the biggest challenge I have found because I do try them on. I prance around the house and sometimes they seem perfect. Then a few days of wear in the office, they are pure torture. I wish you the best of luck in finding shoes that meet your needs. (Oh, and I have accepted the fact that shoes will always dominate my clothing budget because they are expensive and so necessary).

Perhaps your scarf and jacket will be there in a couple of weeks. If not, I always say to myself something better is just around the corner.

Hi Kiwigal. Although I wasn't purchasing, I was still scanning all the retail sites in January. I just really stopped this past week. This was an expected result of the purchasing fastt!!! BUT it makes not buying thing even easier. I also spent less time on YLF just because I got really busy at home/work. I only had a half hour or so to check in. I checked in quickly just to see what everyone was doing.

Mindful purchases are the way to go. I have had too many impulsive buys that just didn't work out for me. NOTE: I am not saying sale items anymore. They were really impulsive purchases that never fit into any type of plan.

So an interesting side affect: my BF was out shopping and found four or five shirts that he really, really wanted (on sale!!). He thought it through and concluded that they didn't need them and left without them. I had no idea he was even listening to me. I was so proud of him.

JAileen

Veteran

Sterling, I kept the denim skirt that wasn't the long one and didn't have a tie belt. Here are some pics:

http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....irt-styled

unfrumped

Veteran

Congrats, Sterling!

And what Janet and Smittue said.

I tend to graze for tops and pullovers. This winter was mild, and it was astonishing how I only wore some of my sweaters once or maybe twice, and now it's already time to put the heavier ones up. I culled several but I still like the others! So I will have to dig deeper on which are truly favorites or second- stringers and why. and maybe deal with the guilt of passing along a " perfectly good" sweater that I never needed in the first place.
I am still on the trail of a more season- less wardrobe , using underlayers in winter. The driving factor is fit and proportion.-- meaning, if I find a top that is the perfect shape and length for say pencil skirt , and a different one for pants, I need to buy and wear the very best ones and not add meh ones just to have spring, fall, winter ones.

So what Janet said-- as I did been doing my slow wardrobe edit I've been able to see some true holes amongst the duplicates and redundant items.

Then what Smittie said-- shopping less frequently makes it feel so much better, and more of a treat, to go hunt for something on the list and maybe find the item. So my downfall is buying something similar to what I have instead of the needed item because I was not just waiting , Or looking more
effectively for the hard- to- find items. Apparently I like " easy shopping" but my actual wardrobe needs are more challenging !

Joy

Veteran

Sterling, you are shopping ban inspirational! It is wonderful that it is getting easier. This week, except for Fabbers helping me decide to keep the HEWI booties and EF top that I had purchased last week, I have done very well. I even had a coupon that I used for a shirt for DH. After a fall on the ice and painful persistent hacking cough, I've stayed home and done no shopping. Like Janet, I have enjoyed wearing what I have and taking stock of what I really need to replace or to look for for spring/summer. Red shoes are first on the list after this shopping diet ends. I am discovering that I have enough to not get bored or have laundry back ups and can finally concentrate on better quality, fewer and better thought out purchases.

Karie

(website)

Veteran

Good job! I'm right there with you, girlfriend - my shopping fast is still going strong.

Jenni NZ

Veteran

Hi Sterling, I am still fasting too. Chose to go to a mall again yesterday ( it was very hot, the mall is air conditioned and only one room in our house is) to look at Autumn trends and see how I could pick said trends up in stuff I already have. Thought about buying some lovely silvery grey trousers ( on sale in a fave shop ) but they were a bit cropped, which I don't really want going into a cooler season. Did not therefore even try them on. When I got home, remembered I already have some with wide cuffs not that different. In the past, I would probably have got excited because they were a good brand I like and have stuff of, and a good colour. Then after buying them, I would have realised I had others similar AND that cropped was not so practical for the upcoming season. And that was what always happened. I would have then "split my wears" and bemoaned that I have too many clothes. I did try on a different navy pair, do not have a thinner material navy pair only a thicker one for the Autumn/winter. They were great material and shape but too low-rise. Sigh. I can wear other colours I have with my navy tunic.
There was heaps of lovely flowery boho-y stuff, peasant- type blouses. I have quite a bit of that stuff already. So now I've seen all that, should have fun planning some outfits.
I kind of feel like I "need" some thinner navy pants, but do I really need them? One great thing the fast has done, and I might do a separate post on it, is enable a little purging. Because there is not new stuff to choose from, there is only the slightly older stuff, then some of that gets tried and doesn't actually fit or I realise there really is an issue with the piece. So the stuff is slightly less tightly packed!

Runcarla

Veteran

Shopping has remained mindful, since I broke my fast. The blush sweater has been worn 4 times, and the new sneaks more than double that amount. I still want to add blush sneaks, but haven't found the perfect pair. Did a lot of shopping, but walked away in the end since items were not a '10'.

Barbara Diane

Veteran

Wow, great job Sterling and everyone. Whether fasting or not, we're all learning things.

I keep unsubscribing more and more as I tell the truth that I am unlikely to buy something online from X company. And I feel lighter each time.

I was actually hoping to get some shopping done while away, but I got sick so we cut the trip short. My mom lost weight so I benefited with a nice blouse and an exercise-in pair of pants. Best news is that I am being much more picky than I would have been.

Still not sure if I will shop to fill in some winter holes. I wish I could magically make them appear - and they would fit and look great.
Not much energy for shopping right now, and I haven't gone naked yet, so it's not like I absolutely need something. But there are definitely a few big holes.

At the same time I'm starting to think about spring/summer. This is the first year that I put my S/S clothes away, so it isn't easy to review them to see what I need.

Anonymous

Barbara Diane -- Unsubscribing was the first thing I did! I couldn't stand seeing all those emails in my inbox. It was more about the intrusion than any real purchasing fast. Some of those companies were sending me multiple emails in a single day!!! I'm sorry you got sick. I hope you are feeling better. Being sick while traveling is the worst.

RunCarla - Congratulations on the success of your new sweater and sneaks. They were successful because they were not impulse buys. I'm finding it is the impulse buys that fail me so miserably. I hope I too will be come more mindful as I go forward.

Jenni NZ -- I cannot tell you how many times I buy something and then come home to discover I have several very similar items in my wardrobe. And it is so unconscious. I have no idea until I get home and open my closet. I split my wears!! I once bought two nearly identical shirts (both of which I adore), but the average person cannot tell them apart. I bought them because the price was too good to pass up and I felt it was such a win for me. It is silly in retrospect. I only needed on and the first one was a "10." The second one is an "8" at best. Jenni -- I think a separate, complementary post on purging is a great idea. Now that I am wearing, really wearing, my wardrobe I am finding pieces that just are not cutting it.

Thank you, Karie. Your support is so greatly appreciated.

Joy -- I am so sorry about your fall. I hope you recover soon. I think the unexpected benefit of stepping off the buying treadmill is the fact that we are really wearing what we already own. The actual wearing of my wardrobe is helping me identify real (not imagined) wardrobe holes. I am pretty thrilled with this. I hope you find the perfect red shoes. I find red shoes to be an elusive item.

Anonymous

Unfrumped -- your post especially resonated with me this morning. This winter has been mild and I have finally accepted (and embraced?) the climate I live in. I too only wore some of my sweaters once or maybe twice. Even light weight sweaters seemed to hot at the office. I love the look of sweaters; I just cannot wear them for more than a few weeks a year.

I've also started the process of cleaning and putting away the clothing that that will be put away for the season. I haven't had to cull any clothing this year (that is probably still coming), but I full understand the guilt of passing along a " perfectly good" sweater that I never needed in the first place. I've never completely made peace with that, but I always tell myself someone may really need and appreciate this so much more.

I WANT to develop a more season-less wardrobe. I have been thinking about this over the past couple of years. I think it could be reasonably possible in my climate if I use layers during the winter.

What did you mean by this: The driving factor is fit and proportion.-- meaning, if I find a top that is the perfect shape and length for say pencil skirt , and a different one for pants, I need to buy and wear the very best ones and not add meh ones just to have spring, fall, winter ones. Are you saying you should buy both tops because each serves a separate and distinct purpose???? IF so, I fully agree. Another lesson I learned from YLF.

texstyle

(website)

Veteran

Way to go Sterling! I'm not on a fast, but on a diet I guess. :-). I spent time trying on my skort with various tops the other day and it was just as satisfying (if not more) than buying something new. I found I had many more choices in tops to go with it than I thought. And I learned that I actually don't mind a full tuck with this skort - I haven't done a full tuck in quite some time.

Vista Trekking Skort

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