Jan 19
Sarah F

Thanks for all of the votes on our last poll, it looks like the majority of TGAAD Dieters are redistributing funds they used to spend on clothing to their (now growing) savings accounts! Coming in second to savings accounts was paying off credit cards (17votes) it’s awesome to see that the diet is positively affecting your bank accounts!

And now I’d like to address a topic of importance to the women of TGAAD…that topic is bras. before and after bra fittingNow, a majority of members are women and we know that it’s a challenge in itself to not purchase clothing, and make outfits work that haven’t been worn in years. So as you struggle with wearing old sweaters and layering all of the items which you do already own, take a moment to think about the items that are going on underneath all of that winter layering. An ill fitting bra can make an old top look more worn than what it actually is, so remember new bras are allowed (thank goodness!) and wearing a properly fitting one can make an old shirt look a lot newer than it is! One of our old dieters and a good friend to us at The Great American Apparel Diet, Rebecca Kotch, is doing some research on where we buy the undergarments we put on before we get dressed for the day or go out for the night. We love hearing your responses to all of the polls and are really excited for this new poll.   Rebecca is hoping you can give some insight into how you purchase your often neglected (in our posts) but essential wardrobe items! We do have one question from the poll up on our site, but if you could vote through the link below, the information would be greatly appreciated! http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/6VB8JGX

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Jan 15

I’m so thankful for TGAAD! Being on this diet will help me focus on the bigger picture and personal financial goals.

1. Save, save, SAVE for a down payment on a house.
2. Be financially stable. Being able to stand on my own two feet is very important to me.
3. Start a travel specific savings account. I don’t want to go into debt just to see the Eiffel Tower.

In the last year and a bit I’ve completely changed [most of] my spending habits. Sure I still lust after clothing, and It’s definitely been a little bit of a rollercoaster ride, but nonetheless, worth it. I went from online shopping pretty much every day, to cutting myself off cold turkey, budgeting down to the last penny, paying off my VISA™ [finally], saving money, falling off the wagon and binging once or twice, getting back on the not-so stable wagon, paying off my VISA again, to finding TGAAD. So it’s been a pretty bumpy ride and shopping will always be something I struggle with, but as long as I can rationalize with myself and decipher needs vs. wants, I think I will be ok.

It’s funny, I‘ll have really good days when I’ll think “I am SO done with shopping” and truly believe that I have conquered this whole ideology of wanting “things”. I love those days. Then there will be a wave of bad, oh-so-terrible, self-indulgent days where shopping controls my life and is literally all I can think about… followed by the inevitable binge; and furthermore – buyer’s remorse. Bleh.

What’s the moral of the story? Today is a really good day. :)

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Jan 09

So here it is Sunday afternoon, a perfect day for shopping- NOT.  Normally, that is my routine.  I can feel the siren call of the mall.  I am being taunted by a 30% off Kohl’s coupon.  Sigh.  It’s interesting to me to see that so much of my typical day involved shopping.  Yesterday I did my grocery shopping and spent an extra long time in the cosmetics aisle.  I didn’t  buy anything, but I needed to see what was new.  I accumulate way too much STUFF!  I have to be careful not to just switch my obsession from clothing to makeup or something else (like start buying 37 bras or something LOL).  I definitely could fall into that trap.  I started sorting a few drawers to make a pile for Goodwill, but I kept removing things from the pile.  I guess that is ok. What I will do this week is wear each of the items I took back from the pile.  I will see how they make me feel.   I have a feeling, there will be a problem with each (I know one is too loose and that is why I never wear it) I’m thinking that if I force myself to wear it all day at work maybe I will recognize that I don’t love it, don’t need it and I can let go.   I shouldn’t have bought it in the first place but I rationalized it because of the price!  I have quite a few of those.  For me this is all about mindfulness. Too bad I’m out of my mind.  :)

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Dec 31
Gina

I signed up yesterday and as soon as I committed I remembered that I’m getting married in February! OMG, what have I done?  I am allowing myself one major purchase, my wedding gown, and I’m promising myself to not go overboard.

I have enough clothes, shoes, socks… I counted my bras… 52, who needs 52 bras. I only wear 3-4 of them, my favorites, the ones that actually work and aren’t about sexiness. I find that the “sexy” ones are the most uncomfortable ones so I rarely wear them. And my fiance? He doesn’t really care! Shoes, I have multiple black shoes, who doesn’t? I don’t need another pair of black flats, black pumps, black stilettos, black anything. That goes for the shirts, tops, pants, skirts…

I have a spending problem, right? I seem to spend everyday, something, anything, and it’s getting out of hand. I even make up the excuse of grocery shopping as a means of spending without guilt. We have supplies, food, tableware, silverware, you name it… I have multiples. Today I had to buy candles for the New Year’s Eve dinner that we’re hosting. I didn’t really need to buy them, my friends would understand, but the table needed them! I’m slowly cleaning out my house and I’m going to have a “Free” garage sale. It’s a way for me to give back and to see the smiles and astonishment of the neighborhood as I give away my extras! It’s fun and it’s free! I’ll let you know how it’s all going, going, gone!!!

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Dec 30

So it’s official:

I’M FREAKING OUT MAN!!!!!

As i get closer to to my start date, I’m getting more and more nervous, anxious, doubtful… that I will be able to actually start and finish this challenge.

So nervous that I bought a pair if True Religion jeans yesterday morning… Blarrrgg. I’m doomed!

My friend and a fellow dieter mentioned taking an inventory of my clothes. So I did, and I’m disappointed with the choices I am left with. I cant help but think this diet could have been a whole lot easier if I had made rational, thought out purchases when buying my current wardrobe. Instead of the “Oohh! This is pretty, Oohh this I cute” approach I inevitably ended up taking. Double Blarrg.

Another thing that bothers me is the fact that it’s not a really great wardrobe as a whole. Sure I have some fantastic individual pieces, but most of it is just, well, blahhh..uninspiring, really. Which is rapidly decreasing my confidence.

Update* I had another meltdown last night and ended up purchasing 2 button down shirts, a lovely striped hoodie, and two pairs of jeans [one for me and one for the bf..] from Abercrombie.

I KNOW!!! I’M A HORRIBLE PERSON, 100% HORRIBLE!!!

… on the bright side, I haven’t bought anything today! Baby steps…baby steps.

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Dec 24

..soooo instead of buying 1 pair of jeans, which is what I totally intended to do…I..err..umm…kind of ended up buying 3 pairs of jeans and a really cool (if I say so myself) pair of red sneakers. Do people still say “sneakers” these days?? Whatever, I’m old okay. Don’t judge me.

This brings me to my next subject: Should I include not buying shoes and accessories into the equation? Or would that simply be too much to cut out of my life at once? I mean, It’s not that I go Cr@ZZYy over shoes and accessories.. I have some self control.. Its just that…I’m unsure that if I cut everything out all at once, will I be more likely to fail or binge? Perhaps it’s as simple as limiting myself to one accessory or pair of shoes a month.

Maybe this way I won’t have that lingering feeling of deprivation hanging over my shoulders..or at the tip of my fingers [hovering ever so precariously over that mouse button]

~Felix Navidad!~

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Dec 22
Sarah F

Time magazine has published an article today on shopping and consumer behavior, which discusses why we make some of the spending choices that we make. Particularly interesting was their discussion of the domino effect when we buy one item and feel the need to buy many more to “go” with it instead of considering returning that pair of shoes, dress, shirt, ect. There has been extensive marketing research done in recent years on consumer behavior and debt in America, and we are getting down to some of the consumer psychology that explains our shopping behaviors. The Great American Apparel Diet is mentioned in this discussion, and the article is incredibly interesting and offers some relevant evaluations of our behavior as consumers.

Check it out! http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,2039389,00.html

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Dec 21

I’ve recently returned from a whirlwind trip to Ontario for a family visit with the boyfriend. Like I’ve said in an earlier post, I don’t have many shopping options here in my town and most of my clothing purchases happen online. So being in “civilization” kind of put me into shopping OVERDRIVE!!! Since I normally don’t have the luxury of being able to pack up and leave town whenever I want, being in any city with endless shopping possibilities is pretty exciting! Even the most minuscule mall can give me a rush!!

One of the reasons I chose TGAAD as my new years resolution was to ease myself into it without feeling too overwhelmed. Also, I figured since we had already planned this trip way far in advance, that I didn’t want to limit myself while on the second trip out of town this year…like I said, I don’t get out much.

So..First things first: Budget, Budget, Budget! I budgeted for the entire trip. I saved up a couple months in advance, made a list of things that I really wanted to buy annnd… I didn’t bring my credit card [that part was pretty easy since it's been sitting pretty in a block of ice in my freezer for the last year and a half].

So as soon as we got into the city[Day 2 of a 15 hour drive and at this point we had been up since 4:30 in the morning], we went straight for the mall. THE WEST EDMONTON MALL!! Oh the convenience! Oh the stores! Oh the humanity!!! Anthropologie! Victorias Secret! H&M! Lululemon!! Ahh there are too many to name! ShoesShoesShoesssssss!!! The one stop shop!

It was great and I loved it, and somehow I managed to buy more accessories [scarves, hats, jewelry, sunglasses..etc] and gifts than actual clothes. In the 17 days we were gone I came home with 2 sweaters; 1 cardigan – $12.99 at Old Navy; 1 long sleeved active shirt (perfect for under my hockey equipment) and a pair of AE jeans $49.50….Huh, go figure. One of the best purchases would have to have been the most darling of egg holders from anthropologie in this fab blue colour..it was something like $16 and I LOVE IT!

TenDays until the real challenge begins. EXCITED MUCH!?!?! xoxo

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Dec 15

I found out about TGAAD a few months back, but it didn’t really cross my mind to jump on board. Then, a few days ago, I was thinking about the New Year and resolution (in the loosest sense) – wanting more time for the important things, thinking about getting my finances tightened up, and trying to declutter – and it hit me that now would be a good time to get on board.

I don’t really spend a lot, mostly because I shop almost exclusively at thrift stores. But as a grad student, I’d rather be saving than spending, and given how little I currently make, it’s still a higher percentage of my budget than I’d like. Because thrift stores are cheap, I also have a lot of clothing – nice, good quality clothing, but certainly enough, and probably more than I need – and I could use the room. Finally, I spend more time shopping than I would prefer, looking for just the right things at just the right price.

So, for TGAAD my goals are four-fold. Spend less. Bring fewer things home. Have more time for the important stuff. Get creative with what I have (and get rid of what just isn’t working). Pretty simple, I hope.

When I was considering joining, I found myself nervous. Could I really do this? (As a side note, I think the fact that it felt so monumental at the time is probably a sign that this is a good thing to be doing.) Now? I feel excited – not just as though a big decision has been made, but also as though many months of small ones have too. For the next eight months and change there are no more decisions about shopping or not, buying or not, or even just what to get. It feels freeing, which is a pleasant surprise.

The only question left, I think, is whether I try to further extend this diet to other elements of my shopping which, while also not hugely indulgent, add to the time, the expense, and the clutter of shopping (books and kitchenware, I’m looking at you).

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Dec 13
Sarah F

Interesting article about the changes that are happening in the apparel industry and how it is going to affect consumers.

http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB10001424052748703724104575379621448311224-lMyQjAxMTAwMDEwMjExNDIyWj.html

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