Okay, I thought I was just going to log in and just write about a success and go to bed, however it sounds like I am going to write a little bit more. So, I just read about two dieters that quit and boy can that be discouraging for us newbies. I want to something I just learned tonight in my addictions class for all us that are new to the diet. Relapse is to be expected when you are trying to kick the habit. Understand I am not saying that you should expect to fail but that we are going to it just means that we need to recognize that it can happen and we need to recognize the triggers and come up with ways to deal with the urge to buy that new dres. Believe me I so badly wanted to stop on my way home from class and buy myself something new because I had stayed up most of the night writing a paper and usually when I accomplish a task that gets me one step closer to my goal, I want to myself something new to wear.
I was like Pavlov’s dog salivating because the paper was done and I was thinking I’m one less paper away from my Master’s Degree and I deserve a little sumthin sumthin from one of my favorite clothing stores. Then I reminded myself, I am on a diet!

So, as I was driving home tonight and feeling tempted to stop at the mall, I decided to identify my triggers and one of them is that DSW, the mall and Marshall’s are all on my way home from class. It made me realize that I need a new route and that I definitely needed to come up with a different type of reward system.

I know I’m new to the diet but I also want to encourage other newbies like myself because it helps me to stay on track.

I am not expecting to relapse but I know it’s a possibility. Because I am so committed to this diet I am paying attention to the triggers and I am realizing and learning that there is a whole group of supportive people on this site that will help to get me back on track.

Maybe at some point they (the two who left) will come back. Is that possible Sally? Can they rejoin?

Thank You for the welcome! I am very close to celebrating my 1-week anniversary! As we say in the Army, HOOAH!

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OK, in the past week I have heard from two women who have asked to be removed from the diet.  “No longer on the bandwagon they say.”  Boy, I sure do want to know what that means.  What does that look like?  Shopping frenzy? Pulling an online shopping all-nighter?  Daily meetings with the UPS guy?

Many of you have admitted to falling off the diet wagon which is brave (shit I fell off when I discovered I was pantless at the gym and it took me two weeks to confess).  Some of you have come forward spilling your guts and begging forgiveness while others have couched their foibles in a more matter-of-fact way.   Regardless—it’s all open kimono around here.  The truth is what makes this whole effort interesting and authentic.  Right?    

That’s why I was surprised and sorry to hear that these two women completely threw in the towel, wiped their hands and said “abstain no more.”  I want to know what made them decide to give it all up?  Was it a sexy night gown?  A kelly green, lulu lemon hoodie?  Or was it simply a classic white t-shirt.    Whatever the case I need to know… we need to know.  This is what makes this diet compelling.  The buttons that get pushed in our lives that scream…”buy it?”   It’s like the chocolate bar that begins speaking from the pantry in tongues….”eat me, eat me!.”  You know the one.   I understand the concept of simply pretending this diet idea never happened.  It has crossed my mind a few times in the past several months. But after years of talking myself into the perfect t-shirt, pair of jeans, white blouse…you fill in the blank, I want to understand this thing we call “retail therapy.” 

Anyway, if any of you have thrown in the towel for good I hope you will tell the rest of us that you have done so and why.  What was the tipping point that made you give up, give in or simply hand over your debit card.  This is the stuff of sociologists.  Come clean if you can!  And for the rest of you, keep on keepin’ on. 

 Sally, your fearless leader.

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While I am a newbie(and thank you Sally for the welcome), I’ve been on a self imposed no clothes buying order since before the New Year, as that is when it all hit me.  I’ve found it easy thus far, steering clear from my old clothing haunts including the very limited number of decent clothing stores for men in Seattle, there are three in total, and most deadly, the online sites.  The problem is, each month that goes by, I find myself justifying the amount of money I’m saving from not shopping.  This little ”spend averaging” attitude easily slips into my mind.  For each month I don’t spend this year, I’m off setting a month of spend on clothing from last year and bringing the average spend on clothes down.  And over time, I’m going to start telling myself that I deserve to get something because I’ve not spent for so long. 

You see, the way this hit me is I went overboard on clothes shopping the last two years, fueled by the fact that I decided I only like a few designer labels: Armani, Hugo Boss, Jill Sander, Zegna, Ralph Lauren Black and John Varvatos and with the bad economy last year, there were plenty of sales on these brands.  So the “sales justification” mentality kicked into high gear.  The Jill Sander leather jacket I eyed at Barney’s, $2,400.  Too rich for me and too scared to even wear that expensive of a jacket out, but then the 40% off sale.  Still couldn’t justify. And then 65% off….$840, okay.  Sold.  Fits perfectly and I receive lots of compliments, but there is was, a justification from a sale.  By the end of the year, it had gotten out of hand. 

So to put it fairly, the closest is full and I don’t need any more clothes, but I miss it. I miss pawing through the racks and seeing the latest colors and trends, or searching on saks.com or yoox.com for the latest pieces from my favorite designers, or using shopstyle.com to see what others are finding that I didn’t find.  You get caught up in the search…for something new, fresh, different, unique, but you also know the consequence.  If you look, you will find, and if you find, you will want.

Thanks for reading.

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Ok girls, and one guy.  We do have one guy now, though we are yet to hear from him on the blog.  Anyway, back to my point.  Last week I posted the poll over there to your right.  It’s sort of a trite, yes/no kind of a poll.  I was in a hurry and was getting tired of the old department store versus boutique poll and thought it was time for some poll freshen-ing up.  And the: Is it easy?or Is it hard? poll was the best I could do that day.   When I published the question I was feeling proud and sassy, as if I could go a lifetime without buying anything new.   Well today is another story.  To say “who’s idea was this anyway,” would be saying it lightly.  It’s more like who’s!@#$%^&*()_ing idea was this anyway?   You see we have had record breaking sunshine in Seattle and temperatures hovering around 58 degrees.  It’s like Mother’s Day in February which is giving me some insight into my very limited warm weather wardrobe.  What pray tell will I wear when the real mother’s day gets here?   At least in the winter you can layer a great coat over a bad outfit. Not so in warm weather.  Can you say painter’s smock?  Perhaps I’ll pick up the paintbrush again. 

So back to the poll.  Last week this diet business was easy….this week?  Un frickin’ bearable.  I want something bright, snappy and new.  The good news is…tomorrow I will likely feel differently.  Hang in there girls, and our one guy! 

Sincerly, your fearless leader

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Beauty Alert! has been blogged about in Teen Vogue. I love it. Let me see if I can get a link going here http://www.teenvogue.com/beauty/blogs/beauty/2010/01/dont-spoil-your-beauty-routine.html

Did it work? I hope so. No new cheating extravaganzas for me. I am holding steady. I do want to quit eating so much chocolate and other naughty things….

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WHAT do these cats have against this most-awesome silk vintage coat? I admit: I neglected this coat and left it hanging on a rack in the basement for about three years. But since TGAAD, I thought it was time to get it cleaned and give it another chance for spring. No dice: DeeDee ravaged it with her claws and (not evident from the pic) Joey peed on the sleeve! What did I expect naming my cats after two dead Ramones? But before sounding “Taps” for this beauty, I’m salvaging the three bitchin’ buttons to sew on something else.

Green silk vintage coat, torn and peed on. Tsk.

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Last year I made the choice to stop purchasing new clothes, and this year I have chosen not to purchase any clothes at all. So far, so good. In fact, I don’t even miss the endless, mindless shopping and I’ve decided to put my saved cash toward something fun, my first vacation in 5 years. My husband and I chose to head out to Park City, Utah for some pretty intense snowboarding. We traveled with friends to keep the expense down, but really enjoyed ourselves and I’m so glad that I had the opportunity to go. My three lifestyle changes that I have implemented have made the trip possible. No smoking, means that I could still breathe and be active at 11,000+ feet, getting up early and working out prepared me for four straight days of hardcore riding, and the money that I didn’t spend on clothes helped to fund the trip. I finally feel unencumbered, rather than just sacrificing by participating.

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Thanks to all of you who participated in the interview with the Time Magazine blog reporter.  I think he did a good job telling our story.  Once again a great example of how all of our motivations are different and yet the same.  I encourage you to read it when you get the chance!

Q&A: The Year of No Clothing Purchases

Posted by Brad Tuttle Wednesday, February 3, 2010 at 8:12 am

 

 

Read more: http://tinyurl.com/yhq6sv4

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I own an Etsy shop where I sell items made from recycled clothes and fabrics and often peruse the site to share with other sellers, check out what’s new and get inspiration. I was delighted that one of the guest speakers in the virtual chat one evening were the ladies from The Uniform Project. I hadn’t previously heard of the project, but I listened into the chat and was delighted to learn that it involved wearing the same plain black dress for 365 days a year. The idea was to use accesories to change the outfit; what a great inspiration!  Here is some information about the project from their website:

The Idea

Starting May 2009, I have pledged to wear one dress for one year as an exercise in sustainable fashion. Here’s how it works: There are 7 identical dresses, one for each day of the week. Every day I will reinvent the dress with layers, accessories and all kinds of accouterments, the majority of which will be vintage, hand-made, or hand-me-down goodies. Think of it as wearing a daily uniform with enough creative license to make it look like I just crawled out of the Marquis de Sade’s boudoir.

The Uniform Project is also a year-long fundraiser for the Akanksha Foundation, a grassroots movement that is revolutionizing education in India. At the end of the year, all contributions will go toward Akanksha’s School Project to fund uniforms and other educational expenses for children living in Indian slums.

So, if you are feeling a little bored and feel there is nothing to wear in your closet, take some cues from The Uniform Project, get inspired and mix it up!

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I love, love, love clothing swap’s! Fortunately for me, my friends who own the bar in my neighborhood biannually agree to open up for the ladies to conduct a “squaw swap” and what a great one we had this past Sunday. While the turnout wasn’t large, the group of ladies (about 10) had enough clothes, shoes, accesories, and housewares to really make it fun. We swapped stories of our favorite items while enjoying a glass of wine or a Guiness and poked through each other’s cast-offs.  We made goofy costumes, we were amused at another ladies delight over our silly hand-me-downs and we had a blast. Guilt-free shopping is always fun. I am in between sizes so I swapped out for a few new items in both smaller and larger sizes so I’ll be sure to have space to move up and down over the next few months. I got clothes that fit perfect, some that I can refashion or alter and some that I plan to simply cut apart for the fabric and figure it out later. My favorite find was a brown cashmere knit poncho, like an all-business snuggie; I love it. I also found a beautiful Banana Republic blazer, sweaters galore and an awesome cowgirl shirt.  It was fun, it was refreshing and I can’t wait to do it again!  If you live in the Baltimore City area and are intersted in future clothing swaps, you can follow my personal blog or twitter feed for updates, or sign up for the Parkside’s newsletter where they’ll send you emails of their upcoming events, including clothing swaps. The more ladies we get, the more choices we’ll have so bring your used clothes and get ready to have have a liberating, guilt-free, swapping party!

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