Hi, my name is AJC and I have a shopping habit and overflowing closet. It was getting a little bit out of hand, so I decided to attempt some simplification. I was inspired by Project 333 and on December 31sth, 2010 I narrowed down my clothes to about 88 items. I know, 88 is not quite 33, but 88 was way down from about 555.
Anyway, I did it for about 10 days and I was ready for more stripping down. I have purged it even further and yes, I now have about 33 items in my closet, more or less. I boxed the rest or moved it to my other closets, so they are out of sight. I am not counting shoes, jewelry and accessories, I wasn't into punishing myself, I was just curious how this project will work for me. It turned out to be easier than I thought. For the rest of January I selected only from 33 items in my closet, but since they were all my favorites, I was always happy with my outfits.
I also did not shop much. I received some items than I ordered in December and I bought few things, but nowhere near what I used to buy. Somehow, having a small closet made me protective of that space and I was really scrutinizing any potential 'intruders'.
On the top of that, I made a list of items I wanted to buy this year including prices that I am willing to pay. I folded it and put it in my wallet. I tend to forget what was there, obviously they are not true 'needs' , so whenever I was tempted by something, I would check it against the list.
My biggest fear was that I will be bored with my selection. Am I? Not really. I do miss some of my clothes and I intend to get re-united with them. But the joy of not being held prisoner of never-ending shopping quest is greater.
I am not sure if this will last and I don't want to read too much into it. Definitely I do not want to replace one obsession with another. I feel like I am on a journey and I will see where it will get me. Hope some of you will come along.
What a great idea! So glad you started a blog and I can't wait to read all of the posts to come :)
ReplyDeleteHi Whitney, it is a little scary to be here but everybody has been so encouraging, I feel optimistic. Thanks for stopping by.
DeleteHi ajc! I'm a JCA lurker and blog reader and Polyvore lover! Just wanted to say I'm glad to start reading your blog, too! I love to see how everyone puts outfits together and love to read reviews. Your closet purge sounds amazing! Wow! I'm relatively new to J Crew, so have only been buying for the last 2-3 years. My shopping really increased after finding blogs and Polyvore, but I was pretty much starting from scratch with my wardrobe a couple years ago. It's getting to a good place now, but I get so tempted with the new goodies that come out, that I need to be careful! I'll be interested to hear about your journey moving forward. I set up a blog a year ago, but haven't actually launched it! LOL Maybe I'll be joining you soon! Best of luck with yours! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Kittywitty,
ReplyDeleteI am so happy you are coming along! I know exactly what you mean. I too started with totally justified wardrobe revamp, but pretty soon I just couldn't stop shopping. I kept buying and the more I was buying the more I wanted. But I do think we can help each other. Thanks for your support!
You have a good concise plan going forward with Project 333. I don't think you'll get bored with your selection you can always rotate 3 things in and 3 things out during your 3 month phase. It makes shopping so much easier because you know what you want to add and how much you are willing to spend. I have found I shop a lot LESS. If it is not on my list I don't need it. And what I do buy I really love AND wear!
ReplyDeleteThat's what I was thinking, around February 15Th I was going to rotate about 5 items in/out. Yay to less shopping and more enjoyment from clothes we already have!
Delete