Accountability

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January 2014 Accountability Update

Where did the time go?  It’s hard to believe that February is already under way and it’s time for my first accountability update for 2014.  For those who are new to “Recovering Shopaholic,” I’ve committed to posting monthly accountability updates as a way of keeping myself honest and on track with my wardrobe and shopping goals.  These posts include what came into and left my closet during a given month and how I did with my shopping budget and rules.   I typically write about what I wore that month as well, but since I’m doing another round of Project 333, I will include that information in a separate post (to go live later this week).

Full Honesty and Accountability

Being accountable to others can help you stick to your goals!

Continue reading →

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Shopping and Wardrobe Goals for 2014

Now that I’ve finished my many 2013 wrap-up posts, it’s time to work on creating some powerful goals for 2014.  Today’s post will focus on shopping and wardrobe goals, while another post later this week will center on more general life goals.

2014 Shopping and Wardrobe Goals

What are your shopping and wardrobe goals  for 2014?

Since the tagline for this blog is “Trade your full closet for a full life,” I want to make sure to devote adequate time and attention to the second part of that equation this year.   I hope that many of you will join me in setting goals related to your shopping, your wardrobe, and your life at large and that some of you will opt to share them in the comments section of this post. Continue reading →

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Confession Time: What I Bought in 2013

At long last, we’ve come to my final wrap-up post for 2013.   However, this is a not a case of “I saved the best for last.” Rather, I saved the most difficult post for me to write until the bitter end.  In fact, this is the post I’ve been dreading writing.  But there’s no avoiding it… It’s time for me to face the music and share what I bought in 2013.

Telling the Truth

It’s time to tell the truth about my 2013 shopping…

This post includes how many items I bought last year and how many I still have, as well as the number of shopping successes and failures I experienced during 2013.   As an aspiring optimist, I like to find the silver lining in all life’s situations, yet I won’t “sugar coat” things here.  I made some big mistakes last year and I won’t shirk from admitting them to you – and to myself.  But I’ll also share what I learned from those mistakes, in the hopes that my lessons will also benefit those of you who continue to struggle with overshopping, bad shopping, and various wardrobe woes. Continue reading →

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By the Numbers: January 2014 Closet Inventory

I started this blog in January 2013 with several clear goals.  I wanted to stop shopping too much and to stop using shopping as my default activity for dealing with difficult situations and emotions.  I also wanted to pare down what had become an overly large and extremely overwhelming wardrobe.  A year ago, looking into my closet provoked a sense of deep anxiety within me.  I set a goal of cultivating a more manageable and minimalist wardrobe filled only with items I love and wear.

One of my first posts presented the cold, hard facts of what I had in my closet. I did a full closet inventory and laid out the numbers clearly and plainly for all to see.  At that time, I had a total of 272 garments, 55 pairs of shoes, 15 purses, and 44 scarves!  My grand total of all of these items combined was 386!   My goal for the first year of my recovering shopaholic project was to bring this total down to fewer than 250 pieces. Continue reading →

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2013 By the Numbers – Wardrobe All-Star & Benchwarmer Update

After countless hours spent crunching spreadsheet data, I’m finally ready to reveal my 2013 wardrobe numbers!  As I worked to prepare this information, I was reminded of a quote I heard a while back. While I don’t remember the exact wording, the gist of it is that our possessions can enslave us because we spend so much time acquiring and maintaining them.  That has definitely been true for me and particularly in regards to my clothes.

While I’m a statistics junkie and enjoy crunching the numbers, it would be nice to have less data to compile at the end of the year.  This would require my having fewer clothes and fewer things coming into and out of my closet each year.  Of course, that’s a big reason why I took on my recovering shopaholic project.  I wanted my life to be less about shopping and more about other things, while also having a smaller wardrobe that works for me and my lifestyle. Continue reading →