May 03
Sally Bjornsen
Dieters–chew on this, depressing!
Last updated at 21:22 27 November 2006

WomenShopping35p[1]Women will spend more than eight years of their lives shopping, says a study.

While keeping their families fed and clothed -and indulging in a little retail therapy – the average woman will shop for an astonishing 25,184 hours and 53 minutes over a period of 63 years.

If the average expedition lasted the length of a full working day – from 9am to 5pm – that would be 3,148 days trudging around the shops, or just over eight-and-a-half years.

The poll of 3,000 women, conducted by GE Money, revealed they make an average of 301 shopping trips per year, lasting a total of 399 hours and 46 minutes.

Food shopping can take more than an hour to complete each time. With an average of 84 trips to stock the pantry over a year, that is 94 hours and 55 minutes in the supermarket.

Women also dedicate 90 trips a year to keeping up their appearances – shopping for clothes 30 times, shoes 15 times, accessories 18 times and toiletries 27 times.

A total of 100 hours and 48 minutes is spent hunting for the latest clothing bargains and fashion statements.

A further 40 hours and 30 minutes is spent shopping for footwear, and 29 hours and 31 minutes looking for accessories such as handbags, jewellery and scarves.

Even shopping for more mundane items such as deodorant, shower gel and razors takes women around 17 hours and 33 minutes over one year.

A further 19 trips, or 36 hours and 17 minutes, are used to buy gifts for friends and family.

The poll also showed women will go window shopping 51 times a year, spending 48 hours and 51 minutes just looking for their next purchase.

Stewart Macphail, of GE Money, said: “Women clearly dedicate a lot of time to making sure they find the best deals and the most suitable items for their needs.

“So perhaps the best Christmas present British men could give their wives or girlfriends this year would be to do their fair share of the shopping.”

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Mar 14
Sally Bjornsen

laundry ladyPart of the reason we live in a disposable apparel culture is that we don’t take the time or make the effort to take care of the clothes we own.  I remember as a kid my mother hand washing her favorite items.  This was long before people sent everything to the dry cleaner, which by the way can ruin a wardrobe if you are not careful. My mother’s special “delicate” silks and jerseys would hang on the shower rod in our bathroom or on the floor laid flat to dry.  I can’t remember the last time I hand washed something.  My mother, by the way is a fashion icon at 72 years old.  Her wardrobe can go up against anyone’s wardrobe anyday.   Most of what’s especially beautiful in her closet are those things she has hung onto for years.  So that brings me to this…how do we modern girls learn from the generation before us about taking care of what we already own?  Here are some basic principles.  Please add on your own and I will post them too.

Tips for taking care of the clothes you already own:

  • Avoid dry cleaning as much as possible. The chemical process strips down fibers in clothes over time.
  • No wire hangers!
  • Wash rougher pieces together like jeans, and softer ones like cotton dress shirts on their own.
  • Use the gentle cycle as frequently as possible with a gentle detergent like Woolite.
  • Wear your clothes more than once before washing them. If a stain is small, spot clean with seltzer water or a reputable spot remover.
  • Remove clothes from the dryer and hang them up immediately.
  • Don’t use the dryer if you don’t have to.  A clothes line or a shower rod make for good “air drying.”
  • Pay attention to what you are ironing and look at the instructions for recommended iron settings.

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Mar 11
Marilyn Jones

According to my credit card statement the last time I bought clothes was Oct 22, 2009. My New Year’s resolution for 2010 was not to buy any clothes for all 0f 2010. And I didn’t. It was not to save money. It’s that I wanted to spend the money on travelling. And I did.
Today is the day to break the diet. One year and 5 months without buying any clothes. Not bad. I love clothes and I absolutely do not NEED any clothes. My closets are still bulging. Well, maybe I need socks. You can see my toes through most of my socks.
My two shopping friends and I have an appointment with our fashion consultant this very afternoon.
It is a very gray day and it is snowing lightly. Nothing better on a gray day than to go shopping to lift the spirits.
Wish us luck.

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Feb 17
Sarah F

All right ladies, thank you for all of your votes on our last poll! It looks like the majority of dieters buy their bra’s at department stores and specialty retailers. Not surprising, how can we resist when Victoria’s Secret sends out those handy coupons every couple months…lesson learned once they get you in, you’re never getting out without a little pink bag in hand and a lot less in the bank account! So now that we’ve established where some of this purchasing is happening, here at TGAAD we’re curious as to how you are making your purchases these days. The terrible question we hear time and time again: ”Will that be debit or credit miss?…umm could it be free? Nope ok, it was worth a shot!” Part of my financial management plan has always been to only purchase clothing on debit as to avoid those impulsive spending sprees prompted by various circumstances such as: the winter blues, a bad day, oh a sunny day in February I should probably buy some shorts to get prepared for all of the upcoming sunny warm days in Seattle, half birthday gift from myself to myself (I’m really so thoughtful), etc… we’ve all been there beforecredit-card! So we come to our newest poll: What method of payment do you typically use to purchase clothing? Enjoy!

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Jan 08
Deb

I thought this was going to be kind of easy. I have everything I need. In fact, really, more than I need. So why would I even want to buy anything new?

Except… I forgot that my daughter and I have a “Saturday thing” where we go to the mall and out to lunch. It’s a good way for us to spend time together, now that she is out on her own. So, of course, this weekend, we went to the mall. I told her about my clothing diet, and went on and on about how I wasn’t going to buy anything. And I fully intended not to buy anything.

But, what did I forget? I forgot that in January, all the stores are having ridiculous sales. 50% off, 60% off… even 70% off tons of stuff. Everywhere I looked, clothes were beckoning me with come-hither price tags. This was going to be very, very difficult.

From an early age, I’ve been a sucker for a sale, and at 70% off, I feel like it’s my civic duty to buy. The rationalizations in my head were ringing loud and clear. “I’ll never find a jacket this cute for this cheap, ever again!” “I need new yoga pants, and these are only $19.99.” “Tank tops are $3.00, and I need at least three!”.

It was agony. In the old days, (last week), I would have scooped up several things in a heartbeat. And I would have felt good about myself for saving money.

Except, as I learned today, I can save even more money if I just walk away from the sale table. Just walk away. I will tell myself that there will be crazy sales next January too. And the January after that. When that time comes, I’ll buy the cute jackets, yoga pants, tank tops and whatnot. And by that time, I might even really need them.

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Jan 05
Deb

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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Dec 21

Okay, so with my last week and a half of technically being able to shop, I am faced with this decision: To shop or NOT to shop?

I think it may be my nerves starting to catch up with me, however I’ve been thinking..should I use these last days to “stock up” on items I already have in my closet but can use more of? For example, in my last post I talked about a pair of jeans I recently bought from AE for $49. In the past, I have never really been a fan of AE jeans as they never fit me very well. But these jeans in particular fit so nicely that it has me questioning whether or not I should purchase another pair…………………………. decisions!

Update! They’re on sale!! For $34.95

But wait, there’s more! You see, there’s this jacket.. and it’s beautiful. It’s something I most definitely don’t have a problem paying full price for and it’s in a wonderful tangerine-ish colour. It would be great for snowshoeing and other outdoor activities as its not too warm and bulky [which is what I'm struggling with in my current arteryx] so I’m playing around with the idea of buying this new one.

The Boyfriend thinks it’s a stupid idea since I bought my current jacket this April, but what do you think??

To buy or not to buy?

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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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Nov 22

Day 6 & still going strong. The Delman sale on gilt.com did give me pause however (the best ballet flats known to man!). I know, I know, rules say shoes are allowed but my personal goal is ruling out shoes also. I’m rather enjoying the shopping in my own closet and having lost a few pounds this past week which has made it easier to fit into some of my little worn gems. I fished out am army silk/cotton cargo pants from Da-Nang today, with gold embroidery and pewter/bronze studs going down the leg. Was a little tight in the waist last week but I watched my salt, wheat & sugar intake and voila, now fits like a dream. I added a Fighting Eel racerback tank in black and a JBrand denim jacket (bought at Nordstrom Rack months ago for 49 smackeroos but never worn). Also pulled out a bronze Donald Pilner cork platforms. Haven’t worn for awhile, got sick of em after I wore them nearly daily during a torn calf muscle injury (its very difficult to put your foot flat on the floor with a calf injury). Shopping in my bf’s closet too, using his freestyle camo watch. Topped off by a ruby & diamond ring (gift from said bf).

I’m going to star documenting these outfits that I put together, keep a log. Might make it easier to get dressed in the morning. I’ve been reading 365fashionrehab.com and one of the bloggers talked about how she never wore the exact same outfit more than once. I’m the same way, not conciously but kind of works out that way. I’m thinking, when I get bored, it may help to see some of the outfits I put together in the past rather than running out and buying something new. Especially with a lot of inventory, its easy to forget what you have.

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Nov 19

It’s day 3 for me. I shopped around my closet last night and discovered a black, frayed, Chanel jacket that I have never worn. Fraying is intentional so please step away from the scissors ladies! Discovered in a consignment store while still living the city life, this piece hasn’t made an appearance since. It was one of those pieces that I loved, had to have and after that wasn’t quite sure what to do with it. To dress this baby down, I paired it with a white pocket tank from Forever 21, destroyed James jeans and black peeptoe clogs (bought for a song off the Macy’s clearance shoe rack). Tomorrow I’ll need to dig thru the archives for a suitable frock to wear to a wedding reception. Easier said than done with the recent weight gain. If it wasn’t for TAAG, I’d be out at the shops tonite, credit card in hand, searching for a new dress.

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