Project 333

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Project 333 Week Twelve Update

We’ve now come to my penultimate Project 333 update (I’ve always wanted to use that word in a sentence!).  I’m now in the final week of my first term (but maybe not my last) of this enlightening and growth-producing minimalist fashion challenge.

Week 12 presented some problems for me, but they were more in terms of my life than my wardrobe.  My issues with my Project 333 capsule wardrobe have been well documented in previous updates, so I won’t belabor those points again here.  Suffice it to say that if I had it to do over again or if I ever take on Project 333 again, I would make different choices for what to include among my 33 items.  My thoughts on this and many other topics will be included in my full Project 333 de-brief, to be posted in early July.

But now let’s look at Week 12… This post includes my Week 12 outfit photos, the challenges I encountered during the week, some more thoughts on what’s next for me after Project 333, and a few useful links on Project 333 and other interesting topics.

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Project 333 Week Eleven Update

With Week Eleven behind me, I’m now down to my final two weeks of Project 333.  In some ways, the time has gone by very quickly, yet it also seems like a long time ago that I was putting together my wardrobe capsule in late March.  I’ve experienced a number of wins and challenges in my eleven weeks of Project 333 and have learned a great deal about myself, my wardrobe, my shopping habits, and my personal style.  I will write a lot more about this in early July, as the growth and learning is still sinking in!

In today’s post, I share my Week Eleven outfit photos and a few insights, and leave you with some useful links to articles from other bloggers on their Project 333 journeys.  I also encapsulate a few of my thoughts on what’s next for me after Project 333 concludes.  I’m still formulating my plan at this point, so I’m open to your suggestions!

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Project 333 Week Ten Update

It’s Monday, so it must be time for another one of my weekly Project 333 updates.  If you’re new to the blog and would like to read my previous Project 333 posts, click here.  If you are interested in started Project 333 yourself, this page provides an overview and general rules of the challenge.  If you’d like more information and help with delving into the Project 333 challenge, I highly recommend the “Dress with Less” microcourse.

Before I delve into my update, I’d like to thank everyone who commented on my posts last week, especially my Friday “Boring Wardrobe – or Boring Life?” post.  It means a lot to me to have the support of my readers!  I enjoy reading your comments and value all of your input and insights.  While I may not choose to implement everything suggested (at least not right away), I appreciate your taking the time to reach out to me to share your experiences and feedback.

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May Project 333 Summary & Accountability Update

As long-time readers of “Recovering Shopaholic” know, I have committed to posting monthly accountability summaries throughout 2013 (and possibly beyond).  These summaries help to keep me honest and include the following information:  what came into my wardrobe, what left, how much I spent, and how well I did in adhering to my shopping-related rules.  As I’m doing Project 333 during April through June, I’m also including summary information for that challenge in the accountability updates for those months.

Project 333 – May Summary

As the Project 333 interest level is high for many of my readers, I’ll start with that summary.

NOTE:  If you’d like to learn more about how to do the Project 333 challenge, I highly recommend the “Dress with Less” microcourse from Courtney Carver, the creator of Project 333.

I’ll kick off with my May numbers “in a nutshell”:

  • Number of Garments Worn during May:  33 (yay!)
  • Garments Worn 5 Times:  2  (black jeans, Gap trouser jeans)
  • Garments Worn 4 Times:  3  (cobalt cardigan, burgundy cardigan, Cabi jeans)
  • Garments Worn 3 Times:  2   (black skirt, striped cardigan)
  • Garments Worn Twice:  9
  • Garments Worn Once:  17

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Project 333 Week Nine Update

It’s time for another Project 333 update…  Nine weeks down, four to go!  During Week Nine, I wore six outfits, completed my May shopping hiatus, and delved back into the world of shopping (big surprise…).  In this post, I share my wins, challenges, outfit photos, and a few links to other bloggers who have written about the Project 333 challenge.

Wins for Week Nine

In short, the following are what I see as my wins for week nine:

  • More Outfits:  I “got dressed” on six of the seven days last week.  Included among these outfits are two skirt/dress outfits and lots of black, burgundy, and grey.  I also experimented with more advanced pattern mixing in my third outfit.  I’m trying new things to break up the boredom of dressing with only 33 garments.  I think the combination worked out okay…
  • No Shopping in May:  I successfully completed my challenge to not buy any new clothes, shoes, or accessories during the month of May.  In order to do so, I had to resist the temptation of the Nordstrom Half-Yearly Sale.  I’m proud of myself for seeing my shopping hiatus through and not giving in to the siren call of the sale!
  • Repeats are Okay:  When I was processing my week nine outfit photos, I noticed that I wore one of my cardigans and a pair of my jeans on two of the days.  I used to go out of my way not to do “repeats,” even if I didn’t think I’d see the same people on the day of the encore wearing.  This past week, I didn’t care.  I see this shift as progress.  I’m caring less about what others think and concentrating more on how I feel and what I want to wear.

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