SMART Shopping

The warmer weather is finally here and it is time to pull out the spring/summer clothes.  I know you are wondering what does that have to do with SMART shopping right?  SMART shopping is actually not about finding the cheapest clothes or the best deal.  The truth is it a way to STOP the impulsive shopping so that we don’t have a closet full of “nothing to wear”.  Now, we all want to spruce up our wardrobes from last year, right?

Here are 5 simple steps that I found in a blog that makes sense and will let you do it without the “nothing to wear” syndrome.

S: Start with your Shape.

I am so tired of having my shape compared to food, aren’t you?  So let’s try this one.  Once you understand your body type, you will be able to shop for essential items that fit and flatter you. Knowing what works for your body helps you channel your efforts and save time.

M: Make a list.

Start with the items you know are missing from your wardrobe. This is an especially useful step after a closet overhaul, when you are better able to identify the gaps in your closet, and the new trends you want to add to your wardrobe.  I carry the list in my wallet so that I am always ready, just in case I run into a GREAT deal!

A: Avoid an unplanned splurge.

If it’s not on your list but you see it, love it, and absolutely positively have to have it, then put it on hold until the next day. If you still want it, go for it.  This step is SO HARD for me.  I am the proverbial impulse shopper.

R: Repeat the piece 3 ways.

Before purchasing an item, make sure that you can wear it 3 different ways.  If it doesn’t work with your wardrobe, it needs to go back.  Since I am a jeans girl, there may not be 3 ways but I am starting to think – casual, business casual and dressy.  Can’t wait to try this one out!

T: Tags stay on until worn.

We are all in a hurry to wear the newest, cutest items in our closets, so if it’s still hanging there weeks later, unworn (and it’s in season), return it!  I started doing this and I keep the receipt.  Of course if I shop at Kohl’s and use my charge, I don’t need the receipt.  This way I get credit for what I paid instead of the current selling price.

So, who is ready to do some clothes shopping?  Be sure you are SMART!

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

Purging for the New Year

As we approach the new year, many people are doing the annual cleaning.  Okay, so most people do it BEFORE Christmas to make room for more stuff.  I, on the other hand, seem to work better doing the annual clean just before the new year.  It clears my head and gets me focused on my goals for the upcoming year.

Cleaning out (or purging) is what getting organized it all about…

And purging isn’t just for stuff, although that’s a big piece of it. Purging is also about letting go of the past, forgiving yourself, and even discarding thoughts which no longer serve you.

So, here are some things that I never thought about that I hold on to:

Pictures – So many pictures. Do I need them all? Do I want them all? And more positively, which of these pictures brings me JOY? I cleaned a lot of the pictures out when we sold the house in South Jersey but I still have a lot of them. Mostly the ones that do bring me JOY!  Now to just get them in a format that will allow me to look at them and fondly remember those times..

Clothes – What is the rule? If you haven’t worn it in 6 months, get rid of it. With the change in seasons, I usually do the “if I haven’t worn it in 2 seasons – get rid of it”. Or what about those “just in case clothes”. You know the ones that are too small or too big – just in case you lose weight or gain back the weight you lost.

Negative thoughts – This used to be a HUGE problem for me. I have found that with the help of a good life coach, I am practicing extreme gratitude and radical compassion for myself.  I am squashing out those inner gremlins that haunt me.

Saying YES even when I don’t want to.  That is the people pleasing side of me. Come on, be truthful, you do it too, right? What if we were to choose to spend five uncomfortable minutes now saying NO so that we are not regretting our YES for the next several months.

Office supplies. I can say that I used to hoard office supplies.  Having a home office, I found myself shopping on impulse when there is a sale.  Time to donate some while those that are too old will be tossed in the garbage!

Belinda used to say when I got in “clean mode”, if you aren’t tied down or have a purpose, you get tossed. It is so true. I used to need to do this more when we lived in the bigger house but now in the condo I try to keep things simple.

There really are good feelings that come after the initial hyperventilation of actually beginning the purge, freaking out, and thinking, “I can’t do this!”

Purging is a practice – and a good one when it is done thoughtfully, consciously, and from a mindset of love and abundance (I am enough, I have enough).

Go ahead, try it. Do it and let me know how it feels when you’re done (or let me know why you started and never finished).

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

Spring Clean Your Wardrobe

Today is HUMP day!  I am not big on Spring Cleaning – you know that once a season HUGE cleaning frenzy but I am thinking about spring cleaning my clothes closet.  A devotional on  Crosswalk.com got me to thinking.  I know -scary, right?

“Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.'” Hebrews 13:5 (ESV)

Then a blog by Chelsea Spear made me wonder again what my style really is….do, I need more clothes or do I just need to coordinate and consolidate.  Chelsea had these questions when she talked about cleaning her closet:

1. Does it need mending or replacing?  Let’s be honest… are we really going to mend anything?  Get rid of it.  Keeping items around that aren’t being worn is CRAZY, right?

2. Have I worn this in the last season (or if it’s “special” ask yourself if you’ve worn it in the last year)?  Chances are if you’re not wearing it this year, you won’t be wearing it in the future.  Guess it is time to get rid of the dresses that have been hanging in my closet for oh so  long.  I mean really the last few times that I wore a dress was on formal night on the cruise or when I walked the stage at National Conference.  Do I really need 5 of them with skirt options in my closet?

3. Does it have stains or holes or runs? Okay, this one was easy for me because I get tide of things easily like this.

4. Does it fit? Is it flattering?  WOW!  That means that all of the jeans, capris and tops that have gotten a little big need to be donated.  I know the clothes that I wear that I get complimented on, so I need to stick with them.  This one is probably the most difficult, because it requires you to be 100% honest with yourself. 

5. How many of these do I need?  Okay, I am definitely guilty of this one.  I LOVE Old Navy tami tank tops.  I have LOTS of them – multiple in the same color and a few in different colors.  I wear them all year long.  These are a definite need to have lots.  Multiples of any other kind of shirt is crazy!  I can (and do) only wear so many jeans so I need to let the rest go.  No more just in case clothes.  You know the jacket that I bought for Belinda in HS and she never really wore.  It fits, so I kept it just in case so I could use it.  Guess it is time to donate it.

Are you ready to re-vamp your closet?  I am so excited about the chance to re-vamp my closet so that there are NOT a lot of options.  I mean the truth is, I am not good at coordinating things so I need to stick with basics.  There will be some donating to a great cause -a friend collecting clothes for a missions trip.  Some selling – I mean there are things that still have tags on them.   And finally maybe even some tossing of things that I have been holding onto and will never use.  The key to all of this, is NOT to shop and replace these items – just clean out and be content for awhile.

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!