Stop Shopping – Sing With Your Feet

So now what?

No, really? So now what? I asked myself. What am I supposed to do now? Just waltz into a thrift store, or a sock store with the wad of cash burning a hole in my pocket? (–Umh, Lily? Umh, hunny, to what cash are you referring?) After a year of being hypervigilant about my shoppingContinue reading “So now what?”

You should really stop shopping! Part six: But I can’t sew and other objections

It was irritating, it was compelling. It was…and here’s that word again, convicting. It was a book called Serve God, Save the Planet. This book was revolutionary to me. It put into perspective so much of what I was uncomfortable with in my life as a middle-class white American Christian. One, short little sentence thatContinue reading “You should really stop shopping! Part six: But I can’t sew and other objections”

You should really stop shopping! Part Five: Pain that feels good

As you know, I am not an outdoorsy kinda girl. I would have been better suited to playing four-hands piano with my sister in a Regency romance novel than just about any outdoor activity. However. However…there are times when life has made it impossible for me to stay on my divan embroidering flowers into linensContinue reading “You should really stop shopping! Part Five: Pain that feels good”

You should really stop shopping! Part Four: Partners in crime, at least for a time

I challenge you to imagine the things in your life of which you are most proud. Who are the people hovering in the shadows of those accomplishments? Very few, if any, of my personal achievements have been accomplished completely, entirely, utterly by myself. Even in the intensely intimate accomplishments that have been obtained with onlyContinue reading “You should really stop shopping! Part Four: Partners in crime, at least for a time”

You should really stop shopping! Part Three: Challenge and Motivation

Your reasons for shopping and wanting to stop shopping are intimate and personal. They may speak only to you, your situation, your relationships, your relationship to your body. They may also (as at least one of mine is!) be widely universalisable (Hey, look at you reading French now! Don’t forget to show that gem offContinue reading “You should really stop shopping! Part Three: Challenge and Motivation”

The most effective way to do it…

At the end of April, I did my first ever seasonal wardrobe changeover. Keep in mind, I’m forty-four years old. I’ve been a grown-up for a very long time, and yet I had never gotten my act together to make my own life easier in this way. The Buy No Clothes in 2021 Challenge beganContinue reading “The most effective way to do it…”

Joy is Not Black or White

Quick! Before you do your summer closet declutter! Let me just get a word in edgewise. I know that summer is the perfect time to do that big big big closet overhaul. But before you do, I want plant an idea or two in your thoughts for consideration. This article will contain lots of linksContinue reading “Joy is Not Black or White”

Quality, Quantity and Sustainability

When it comes to the origin of the clothes that reside in my Boudoir, I can honestly say that it is an eclectic melting pot. Thrift stores, hand-me-downs, fast fashion stores, discount stores, handmades. As for the quality of the items in my Boudoir, it is equally eclectic. Some, like a single pair of sandalsContinue reading “Quality, Quantity and Sustainability”

Falling in love with your closet

Yesterday I talked about the short-term benefit of Mise en Place: that immediate little burst of feeling good about doing something nice for your future self. Today, I want to dive into the long-term benefit of Mise en Place. This long-term benefit should come with a big warning label: WARNING! WARNING! The prolonged practice ofContinue reading “Falling in love with your closet”