The Great American Apparel Diet

no buying for one year

I have this tradition: Every year on my birthday, I like to treat myself to a little present. And why shouldn’t I? I get up and go to work every day, be as good a person as I can be, I do my best to be eco-conscious, feed my dog, keep up with current events, floss my teeth on a regular basis…so I believe that as an outstanding citizen of the world [that’s right, I went there. I can be outstanding!] I should at least be able to buy myself something on my birthday. I certainly don’t expect anybody else to buy me a present. Don’t get me wrong – I love gifts, and as grateful as I am – for some reason I cringe at the idea of other people buying me things. I don’t know why, but having to open a gift in front of someone makes me feel SO awkward. Does anyone else share this odd behavior?

Anyhow, back to presents.

Right, so every year I like to buy myself a little gift.. Sometimes it’s expensive, sometimes it’s not. But it’s absolutely, 100%, pure self indulgent. I like to think of it as buying little pieces of luxury. If it makes me feel like the most beautiful person, then I’ve succeeded. [Not that I need nice things to make me feel beautiful, but you know what I mean.] It’s just nice to have nice things, whether it was $10 or $100. I figure, if you’re going to love it now & love it in 10 years from now, then why not? Agreed?

I guess if I’m being really honest with myself; I don’t need anything per se. BUT it’s my birthday, and I’ve already told the boyfriend NOT to buy me anything….and there are these wonderful little boots made by Quoddy® that would last a lifetime and they would look fantastic with the perfect skinny jeans and I know they’re expensive, but they would last a LIFETIME PEOPLE!!!!!…………………Really, a lifetime. I checked. They replace the soles if they ever get worn out. Which is awesome!

I understand TGAAD is what you make of it, and technically shoes are acceptable… However, the more I think about it, the more I’m swayed towards the conclusion of not buying them. They are a wee bit pricy and besides that, I can’t seem to shake this enormous cloud of guilt hovering over me as I contemplate the idea of spending money. Oh well. I shouldn’t be buying boots anyway, I need to save up for bigger, more important things… and trying to justify a $400 pair of boots won’t help me get there any quicker. Hmmph…I think I’ve just talked myself out of it. Hooray!!! Hi5’s all around!! Thank goodness my birthday isn’t for another 3 months! Whew!

What is everyone else’s take on buying yourself birthday presents while on TGAAD?

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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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My “big” pants don’t fit! Those jeans that I always kept for an emergency weight gain, are officially unbearably tight. Somewhere between Christmas and New Year’s Day I outgrew not only the big pants but half the contents of my closet.

This is what I get for eating party food everyday for five weeks straight. I don’t think a day went by when I wasn’t dipping something crunchy into something creamy.

But now, I have new motivation to lose weight and get back into my clothes. Especially since I’m not buying anything new. I have nowhere to go but on a diet.

Food, clothes, money. I’m cutting back on everything. Finding the Great American Apparel Diet was actually very good timing. If it wasn’t for TGAAD, I never would discovered that although I have a closet full of clothes, most of it doesn’t zip anymore.  So, either I’m going to look like a sausage in a very tight casing for a year, or I’m going to diet my way back into my wardrobe. Starting with the big pants.

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So today, I looked at my clothes with fresh, bright, optimistic eyes..  Until I was snapped back to the reality which is my closet.  Oh well, it was worth a shot.  In the end, I decided on a pair of jeans [my staple go-to pant; the new AE ones I was talking about..I can't believe how much I like them!], a flowy embellished chiffon tank, and a sparkly festive cardigan from Madewell.  Lovely if I say so myself.

..and then a thought creeped into my head: Kind. Of. Predictable. “Why?” might you ask?

Well, right now it’s VERY winter where I live.  There’s tons of snow ..and coldness.. like, I have to wear ski-pants on-a-daily-basis-type-coldness.  There’s definitely no cute winter outfits going on here or in the near future.  Theres no doubt that I lose most of my style ”mo-jo” during the winter months, since the main focus is to stay warm..

…Which ultimately leads me to no other choice but my tried and true outfit:  Jeans [of course..], a flowy tank of some sort.. paired with a cardigan.

At least I can take solace in the new clothes I ordered pre-diet that have yet to arrive  and as each day gets warmer, I will slowly swap ski-pants for skirts, winter boots for high heels, and sweaters for sleeveless tanks [not to be worn at the same time, mind you] and hopefully I can get the creative juices flowing.

Peace, Love & Happiness.

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Very excited to take part.  We live up on Canada, after x-mass comes the major shopping day of the year with deep, deep, deep discounts.  So, torn.  Should I start January 1st (you know fresh start and all), or stick to it from now on and refrain.  It’s not like I need anything really.

Just a side note, it just occured to me that the diet has mainly lady participants.  Is that – maybe – the reason shoes are okay to buy

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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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It’s day two for me. As I tried on various cute chinos & cargos on in my closet last night, reality hit me. I need to diet to stay on my diet! I have so much cute stuff, slouchy siwy cargos, fitted JBrand cargos, premium denim, stretchy tunics and little black dresses. Clothes are ranging from 2 to 6 and jeans from 25 to 29. Right now the top of that range is tight, my cupcake top has blossomed into a muffin top and I’ve got way too much bodaciousness going on in the back & arm area. I’ve gained 20 lbs during 2010 due to the effects on my psyche from divorce, moving, hormones. If I’m gonna fly on TGAAD, I’ve got to get rid of the extra baggage. So, its back to Weight Watchers. I’m a lifetimer and it works, if you follow it. The great thing about WW is that I can apply what I’ve learned there to TGAAD. You fall off, you get right back on. Moral support from your peers helps. One day at a time. It’s not a diet, it’s a live it!!

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I just wanted to send a quick hello to all, I’m the new intern here at The GAAD! I’m excited to be working with Sally and hope to be a valuable resource for all you dieters along your journey!

Best,

Sarah F.

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After a year of no shopping, and hearing my cohorts who are now at the end of the diet talk about how they are still not shopping, I realize that I love that particular activity. More than ever. The year off only honed my taste level and made me more mindful, focused, and particular when I shop. I am better at it now. During the diet, I could see what fabrics failed me, wore out too fast, seemed like disposable clothes. I took a mental note of that and paid attention to the fact that three cheaply made sweaters are the same price as one great, long lasting one. I would rather have fewer things than things made with the idea that they can be tossed out because the item is so “cheap”.

I love shopping alone, I love shopping with my friends, I love finding out about new businesses, meeting the owners, and telling my clients where they might find what they are looking for. Even my salon on Queen Anne has a series of photos in each room, photos of women shopping in Paris. The photographer, Esther Sirotnik, uses digital film, but does not touch up the images, crop or change them. The shot above is the shot she captured that day. I love it that only the dog is aware. I adore these images (Ms. Sirotnik also has a book called Unexpected Paris) because it captures these women, who are all doing the same thing, but they are from all different parts of the world. The photos really do capture the feeling of why I love wandering through shops, the feel of fabrics, talking to the boutique owners about their businesses, seeing what kind of buyers they are and what they are passionate about.
You can see the photos on Monday, November 8th from 4PM to 7PM during the Olivine “pop up shop” we are having at my studio. Or go to Esther Sirotnik’s website. But I warn you….if you are still on the diet here looking at the photos is like a person off sugar looking at pictures of Trophy Cupcakes.

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After checking my credit card statements I see that today marks exactly one year since I actually bought any clothes. This diet was my new year’s resolution so I have a little bit more than 2 months to go.
The day before yesterday I received a compliment from a woman who knows I am on this diet. She says she absolutely can’t tell I am on the diet. I assured her I am going deeper and deeper into my closet.
Tonight I walked by a store window and realized I basically had the exact clothes they were showing in the window. I had never thought to put the outfit together in the way the store had. Guess what I am going to wear tomorrow. I’m going to wear what’s in that store window. It will not cost me a penny.
The reason I went on this diet was to have the money for some serious travel. All my trips are over now. I havent’ quite finished paying for them, but by the end of November I think they will be paid for.
Was it worth it? Yes absolutely. My husband wants to know what I will do when the diet finishes. I am starting to notice some changes in what people are wearing. The tops are looser and the bottoms are tighter. I don’t know what I will do when the diet is over, but I would bet it will somehow or other be looser on the top and tighter on the bottom.
Bye for now and all the best to you dieters out there.

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