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Trusted Contributor
Posts: 1,138
Registered: ‎12-16-2010

@lolakimono

 

I am trying to convince myself that I don't need any new clothes this year.  Or jewelry.  Or purses.  Or shoes.  I watched your series when you did this several years ago.  What helped you the most in shopping your closet?  What were your motivators?  Are there any web sites that you found helpful?

 

Thank you in advance.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 16,226
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Your advice please Lola!

@Tennesseegal  I don't remember reading the organized way of going about curtailing over-buying, but I've been working on that for a few years now.

 

I started with jewelry.  I was feeling overwhelmed by having so much to choose from, and I found myself wearing the same few pieces way too often.  I started by setting aside time to sort and categorize, organizing some part of what I already owned into weekly sets.  Then I'd choose from one of those sets for a week instead of from the things I'd been overusing.  Some weeks I'd switch back to my favorites, but I kept pushing myself to choose more creatively.

 

Sometimes I did that sorting while I was watching a jewelry show, and when I saw a piece I liked on air, I'd look for something already in the house which was similar.  Of course, there was almost always something that worked.  I made it through more than 3 years without buying another new piece of jewelry!

Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 7,210
Registered: ‎03-23-2010

Re: Your advice please Lola!

@lolakimono has been an inspiration for me and I'm sure she'll give you some fabulous tips. 😊

 

For me, the best thing I could do was organize my closet.  I  put all of the short sleeve tops together, the sleeveless tops together, skirts together, etc. Then I grouped them by color.  My closet was a disorganized mess, but that simple (yet time consuming) effort to get organized really helped me see that I had some great pieces and didn't really need to do any more shopping for a while.  I went from "I don't have a thing to wear" to "Oh, my, which one should I choose?"

Respected Contributor
Posts: 4,865
Registered: ‎12-02-2013

Re: Your advice please Lola!

Pareto's Principle is applicable to so many things !

 

Here with our closets:  80% of the time we wear only 20% of our clothing items.

 

With anyone providing services or products:  80% of the customer complaints come from the same 20% or are about the same 20% of offerings.

 

Clearing out and then organizing closets enables you to not only wear more of your " inventory " and shop less, but it also saves you valuable time in getting dressed.

 

Pareto's Principle is a great productivity tool !

We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.
Sir Winston Churchill
Respected Contributor
Posts: 3,696
Registered: ‎09-27-2010

Re: Your advice please Lola!

I  think a lot of us shop and buy new things because it's therapeutic to some and just makes most of us feel good. I think I could organize my closet and come up with a few more outfits by combining what I already have but then I'd have to find a substitute for something I thoroughly enjoy - shopping. 

Honored Contributor
Posts: 54,410
Registered: ‎03-29-2012

Re: Your advice please Lola!

@Tennesseegal

Oooh! A New Year's challenge!  I am flattered that you paged me.Cat Very Happy

Here is what I have so far, although I will post back as I think of more updates.

 

I liked this blog a lot:

http://www.puttingmetogether.com/p/building-remixable-wardrobe-series.html

 

My interest was more about repurposing what I had as my BF had quit his job and he spent about 3 years searching for full time employment (still does not have a job in his field, but at least he is employed).

 

For me, as a teacher, I put money into shoes/boots, accessories, and clothing.  I feel like my students notice everything, and in middle school they have no filter so they will comment on everything.  I am not a handbag person, I don't have a Smartphone, I don't do nails or lots of hair maintenance, and until this summer's unexpected events, I drove a 13 year old car.  

 

I am not a minimalist by nature, so the way to stay accountable was to have BF take a daily photo and post it here.  I did set a few rules, which I think was important at the beginning of the challenge.  I think to say that you will not purchase anything for X period is to set yourself up for failure.  A better approach will be to say that you will not purchase X item, or spend X dollars, or whatever it might be until X items go out of your closet.

 

There are people that like the minimalist or capsule wardrobe, or Project 33- http://bemorewithless.com/project-333/ .  If you want to try that, there are lots of ideas on Pinterest.  

 

Here are some suggestions- take ones that work for your life and pass on the ones that don't.

 

  • if you are concerned about new purchases, unsubscribe from sites that send you daily/weekly temptations.
  • have a friend come over and put together outfits that she would wear with your pieces and see what new combinations appear.
  • make a pile of lesser worn items and go through them.  Why don't you wear them?  If it's because of fit, get them tailored and you'll have a few new pieces.  Sometimes changing out the buttons, tailoring the sleeves, or shortening something will make it more wearable.  If something is "dated" but good quality, a seamstress can also help with that.
  • organize a swap party with friends. Ideally these would be people in different circles, so that no one comments on their "new" items as something that used to belong to you.  Set a minimum (e.g. everyone brings five pieces) and people can pick what they would like to take.  Donate what remains.
  • Take your shoes to a cobbler to make them more wearable.  I had three pairs resoled during my resolutions years.  He also punched holes in belts so that I could wear them in different ways (lower for pants and higher for dresses).
  • Take care of what you own already- use a dry cleaner, keep your shoes/boots polished (I adore mink oil), clean your jewelry, and mend anything before it gets to be a bigger problem.
  • invest in multi-purpose accessories to jazz up your outfits, if you don't have a nice assortment already.  These will help you from getting bored.  I have a lot of belts in different colors/widths that helped.
  • set a goal for something else you could be doing with the money you'll save and when you find something online, transfer that amount of money into a savings account.
  • BF did I this in 2015-

 

 

 

 

Honored Contributor
Posts: 54,410
Registered: ‎03-29-2012

Re: Your advice please Lola!

@millieshops

@Tennesseegal

Here is a recent thread I started about a fashion book that I enjoyed.

 

http://community.qvc.com/t5/Fashion/The-Curated-Closet/m-p/3265638/highlight/true

Valued Contributor
Posts: 988
Registered: ‎01-20-2013

Re: Your advice please Lola!

@lolakimono

 

Try this, give up buying coffee for  one month,  see how much you save.  Multiply that by 12,  huge savings.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 54,410
Registered: ‎03-29-2012

Re: Your advice please Lola!


@Miranda1550 wrote:

@lolakimono

 

Try this, give up buying coffee for  one month,  see how much you save.  Multiply that by 12,  huge savings.


@Miranda1550

I'm not a coffee drinker, so $0 savings for me, but someone else might benefit!

I have $50+ in Starbucks cards that I haven't used from former students.Cat Surprised

Trusted Contributor
Posts: 1,138
Registered: ‎12-16-2010

Re: Your advice please Lola!

@lolakimono

 

Wow!  Thank you Lola and other ladies.  This is a lot to digest.  I am not a minimalist either.  I love clothes and shopping is a hobby.  Over the time off from school this December, I have gone through my closet and pulled things that I don't use anymore.  I donated about 7 purses to Goodwill.  As a teacher (high school), I am always on the spotlight in front of my students too!  High school students notice everything too.  They notice if my hair has been cut long before any colleague.   A must for me is that my shoes be comfortable because I am on my feet on hard flooring all day.  I prefer flats and wedges. 

 

One reason that I am doing this is because my husband has been unable to work because of some health issues and I really feel like I need to save money this year.  And I really don't need anything but yesterday I returned some items to TJ Maxx and was tempted.  Now, I can honestly say that I don't spend a lot of money on individual items.  I shop at TJ, Marshall's, Kohl's, Christopher and Banks (my favorite store), Ross for Less, and Belk and I look for sale prices and use coupons.  My biggest problem is hanging on to clothes even though I haven't worn them.  Another reason is that in a few years I am going to retire (I hope!) and

 

Tomorrow, I am going to start looking at your websites and suggestions (all of you ladies) and really look at what I should do. 

 

thanks so much.  Happy New Year Y'all!