Accountability

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January 2015 Closet Purge and Inventory

In my last post, I mentioned that I recently did another closet purge.  It wasn’t anything too extreme, but after seeing how few wardrobe “all-stars” I had last year, as well as how many closet “benchwarmers,” I felt compelled to do some downsizing.   So I took a few hours this past weekend to give everything I own a second look (using the “first impression test” that I wrote about here).   Today’s post reveals what I’ve opted to pass on, as well as my new closet inventory.

Shopping and wardrobe statistics

Rethinking My Closet Inventory

In previous closet inventories, I’ve focused primarily on my “regular clothes,” those pieces I wear when I’m out and about.  However, since so much of my life involves being at home, walking, and going to the gym, I decided to start including my entire wardrobe in these updates (with the exception of undergarments and sleepwear).  I need to start considering what I wear for my day-to-day life, which involves a lot of sitting in front of my home computer wearing lounge wear.  Those clothes count and I need to start treating them more as if they matter.   I need to feel just as good in my at home clothes as I do in what I wear when I’m out and about.

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2014 By the Numbers: The Wardrobe “Benchwarmers”

On Friday, I shared the good news portion of my 2014 wardrobe review, my closet “all-stars.”  I appreciate all of the excellent feedback I received on that post.  I especially liked learning about the way others track their wardrobes and work to make sure what they have gets worn on a regular basis.   I realize that wearing something five, eight, or even twelve times per year isn’t exactly stellar or earthshattering and that many of you wear your clothes far more often. But, as the saying goes, Rome wasn’t built in a day (or even two years), so we have to start somewhere and build from there.

2014 Wardrobe Benchwarmers

I definitely have a lot of room for improvement in terms of frequency of wear for my clothing.  Seeing my 2014 numbers is really what pushed me to start my new “Love It, Wear It” challenge.  The stats in black and white also propelled me to do another closet purge, which I will share in a future post, along with an updated inventory.

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2014 By the Numbers: The Wardrobe “All-Stars”

These year-end wrap-up posts are quite enlightening for me to write and I hope you also enjoy reading them.   If any of you were wondering what prompted me to start my 2015 wardrobe challenge (now called “Love It, Wear It” or LIWI – a big thanks to Kim for the suggestion!), you’ll better understand after reading this post and my next one.

2014 Wardrobe All-Stars

I have now been tracking my wardrobe for four years.   Ever since the beginning of 2011, I’ve recorded how often I’ve worn all of the clothing and shoes in my closet (I haven’t tracked jewelry and other accessories, but it might be time to start!).   Each year, I’ve aimed to improve upon my stats from the previous year.   Seeing that 2012’s numbers were just as abysmal as those from 2011 was what prompted me to start this blog!  And the blog has been helpful in that I did start wearing more of what I own and have pared down my wardrobe to half its previous size.

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December Accountability Update and 2014 Wrap-Up

It’s time for my final monthly accountability update for 2014.   As long-time readers know, these monthly reports are where I share what came into and left my closet during the previous month, what I wore, and how I did with my shopping budget and rules.  It’s my way of keeping myself honest and on track with my goals.   This update will also include a year-end wrap-up in terms of my budget and item limit.  Other goals – including wardrobe “all-stars” and “benchwarmers” – will be covering in future posts.

Wrapping up 2014

What Left My Wardrobe and Why

I always start these reports with what left my closet during the previous month.  During December, I purged just two items from my wardrobe:

  • Black lace sweatshirt (returned to store)
  • White cardigan (slated for donation or consignment)

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Worst Purchases of 2014 and “On the Fence” Items

Now it’s time for the bad news in regards to my 2014 shopping, my worst purchases of the year.  I wish I could say that only a few items fall into this category, but that’s not the case. Although my shopping track record has definitely improved over previous years, I clearly still have a lot to learn.  Since learning and growth are really the purposes of this blog – and all of our journeys – I feel there is merit to analyzing both the good and the bad (and we all know that I love some good analysis!).

year 2014 in review

Have you taken the time to review your 2014 purchases?

In today’s post, I share the bad purchases I made this year, as well as those items that remain in uncertain territory.   As with my best purchases post, I include lots of photos and aim to find common ground among the pieces that just weren’t good buys.  As for those unsure items, I will make educated guesses as to whether or not they will become wardrobe workhorses in the future.   It’s kind of a “mixed bag,” but I’ll do my best to predict which pieces will have staying power and which ones will likely be headed out the door in short order.

This post is a long one (perhaps I should have made this a three part series), but it’s the end of the year, so why not sit down with a nice cup of coffee, tea, or hot cocoa (or even a stiff drink) and think about your own purchases as I recount mine.  There is value in looking at what we bought and how our purchases have either served us well or fallen flat.   If you do this type of analysis (which I recommend), try not to beat yourself up too much for your shortcomings.  I will try to keep this review lighthearted as well, as I cannot go back and change the past.  We can only look forward and it’s useful to do so with the lessons from the past firmly in our minds.

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