Since I lost weight in 2009 and had to purge and buy, I started tracking my clothes in Excel. So now I can quickly see that in the last year (well 6 months really on YLF), I have purged over 150 items. And these are clothes, nothing small, and nothing like jewelry (which I only recently started tracking)

Since March I have really really been trying to use what I own and if it doesn't work one way, alter it to try it another. This with all the regular photo taking, and floor length mirror, have given me a new perspective on what I should be wearing and buying.

I have been writing a list for these months and trying very very hard to stick to it, plus with a May SYC, I have kept myself pretty to the list and under control. The super plus was that I accumulated a huge budget from nearly 4 months of 'barely' shopping. Today I got a real chance to use it. My girls were at an amusement park and I was able to shop for about 3 hours.

It was a little revolution. First, I have never ever actually had so much money to spend on just clothes. Most of the time, when I do shop, it is with a mental budget but more a feeling of guilt that I really couldn't afford the expensive stuff, so I stuck to cheaper and get quantity over quality.

Also, I have always accepted 'here and now' over 'perfect'. You know, I'll take what I find that is close enough, rather than waiting and not finding anything. But when you spend months purging and retrying and hacking to make those 'good enough' purchases work, you really realize what a waste it was to accept them in the first place.

So I felt like a new person today. Not only did I buy two jackets that each cost over $300 without batting an eye (well within budget), but I passed by 4-5 things that were nearly good enough. It was hard, it was disciplined, but it was soooooo wonderful!

I am sure these two jackets, one perfect white crisp shirt, one fall black bag and a fun belt, will be used and loved for many years. There are no doubts and alterations in my mind for how to make them work. The one jacket, a long tux type, is already styled into 4 fab outfits for fall! It can do no wrong. The others, white shirt and a soft black leather jacket, will easily fall into taking over for other, less fab picks from the past.

On Tanya's question on what I wanted for fall, oh yes, I knew because it is on my list. and I know that I have crossed off 4 things that I didn't have to write about, because they are mine already! I am not shopping impulsively, I have a plan, a vision, ad I know what is in my closet and how I might fit in my new babies. Oh it feels soooo good. THanks Angie and all you supportive ladies. I couldn't have done it without you.

Just had to share...pictures coming ... (the shoes were a semi impulse.. have been trying to find summer shoes like loafers and such but couldn't decide what I needed, so I fell in love instead with the flowers on these Ed Hardy 'chucks')

PS..I actually have nearly 200 left in my budget. But it might just have to accumulate into next month since nothing I found today was good enough! yippee!