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Renewing my vows - to shop my closet, that is.

Mo

(website)

Veteran

I discovered something about myself this week. I am either in hunting mode or not. I don't do in between very well. When I am actively seeking, I stop looking at my closet and what I could do with it. So, my little lesson to myself is to put the brakes back full on and get back to looking at remixing and whittling CPW on items.
I will continue to keep a list of holes and wants, but not dwell on them until I can actually shop for them lol. Heck, I kept a list from New Year's until last week just fine, I can do it again for a few weeks, right?
Nothing more until I have cash in hand from my first day of work. Period. Honestly, I plugged the big holes with my 'slips' and most of the rest is just for fun. I want them, but I can get by without them
Deep breath . . . back on the horse.

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23 replies

Latest reply was from harmonica

annagybe

(website)

Veteran

You can do this!

kellygirl

Veteran

Great realization. Giddyyup!

Mo

(website)

Veteran

Thanks, Anna. I just have to draw the clear line in my head. When I start justifying it goes out the window!
Thx, Kelly. Yee haw!

Meredith1953

Veteran

Good for you Mo! You have your priorities in line. The time will come for you to let a little hard earned cash make it's way back into the retail market and when you do....it will be all the sweeter!

annagybe

(website)

Veteran

Trust me, I'm right there with you. I haven't gotten the bill yet for my recent health scare.

Scarlet

Veteran

That sounds smart, Mo. What's a few weeks anyway. There are always fab things to be had.

christy

Veteran

It's so easy to get caught up in wanting "new" isn't it? Or, for those of us (ahem, me) who are a bit obsessive, seeing a "hole" on a list becomes the new fixation. Since I've started tracking my outfits, I'm a bit disappointed in the number of garments that I loved when I bought them that have been languishing since and rarely worn anymore. The CPW has been a humbling exercise for me and it's made me very focused on getting the orphans back into rotation. I don't know that I'm ready to go completely SYC, but we have some new financial goals that will require some heavy duty saving, so I'm going to be far more judicious in what I choose to spend money on!

Kari

Veteran

Here's another thought, too - I don't know if you experience this at all, but sometimes I'll be longing after an item (say, a pussycat bow blouse or a black faux-wrap dress) and then I glance through my closet, and lo and behold is a very similar item that I'd forgot I had. Now, I'm trying even more so to shop my closet *before* I buy something so that I don't end up with duplicate items that I don't need!

Mo

(website)

Veteran

Kari, I can't say that happens to me, I'm more like ChristyG with finding a hole and then obsessively hunting it down
In the past, I did find I gravitated toward different versions of the same thing, but I have taken a hard look at my wardrobe over this last year and am really trying not to duplicate. Of course, some things will always catch my eye and pull at my heartstrings - hardware, anyone? - but I am trying to be aware when that's happening.
Right now, I just find I am in hunter mode and almost ignoring what I do have. Gotta snap out of that!

ManidipaM

Veteran

Mo, good for you, reining yourself in with so much self-awareness!

I too get obsessed with 'picking' holes to fill, especially when I look at something and see 'oh, but that would be so great with a white skirt' --- but I don't need another skirt! There's enough in the closet to be going on with, without having EVERY possible gap covered. But at the other extreme, I end up with scores of orphans for years at a time. I think I need to start differentiating between gaps and holes, maybe. :-/

Also, with SYB, I used to find that sometimes, when I didn't have the budget for a (relatively) high-ticket purchase, I went and bought a smaller, less necessary item to soothe myself --- further reducing my available funds, just when I should have been saving! I've gotten a little better about this as of last year.

modgrl

(website)

Veteran

Great idea but I still think a new blouse for spring is not a bad idea! Not a pb blouse - maybe one of the silky button downs to dress up or down.

Lisa

Veteran

Great realization Mo! When I first joined YLF I was in full blown overhaul mode. I did not even realize how much of my wardrobe was new and getting even newer until I created a CPW tracking sheet that included the year items were purchased. I had to put the numbers onto paper to get me to realize just how much of my wardrobe was already new and how little of it was regularly worn. I essentially started the shopping monster and then could not stop the continued urge for something new.

The CPW tracking really has helped me to continue my super slow closet purge and force me to focus on less impulse shopping. I keep a calendar in my purse and mark everyday I go without shopping. I try to extend the number of days in between when I "crack" to keep me from shopping as often. Especially out of boredom during lunchtime.

Another current strategy has been to create outfits with what I have. Sometimes I'll find a potential wardrobe hole and want to fill it. But then I make myself come up with another outfit with the items I already have. Once I see I can put together outfits for a week with all items I already own, this takes the edge off of me for wanting something new right away. I've been keeping a list of my "wants" and I'm finding sometimes after a while (at least a week for me) the "need" fades away. Sometimes I do still want the item. Then I make myself reconsider what item I already have that would have to "go" in order to make room for the new item. This is helping me streamline my wardrobe while I start assembling a closet full of items I truly love and want to wear. Sometimes my stomach churns when I think of an item I purchased and rarely or never wore as I put it in the donate bag. But then I look at the replacement item and that helps soften the blow of the loss. Thanks for listening to my ramblings!

Suz

(website)

Veteran

I am really interested in starting a spreadsheet of some kind to track my wears of items and CPW. Since my wardrobe is still so small, so far, I've pretty much been able to do the math in my head, LOL! But as I get it into better working order, already I see that I do continue to make some mistakes and I also forget to try new combinations of things I already have.

Malina, I admire your effort to stay true to your budget. This is very important and not easy in a consumerist culture. It is one thing to not shop while basically ignoring fashion and one's wardrobe (as I did for about a decade or more). There really are no temptations when you aren't even trying to look good! But if you want to look great and a little bit current, it becomes so much more tempting to buy.

christieanne

Veteran

I'ts not that long before the winter will be over and you will be active at new job really. You can do it!

harmonica

Veteran

CPW?

Mo

(website)

Veteran

Rita, I am still keeping bookmarks of those blouses, don't you worry!! I just know it's not the right time to pull the trigger. I still have my list and items for the season, but I can't justify spending while I wait on the weather to decide for me when I will start actually working.
MandipaM and Lisa, good to know I have company! It's hard to find that balance, but I will!
Suz and Christieanne thanks for the votes of confidence!
Harmony - Cost Per Wear. If you have $20 shoes but wear them only once because they kill your feet, they aren't such a good deal after all. I bought $235 boots this year but hope to wear them for 10 years, about 2 dozen times each year. That comes down to under $1 CPW. It's the better deal

Aziraphale

Veteran

This is one of the drawbacks of participating in this fashion forum: I'm tempted by things I didn't know I "needed"! I see some item on a WIW on the forum, like say coloured skinnies, and I find myself wanting them, even though I have plenty of clothes already that I really like! So I'm with you, Mo. I'm trying really hard right now to focus on getting lots of wear out of the things I already have, and not buy more pretty things I don't really need.

Aida

Veteran

Good realization Mo! I get this way too, especially with holes, and while I don't have a spreadsheet to track CPW I do tag all of my items on my blog which helps me realize what I am wearing a lot and what I am not wearing as much as expected. We'll do our best to help you stick with your goal!

Sarah A

Veteran

Thanks Mo! This is so insightful and helpful... I know exactly what you mean about being in shopping mode or not. I had never thought of it that way before! I also admire the CPW trackers! I have started recording my purchases at the beginning of 2012, but I haven't been noting my wear rates. I need to reign in my shopping right now and this is such a help to read!

Mo

(website)

Veteran

Happy I could help inspire anyone else on the same path! I don't actually spreadsheet my CPW but rather, noted down what recent purchases cost and how many more times I needed to wear each to get below $20 for a starting number. I'm talking tally marks on a pad of paper here. Happily, I have only 5 or 6 items left that need 1 wear to get there, but 2 pair of more expensive shoes will need respectively 6 and 10 more wears to get under $20. That's not my end goal, but rather a minimum I am comfortable with. FWIW, I did get one last pair of boots under my minimum cost per wear today after leaving the shopping/hunting mentality behind me for a while!

goldenpig

(website)

Veteran

At the risk of you all calling me a hypocrite, I am really enjoying this thread and especially appreciate Lisa's comments--they really resonate with me. Wise advice. And Mo, you are really inspirational too!

I am planning to get another dress (I know I know!) but I have slowed way down on my shopping and am trying to be mindful of all the things I already have that won't get worn if I buy new things. That said, I am also coming to the realization that one can never be completely "done" with your wardrobe and with shopping forever. I do feel like I have reached my steady state though where I'm happy and my wardrobe is full!

harmonica

Veteran

I enjoy this thread, thanks Mo! Lisa's reply got stright to my heart, both for insightful and solution comments. I think I'll adopt some of your strategies

The wishlist is really helpful for me too. I started from zero a couple of years ago, and now I don't feel that I have to hunt down an item like I did earlier. And I had a pair of dark blue denim jeans as #2 on my list, but recently I've discovered that I wear skirts and dresses more which means I'm not in that much need of many denim jeans (though I have only 2 + one for gardening/dirty work). And I might also switch it with trouserjeans.

YLF is also very inspirational and have made me see new combinations of what I already have.

I've slowly started to take photos for making my own (almost) day-to-day lookbook and that helps me in tracking the use of each item. I might put it down in number too.

harmonica

Veteran

Sorry to bother you again, but FWIW?

I'll definately start CBW the way you have, Mo. From the top of my head I have three items (trench coat, black pumps, wedged boots) to start this with. And happily my floral dress is already as good as free now http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....-photos--s