Now Or Never

It's been nearly one whole month since I completed my wardrobe challenge...and coincidentally, almost one whole month since my last post.  It's due to a combination of writer's block and yep, you guessed it...PROCRASTINATION.  I was also feeling like I had nothing exciting to report and I don't think many people have read/been reading my blog so I kind of felt like..hey, I can procrastinate all I want...no one will even notice!  Until a friend asked me about my blog the other day and commented on how he noticed that I hadn't posted anything recently.  Busted. 

So here I am, blogging for the first time since I completed my wardrobe challenge...which was a success by the way!  I am proud to say I made it through 4 whole months without spending a single dime of my money on new clothes, shoes or accessories.  See shopaholics?  It can be done.  My shopping freedom began on a weekend so I had 2 whole days to shop til I dropped.  But I didn't want to throw 4 months of hard work out the window and blow my dinheiro on any random item just for the sake of saying "I bought something."  So I played it cool all weekend and waited until Sunday afternoon before enjoying some hard earned retail therapy.  My first post-wardrobe challenge purchase?  My very first pant suit.  It's nothing fancy or Law and Order-ish.  It's black, only cost $85! (fortunately for me Banana Republic was having a sale) and fits me pretty perfectly.  And it was an outlet store, which sometimes means sizes are slim pickings but I lucked out.  It was almost as if the suit was sitting there waiting for my wardrobe challenge to be over so I could come and claim it. 

Since that first pant suit purchase, I've shopped quite a bit...dare I say at least once every weekend?  But who's keeping track?  Also coinciding with the end of my wardrobe challenge? The opening of one of my favorite stores to buy shoes and purses at right around the corner from my work...Ross.  I picked up a fabulous pair of Carlos Santana black shoebooties (is this word in the Websters dictionary yet?) and much more throughout the month.  I finally used up my Gilt Groupe credit, and then some, on some new knee high boots...so glad I waited to use my credit!  My birthday has also come and gone which also brought with it a surprise birthday visit from my sister, who flew all the way from Toronto, Canada to California to surprise me and some birthday money which means the shopping will continue until all that birthday money is spent.

The lesson I learned from doing this wardrobe challenge?  Once a procrastinator, always a procrastinator.  Well aside from that...that not only is patience a virture, but self control is too.



My fabulous new bag!

 Well, I'm back from my vay-cay...a little tanner and a lot closer to the end of my journey, which is now only days away!  My last post was me bragging about how I was going to take myself shopping at Target with the $50 gift card I recently received...absolutely nothing exciting to report there.  I was thinking that I'd find all kinds of stuff and that I'd have such a hard time deciding on something...yeah, no...not the case. I guess I had forgotten that the end of summer isn't always the best time to shop for summer stuff.  I walked away with a new top and a new dress.  Didn't exactly scratch the shopping itch since A) it was just Target and B) I didn't have much to choose from.  But it did give me a temporary jolt of excitement as I waited in line to pay for my things...knowing I was soon going to be wearing a brand new article of clothing for the first time in almost 4 months.

I vacationed in the Azores, Portugal for 2 weeks but on my way there, I had a layover in Toronto for 2 days.  It wasn't until my second day in Toronto, while in the middle of doing something mundane and uneventful, it hit me like a ton of bricks...I forgot to pack my bathing suits!  My stomach literally dropped....because I realized I was going to have to go out and buy myself a brand new bikini...and cheat on my challenge just weeks before reaching victory.  So I dragged my sister to the nearest mall and began operation "Ruin my 4 month wardrobe challenge."  Luckily, I was able to find 3 pieces, 2 bikini bottoms and 1 top, so I could mix and match it up with the bikini my sister (thankfully) ended up giving me before we left for the mall.  Then, while getting ready to throw 3 and a half months of sacrifice out the window, my sister graciously whipped out her wallet and bought the swimwear for me...saying it was an early birthday present, but really, we both know she did it to keep me from challenge cheating.  I tried to protest, of course, but she talked me into it.

I also got a new crossbody purse from one of my girlfriends (thanks again!) just hours before leaving for the airport. Yet another early birthday present.  Ahhh, thank heavens my birthday was only a month away...well not really because who likes turning 30?

I'm So Excited...And I Just Can't Hide It!

My prayers have been answered.  Well, I didn't actually pray for this but it just seems like the appropriate thing to say to describe how I'm feeling right now.  Yesterday I received a $50 gift certificate to Target.  No big deal, right? Wrong!  Now this means I can shop for myself before my vacation!  Remember people, it's not cheating because it's not my money...it was given to me.  Hey, my game...my rules! 

Target may not be the ideal shopping choice for shoes, clothes and accessories...but when it's your only option, nothing could sound more appealing.  And Target does kick ass for having cute stuff at totally affordable prices.  The only question is....what on earth do I buy???  For weeks now I've been thinking about what my first purchase was going to be when this challenge was finally over.  And now that I have a bit of a head start with that, I'm stumped.  I definitely want to get something I can make good use of while on vacation in Portugal, where it'll still be nice and warm. And lucky for me, this is the time of year where all the summer stuff is on sale, sale sale! 

I think I should combine the $50 gift card with the $26 I still have on the visa gift card that's been hibernating in my wallet...waiting to be used for a "fashion emergency."  The only time I dug it out was earlier in the challenge when my aviator sunglasses broke and I had to replace them.  I've been saving the visa gift card in case another "fashion emergency" arose, but luckily...I've managed to remain emergency-free.  And since I only have 4 weeks left of the challenge, I don't see any reason to hold off on spending this left over gift card money now. 

So, with all that being said....on your mark, get set, SHOP!

I am sooo over this challenge! I'm thinking...no, I'm certain that 4 months was way too long to do this. What the hell was I thinking? I know, I know...I wasn't. I don't think I've ever gone this long in my adult life without buying myself something. Not even as a teen working for minimum wage in retail did I go this long with shopping.  Every time I look in my closet now a days, all I see are items that are worn out and tired...tired of being worn and tired of being looked at. 

 I have to start packing for my trip soon and I'm already thinking that I don't have anything in my wardrobe worth taking.  I know for certain that I need a new purse because even though I just dug up 4 of them the other day from storage, none of them are appropriate for a vacation in Portugal, where I'll be doing a lot of walking...so a hands free bag would be ideal and it's still summer time so it needs to be...summer-y. And nothing I have meets those requirements. 

I stopped by a Kohls after work today to buy a bra...ahem, my 3rd one in the last month and a half (yes, I'm allowed...it's a need not a want, remember?) and I almost...ALMOST stopped and bought a new purse but miraculously, I was able to practice some self control and walked out of there with a bra and only a bra.

I Went Shopping Yesterday...

...in my garage.  Let me explain.  I have a collection of about about 28 (slight exaggeration) purses stored in my garage.  Why so many purses?  Well, it's partly because I take after my dad a little bit with his I-can't-throw-anything-away syndrome.  And it's also because I seem to get bored with my purses quickly.  And clothes and shoes for that matter...hence the 4 month wardrobe challenge.  So, the 2 purses I've been going back and forth between for last few months were nearing their expiration date and since I can't buy myself a new one until October...I decided to rummage through my existing collection for the first time since way before my challenge began.  Surprisingly, I pulled out 4 purses that got me excited enough to move them up the wardrobe chain to my hall closet from garage storage.  One of them, I realized, I had never even used before (a fabulous royal blue cross body purse given to me by a friend about a year ago). So I've changed up my purse rotation...a small but easy and effective way to propel myself through the remaining weeks of this neverending challenge. 

I've also been thinking a lot about what my first purchase should be when this challenge is over.  Surprisingly, I haven't really given this that much thought until recently.  I guess it's because I've just been so preoccupied with trying to 'reinvent' my outfits for the last few months.  But now that this thought has entered my head, it's what my focus has shifted to.  The excitement (well, kinda) of trying to put together outfits every day with the same old tired stuff I've been looking at for what seems like a lifetime now, is slowly wearing off. Ok, more like quickly.  It's a good thing I'll be spending 2 of the last 4 weeks of my challenge on vacation in Portugal...where (hopefully) I'll be so wrapped up with other things that I won't even notice I hate each and every single article of clothing I currently own. 

I Almost Cracked

I had a girlfriend visiting from Canada recently and upon her request while here, I took her to Kohls...which can't be found in Canada.  I've been to Kohls (one of my favorite stores) a few times during my wardrobe challenge but always steered clear of the departments that normally drain my bank account; shoes clothes and accessories...the very things I've banned myself from indulging in during this 4 month challenge.  But shopping with my girlfriend there put me directly into the lion's den as I found myself roaming through racks of clothes I've been avoiding for the last 2 and a half months.  I'm proud to say that I did pretty well despite the fact that I almost cracked and got myself the cutest LC by Lauren Conrad blush pink polka dot top that was just screaming to come home with me.  I didn't think of this at the time but maybe I should have asked them if they would hold it for me until October 1st, which is the day my challenge is officially over.  Oh yes, I would have risked getting looked at as if I were a crazy person if it meant getting this top. 

Ahhh, but every cloud has a silver lining and mine for the day was when my friend surprised me by buying me a beautiful antique looking silver bracelet.  She was very sneaky about it...showing it to me while browsing through the accessories and asking me to try it on, which I did of course, and like an idiot, raved about how pretty it was. Next thing I know, we're driving away from the store and she presents me with the bracelet and says it's mine. After I scolded her for being sneaky and told her I was going to return it...she scolded me right back and says I didn't break the rules since I'm not the one who bought it.  I quickly realized I had better shut my mouth and be thankful I have something new to wear...and for my wonderful friend who took pity on me and my foolish idea.

I'm going away this weekend again and while packing last night I realized something...I hate my wardrobe. No, correction...I hate this wardrobe challenge. I am so tired of everything I have but there's nothing I can do about it for another month and a half. How am I going to get through these last weeks??  I was singing a different tune earlier this week however; when I went to visit a friend in the hospital, I had about 7 different women tell me they loved my shoes and 2 other women tell me they loved my outfit. Just random people...ok, they were mostly nurses who wear dowdy scrubs every day and only look at other nurses in their dowdy scrubs and white reebok sneakers all day long so I'm sure anyone in a pair of cute shoes would have been a nice change of pace for them. Oh yes, I was loving my wardrobe challenged life that day. And now I've hit a brick wall.  My mind is swirling with thoughts of purging everything I own when this dumb challenge is over and starting from scratch with a completely new wardrobe.  Probably not the greatest idea though because that would cost beacoup bucks and would totally defeat the purpose of all this sacrifice.

I went to a Catholic High School which required me to wear an ugly ass uniform every single day of the week with the exception of a few days a year when students were allowed to 'dress down.'  Those dress down days are when I would bust out my Club Monaco sweaters and gazelle running shoes and later on in my high school years, anything I bought at Stitches or Le Chateau...2 of the stores (in Canada) that everyone who was cool but didn't have a lot of money to spend shopped at.  I remember very vividly thinking how 'hurting' (that was our slang back then) it was to have to wear a uniform every day, and let me assure you it was nothing pretty considering our school colors were gray and maroon...gross.  But now that I'm in this self made predicament of a restricted wardrobe, which is growing more and more boring with each passing day by the way, I am beginning to long for those carefree (well, not really) high school days when I didn't have to worry about what to wear every day.

The Half Way Mark

August 1st.  I'm officially half way there. If I had any doubts in the beginning that I could accomplish this challenge, they are long gone by now.  The only downside so far?  My bank account doesn't seem to be reaping the benefits of my sacrifice.  I don't know what I was expecting to happen; that my account balance would magically be twice or three times even what it normally is?  It looks no different than usual which bums me out a little bit because I certainly don't want to feel like this was all for nothing.  I would imagine it's because all those expenses I mentioned at the start of my blog, well that's definitely started to kick in.  So I guess I should be grateful that my balance looks no different than the norm.

I still haven't given in to temptation.  And yes, there have been many tempting opportunities.  I mostly just stay away from my favorite shopping spots.  Athough, I have frequented one of my favorite shopping websites, giltgroupe.com, every now and then...just to see what I'm missing out on.  And to see if there's anything worth spending my gilt credit on.  It's not a huge amount so anytime I think I've found something on there I just have to have, it ends up being $10 or $20 more than what I have to spend.  So...the rationing continues.  And so does the procrastination by the way.  I'm amazed that I've kept up with this blog as much as I have.  The true test will be come September when I leave for my vacation in Portugal.  There's nothing I love more than shopping for new clothes before a summer trip.  And what's going to kill me the most is that the weeks leading up to my departure date is the time of the season when all the fab summer clothes and shoes are on sale.  My only saving grace is that I splurged a little bit on new stuff this past spring when I went to the Dominican Republic for my friend's wedding.  Had it not been for that trip, I would definitely have cracked sometime around the end of August.

Enjoying the Fruits of My Challenge

One of the reasons, among many, I wanted to do this wardrobe challenge was because of some travelling and weekend getaways I'll be doing and have done this year. This past weekend getaway was gloriously spent wine tasting, vineyard touring, mud bathing, drinking, dancing and DJ-ing. Not professionally though...I was just the one who brought her iPod and provided the mood/dance music in our hotel room and car rides during our winery hopping. I also unintentionally ended up acting as a travelling drugstore for the fabulous girls I was hangin' with in the Napa Valley. I may have a bit of a shopping addiction and can procrastinate like nobody's business...but if someone needs a bandaid, nail clippers, perfume, tide pen, etc., etc., then I'm your gal. I also just about blew one of my cousin's minds when I showed her how to hide her bra straps from showing by loosening the straps and safety pinning them together racerback style.  Who knew I could be such a wealth of information?  Hey, maybe I can't change a tire but give me a couple of safety pins and some uncooperative bra straps and I can transform an outfit!

I'm still doing well with the no shopping thing by the way. I haven't had as many moments of frustration as I was anticipating.  Maybe that's because I've been forcing myself to wear clothes that haven't been touched in years....so it almost feels like I'm wearing new stuff. Since I've started my challenge in June, I think I've worn at least 3 dresses that I haven't worn or thought twice about in probably 3 years.  Lucky for me...fashion trends are constantly repeating themselves so fear not, I'm not leaving my house in horribly outdated attire. And since some of this stuff was only worn a handful of times, it all looks as good as new.  Still no progress on the clothing swap idea...or the jeans I was going to turn into cut offs about 5 weeks ago.  Did I mention I was a procrastinator?

Mini Makeup Splurge

In an effort not to lose my mind half way through the 2nd month of my 4 month wardrobe challenge, I decided to treat myself to a little retail therapy a la beauty shopping.  I was sticking to the rules by not buying clothes, shoes or accessories but at the same time was able to ease the shopping withdrawls a little bit.  During an unexpected power outage at work last Monday (well, any power outage is unexpected, I guess) I had some time to kill while I was still on call to go back to the office if the power came back on. So I found myself pulling into the parking lot at Ulta...the most fabulous beauty store around. Yes, even more fabulous than Sephora in my opinion because you get the best of both worlds there...high and low end beauty products. I decided to treat myself to some new eye makeup by a brand called NYX....a brand I've heard of before but have never tried because it's not easy to find in stores.  I learned of this fabulous makeup brand from watching a makeup tutorial on youtube (don't judge me...it's free makeup tips!)...and the makeup artist I watched, whose name escapes me now, went back and forth between MAC and NYX eyeshadows.  She raved about the quality and affordability of NYX eyeshadows and compared them to MAC.  Being someone who's always on the hunt for fabulous and affordable beauty and fashion finds, I finally tried out NYX eyeshadows and eyeliners...and was more than pleasantly surprised! The colors are stunning and lasted quite well throughout the day.  Maybe not quite the selection that MAC has but definitely gives MAC shadows a run for their money.  The only downside to my first NYX eyeshadow experience?  The day I wore the deep orange/almost but not quite red eyeshadow...when I got home from work and my husband looked at my face, he said it looked like my eyes were bleeding.

Here's what sucks about this challenge. Yes, there's the obvious reason that I can't do something I enjoy and brings me pleasure...but it sucks even more because I suffer from a disease that plagues many...a disease that I fear is in my blood and I cannot be cured from. Yes friends, it's the disease of procrastination. I've had this disease from an early age and I don't know if there's a cure or not...because I've never gotten around to researching it. It's because of this disease that I still haven't gotten around to turning that old pair of jeans I don't wear anymore into jean shorts. It's because of this disease that I haven't pursued the clothing swap option that I found a website for. And its because of this disease that this challenge will be way more challenging than it needs to be.

Every weekday morning when my alarm goes off at around 6am, I turn on the tv in my bedroom and watch some mindless show for about 10 or 15 minutes..it's how I shake the grogginess from sleep.  Lately I've found myself tuning into reruns of one of my absolute favorite shows...What Not to Wear. Words cannot describe how much I adore that show and I often wish upon a star that I could do what Stacy and Clinton do as a full time and well paid day job. Hey, a girl can dream, right? There's plenty of other reruns of ah-those-were-the-good-old-days shows I could be waking up to like Saved by the Bell and The Fresh Prince of Bel Air and of course, there's always the cartoon network. But no, instead I find myself being drawn to a show about something which I have forbidden myself from doing for 4 long months.  So to all you dieters out there who are forbidden from eating what you really want...I feel your pain.

Well, it finally happened. I stood in front of my closet yesterday and came to the conclusion that I had nothing to wear. It sounds ridiculous but it's true. And the funny thing is I didn't even have anywhere special to dress up for. All I did was go to the movies with my husband. Who on God's green earth cares about what they're going to wear when they're going to be sitting in a dark theater for 2 hours? Me, that's who. I don't know what came over me but in that moment I thought to myself, 'this wardrobe challenge is the dumbest idea I've ever had.' Maybe it was because yesterday was one of those 'I feel fat' days that us girls have from time to time....which also inevitably turns into a day when you feel like you have nothing to wear. I literally sifted through my drawers saying "ew...ew...ew" after every article of clothing I flipped through. So of course before I knew it we had 15 minutes before the movie started and I still hadn't decided what to wear. I finally threw something on that I was mildly comfortable in and after hearing my husband ask me in his 'I'm irritated' voice if I was almost done, I realized I didn't have enough time to do my makeup. So I left the house without it. Not a lick of it anywhere on my face. I can't even remember the last time I went anywhere without makeup on. Now, I'm not saying I glam myself up every time I walk out the door but I at least try to put some mascara and lipgloss on. This time I went completely au natural.  I slapped on some chap stick on the car ride to the movies and called it a day. I expect I'll have plenty more days like this before my challenge is over. But I've already successfully made it through one whole month of this challenge so there's no turning back now.

It's Time to Get Creative.

And no I don't mean I'm going to start designing and making my own clothes....Lord knows I don't have the skill or patience for that. I mean I need to come up with creative ways to deal with my 'withdrawals' from shopping. The funny thing is, my first thought isn't to join a book club or volunteer at the local homeless shelter. Nope. My instincts are telling me I need to go out and buy some new bras and underwear because really, at the end of the day, those are needs not wants so they should of course be excluded from my challenge. Shouldn't they?  

To Swap Or Not To Swap?

I recently discovered a website called clothingswap.com which allows you to swap clothes and accessories with other people who are also members of this site (which is free to join by the way). What a marvelous idea! And how absolutely perfect for someone like me in my situation right now. I've already signed up and am now an official member but ask me how many items I've swapped or attempted to swap so far? Zero. Zilch. Nada. Yes, partly because I'm a procrastinator but mostly because every time I come across an article of clothing I've had for a long time and haven't worn in forever...something I think would be a good swap item...I find myself falling in love with it all over again. 

A Heartfelt Letter

Dear Gilt Groupe,
Thank you for the lovely email reminding me that I still have a $90 Gilt credit burning a hole in my account. I think about you often and dream about the day I can finally use you for my next 'fashion emergency'.
Sincerely,
A fashionista in limbo

3 weeks in and I'm still going strong. I think I've been successful so far largely due to the fact that I have STEERED CLEAR of stores and online shopping websites. Out of sight, out of mind right? Except I have continued to indulge in one of my favorite past times, flipping through fashion magazines...hey, don't judge me...I do read actual novels too....and it seems like every page I turn there's a trend for summer which nothing in my current wardrobe represents. And my poor Gilt Groupe app now has cobwebs on it. I've been avoiding the Gilt app completely...even though I still have a Gilt credit I could use. I'm rationing it in case of another fashion emergency. 

A Lesson Learned

After a really rotten and horribly stressful week at work, I'm tempted to treat myself to a little retail therapy. But after happening upon a 'Dan Rather Reports' episode about the current unemployment rate in America and how highly skilled people with degrees and MBA's are being laid off, unable to find a new job and losing their homes and life savings...I'm reminded of another reason why I'm doing this challenge and should stick to it. I think the economic collapse was a tough lesson to be learned from (duh) and I strongly feel that people, whether unemployed or not, need to reevaluate how they live their lives and spend their money....and this challenge is an example of me doing that.

I think I've been doing pretty well with my challenge so far. But flipping through my In Style magazine during my lunch break today reminded me of all the fabulous trends I'm missing out on this summer...like maxi skirts and dresses and cut off Jean shorts....things I don't currently have in my wardrobe. So, in the spirit of thinking outside the box...I'm going to attempt to make my own pair of cut off Jean shorts from an older pair of Jeans I don't wear much anymore. A rather bold move for me since I'm not a very crafty person. I don't even own the right pair of scissors to do something like this for crying out loud. Thank goodness for 'how to' videos on YouTube.

Noooo!!

My favorite sunglasses broke the other day! I was so upset. And even though I have probably about 4 other pairs, I don't like any of them nearly as much as the ones that broke. I guess I shouldn't be all that surprised that they broke on me since they were just some cheap-o pair of aviators that I bought a year ago at Forever 21 (no offense to you, Forever 21, you are still one of my favorite stores...even for sunglasses).  So now I'm faced with my first dilema of the challenge.  Survive the rest of the summer with the other sunglasses I have, which I only like, not love.  Or, do I use the $25 Macy's gift certificate that I've had sitting in my wallet for a few months now and have been saving for emergencies such as this one?  Well, since the gift certificate was just that...a gift...it's not like I'd be spending my own money so I'm not breaking the golden rule of my challenge to not spend my money on clothes, shoes and accessories.  Thank goodness for loopholes!  But now I'll be faced with another challenge within a challenge...my first trip to a department store since my challenge began, will I be able to resist temptation?

Someone at work today asked me if I was still doing the 'no shopping' thing. 'Of course I am,' I told him. Why did he ask me this? Because he happened to notice that what I wore the last couple of days looked like new stuff.  Ahem...I think someone is doing well on her challenge!  Nope, nothing new.  All things I already had in my current wardrobe. Today I even wore a skirt I've owned for a few months but have never worn before. See?  This just goes to show that I really really don't need to be shopping for myself right now...especially if I have stuff in my wardrobe that I've never worn before!  Not to mention, I just made a payment on my credit card today and boy, oh boy, if I ever get the itch to shop for clothes in the next few weeks, all I have to do is take a peek at my credit card balance. I should just cut out the section on my statement that says 'current balance' and tape it to the front of my debit card.  There's a sure way to resist temptation.

Hurray for me

I'm almost one full week into my wardrobe challenge and I must say I've done very well so far. Last week I even took a pair of wedges to a shoe repair man to have him fix a strap that had broken and to stretch out a pair of black patent leather pumps I got online recently (before my challenge began of course) that fit just a tad too snug. The non-wardrobe challenge me would have gotten rid of a pair of wedges with a broken strap and all too happily just gotten myself a new pair of shoes...because, of course, us shopping lovers are always on the look out for an excuse to buy a new anything. But I marched myself down to the local shoe guy and shelled out a few dollars to get my 'still have a lot of wear in them' Banana Republic beige wedges fixed.  Maybe this challenge won't be so challenging after all.

I just found out yesterday that my husband needs to have major dental surgery and it's going to cost us over a thousand dollars. As if I needed another reason to validate why I'm doing this. Should I add food to the challenge as well? Eating is overrated anyway.

One day almost down, too many more to go....

Alright, day one of my mission is proving to be a challenge already. I got off work a little early today and my first impulse was to drive myself to the nearest mall (preferably an outlet mall because I love deals!) or the nearest Kohls...but I resisted and drove myself straight home.  I'm really not that bad and do have a reasonable amount of self control when it comes to buying things for myself.  It's not like I've ever had to go through therapy for this or anything like that. But now that it's something forbidden...I desire it that much more! 

It also doesn't help that I get email alerts on a daily basis from shopping websites that I'm a member of and my favorite retail stores that I foolishy and way too easily give my email address to, reminding me of the fabulous designer sales I'm missing out on. I guess the obvious solution would be to cut off the memberships and block the emails until this mission is over, but I'm not quite ready to do that yet. So I'll just keep putting my self control to the test for now.

Here goes nothing...

So, here's my mission...starting tomorrow, June 1st, 2011, and for the entire months of June, July, August and September, I vow not to buy myself any clothes, shoes or accessories. This may seem like nothing exciting or challenging to some, but to me it will truly be a test of discipline and self control. I guess you could say I'm a borderline shopaholic. I've never maxed out my credit cards or gotten myself into debt as a result of my love for shopping, but my closet is overflowing and my drawers are buckling under the weight of the masses of clothes piled in them. So clearly, I am not in need of any more items for my wardrobe.

The reason for my mission? Well, aside from the fact that I'm running out of room and am finally acknowledging and accepting it, I also have a lot of expenses in these upcoming months so I can no longer justify unnecessary spending...aka my shopping addiction. So the challenge is this: I won't spend any money on new clothes, shoes or accessories for myself for these next 4 months. I must survive on only what it is currently in my wardrobe.  I'll only allow myself to alter stuff I already have, like hem an article of clothing or...well, what else is there?

Oh boy...mix and match is about to have a whole new meaning in my life.