CSB: Day 19

I loathe to blog about this b/c doing so makes it more "official" in some strange way. But perhaps that's exactly what I need to do. And so: 

Today is day 19 of my 365-day, self-imposed, sure-to-become-torturous-by-day-45 Clothes Shopping Ban. Yep, that's right - I've set my mind to going clothes-free for a whole year. (No, not naked! Get those minds out of the gutters!) 

Two notions underlie my extreme effort. First, not-shopping for shirts, skirts, shorts, sweaters, etc. will, obviously, save money. That's cash Brad and I can use for home improvement stuff; sock away in our savings account (severely depleted after buying a home); give to our church or a worthy charity; or set aside for when the time comes that we finally have a baby. 

But the other aspect is more important to me. You see, when I say I have a lot of clothes, I'm using that word in the loosest sense. I have, rather, an obscene amount of clothes. And, with few exceptions, these are not items left over from days long ago, things I no longer like but I hang onto "just b/c" - these are recent purchases, t's and jeans on my current attire rotation, favorites that I wear over and over again, etc. etc. etc. And there are just so many of them. 

(So that you don't think I am just a grotesque waster of money - instead, see me as a normal old waster of money - I want to defend myself by saying that I buy the vaaaaaast majority of my clothing at a thrift store, a discount apparel store, on super-dy duper-dy sale at the Gap, or otherwise on sale. So I'm not tossing the Benjamins around like it ain't no thang.) 

I love clothes, and I love shopping for them, however, I have too many. Too many. It's shameful for myriad reasons, such as the - seemingly unconnected by absolutely connected - fact that oodles and oodles of people in Africa don't have a clean source of water. Which blows my mind on a weekly occasion. Which makes no sense to me. Which is a really damning fact when you think about how much it costs, even when stuff's on sale, to fill this 

and this 

and this 

and this 

and this (I'm getting tired) 

and this 

Trying to navigate in this closet is like trying to find your way 
out of the Bermuda Triangle. Blindfolded. While holding 
your nose. 

and these 

and this 

Yeah, there are about 9 pairs of jeans 
in there . . . 

Along with 5 other drawers of shirts, sweaters, fleece pants, and hoodies and 30 or so other items from the laundry that are currently sitting on the couch waiting to take their rightful place in the closet. You haven't even seen my collection of winter coats/trench coats, vests, and so on.

Anyway, this all started May 15th and now it's day 19 - and the first time I've been in a clothing store since the ban was (self-)imposed (the Gap at the Waterfront, oh, how I love thee). I returned a birthday present and bought nothing. Although I was tempted by the many sales. Of course. 

But Shannon talked me down from the ledge. She's actually the initial inspiration for this insanity - a fellow clothes horse, she's bought just 2 pairs of jeans, 2 or 3 skirts (on sale), and a dress in the past year. It only seems fitting that she should be by my side for the first true test. 

Only 346 more days to go . . . I don't know whether to weep or leap for joy - ?