Tuesday, September 09, 2014

The Wardrobe Resolution



Do you know what kind of shopper I am?  Impulsive.  Everyone has different spending habits and for me, I always have our bills paid on time, I always sock money away into our savings accounts that we have, but if I see something in a store or online that I like, I just buy it (within reason of course!), and that is a bad habit.  I've always had that luxury though, without having to really worry too about my finances.  We have enough money to pay our bills and spend (again, within reason) to an extent.  And let's be honest, we all feel SO AMAZING when we are shopping.  If we feel down, buying a new purse or pair of shoes can often lift us up, and if taken too far this can become a dangerous path.  As most of you know, we are in the process of building a house, an expensive house, not expensive in that we picked really pricey flooring, and cabinets, etc. no we didn't, expensive in that, building any home is expensive and there's really no way around it.


At this time our house payment will be manageable with our other bills, but getting a little bit older, a little bit wiser, planning to have babies, and planning for retirement, we know that our spending habits have to change.  Shopping the Kate Spade surprise sale and justifying it by saying "well it was 75% off so I only paid $125 rather than $350 isn't going to work anymore.  Those types of purchases just can't and shouldn't be happening anymore.  I thought about it and really couldn't figure out how I would, living in my parent's basement with hardly any bills right now, be able to change my habit.  


For awhile now I've been following The 1 Year Wardrobe Resolution on Facebook.  She is truly inspiring and when I was thinking of ways that I could cut back on my spending, I thought this would be a good way to start.  I'm not sure if I'm ready to make a 1 year commitment at this time, but I thought if I set small, realistic goals for myself I might be able to take this farther than I thought.  So here I am, blogging about it, making it public, and holding myself accountable for the month of September I am vowing to take the Wardrobe Resolution.  My plan is to take this a month at a time for now and maybe eventually challenge myself to more time, maybe 3 months or 6.  I have not made a clothing, shoe, or accessory purchase since Saturday August 30th.  

The other, and more important reason I am doing this is to prove, at least to myself, that I don't need to buy new things to be happy, and that I am truly lucky and blessed to have as much as I do.  There are so many people out there with less and I know that I am guilty of taking the things I have for granted and wanting more.  


You can find the rules to the 1 year challenge here, which I am planning on following.  In a nutshell, no clothing, shoes, or accessories, except for socks, hosiery, and undergarments.  Purchasing things for the house does not fall under any of the rules so I am safe to move forward with this without breaking any of the rules.  A week in and it's been a piece of cake, but I know that I will definitely be tempted.  I'm hoping that I can find the strength and determination to resist.  

10 comments:

  1. Good for you, I know your bank account will thank you! I'll have to look into this challenge, wonder if I can still buy nail polish...that's my downfall ;)

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  2. way to go girl! i am definitely the same, impulsive and i normally just buy things when i see them, or i hunt for the perfect 'xyz' item on ebay and the like and justify it because i'm saving, but i still spend too much each month. i started tracking my spending in february i think and it shocked and embarrassed me! since then i have cut down drastically, and like you, my husband and i pay our bills on time, we travel and spend to some extent - but shopping makes me happy in a way that it shouldn't, so i am doing a no shopping (clothes etc) month in september as well - 9 days in, going strong! i have bought books but i am not counting them yet as they are my lifeblood lol

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  3. Hopefully you will have to break the resolution to buy maternity clothes in a few months!!

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  4. Never heard of it! Right now I'm going through every item in my closet and either wearing it or getting rid of it! I'm not allowed to wear anything again until I have worn all items! This doesn't help shopping (which I RARELY do), but am excited to clean out my closet :)

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  5. What a great idea!! I wouldn't say I shop a lot but will buy something here or there if it's on mega sale. I think that saying you posted "someone else is happy with less than what you have" could really be applied to many other things too. I try to remind myself often to just be thankful for the many blessings I already have rather than focusing on what I don't have.

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  6. Ughhhhh...I feel like you wrote this post and are giving me the stare down..."I'm talking to you, Suzanne"...I get it, I get it. You're inspiring me and couldn't have said it better...we certainly do not need "things" to make us happy. xoxo

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  7. I so just made the "it was 70% off so how could I not??" excuse to my husband when my new purple kate spade showed up about 4 weeks ago haha... I am such an impulsive shopper and seriously need to reign it in.

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  8. You'll just have to stay away from the stores! No temptation, right? I mentally told myself no more spending until vacation mid-October, but only in my mind so no one gives me a hard time if I break that rule :)

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  9. So basically stay away from my blog on Tuesday's......... just kidding I feel you girl I am in a clothes spending spree right now. It is hard but I agree it has made me reevaluate and see how many amazing things I am surrounded by already!

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  10. I'm with you, I'm an impulsive buyer. And so is my husband. So we don't make the best budget friendly pair. haha! Good for you for sticking to this resolution! Looking forward to hearing how it goes for you!

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