The Great American Apparel Diet

no buying for one year

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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A little background, I am a child of retail–father, grandfather both in the retail business.  My childhood was spent in department stores (closed on Sunday) hiding behind the rounders and racks, befriending mannequins and overly made up sales clerks.  I tell you this because I do love retail, it’s in my bones. But that said it has gotten nutty and has lost its luster for me.  Why you ask?

Retailers used to be closed on Sundays and holidays—lest they encroach on the consumer’s chance to relax, reflect and to spend time with family and friends.  In those days consumerism was just one small part of our lives.  Today retailers are open until six o clock on Sundays.  Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day are fair game.  On the news today I saw that many retailers are opening their doors at 3am on black Friday (tomorrow).  Really?  Who is shopping at 3am?  When did getting the best deal become more important than getting a good night’s sleep?  And what is a deal if you have to spend the night on concrete in a tent outside a big box retailer.  I ask, what is your time worth and is it really a deal? 

It’s moments like this that I am embarrassed to be an American. Is our cultural identity wrapped up in consumerism, intertwined with Best Buy and Nordstrom ?  When I think of the Italians I think pasta, the French cigarettes and beautiful women.  The Greeks remind me of olives and the Olympics.  Brazil, soccer.  Is America Apple Pie and Target?  I certainly hope not. 

I say back off, enjoy the holidays.  You have a whole month before Christmas, no need to sleep in a parking lot on Thanksgiving night.  There will always be more to buy and retailers willing to give you a deal.  Let’s take back our culture and find something else to go nuts about.

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There’s nothing like deciding you are not going to do something (i.e., buy clothes) to make you suddenly sensitive to temptation! I just returned from a business trip to DC, and I never realized before how much I use traveling to different cities as an inspiration for fashion. I like how women dress in Washington. It’s urban, but with quite the preppy feel, and without all the heavy clothes that you see (and that are required) in places like Boston. I felt very frustrated while I was there, and I realized it’s because I’m used to seeing great inspirational outfits on other women in other places and then going shopping to see if I can add a little bit of that flavor to my wardrobe. While this has been great fun in the past (as my Spanish sundress, funky British boots, jersey Australian tunic, and various Scottish cashmere scarves will attest), it’s something that I’m not doing this year, and I felt very deprived to realize that I wasn’t doing it. I didn’t really feel the need to buy other souvenirs, but I did feel like I was missing out a bit on the whole DC experience.

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I’m approaching the end of my second month on the diet, and I’d like to thank the weather for helping me stick to it. It’s been so unseasonably warm and muggy in Philadelphia that I’ve barely had a chance to wear my favorite winter garb, much less be tempted to buy more of it.

I did buy two pairs of shoes (three if you count the electric-orange sneakers I got with a gift certificate), and too many lipsticks. I spent a ridiculous amount of money eating out this month, as this was a month for a lot of dinners, goodbye parties, and the like. I bought a Halloween costume. Overall, thought, I’m finding that sticking to the clothing diet isn’t as hard as I anticipated. Maybe – this is a real shocker – I really do already HAVE enough clothes.

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According to an article on MSNBC Mall-loving behavior may be linked to our hunting and foraging past.

Women get back to their foraging roots by sorting through store racks — as if scanning plants for signs of ripeness, researchers suggest. 

To read the entire article go to: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34380445/ns/health-behavior/

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I really like this post, which summarizes the way in which people who really are trying to get rich behave, as opposed to people who just want to look rich. This is a distinction I definitely lost track of when getting so immersed in fashion and shopping. Yes, I suppose I can buy a $500 purse – but, really, who am I trying to impress? What message am I trying to send? Why am I trying to pretend like a $500 purse is affordable for me? And do I really think that’s the best use of my money? Even with low interest rates right now, that $500 is still going to do me much better in a savings account – or being used to pay off a credit card bill – than hanging on my arm. It takes a lot of self-discipline, I find, to dial back the polishing of the public image, to ignore the celebrity worship that puts bling and ostentatiousness above all else, and to resist the cultural urge to “look” as rich as possible.

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Yes, the urge to shop definitely increases when I’m feeling stress. It’s very odd to be aware of it, but as I am tracking every penny and watching every shopping move, I notice that my first reaction when I have that anxious-bored feeling (I’m not doing anything because feel like I don’t know what to do, because I have so much to do that I can’t prioritize it) is to visit a shopping website. I knew that I did a lot of online shopping in the past, but I don’t think I was ever this cognizant of the triggers that pushed me to do so. Unlike with some of the other dieters on here, it isn’t really external cues for me – the fashion magazines, commercials, and what not aren’t making me feel the urge. It’s all endogenous; a rather restless, acquisitive feeling that I’ve clearly turned into a habit over time.

Last night I brainstormed some ideas to get more of a handle on my projects at work, and re-read sections of my productivity bible (David Allen’s Getting Things Done). I’m hoping that will help both my efficiency and my willpower today.

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The Great American Apparel Diet got some good news coverage in Colorado this week.  Our very own Birdie Carpenter was front and center.   See the article below and video here.

Go On A Clothes Shopping Diet To Save Money

 Got A Colorado News Tip For CBS4 Denver? Share It Here

Reporting
Suzanne McCarroll

DENVER (CBS4) ― Coloradans are taking a stand and finding solutions in their effort to Beat the Recession. Visit our Beating the Recession section. 

A new campaign to save money is spreading, not only in the U.S., but in other countries as well. It’s called the Great American Apparel Diet.

It’s free to join and people pledge not to buy any new clothes for an entire year. Those on the diet say it’s good for the environment, good for the wallet, and promotes a healthier lifestyle.

There is a growing trend to resist temptation to squelch the urge to shop.

“You remove the temptation, you don’t think about it, you don’t expose yourself to that environment,” Birdie Carpenter said.

Carpenter has not been in a mall for months after going on the diet.

“It really appealed to me because I have a lot of clothes,” she said. “I’m always getting rid of clothes and then replacing them.”

Now she finds herself with more money and more time.

“I can actually do something fun, active and outdoors,” she said. “That seems like it makes more sense.”

While the diet has followers throughout the U.S., Europe and South Africa, CBS4 found many shoppers who are appalled by the idea.

“It sounds pretty silly to me,” a shopper told CBS4.

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Here’s my tally for the month of September:
1. One new sports bra and cushioned socks, both necessary for my half-marathon this weekend.
2. Two cashmere scarves (on sale!) during my visit to Scotland.
3. One eBay black dress and one eBay black slacks – both bought during August, but invoices were not sent to me until after September 1.

And that’s it! I have been a bit surprised at how easy it was to stop myself from shopping this month. I think going cold turkey, with the hard-and-fast rules, is the way to go! I did find myself going into “automated-shopping mode” a few times, but I was able to stop myself and think about what I was doing and whether or not I wanted to spend the money. However, I was never seriously tempted to break the diet.

What helped: avoiding the bloated fall issues of fashion magazines; avoiding the mall; deleting shopping websites off my Favorites lists; keeping count of every penny spent in a spreadsheet; and enjoying the fact that I could do things with my money that were much more fun, necessary, and deeply satisfying than buy new clothes. I restarted my Flickr feed for the Wardrobe remix group. I got a foot massage after a two-day conference where I stood leading focus groups the entire time. I bought a friend flowers for her birthday. I baked pumpkin bread. I trained for my half-marathon. In general, I just enjoyed myself in ways that didn’t break the bank and sometimes didn’t even involve money.

I’m not saying the next 11 months are going to be easy. But I am much more optimistic about this process than when I started.

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…because you’re trying to save money in general, the Nordstrom’s fall accessories catalog is a dangerous, dangerous thing.

It’s now in the trash. Underneath some kitty litter.

Used kitty litter.

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