33 Items for Three Months

At the beginning of March, I reduced my wardrobe down to 33 items (plus a few lounging items) to be used for the next three months. I ran across the challenge on FB and immediately felt inspired. Any excuse to set a goal, especially one that shows the value of less, is always welcome for me. June 1st (yesterday) marked the end of the challenge.

Here’s the original post from my FB page …

At the beginning of the challenge, I was six months postpartum (my third pregnancy)… and, of course, every pregnancy manages to alter our bodies in ways that are often undesirable. Things that fit before pregnancy don’t tend to fit quite the same later on. In a way, this made the decision-making easier as I whittled things down. Of course, there’s always a little element of hope too though as we aspire to fit back into at least a few of our old favourites.  

During the course of the three months, I ridded myself of 10 more items of the 33 that I thought I liked, but didn’t end up liking anymore. I also reduced the two giant bags that I had carted out to the garage down to only 14 “extra” items that I will keep in the basement. These include a Canada Day tank top, a few pairs of dress pants (I do plan to return to work eventually), an old school shirt for future spirit days, a couple pairs of shorts to use on a future camping trip, and a few extra tank tops. This is quite an accomplishment, I think!!!

Over the course of the challenge, I did retrieve six items from the packed up bags. This occurred one time when I had no clean pants (eek), when the seasons changed and needed a pair of shorts, and I replaced a couple of items that I got rid of.

In March, I did not purchase any clothing items at all. In April, I purchased a new bathing suit (an essential) for an upcoming hotel stay with my big girls and another pair of my favourite black leggings. In May, I purchased four items … three new tank tops for the warmer weather and a pair of leggings from a garage sale (a purchase that I later regretted). I spent a total of $123.72 in the three months (averages out to $41 per month).

The perks of this challenge included:

• less decision making
• less laundry
• very limited need to shop (and therefore, money spent)
• gaining some much-needed insight about what to purchase in the future … I will be VERY cautious about what I purchase going forward. I have acquired two new clothing purchasing philosophies … 1) quality over quantity and 2) LOVE IT or leave it. I think both philosophies are pretty self-explanatory.

Challenges included:

• running out of clothes … this happened a few times throughout the challenge when I wasn’t on the ball with the laundry. Unfortunately, this meant digging out a once-worn pair of leggings or running to the garage to grab something at the last minute … really not my idea of fun!

At the end of the challenge, I now have five pairs of pants, three pairs of shorts, three dresses (one that I plan to get rid of at the end of June), two blouses, eight tanks tops, six long-sleeve shirts/sweaters, and one pair of pajamas (a total of 28 items). I have two pairs of running shoes (one indoor and one outdoor). I have a couple pairs of dressy sandals, one pair of flip flops, and one pair of slip on shoes. I still have three pairs of dress boots (remember, I’m going back to work one day), and, of course, a pair of dressier winter boots and a pair of regular winter boots. I do have a pair of farm rubber boots, and two spring coats. For some reason, I still have three winter coats (each one seems to serve a different purpose … and one was only $3 at the Rummage Sale), a pair of slip-on ski pants, and a snowmobiling suit. In total, I have approximately 50 items, not including the 14 in the basement.

Moving forward, I will aim to stick to 75 items or less … all seasons, indoor clothes, outdoor clothes, and accessories. I ALWAYS think LESS is MORE. Remember, my ONLY regret from this challenge was buying a pair of pants that I didn’t like (and maybe not doing laundry frequently enough). I have ZERO REGRETS about the items that I got rid of, People! ZERO!