Life By Kristen

Clothes Addict

HI. My name is Kristen and I’ve got a bit of a clothes issue.

I’m in the thick of the no spend challenge and I clearly needed to do this by the anxiety ( or excitement?) I feel by seeing so many of my favorite retailers with 50% off sales for summer clearance items. It’s tough to close the window, delete the email, etc. And the fact that I just said that means I clearly have a consumption/clothes shopping/buying things just because they’re on sale issue.  Online shopping is the BEST ( and the worst) invention ever.

Part of it is that I love clothes/fashion.  In fact, a good portion of my job deals with a world-class clothing collection so maybe that’s feeding my addiction a bit too. I can’t tell you how many times ( and how many dollars) over the years that I used shopping as my way to fight boredom, purchasing endless items ‘just because’- Target, TJ Maxx/Marshalls, and Kohl’s are my drugs of choice. Either they were inexpensive or I just wanted something new instead of actually having a need for it. And of course, I can’t tell you many things I’ve sold on ebay, brought to the consignment shop, or given to friends that STILL HAVE TAGS ON IT. So frustrating and obviously a lesson I can’t quite learn.

The other part is  discipline. Part of me thinks, “Well, I went to the store to buy underwear that I desperately needed, and since I’m here, I might as well see what’s on clearance.” And then I make rules with myself– nothing over $20, for example. But it’s a slippery slope and then I find myself buying another dress for work or a wedding in the future ( that I probably already have 3 options for). For the longest time, I worried about repeating outfits, even going so far as making a list of what I wore to big work events so I wouldn’t repeat ( what did I think I was The Queen?). Seriously, people don’t care or notice most of the time if you wore the same black dress twice in one year.

I’ve thought SO MANY times about trying to be more minimal with wardrobe and have considered Project 333 so many times. And while I’m trying to be VERY conscious of what I buy now and bring into the house ( one in, one out policy definitely in effect), somehow I can’t get myself to look through my 20 something tank tops and make the cut. This season I am trying to get a handle on what I’m wearing and what I’m not by hanging clothes on the hanger facing towards me; once I wear it, the item of clothing on the hanger goes back on facing inward. This way I can see what I am and am not wearing- I’m trying when I get dressed to look for the outward facing hangers more too. When I change my clothes over in the fall, the goal is to donate the unworn clothes to a deserving person or charity. Keyword there is GOAL.

I’m noticing already the things I don’t wear or that I have categories of clothes that have only one or two purposes, which is definitely a sign of my previous frivolous shopping habits. I don’t go out enough anymore to justify cute, sparkly tops for Saturday nights, for example. I try to buy work clothes that are multi-season or casual tops that I can dress up on the weekends. Needless to say, I’m working on this clothes thing because I much rather live with no debt than with another cowlneck top.