The Rules

In order to do this right, I really have to put together a list of ground rules to follow for the year. My anxiety of failing myself in this and my desire to prove wrong the people who doubt me is enough to keep me going, as long as I have a list of guidelines. When people ask, it's important that I have a definite answer to their inquiries so I look like I know what I'm doing...

Rule #1- no purchasing for myself any items of clothing, shoes, or accessories in the year 2012.
Rule #2- everything in my closet must be worn once this year, or else it gets donated at the end of the year
Rule #3- try to blog weekly about my adventures in non shopping, plug myself relentlessly
Rule #4- Open a savings account and deposit monthly the amount of money spent on clothing in 2011- Basically I'll be tracking my spending from last year and trying to save that for next year


It is simple, but it won't be easy. This weekend was already a test to see how creative I could get with the clothes that I have. I had a friend visiting SF for a mini vacation and we were constantly on the go. I like to look cute when I go out in the city, especially when friends are around and photos will be captured, but by day 3 I hated all of my clothes. I have to learn to love the stuff in there, because I'm only 10 days in.

I suppose there are loopholes to this, if someone felt so inclined to buy me things, I would not necessarily need to say no to that! I also feel it's okay to borrow from friends and raid my roommates closet for inspiration. I don't do that too often, but in order to preserve my sanity for the next 350+ days, I have to have some flexibility right? The bottom line is I'm trying to learn to live my life differently, and not rely on the ease of filling my life with new things when I already have enough "things" to begin with. On a moral level, I feel that my spending is something I need to learn to control.

My goal in the end is to have spent the year learning to stretch myself creatively and also to save money. In 2013 I'd like to travel somewhere by myself, and the money that I save in this process will be going toward a trip! I'm currently leaning toward a Greek island trip. So the payoff is sweet, and that's all I need to keep me motivated.