The Great American Apparel Diet
no buying for one year

Liz K

Hi there! My name is Liz. I am a wife, mom of three amazing young men (21, 17, & 15), full-time teacher, and am working on my Masters degree. Teaching two to drive at once is enough to send anyone over the edge! Fortunately, I am married to the calmest and most supportive man ever to live on planet Earth. I thought I was the only one crazy enough to give up shopping…I have done it a few times for Lent—very hard when all the new cute summer things are leaping into the stores, and thoughts of vacation and something new to take along are jiggeting about in the brain. Giving up shopping for the year was a New Year’s resolution a few years ago, but with no “support group” I didn’t make it. If memory serves, I made it until May. Then there was a trip, and well, you need something new to pack when you are going out of town, right? Why do this? I have an overly full closet, and a deep seated need for minimalism. After more than 20 years of moving every three years, I have an automatic purge mechanism that kicks in every two and a half years. Time to throw things out…Purge the kitchen, linen closets, toys, videos (the kids still hold that over my head) and mostly clothes, purses and shoes. My better half has now retired from the Navy; we have been stationary for more than three years, and the bulk is building up. They say that you don’t really own any more than you can carry in two arms at a dead run, and I have always been one to inventory. What 10 books would I take if I was to go into outer space? If we were to be evacuated, what would I pack? Desert Island Discs was one of my favorite radio programmes when we lived in England. Ideally, I would like my wardrobe to fit into two suitcases, one for clothes, the other would probably be for shoes and bags! Sounds masochistic for someone who loves fashion! Most of the others posting are shoppers way out of my league, the majority of my wardrobe comes from JC Penney and Target. We are paying tuition fees for 4/5ths of our family, so Macy’s and Talbot’s are splurges for me! My weaknesses are shoes and handbags, so I’ll count those into the diet as well, with the exception of new running shoes as needed. Doing without would be the ruin of my 47 ¾ year old knees, and back. I’ve decided to reclaim ½ and ¼ years, like the people with whom I spend my days! It makes me feel like a kid again. What else might you need to know? I am looking forward to 50. I love my grey hair. I abhor intolerance, and closed-mindedness. And, yes, I am completely aware of the irony there!