What's Next??

If you had told me this time last year that I would be able to make it through a year without buying any clothes, I would have laughed. Throughout the past year, people have often commented, "There's no way that I could go an entire year without buying clothes." You may be thinking the same thing. Let me tell you, if someone had told me this time last year that I would be able to make it through a year without buying any clothes, I would have laughed and never believed them. Let's be serious, I LOVED shopping. Still love it! But, I have done it...well, almost...and I'm so proud of myself. On the outside it was clothes, but on the inside I learned to lean into God and other people instead of clothes.

The thing is, the goal was for a year, and the year is almost up. I'm going to get to buy a few new things and I am so excited. I've been making a list and cutting things out and I'm looking forward to a fun afternoon of shopping. And that's what it will be. It will be a fun afternoon. Not retail therapy and not a day that breaks my bank. There are some items that I want to add to my wardrobe, but even more I want to keep away from my old ways.

I've decided that just as I set boundaries for not purchasing, I am going to have to set boundaries FOR purchasing...and those boundaries are about so much more than staying within my clothing budget!! My problem was never that I spent lots of money on clothes...just that I did it much too often. Here's what I've come up with so far to help me make the transition from...

• Shop in my closet, and the closets of my friends first. For each time that I'm able to do that, I will reward myself with $5 to spend on something later.
• Get one, give one. I used to be really good at this, but I kind of slacked off. From now on, if I love something enough to bring it into my house, I have to find something else to donate.
• Shop to fulfill a clothing need and not to fulfill an emotional need. I'm not interested in going the rest of my life without buying clothes. That's unrealistic. But, from now on, I will shop for specific items. No more just breezing through and picking up things on a whim. I'll keep me list of things that I want to buy with me and if it's not on the list, it doesn't get purchased.

Now that I've blogged about it, you're more than welcome to hold me accountable. After all, that is one of the keys to success!