I am a clothes shopping addict, and I decided to stop clothes shopping until I graduate from college this coming June. I have decided that I would rather pay cash for my tuition, as opposed to student loans. I have more than enough to get me through the fall/winter/spring, but I need to try very hard to avoid temptation. I would rather have peace/security through minimized debt instead of my clothing running me out of the house…

*Please excuse my English…

I replaced a worn out tshirt last September, got a 3pk of socks over Christmas and a thrift store turtle neck in March. Grand total $15. The turtle neck was bought at their end of winter sale for $2 and I was there dropping off 3 garbage bags of donations.

I’ll need new winter boots in the fall, but other than that I have no plans to buy anything until something else wears out, and that could be months or even a year or two. At Christmas I received a couple of gift cards from a store that carries a good assortment of well priced office basics, so if my upcoming job change requires a few new items, at least those will be “free”. I’m going to wait and see what the new office’s dress code is before I assume I’ll actually need anything.

My shopping weakness used to be home decor, but over the past few years I’ve lost my love of the hunt for the perfect accessory. I guess the house either started to look “done” (which I was told never happens) or more likely I just became more interested in other things. Maybe it’s age or just becoming somewhat repulsed by obvious consumption that I just don’t get much joy out of buying anything. When I go to a store it’s with a list and a purpose. Now I put far more value in travel, so if I were to look at a really expense pair of shoes I’d see buying them as a lost hotel night in Venice for example. Fast food dinner vs. admission to the Louvre. When you see something in terms of an equivalent purchase given up it sure makes it easy to put back something you don’t reeeealy need or love.

Last year in august I bought a dress for the christening of my niece. My brother and his wife are the Jones family. I hardly wear dresses because I’m a shivery kind of person.

This year in may I bought a shirt to wear to work. I did need that because last year I wore out the other two decent shirts I can wear to meetings. In may I also bought two pair of shoes. One of them to replace a pair that was worn out after five years of quite intense use, the other a variation of a sandal that is wearing out.

I had too many clothes that are beautiful but not comfortable/warm/easy to clean enough to wear daily. And when I can wear them, they might not fit.
Lots of the clothes that are warm, comfy and easy to clean are hardly good enough to wear to work, but I do it anyway.
In the last two years I got rid of lots of clothes, and now I’m applying the one in, at least one out rule. I want to have more room in my closets, but because of my fluctuating volume I’m not there yet.

Oh, I did get four pair of new socks, but I knitted them myself. To me that doesn’t count as new clothes, because it’s an expense in the hobby department. And it’s a luxury wearing them!

I’ve been “in the process” of ridding our house of accumulated things from the last 30 years. It’s a process, especially given when you live with a pack rat who finds uses for everything! I’ve donated to libraries, vietnam vets continuously these past three years (yes, years!) and still I could donate so much more. I swear that the only one I will truly accomplish this is if I put the house for sale; then the Beloved will truly be forced to see what is a keeper or not .

Nonetheless, though not easy on my end because of the One-Who-Will-Not-Let-Go, I tackle and tackle, weed and weed, on a monthly basis. And, shopping? Pfft! Haven’t bought a thing that does not have a use for the last three+ years as well, including clothes and shoes. Yes, it does make life so much easier when you just live with what you need.

Congratulations for passing that clothing train……