January is the third month of my $100 per month shopping budget, and things are going pretty well. Controlling my spending has been easier than I thought, and my shopping urges have quieted considerably. Over the weekend, I stopped by the mall and bought two pair of pants at Kohl’s and a sweater at Charlotte Russe, spending $85 of this month’s budget. But I’m starting to get that old familiar feeling…
You know the one? That nagging voice in your head that whispers “you have nothing to wear,” every time you get dressed? I hate that voice, almost as much as I hate to admit that I’m getting a little bored with my closet. I think there are several factors contributing to this sartorial slump:
- With the weather constantly yo-yo’ing between hot and cold, it’s hard to get into a groove of “seasonal” dressing.
- In the eternal battle between the laundry and me, I’m always on the losing end. All my favorite pieces are usually buried and forgotten in the bottom of some hamper, leaving me with a bunch of lukewarm stuff that’s either inappropriate for everyday or just meh.
- In the last year, I got a little overzealous with the closet purging. It’s kind of like tweezing your eyebrows: You start with good intentions for just a little clean-up, and before you know it you’ve spent 30 minutes in a magnifying mirror daze and when you come to, you’re like, “What happened here?!“
In the past, as soon as these thoughts of boredom started creeping in, I’d shush them with some retail therapy and shiny new things. But for the first time [ever?] I don’t want shiny new things; I just want some fresh perspective on the great stuff I already have.
So what’s a girl to do when she’s on a tight budget and her wardrobe’s feeling stale? Why, invoke the creativity-sparking power of a remix challenge, of course!
Yesterday, after finally tackling the looming laundry pile(s), I pulled together 20 pieces I love — 8 tops, 3 sweaters, 2 dresses, 2 jackets, and 5 bottoms — and organized them on a rack outside of my closet.
I don’t have any grand plans for this round of remixing; no strict rules or guidelines, or even a time limit. My goal is simple: work these 20 star pieces into cute outfits, using shoes and accessories from my closet as the supporting cast, until I feel like I’ve remixed my way out of this rut. Here we go!
What do you think?