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.

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. :)

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 :)

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)

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!

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. :)

The Yellow Sweater Story

Back in high school I owned a little red sweater de-fuzzer (or sweater shaver, or whatever you want to call them). It worked great, and ate all the nasty little nubbies from my sweaters. Fast forward to the last year or 2~I needed a sweater defuzzer. The little red guy's motor died, and I could not find a replacement.

The reasons I needed a new sweater defuzzer were many, as in the many sweaters I had accumulated, mostly from J.Crew and Macys during super clearance events. Each sweater has been worn several times over the years, and they are begining to show their age.

Failing to find a replacement myself, before Christmas I voiced my desire to own a new sweater shaver to my mother and several friends, who began the hunt. After Christmas, my coworker KSO made my evening when she called one night and said she found one at K-Mart. Needless to say, I was pumped! Oh the sweaters I would shave! Oh the new life my sweater collection would get!

The next day, she brought the replacement shaver in, and it looked promising. I brought it home, bought the required AA batteries, and excitedly raced up the steps to my closet to begin shearing the sweaters. The first sweater I grabbed was a New York & Co. pretty pale yellow v-neck that was really looking rough. As a result, I hadn't worn it in a very long time.

Before I started shaving, I tried to figure out what to wear with the newly shaved sweater. I had a yellow and green necklace from a jewelry party, and a green khaki suit with matching shoes that seemed like good options, so I pulled everything together in my closet. It seemed like it would work, so I started shaving. Sadly, the new shaver is no match for the old one. The good news is that my mother suggested that I use a disposable woman's razor and see how that worked~and it did!

The yellow sweater (and several of my other sweaters) now look much better thanks to a little purple bic. After trying on the outfit, I decided that the yellow sweater was too bulky and static-y for me, so I added it to my pile to donate, and replaced it with a light yellow no iron Brooks Brothers button down and a green cable knit sweater vest from Eddie Bauer. The result was an outfit that I felt good about, but would have never thought to pull together before. And all because I needed a sweater defuzzer ;)

Happy New Year!!!

Six months down and six to go! It's hard to believe that I'm past the half point already. I can't lie~so far, this has not been particularly difficult for me. Sure, I have moments of weakness, like when I passed by Brooks Brothers and saw a really cute cardigan in their display. Or when I got the email saying all Jason Mraz concert tee shirts were on sale. Or when I caught a glimpse of a gorgeous new pair of turquoise red soled heels (can I please pre-order to have them delivered July 1, 2011?!). But overall, it has been almost freeing in a way, knowing that I don't NEED to buy any clothing, shoes, or accessories for myself. If I could stick to a diet as well as I have stuck with this, I'd be forced to shop for smaller clothes by now!

The best example I can give to show that my mindset truely is changing started last week when I got home from the dry cleaners and began the process of getting all the cleaned clothes back into my closet. I had a couple shirts and a couple pairs of pants left, but no Huggable Hangers left. The automatic solution is to go to Target and get more hangers, right? And that's what I thought immediately, even going so far as to add hangers to my shopping list. A day or 2 later, it dawned on me~why buy new hangers when I can just downsize a few more items from my closet? So, I scratched the hangers off my list, and headed back up to my closet for some weeding. About an hour later, I had accumulated several items for the donate pile, and had freed up enough hangers to get all my clothing back to where it belongs.

Here are a few other things I've learned or have been trying to put into practice in the last 6 months:

1. If you don't love something (or if you love it but realistically will never wear it for one reason or another), give it someone who will. In the past few months, I have given away a few pairs of shoes to other people. A couple pairs still fit but I never wore them, and one pair I absolutely LOVED but they were always going to be just a little bit too snug. The recipients were very appreciative of the new (to them) shoes, and I have more space to use for things I wear.

2. Tailoring is worth the time and money. Clothes don't do a bit of good if they are too long/short/have holes/whatever to wear. I had a new pair of jeans that I had owned for over 2 years but had never bothered to get shortened, so of course I never wore them. After gathering everything in my closet that just needed a little tailoring or mending, I made an appointment with Seamstress Karen (who is fabulous, if you ever need a good seamstress in the Fargo area). Now that I have those jeans back, I wear them all the time. And it is great to have the other items back in circulation too. I have already been back to Karen a couple of times since then, and I have a new pile accumulating as I write. I have also been making a point of getting to the dry cleaners on a more regular basis, since I am more likely to get wear out of clothes of they are clean and ready when I need them.

3. An organized closet makes it easier to choose what to wear. Since begining this challege, it has been increasingly easier to pull outfits together. I used to stand in my closet and take a long time to finally pick something out, only to put it on, look in the mirror, and then decide to change clothes. Now, because everything is organized neatly, and I know at a glance what options I have, I can choose what to wear in much less time. It also helps that I have weeded out many of the clothes that don't fit/I don't like/are out of style, so pretty much everything in my closet is now wearable (which definitely was not true before).

4. Getting rid of things gets easier with practice. I've held on to some things because I had never worn them, or they were a good brand (even though they didn't fit right), or I had spent a lot of money on them, or...[insert other reasons here]. Take a long hard look at what you own. If you havent' worn it in a year or longer, what is going to change to make you wear it now or in the future? If the answer is nothing, get rid of it. I didn't have the motivation to iron a few dress shirts a few years ago. I still don't now, and I don't plan on ironing them in the future, so now instead of taking up space in my closet, they are on their way to being donated. Is not wanting to iron them a silly reason for getting rid of them? Maybe. But, I tried them on, and I didn't much care for them anyway, so why postpone the inevitable? Some things that I evaluated at the begining of the process and decided to keep are now in the donation pile too. Sometimes it just takes a little time to get used to the idea of letting things go, and that's ok.

I'm liking my experiment. If the next 6 months continue to go well, I may have to extend for another 6 months after that!