In my head the other day when I wore this I classified it as my “sporty Meagan look.” (You can read why my name is NOT Jackie, here! I was on my way to a nature walk for my son’s playgroup, I had a T-ball game to go to that night, and I just wanted to be casual and comfortable. It’s simple and unassuming and not that special, but it’s real and not contrived. Some days I work hard to style myself and others I do not, but I like showing you both versions. Here’s to being real, right?
I feel like I have multiple style personalities sometimes, which I then label in my mind. There is “casual” me, “boho” me, “sporty” me, and “at home” me (which means old sweats and an oversized hoodie, always.) It’s like different version of myself that I dress for, and it works. Though talking to myself and labeling it all may be a little crazy;)
Moving on!
A couple of months back I declared a mission to not shop as a way of join in that whole “capsule collection” craze going on. I had been in a flow of shopping because I could, or buying because I had an urge, and I was tired of it. There’s a sad cycle of this for me that just wasn’t working, which style blogging (and reading style blogs!) tends to instigate. I decided to stop all shopping for myself for two and half months and just see how that worked. I didn’t have a set number of clothes to wear, but wanted to wear what I actually had, and see how it went. Here it what I learned:
1) I’m sure this isn’t a newsflash to anyone that knows me, but not buying anything new and wearing what I had in my closet taught me this: I have enough clothes already. Ha! I could still find new things to wear daily, and never seemed to run out of options. I mean sure, I love having something new to wear, but I also have a lot of great clothes that I already own.
2) The urge to shop never went away, but I found that if I wrote down a list of the things I wanted to buy that I saw online or in stores, I promised myself I could buy those things when my shopping break was over. Yet I just looked over the list the other day and found I didn’t even want these things anymore. The urge to buy things is strong, but after about four days or so I forget about them, or find I don’t really need it. This was huge for me! Sometimes promising yourself that you can have things after a waiting period is better than giving in right away, because it means you really want it after all. And often enough I found I never really wanted it after all.
3) I’m typically a “shop often, buy cheap” kind of girl. I buy several (or more) new things per week, and this adds up. While I don’t buy things I can’t afford, all this shopping adds up over time, something I have seen firsthand. How, you ask? Our bank account loves me right now! (As does my husband, ha!) I’ve noticed that when I am shopping, even if I am careful and always monitor what I can spend and how much, we have a lot less money. We are not broke by any means, but by holding off on shopping for myself I find there is an abundance of extra cash hanging around in our bank account. Cash we can use for extra dinners out, summer travel, home improvements, etc. I think I’ve been selfish with our money in the past, and I like that by curbing my shopping during certain points in the year it opens up a cash flow for other (more worthwhile) things.
So where do I go from here? I intend to have a two week period of time to shop for myself and buy those things I have found lacking in my closet (some fun band tees, some fun statement jewelry, maybe some splurge worthy heels?), and then take another month and a half off of shopping. I’ll reevaluate again in August and see if this plan still works for me, but I’m pretty sure it will. I already feel lighter, with the pressure of shopping and the NEED to buy new things mostly gone. It feels healthier for myself and my family to do this, and for that I am grateful for this plan I have set for myself.
Tell me, could you only shop during set periods of time in the year?
