Aug 10
I didn’t double check the rules but I assume we can replace items in our closet that are worn out with similar/exact specs? I had a shabby black dress that doesn’t fit anymore and two cardigans that had to be donated. I replaced the black dress and one of the cardigans. I have to purchase back to school shoes and cardigans for my children but we’re pretty set on pants and shirts (they wear uniforms and I am the designated donatee for lots of my friends’ kids’ outgrown stuff). So, if I goofed and shouldn’t have replaced the donated items, let me know in the comments and I’ll return them.
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Hey, this is your challenge. You get to make the rules. If you really needed the replacements–you had no reasonable substitutes in your closet, I’d say it’s fine. On the other hand, if you already had surplus similar items, then you might consider returning them. Why are you on the diet? That should determine your answer….
Technically no replacements are allowed.
I think this challenge is about making do with what you have. As things have worn out, I’ve looked in my closet and found items I had forgotten about and become inventive about how I wear other favorites.
I’ve also discovered that some things I have been hanging on to (for when I lose weight, because the color is nice, etc.) really don’t work for me and are simply cluttering up my life. I’ve gotten rid of those things and am feeling much less burdened these days.
This diet is hard because we’ve been conditioned to meld our wants and needs without trying to distinguish between them. But if you feel the need for this diet, then you probably have a closet full of decent stuff as most American women do. If a person has enough clothes to comfortably get by, then the desire for new clothes is really a sublimated desire for something else that tends to come out in clothes shopping. Sometimes it’s a reward for a job well done, a pick-me-up for a bad day, a desire for social status, etc. – different feelings, but they just add to the “stuff” around the house. The diet taught me to identify and separate those feelings from my actual needs – it’s ok to celebrate the promotion, but how about with a night at a nice restaurant instead of a bag.
I say return the items and then if you still really, really need them in 3-4 months, purchase them for a good reason (e.g., you dont have a cold weather jacket and it’s -10 degrees outside.)