On January 1, 2014, I started another year of no new clothes, no new shoes. Hard to believe it has been 2 1/2 years since the first time I took on the challenge. At least 2 of my coworkers have decided to join me. Anyone else?
My rules will be pretty much the same as last time. No new clothes and no new shoes for myself for the year. Underwear, tights, nylons, socks, etc, are all exceptions for me. Another exception is life changing events, so if someone asks me to be in a wedding, for example, I can buy the bridesmaid dress without cheating on the challenge.
My family is taking a trip to Hawaii next month, so I am declaring an exception right now to allow me to purchase one clothing item as a souvenir if I find something I love.
I like to think I am a pretty organized person, but looking back over old posts, I can tell that I've relaxed my standards, so I am looking forward to getting my closet back into shape. My plan is to also clean out and reorganize many other spaces in my home.
2014, I have big plans for you!
Friday, January 10, 2014
Friday, April 29, 2011
The dreaded store room
There was a time not so long ago that the utility/store room in my townhouse was so full that you couldn't see the floor. Over time, coin collections (a gift from my dad), toilet paper, random boxes, paper towels, a steamer vac, a stepping stool, and many other random items cluttered the once organized room.
When the townhouse was built, my dad was nice enough to install 2 storage shelves in the utility room. Those shelves are usefull for things like the dog crates, ice cream maker attachment, cleaning supplies, rarely used dishes, oversized tupperware, etc. When they got full, the floor was the next natural resting place.
Then one day I decided I had had enough, so I emptied the entire thing out. Every shelf, including those of the bookcase that sits below the wall shelves, was emptied. Each of the 4 drawers of the rolling set were also emptied. I cleaned the floor, which was covered in a mixture of dust, dogfood, spiderwebs and the like. I felt better already.
Next I organized the big things back into the wall shelves. Back up went the dog crate and the ice cream maker and everything else. Organizing the book shelf was a little more difficult. I decided that I was never going to use the "fake plastic water" that was meant to hold artificial flower arrangments in place, so that was tossed. Also tossed were any items that were no longer needed. A few things went into the thrift store pile. All of the tools that had been stored in various places were corralled into a single plastic basket that makes them easy to find and easy to put away. The nails, screws, and other items were loaded into my too tiny to function as a real toolbox toolbox. The light bulbs were arranged on the bookshelf, and so were the paper products. The drawers were organized--painting supplies and furniture fixing supplies each got their own drawer. All of the appliance literature was taken to the file cabinet, where it should have lived all along.
Before I knew it, I could see the floor again. The coin collection still lives there, but I can live with that.
When the townhouse was built, my dad was nice enough to install 2 storage shelves in the utility room. Those shelves are usefull for things like the dog crates, ice cream maker attachment, cleaning supplies, rarely used dishes, oversized tupperware, etc. When they got full, the floor was the next natural resting place.
Then one day I decided I had had enough, so I emptied the entire thing out. Every shelf, including those of the bookcase that sits below the wall shelves, was emptied. Each of the 4 drawers of the rolling set were also emptied. I cleaned the floor, which was covered in a mixture of dust, dogfood, spiderwebs and the like. I felt better already.
Next I organized the big things back into the wall shelves. Back up went the dog crate and the ice cream maker and everything else. Organizing the book shelf was a little more difficult. I decided that I was never going to use the "fake plastic water" that was meant to hold artificial flower arrangments in place, so that was tossed. Also tossed were any items that were no longer needed. A few things went into the thrift store pile. All of the tools that had been stored in various places were corralled into a single plastic basket that makes them easy to find and easy to put away. The nails, screws, and other items were loaded into my too tiny to function as a real toolbox toolbox. The light bulbs were arranged on the bookshelf, and so were the paper products. The drawers were organized--painting supplies and furniture fixing supplies each got their own drawer. All of the appliance literature was taken to the file cabinet, where it should have lived all along.
Before I knew it, I could see the floor again. The coin collection still lives there, but I can live with that.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Lotion Liquidation
Ok, so I know that lotion is not clothes, but since I have begun the challenge, I have been attempting clean out and streamline other areas of my life as well. One of the things I tackled was my bathroom.
First, I went through all of my medicine in my medicine box (which is literally an old Nike box, BTW) and threw anything that was expired or no longer needed. I didn't realize just how much junk I had been holding onto! With all the new space, I made a list of what medications I wanted to replace, and then I used some of my flex money from work to replenish with new fresh (and unexpired!) products.
Next I went through all of my hair care products. If they were really old and clogged, I tossed them. If they were newish but I knew I wouldn't use them, I gave them to friends. Then I started making an effort to use up everything before I buy more. Even with all the purging, I'm sure it will still be close to a year before I need new shampoo or conditioner. I will probably have to get hairspray before then. My goal is to be down to just what I actually use on a daily basis before the end of 2011.
Makeup was next. It was tough, but I tossed everything that has been open for more than a year that could have bacteria in it. That meant bye bye liquid concealer, old mascara, and old lip gloss. I kept all of my Bare Minerals (supposedly they aren't subject to the same bacteria concerns as other makeups?). Ok, so I didn't quite dump everything. I have a couple of eye shadow combos that I've had for at least 5 years. I'm getting closer to getting rid of them, but I just...can't...do...it yet! Any new samples that I knew I wouldn't use got sent to the donate box. The makeup collection is looking much more streamlined these days, but it still does have a way to go before I am completely happy with it.
Next I went through all of my travel sized items. I like to travel, so I've got several little bottles from hotels, and I also have travel sized products that I have purchased. I went through this collection and tossed anything that looked too old. I saved everything that I think I will still use while I travel. Most of the rest went into a clear container for my guest bathroom. With a dry erase marker, I wrote "Forget something? Help yourself!" on the container, so my guests can feel right at home even if they forget their shampoo/conditioner/hairspray/etc.
Last but not least, several months ago, I noticed that I was acruing half used bottles of several different kinds of lotion. Since then, I've used all of my favorite Aveeno Stress Relief, forced myself to finish some old Jergins, used the last of the lavendar farm stuff from my mother, finished up the philosophy birthday cake souffle, used the last of a tub of body shop body butter, tossed another body butter that no longer smelled quite right, brought a bottle of Victoria's Secret body lotion to keep at my fiance's house, and am now working to finish a sadly still very full bottle of (a different scent) of Victoria's Secret body lotion. Call me crazy, but I long for the day when I can open my closet and have only 1 bottle of lotion to use.
My bathroom is much more organized than it used to be. Wait until you hear what I did with my storeroom. :)
First, I went through all of my medicine in my medicine box (which is literally an old Nike box, BTW) and threw anything that was expired or no longer needed. I didn't realize just how much junk I had been holding onto! With all the new space, I made a list of what medications I wanted to replace, and then I used some of my flex money from work to replenish with new fresh (and unexpired!) products.
Next I went through all of my hair care products. If they were really old and clogged, I tossed them. If they were newish but I knew I wouldn't use them, I gave them to friends. Then I started making an effort to use up everything before I buy more. Even with all the purging, I'm sure it will still be close to a year before I need new shampoo or conditioner. I will probably have to get hairspray before then. My goal is to be down to just what I actually use on a daily basis before the end of 2011.
Makeup was next. It was tough, but I tossed everything that has been open for more than a year that could have bacteria in it. That meant bye bye liquid concealer, old mascara, and old lip gloss. I kept all of my Bare Minerals (supposedly they aren't subject to the same bacteria concerns as other makeups?). Ok, so I didn't quite dump everything. I have a couple of eye shadow combos that I've had for at least 5 years. I'm getting closer to getting rid of them, but I just...can't...do...it yet! Any new samples that I knew I wouldn't use got sent to the donate box. The makeup collection is looking much more streamlined these days, but it still does have a way to go before I am completely happy with it.
Next I went through all of my travel sized items. I like to travel, so I've got several little bottles from hotels, and I also have travel sized products that I have purchased. I went through this collection and tossed anything that looked too old. I saved everything that I think I will still use while I travel. Most of the rest went into a clear container for my guest bathroom. With a dry erase marker, I wrote "Forget something? Help yourself!" on the container, so my guests can feel right at home even if they forget their shampoo/conditioner/hairspray/etc.
Last but not least, several months ago, I noticed that I was acruing half used bottles of several different kinds of lotion. Since then, I've used all of my favorite Aveeno Stress Relief, forced myself to finish some old Jergins, used the last of the lavendar farm stuff from my mother, finished up the philosophy birthday cake souffle, used the last of a tub of body shop body butter, tossed another body butter that no longer smelled quite right, brought a bottle of Victoria's Secret body lotion to keep at my fiance's house, and am now working to finish a sadly still very full bottle of (a different scent) of Victoria's Secret body lotion. Call me crazy, but I long for the day when I can open my closet and have only 1 bottle of lotion to use.
My bathroom is much more organized than it used to be. Wait until you hear what I did with my storeroom. :)
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
RIP Gap Jeans
After several years of hard wear, my favorite light blue trouser style limited addition Gap Jeans have finally gone on to a better place (under the bed in a bin with the rest of the fabric I have for the quilt my sister and I will one day finally have the time to sew together). My mother and fiance are not sad to see them go. I knew it was time to say goodbye when I crossed my legs and saw a quarter sized flash of flesh on my thigh where the fabric had literally worn right through. This has given me the [forced] opportunity to wear other pairs of pants that I own, in hopes of finding some new favorites. If all else fails, I've identified a contender that could become mine in July http://www.jbrandjeans.com/1277_Bette_in_Wonderama/pd/np/60/p/1788.html
Until next time :)
Until next time :)
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
I caved!!!
It's true. After returning from a week in Arizona to cold and windy ND weather, I went back to Scheels last night, and returned home with the Lauren trench. I have to admit, I feel a little sheepish today, sporting my new coat around my coworkers who know I've sworn off clothing shopping for the year. However, I don't really feel all that bad, and here's why
- It's freaking COLD outside. I've worn a couple of my old coats the last few days, and the wind goes right through and chills a person to the bone. Today I've been toasty :)
- It was on sale, and they still had one in my size. It was 40% off the regular price. I could have waited until July 1 to look for fall/winter coats, but by then, the year's inventory may be gone, and the new stuff will all be full price.
- I REALLY REALLY like it. I've been looking for a new winter coat pretty much since I moved back to NoDak from Florida in 2005. I haven't seen anything that's moved me to purchase until now
So yeah, that's my story about cheating big-time on my challenge. It's hard to feel too bad about it, especially when I know the rest of this winter I'm going to be warmer than I would have been :0)
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
I want that coat!
So far, the year of no new clothes or shoes had been smooth sailing. I was almost cocky about how non-challenging it had been. That is, until I was in Scheels last Saturday and saw a knee length brown winter coat with a super cute zip out liner http://www.liveoutthere.com/store/lauren-trench.html I want that coat!!! Of course my mind went into justification overload. Could it be my engagement coat? Does outerwear really count in the challenge anyway? Isn't it more like underwear and socks than new jeans and tops?
My current winter coat situation is pretty pathetic. I own 3 coats suitable for North Dakota winters. The first is a pretty purple J.Crew lady day coat that isn't really warm enough for the -20 weather we've been having. Not to mention that the lining is falling apart and the buttons only go half way down the coat. The second is a black hooded trench (similar in styling to the Lauren actually) from a Gap clearance sale years ago. The zipper is broken (but the snaps still work!) and the lining is also falling apart. The 3rd and final is perhaps the true gem of the group~my sister's Double Whammy Columbia that I inherited when she decided it was no longer fashionable. "But it is still really warm!" I protested. Despite the fact that some of the snaps don't work anymore, it is still the warmest coat in my closet, so I've been wearing it a lot this winter.
So yes, it's been a tough few days since I first spotted that coat, but I figure July 1 isn't really that far away, and there are bound to be a few of them left this summer, so I'm going to stick to the challenge and not stray, even though I would be much more fashionable in that coat, and my fiance would approve much more of it than he does of my second hand Columbia!
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
My favorite accessory
It's official~I'm engaged!!!
And to properly show the world that I'm off the market, I have a shiny new sparkler on my left ring finger!!! It's an asscher (square emerald) stone set in a simple rose gold band, and I absolutely love it. I find myself checking it out at all sorts of random times, and I'm sure people are beginning to notice, but I don't care!
He proposed on Friday, January 28, at one of our favorite restaurants, Stella's in downtown Fargo. We arrived 15 minutes before it closed due to attending his work Christmas party and staying a little longer there than we intended. The first server who greeted us was hesitant to let us in, saying "well, it is pretty late..." but then another came up behind her and said, "of course we can still serve you, come on in!!!" We sat in the same booth as our first time together at the restaurant when we were celebrating our 6 month anniversary. We had a nice dinner, and then, when we were just about done with dessert, he got a funny look on his face and kept putting his hand up on the table. Finally he said, "before we go, there's something I want to ask you." Of course in my head I'm going "OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD!!!" Then he said something along the lines of "I love you very much and I would really like you to be my wife," before he got down on one knee, openned the ring box, and asked, "will you marry me?" I said, "of course I will!!!!!" and snatched the ring right out of the box and jammed it on my finger, where it fit perfectly. The next moments were a blur of me saying "oh my gosh" and other variations, and shaking, and calling my family to let them know.
The servers came up and said congratulations, and the manager came over to ask whether he could take our picture. We didn't have a camera so he went to his car and grabbed one. I was worried that I was going to look pretty dorky between my shaking uncontrollably and my perma-grin, but we got the pictures back the other day and they aren't too bad.
It was a perfect night. I'm a lucky girl. :)
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