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Project 333 Week Six Update

It’s time for another Project 333 update, this time for Week Six.  Lots to share this week, including for the first time, seven outfits!  Read on for my wins, challenges, and outfit photos, as well as some powerful epiphanies I experienced this past week.

An Alterations Casualty

I am a huge proponent of the power of alterations, but there are times when tailoring just doesn’t work out.  In last week’s update, I mentioned that I needed to return my grey skirt to the tailor to have the hem fixed.  Well, I got the skirt back and the hem looked better, but the silhouette of the skirt had become unflattering as a result of the shortening and narrowing that was done (in short, it made my butt look huge!).

Due to the wrinkly style of the fabric, it was a tricky alteration to pursue, but I can be pretty stubborn when I want something.  The skirt had been a favorite of mine for years, but my style aesthetic had evolved such that I prefer shorter and narrower fits.  I probably should have just passed the skirt on, but instead I tried to transform it through tailoring.  Now I have to donate it anyway and I wasted a chunk of change on trying to make it work.  This one goes in the failure column…

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Why Continue to Shop?

This post was inspired by a reader question in response to one of my Project 333 updates.   I love how my readers challenge me and lead me to think more deeply about my behavior and thought processes!   I’m so happy I started this blog, as it’s already exceeded my initial expectations.  I’m delighted that it’s helping others deal with their wardrobes and shopping, as well as accelerating my own awareness and growth.

Here is the reader question I’ve been pondering over the past couple of weeks:

Why do you continue to buy clothing when you have so much already that you haven’t made decisions about?”

I decided to answer this question in a post, as I’m guessing other “shopaholics” will be able to relate to my answers.  As I wrote about in “The Reasons We Shop Too Much,” there are many motives behind compulsive shopping behavior.  Just as a compulsive overeater doesn’t overindulge because she’s hungry or loves food, the frantic buying behavior of shopaholics can rarely be attributed to a love of fashion or genuine wardrobe needs.

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Project 333 Week Five Update

Month two of Project 333 is under way!  During my fifth week of the challenge, I experienced a lot of ups and downs.  I share those “wins and challenges” below, as well as the five outfits that I wore last week.

Welcomed Warmer Weather!

One piece of good news was that the warm weather early in the week enabled me to wear a few skirt/dress outfits.  I was also able to wear two of the three remaining garments that had not yet been worn during Project 333.  The lone piece which remains unworn after five weeks is the white sequined tank:

White tank not yet worn Continue reading →

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April Project 333 Summary & Accountability Update

For those who are new to my blog, I’ve committed to posting monthly accountability summaries in which I share what came into my wardrobe, what left, and how well I adhered to my budget and other shopping-related rules.  Knowing I will have to share this information with my readers every month helps to keep me on track.  As I’m doing Project 333 during April, May, and June, I’ll also include a summary for that challenge in my accountability updates for those months.

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.

Project 333 Summary

Since many of my readers found me via Project 333 and I know interest for that topic is high, I’ll start with the summary for my first month of the challenge.  Here are my numbers in a nutshell (click here for photos of my Project 333 garments):

  • Number of Garments Worn:  32
  • Garments Worn 4 Times:  1  (black jeans)
  • Garments Worn 3 Times:   4  (navy pants, Cabi jeans, burgundy cardigan, grey cardigan)
  • Garments Worn Twice:   9
  • Garments Worn Once:  18
  • Garments Not Worn:  1  (white embellished tank)

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Buyer’s Remorse – Where Did My $50,000 Go?

In preparation for beginning Project 333 this month, I took the “Dress with Less Microcourse,” an inexpensive self-paced course geared toward getting people ready to take on the challenge.  One of my favorite parts of the course was the series of thought-provoking questions presented in the Day One materials.  These questions really solidified my decision to participate in Project 333, as my answers made me more present to what my compulsive shopping and overly full closet were costing me, both on a financial and psychological level.

My favorite question was this one:

“Estimate how much money you have spent on clothing, jewelry, accessories and yes… shoes over the past 10 years. If you had that sum of money in your hands right now, would you spend it on clothes?”

Buyer's Remorse Continue reading →