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The Cold, Hard Facts: The Missing Piece

When I started this blog in January, some of my early posts addressed some of the “cold, hard facts” of my compulsive shopping situation:

The Missing Link

I wanted to be as honest as possible with myself and my readers as I began my “Recovering Shopaholic” project.  However, I recently realized that I left out one very important piece of the puzzle:

How many items am I buying each year?”

How much are you buying?

Do you know how much you’re buying each year?

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Same Place, Different View

Last week, my husband and I took an overnight trip to Catalina Island to celebrate our twelfth anniversary.  Catalina holds a special place in our hearts, as it’s where we were married on July 4, 2001.  While we don’t spend every anniversary there, we visit at least once per year and always enjoy this idyllic place that’s miles away yet seems worlds apart.

Catalina Island View

Catalina Island, California, with its famous landmark, the Casino

As I know many of you haven’t had the opportunity to visit Catalina, let me paint a picture for you.  It’s a small island approximately twenty miles off the coast of Los Angeles.  There’s only one main town, Avalon, and the year-round population is less than four thousand.  The main industry on Catalina Island is tourism.  And where there’s tourism, you guessed it, there’s shopping!

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My Top 8 Lessons from Project 333

This post is part two of my “debrief” on my Project 333 experience.  On Monday, I shared all of my Project 333 numbers, including how often I wore the various pieces of my wardrobe capsule, how many shoes and accessories I wore (I didn’t include these items in my 33), and my favorite outfits worn during the challenge.  Today I’m highlighting the top lessons I learned from my minimalist fashion experience.

Project 333 Minimalist Wardrobe

This was my April through June wardrobe – just 33 garments!

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Project 333 By the Numbers – The Full Debrief

A little over a week ago, I completed a full stint of Project 333, the minimalist fashion project which challenges participants to wear only 33 items for three months.  Although purists of the challenge include shoes and accessories within their 33, I opted to only count articles of clothing.  I reasoned that taking on Project 333 was scary enough for this longtime “clothing maximalist,” and I wanted to have a higher chance of success.

Warning – Numbers Overload Ahead…

Succeed I did – and Project 333 wasn’t nearly as difficult as I thought it would be!  Being the tracking geek that I am, I kept a full accounting of everything I wore during April, May, and June.  In today’s post, I share my June numbers (see the April and May numbers here and here) as well as my final numbers for the full project.  I also share my favorite outfits worn over the course of Project 333.

Before I delve into my Project 333 debrief, I have to warn you that there are a lot of numbers!  If you’re at all like me,  you’ll love my level of detail, but others might find themselves thinking, “This woman is nuts!”  Don’t worry, though.  I’ve included lots of photos for my more visually inclined readers.

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Mid-Year Closet Inventory: What I Have Now

I’ve spent a big chunk of time over the past few days trying on every single item in my wardrobe.  Although I’ve pared things down considerably since the beginning of the year, this was still no easy task!  Why did I do it?  After completing my Project 333 term and dressing with less for three months, I was ready to make a powerful dent in the girth of my wardrobe.  I’ve really learned “in my bones” that I don’t need tons and tons of clothes in order to dress well and have sufficient variety.

My January 2013 Closet

I will never have a closet this jam-packed again!

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