Hey everyone!
Is it just me, or has November really flown by? We had a beautiful Fall that lasted longer than anticipated, but we are now full swing into our impending doom – Winter in Winnipeg. While I greatly appreciate having regular season changes, as we all know, Winter here can just be long, dark, and brutal. Its no wonder that tropical vacations become extremely popular at this time of the year, we have to cope some how! I don’t know why I complain, I’ve experienced 22 Winters here, and I’ve always made it through. But I digress…
As you know, one thing I have been considering a lot lately has been about needs vs. wants in our day to day lives. And with that, I stumbled upon a challenge that I think I would like to take up. One (of many) challenge(s) about moving two people’s stuff into a one bedroom apartment was certainly about closet space! My Hubs and I (let’s be honest, just me) struggled to find enough room to put all of my clothes. Before moving out, I went through my closet – as I often do – to see what I no longer wear/doesn’t fit etc, and donate it. I got rid of all the things I thought I could easily part with, or that no longer had value to me. Once I moved in all of my clothes into our little place, I STILL did not have nearly enough room for all of my clothes, and hubby’s as well. We have one closet and one dresser in our bedroom, both of which we share. We also stormed Ikea and other related stores for some organizing furniture, boxes, and under-the-bed storage bins. This certainly helped, but I still found myself frustrated with the state of my closet, in such close quarters. At times I found myself in this weird limbo state about where I lived. I am definitely proud of how easily and well I adjusted to moving away from home, but sometimes I felt I didn’t know where my roots were anymore. It was like being in our apartment was like unpacking while on vacation – you bring what you need, but you’ll be bringing it back home soon enough. In this situation though, I can’t go home. Living at home was a long chapter of my life, one that feels like it is my whole life. But with new circumstances come new situations, and for the time being, our little apartment is my home.
All of this to say, I was reading one of the many other blogs that I read, about a woman who did a dramatic overhaul on her own closet and home. She suggested doing a clothing challenge, and going 6-12 months (or whatever in between) without buying any clothes. This challenge is about living simpler, realizing what clothes you love/wear, and which you don’t, saving money, and making what you do have go farther. It really is amazing how much clothing the average woman in this country has, and perhaps how little seldom some of it gets worn. Part of me is thrilled with this challenge, as I love to get a lot of use out of my things, and have been taking a critical look at the amount of clothing that I still have, even after multiple closet purges. But the other part of me is terrified! I think of all the shopping trips that I partake in during a year. Whether it be trips to the States (Albertville, my personal favourite!), trips out West, or shopping events that are around here – especially at stores such as Shelmerdine, Mad About Style, and Lululemon, those stores are my weakness!! Shopping is more than just meeting clothing needs, its a social event that friends do as something to connect over, and its simply no fun if you’re not buying something when you go.
Therefore, I am proposing an 8 month fast from purchasing clothes, shoes, or purses. I am anxious, yet excited for the challenges and learning opportunities along the way. It will be very hard at times to stick to this, but I am pretty convinced that I could be living a little simpler through this. While it is pretty self explanatory, here are a few guidelines and exceptions on how I will be doing this:
-> I will not be legalistic about this challenge. Legalism is brutal in all forms, and if I intend on being legalistic about this challenge, I am missing the point. I do foresee myself making a few purchases during this challenge, but let me explain:
-> Special occasions/work/true necessities are all fair game. Definitely I will be “shopping my closet” first, but if there are real reasons to make purchases, there can be exceptions made. Such as if I needed winter clothing (no need to freeze to death over this!), a special occasion where none of my dresses fit the bill (a rare occasion, I went through a serious dress buying phase, and still fall victim to it), or for the sake of professionalism, if I started a new job or something, and needed a few essentials. These things are all unlikely to happen, as I feel quite prepared going into this, but just incase, I have a scapegoat.
-> Replacing items that have worn out. Items that are worn on a regular basis and I do not already have a multiple of it in my closet that could be the replacement. The point of this challenge is not to look shabby. Also, having a decent rotation of the things that I wear daily. For example, I wear jeans nearly every day, so I would not want to have any less than 3 good pairs available. I currently have 5 pairs, so I am not concerned about falling to less than 3 over this period of time.
-> Gifts. I should mention that if I were gifted clothing during this hiatus, that would be totally fine, and I would not see that as breaking the rules. This is about learning to control my own spending and habits, not about controlling others.
With these graces, it seems like it should not be overly difficult for me. I do not have fears about running out of clothes, but rather, about not being “allowed” to buy any. Buying clothes seems to be a right of passage for women in this country, so it is more about curbing my spending and denying instant consumptive gratification that will be difficult. But, we are not to shy away from things simply because they are difficult. I will try to give small updates on my progress and struggles as I make posts.
At this time, of course, I would love to invite you all to do it with me! Really, what do you have to lose? Perhaps this is a challenge that you’ve been waiting for. It’s not ridiculously difficult, and it doesn’t take up your time. But it is one of those things that your heart has to be into, or else it is lost.
Food for thought! Consider the opportunity.
Get ready to brave the cold!
LP
thepaetkaulife 