new years, old clothes.

Quite a few years ago I made a huge new year's resolution. Huge to me, at least.

Confession:
I love clothes.

I really do. I love shopping and pairing different things together and layering and wearing something new and, and, and.

I know it has no eternal influence, but there's just something about that new cardigan sweater, those run-free tights, or the new brown leather boots. It gives me butterflies just thinking about it. Pathetic, I know.

Anyhow, I would say this used to be a struggle of mine. Mostly in under grad (because I worked two jobs and had $$ to spend...certainly not the case anymore). I found myself buying something new every other week. Sure I had the money to do it, but it was just wasteful. And I had to do something about it.

So I decided: no new clothes for a year. Yes...that was it.

A friend of mine recently let me know that she is wanting to do the same thing this year. She asked for guidelines, help, advice, etc. So I'm giving it to her. And I'm giving it to you, too, just in case you want to have such an adventure for yourself. Here are her questions, some others I heard throughout my year, and some I added myself.

Q : Did you give up getting your haircut or just shopping for clothes?
I set up some guidelines for my year, and you should, too.. For me it was pretty much strictly geared toward clothes, so haircuts weren't included. I made one exception, which was a bridesmaid's dress for my friend's wedding. Other than that, I didn't but any new clothes.

Q : What about "old" clothes?
I set it up beforehand that if I really NEEDED something, I could get it at the thrift store. I did end up needing something throughout the year (a long sleeve thermal for a retreat, I think). I think this only happened once, though. If you allow this option for yourself, I challenge you to have an accountability partner. Ask him/her if it really is a necessity, or if you are just making an excuse for a new article of clothing.

Q : What about other non-clothing items?
Shoes weren't included in my year, but at the time I wasn't a big shoe-person anyway. Accessories WERE included, so no jewelry or headbands. It's all up to you to make your guidelines, though.

Q : What should I do to prepare?
You'll need to decide all of this before hand and write it down. Otherwise, things fall through the cracks and your vision gets unclear. Make sure the year isn't about all these rules of "I can buy this" and "I can't buy this". Otherwise, you'll just feel restricted and frustrated over it, you know? Remember, it's not that you're restricting yourself, it's more of a discipline than anything. Know your goal, share about it with whoever it is that's keeping you accountable, and remind yourself of it. Learn how to "treat" yourself in another way. I found that buying a friend something new brought me much more joy than buying it for myself. I also bought more useful things, like books and taking someone out to dinner and paying for their meal. I was also able to donate money to a family that was in the process of adopting from Africa. These things brought (and still bring) much needed perspective into my life.

Q : What should I not do to prepare?
I made the decision that this would be my resolution in October. Within the couple weeks that followed my decision I found myself "stocking up" (for lack of a better word) on things I knew I would want/need. This stopped real quick and I think I even returned some of it. Then I started my resolution early in November to keep myself from being a big dummy. Start early, if you have to, just don't make an excuse to buy more clothes before Jan 1.

Q : What do you wish you had done differently?
Here's something I wished I had done looking back on it but didn't. When you see something you want and would normally buy, write down the price. Add it up and see how much you really "saved" this year. It will be a neat celebration to realize how much you save on stuff you didn't really need anyway.

I think that's all I've got. Hope it helped, Kar! You'll do great...can't wait to hear about your year and how it enriches your life.