Challenge Update: Week 12

The single most important thing I did this week: I started a Facebook Group called I want to stop shopping! to encourage like-minded ladies in our shared desire to find our worth in something other than our wardrobe. We aren’t a big group, but I feel so strongly that community support and accountability is how we will all grow towards our goals!

Challenge Rule 1: Buy No Clothes/Don’t Covet

I shared with you yesterday about the black sock incident, so yeah. I experienced some unpleasant wanting. No, wait, let me rephrase: the fact that I owned no black socks nearly broke me. But I resisted. My non-squishy rules held. I still own no black socks. I am not yet broken.

Challenge Rule 2: The Inventory

I have been raiding the basement bin, which is where everything that doesn’t quite fit or that for other reasons makes me anxious has been residing. Each week I try to bring a few things up (thus the army green pants refashion from earlier this week.) I am getting down to some sentimental dregs, things that are just too outlandishly small to ever be worn again, or that carry too much emotional baggage to be dealt with yet.

I found this cute little number, which may have to suffer the indignity of having its sleeves removed in order to be worn more often. I have worn it once in six years. Once in six years! I do not know why. I have no bad memories, nothing particular about it that I don’t like. I just don’t wear it. Is the ruffle too big? The sleeves too constrictive? More to come on this, because I want to love it.

Challenge Rule 3: Go-To Catalogue:

I wore my fabulous navy shirtdress to a funeral I sang at this week, and I felt so put together, it almost made up my fits of giggles. (If this sounds too Bare Naked Ladies for you, and you didn’t read about the trouser alterations, just click here and you’ll understand.)

Challenge Rule 4: Mise en Place/Plan Ahead:

I did something I am not proud of this week. Two days in a row, instead of deciding on the outfit and putting it out, I got out multiple outfits, not knowing how I was going to feel in the morning. The error I made here was I did not check our family schedule at the time I was doing the mise en place. In my defense, my indulgent husband, both nights, wanted to chitchat while I did my mise en place, and this just set me all off my mojo.

If anyone has a way to tell a very nice man whose love language is quality time to “kindly buzz off, I’m doing my mise en place,” I am all ears.

That said, I was a very good girl and put all the extra stuff away in the morning, instead of letting it languish on top of the washing machine.

Challenge Rule 5: Repair and Mend, Alter when Necessary:

Aside from my trouser triumph, I did, out of necessity, work on this ever-evolving work of art this week:

Round up

I am almost three months into my Buy No Clothes in 2021 Challenge! Next week I intend to return to my rules and examine my KPI (Key Performance Indicators) to measure my progress.

In Other News:

Lily Fields, podcasting royalty. (I say this by faith. It is also the reason for that funny photo way up top!)

I promised myself a (non-clothing) treat when I would get through my first three months of the challenge. That treat is a microphone. Why a microphone, you ask? Because I have, ever since I heard of the faintest echo of their existence, wanted have a podcast. I used to work in radio, albeit in France. How much harder would it be to talk in my native tongue?

I naturally have a lot to say, as “overwhelming” and “circuitous” are words that have been used to describe conversations with me. But I can be funny, and I don’t exactly sound like Lina Lamont. Minimalism doesn’t have to be fuddy-duddy, does it?