Best Purchases of 2014

The year is drawing to a close and for many of us, it’s a time of reflection.   As I did last year, I will publish a series of 2014 wrap-up posts, most of which will actually go live in early January.   I’m going to start my retrospective on a high note, with my best purchases of the past year.

Good purchases

What were your best purchases of the year?

In today’s post, I’ll share a brief overview of my 2014 purchases, followed by a look at what I see as my best buys in various wardrobe categories.   I’ll close out with a list of my top ten closet acquisitions of the year.   Later this week, I’ll delve into the darker side of things – my worst 2014 purchases, as well as those items for which the proverbial jury is still out.   Since over two-thirds of my purchases were made in the second half of the year and many were for the late to arrive cooler weather, I’m not yet able to appropriately classify everything as either “good” or “bad.”

2014 Purchase Overview

But that’s a subject for my next post – on to today’s topic!   Let’s start with an overview…  I have added 55 items to my closet this year.  Several gifts are included within this number.   Items that were returned for refunds don’t count, but things that were passed on for donation or consignment do.

Because I still made a fair number of returns this year, I’ve had trouble keeping track of my item number.   In fact, as I tried to round up all of the stats for this post, my head started to spin.  So let’s just say that I exceeded my initial item limit of 38 (set forth in this post) by quite a bit and either met or came close to my revised item limit of 53 (written about here).   I had too many exclusions and caveats anyway, so I definitely understand why some of you got confused by the whole thing.  Even I am confused, so let’s just look at the items and not get into semantics of limits for the sake of this discussion.

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November 2014 Accountability Update

December is well underway, so it’s high time for me to share my November accountability update. For those who are new to “Recovering Shopaholic,” 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.

Shopping Accountability Updates

What Left My Wardrobe and Why

I always start these reports with what left my closet during the previous month.  In November, I focused on purging some unused and unloved jewelry pieces from my collection.   Although I’ve already met my jewelry pare-down goal for the year (goal #10 here), the new jewelry tracking system I started this fall has really helped me continue to downsize.

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October 2014 Accountability Update

It’s now November and the holidays are right around the corner.  Sometimes I wonder where this year has gone!  Before we know it, 2015 will be here.   I should probably check in with you soon regarding my wardrobe and life goals for 2014, but for now it’s time for my October accountability update.

For those who are new to “Recovering Shopaholic,” 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, and some readers have opted to share their own updates in the comments section to stay accountable, too.

Full Honesty and Accountability

Honesty and accountability can help in our recovery.

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September 2014 Accountability Update

Another month has passed and we’ve now moved on into October, although one would never know it from the weather in my part of the world!  But many of you are now enjoying fall weather and fall clothing (and Happy Spring to our friends in the southern hemisphere!).   Regardless of the hot temperatures where I sit, it’s time for my September accountability update.

For those who are new to “Recovering Shopaholic,” 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 wardrobe and shopping goals, and some readers have opted to share their own updates in the comments section to stay accountable, too.

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Applying the Wardrobe “First Impression Test”

I seem to go through phases in terms of the types of posts I do.  Recently, I’ve been very focused on wardrobe management topics, which was also the case last year at this time.  Perhaps it has something to do with the seasons changing and the end of the year approaching.  I don’t think I’m alone in this focus.   We hear lots of talk about “spring cleaning,” but I really think fall (or autumn, as you may call it) is more the time when many of us want to get our closets in order.

Fall Closet Cleanout

Do you get the urge to clean out your closet this time of year?

Of course, I’ve been working on my closet for quite a while now.  This blog is coming up on its two-year anniversary in January, but I started tracking what I do and don’t wear way back in early 2011.  I may have made a bit of headway in those first two years, but there’s nothing like sharing your goals and progress with the world to knock a project into high gear!   Writing this blog has done more for my recovery than anything else I’ve tried, and I’m happy I’ve been able to positively impact others in the process. Continue reading