August 25, 2016 by Debbie Roes

August 2016 Wardrobe and Shopping Goals Update

It’s been a long time since I’ve done an update on my 2016 wardrobe and shopping goals. I used to do monthly accountability updates (you can see them all here), but after three-plus years of doing them, I simply got tired of the lengthy process of putting them together. However, even though I wasn’t going to keep doing blog posts about the topic, I should have continued to keep track for myself. As I shared in my last post, I neglected to track my purchases for over four months and that definitely impeded both my awareness and my progress. Now I could beat myself up about this – and I certainly have, but that wouldn’t ultimately serve me well. Instead what I need to do is determine where I am with my goals, recommit, and recalibrate if necessary.

It’s time to tell the truth about my 2016 wardrobe goals.

In today’s post, which will be a long one, I will review the following goal categories and my current status:

Budget
Item Limit
Frequency of Wear
What I Bought – Clothes, Shoes, Accessories
Goals for the Remainder of 2016

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August 19, 2016 by Debbie Roes

Why Tracking Purchases is Important & How to Do It

Last weekend, I spent several hours updating my purchase list for the year. This task took such a long time because I hadn’t done it in over four months and had to hunt around a lot for the pertinent information. Since I had put off the update for so long, it ended up being a much more surprising – and depressing – experience than it should have been. This has highlighted the importance of updating the list regularly, at least once a month, in order to increase awareness and hopefully prevent myself from getting out of control with my purchases.

Tracking your purchases can help you control your shopping.

Even though I update QuickBooks (what my husband and I use for our accounting) every one to two weeks, I still have a tendency to keep myself “in the dark” in terms of what’s going on with my shopping. I may know the financial numbers and even be able to stick to a budget, as I’ve done for three plus years now, but I often lose sight of how many items I’m buying and how they are or aren’t working for my wardrobe and life.

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August 15, 2016 by Debbie Roes

How I Found Closet Serenity (a.k.a. My Project 333 Experiment)

The following is a guest post from Sybil, a longtime reader of this blog. After retiring at 60, Sybil transitioned to a self-employed consulting role, no longer going into an office every day. That change opened her up to addressing her problem of over-shopping and she embarked on a Project 333 challenge – and she learned a lot!

If you would like to be profiled in an upcoming installment of the “Stories of Recovery” series (you can be anonymous if desired), please connect with me to share your thoughts.

Early in 2016, I decided to challenge myself with a modified Project 333 exercise – selecting 33 items of clothing and wearing only those pieces (accessories not included in count) for three months. Those who know me well laughed at my plan. I’m not exactly known for setting limits on myself. But, remarkably, not only did I succeed, I reached a turning point in managing my wardrobe. And, most surprising, the emotional payoff was significant.

This was Sybil’s Project 333 capsule wardrobe earlier this year.

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August 3, 2016 by Debbie Roes

Travel Packing Debrief – July 2016 Texas Trip

I recently returned from a five day trip to Fort Worth, Texas (sister city to Dallas). It was my first time to that area other than the DFW airport (which doesn’t count…), so it was an adventure. The reason I went there was to meet up with some of the wonderful ladies from the private Facebook group I started, most of whom I had never met in person but had conversed with many times online. A Fort Worth local took the reins in planning the event and thought of lots of special details that I never would have considered myself. She even organized an early celebration for my 50^th birthday, complete with tiara and Hawaiian lei (photo below). Here are a couple of pictures of me embracing the Texas culture with a fringed boot and cowboy hat:

Debbie in Texas

While it’s true that July isn’t necessarily the ideal time to visit Texas, the heat wasn’t as extreme as I’d feared. I mostly stayed indoors during the day and enjoyed the balmy evenings when no jacket was required. All in all, it was a fun-filled trip and I’m so grateful I was able to make it! I don’t get many in-person interactions in my day-to-day life, so it was so nice to be able to look into people’s eyes and share laughter and meaningful conversations face to face. I wish I could show you the photos I took of the lovely women in attendance, but not everyone wants to splash photos of themselves across the Internet, so I’ll respect their privacy. Suffice it to say that they are all beautiful inside and out and I’m pleased to know them.

I hadn’t traveled in almost a year (see my last travel debrief here) and I just don’t do it often enough to get good at packing. I don’t know if I will ever be a packing minimalist, but I’ve found that reflecting back on what did and didn’t work has helped me improve in terms of making the right decisions and not over-packing so much (I have a long history of doing just that!). In today’s post, I look at what I brought to Texas with me, whether or not my packing served me well, and what I wore during my stay.

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July 29, 2016 by Debbie Roes

July 2016 “Grab Bag” of Useful Links

Thank you so much to all who commented on my last two posts, the fishing harbor photography interlude and my 2016 Nordstrom Anniversary Sale experience. I normally like to respond to all comments, but I was away for five days and am still catching up on things after returning home as well as dealing with some ongoing personal issues. Please know that I read and appreciate all comments and learn a great deal from the wonderful insights you share, as do your fellow readers. I plan to do a travel packing debrief (like this one) next week, as I know those types of posts are popular and well-received. I don’t know if I’ll ever be a packing minimalist (see a post from one of those below…), but I continue to improve in terms of actually using most of what I take along with me on trips, so that’s a positive thing.

It’s almost the end of July, so it’s time for the latest installment of useful links (see previous editions here). Included below are links to articles I hope you’ll enjoy on the subjects of shopping and shopping psychology, wardrobe management, style, and personal development. I’m also sharing a few previous “Recovering Shopaholic” posts that you may have missed the first time around (or may choose to revisit now).