Lessons Learned

Here I am, the day after Black Friday, thinking back to two years ago when I had begun my year-long break up with shopping.  That means it was only one year ago that I reunited with shopping.  I remember it vividly.  It was on that day one year ago that I wrote this email to Caitlin, the one who inspired me to take on the challenge.  So what has it been like, allowing myself to freely venture into stores and spend money on clothes, shoes and accessories again?  As I've shared here before, there were many lessons I learned during my year of no shopping.  Here are just a few of them that come to my mind today.

Lesson #1: Less is more.

One of the reasons why I felt so discontent with my closet was because I had so many ill-fitting, poor quality pieces in my closet.  I didn't want to get rid of them, but at the same time, I never wanted to wear them.  I purged my closet and kept the pieces that fit well and were made well.  I still clean out my closet at times to make sure I'm not holding on to things I don't wear.  A good rule I try to follow is to donate one piece for every new piece.

Lesson #2:  Choose quality over quantity.

During my year of no shopping, I actually did some shopping with gift cards/gift money from special occasions, but because I was limited, I became picky.  No more impulse buying.  Pre-break-up I would just grab a bunch of stuff and not try them on.  The result was a closet full of clothing I never wore.  In order to find pieces that fit me well, I started to shop in the women's petites section instead of the junior's department.  If I'm looking for a well-made timeless piece, I look for quality brands, even if it means spending a little more.

Lesson #3:  Lifestyle defines personal style.  

Pinterest is great for finding style inspiration, however, one day in the middle of winter, I recreated an outfit I had pinned, but soon realized that I was freezing cold. Also, my outfit was made of pieces that were not conducive to my duties as a momma of two little ones.  Another time I recreated a work outfit I had seen, but when I got to my classroom, my shoes hurt my feet and I felt hindered and unproductive the whole day.  It was then that I started deliberately thinking about my personal style.   One word came to my mind: comfy.  At the same time, I didn't want to sacrifice style for comfort.  I became @howcomfy on Instagram and I started the hashtag #comfymommastyle and #comfyteacherstyle to document the outfits that worked for me.  I've met several sweet moms and teachers who really encourage me in my style endeavors.    

Lesson #4: Look for remixable pieces.

This is the fun part.  Instead of buying outfits that could only be worn one way or for one occasion, I purchased pieces that I could mix and match.  Style bloggers like Audrey from Putting Me Together and Caitlin from Greater Than Rubies, have taught me a lot in this area.  I started buying pieces that I could wear for different occasions.  I've also participated in Caitlin's remix challenges where you choose twenty pieces to remix exclusively for thirty days.  I've learned how to shop my closet, and it has helped me to be a better steward of what I own and to be content with what God has given me. 

Lesson #5: Trust God.  

I am amazed at how much God has blessed me through this entire "style journey."  Never in my life have I felt so content and provided for.  There have been times throughout these past two years when someone would just give me clothes or I'd get a gift card from a student.  Another cool thing that has happened during my style journey has been the clearance sales at the Plato's Closet and Clothes Mentor stores here.  Because they are consignment stores, I have been able to purchase name brand pieces (some still with tags) for only $1!  I'm not necessarily saying "trust God and He'll give you clothes" although He does say in Matthew chapter 6: "Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?  Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or "What shall we wear?'...For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.  But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."  What I'm saying is when you trust God with every aspect of your life, He is always faithful.

Sometimes I get really self-conscious about my participation on social networks with regards to "style."  I worry about people judging the things I post and write, thus allowing the enemy to rob me of any kind of joy or peace.  At the same time, I've learned so many things that have strengthened my relationship with God and has helped me minister to others. 

As this holiday season marks another year of my style revelation, I've been reflecting on some of my experiences, and I know that God can use our experiences to point us to Him.  I'm trusting Him to use me in whatever way He wants to use me.  Starting today, I want to share more of my experiences through this blog.  I hope you'll stick around and join me once in awhile.    

P.S.  Linking up with The Modern Austen for Sunday Best!

Shopping Haul: Plato's Closet

During my year-of-no-shopping, I was still shopping.  Let me explain.  My rule for the year was that I didn't spend money on shoes, clothes, or accessories.  However, gift cards and gift money were okay to spend. Hand-me-down items and gifted items were happily accepted, too.  You better bet I asked for gift cards and gift money for Christmas, my birthday, Mother's Day, and my anniversary.

It was also during that year that I discovered Plato's Closet.  Sometime in January, my sister-in-law wanted to use her Christmas money to buy some designer jeans at a reasonable price.  One of her friends had told her about Plato's. I went with her one Saturday just as another set of eyes to help her pick out a pair, and we happened to be there on the last day of their $1 clearance sale!  Because it was the last day of a week-long sale, the pickings were kinda slim.  I had already spent the majority of my Christmas money at after-Christmas sales, but was able to pick up 7 pieces for $7!  One of the pieces I bought on that day was the white denim capris I chose for my summer remix challenge.  

I was so happy!  I mean, other than getting clothes for free, $1 a piece was not too shabby.  I marveled at the faithfulness of God.  I really felt like God was provided a way for me to use gift money to still buy clothes that I wanted at a very reasonable price.  He spoils me, I tell ya!

Honestly, since then I almost (I say almost!) cannot bring myself to spend money at retail stores knowing I can shop  at Plato's Closet $1 clearance sale every season!  The same owners just opened a Clothes Mentor in the same shopping center and I'm praying they have similar sales, too!  I follow their store on Instagram and you better believe when they say their $1 clearance is about to start, I am there when the store opens!  In fact, they just started their sale last week on July 3rd.  Here are some of the things I picked up!

As you can see, I went for a lot of patterns!  After my year-of-no-shopping and through wardrobe remix challenges like the one I'm doing right now, I've been able to purge my closet and rebuild it.  I pretty much have all my basic pieces and now I can add a few (or a dozen) trendier pieces.  I don't mind spending $1 on a trendy piece because even if I only wear it once or twice, it was only a dollar!  

Making a list of things you want to add to your wardrobe really helps when shopping. I've gone to huge malls and walked away with nothing because they didn't have any of the items on my list.  At this particular sale, they had mostly shorts, skirts, dresses, and a ton of tops.  I didn't need shorts - I picked up several (brand new) pairs at Old Navy for $1 on Black Friday.  Although I already did some skirt shopping at a couple of thrift stores earlier this year, I couldn't pass up the polka dot pencil skirt.  Dresses are hard for me to find because of my petite frame, but I did find three that fit well.  Even at $1 a piece I still tried everything on and only bought what I knew I would wear.  The "pre-clothing-fast-me" wouldn't have done that.  Since they had so many tops and I knew I didn't need any more knit t-shirt type tops, I decided to focus on nice patterned tops for work and church, but could also be worn on the weekend or for a night out.  I ended up picking up several designs: floral, Aztec, color block, striped, animal print.  All of these tops could go with any of my basic bottoms and a completer piece.

I am pretty much set for going back to school this August, which is technically back to work for me being a teacher!  I can't wait to wear all my "new" clothes!

Do you shop at consignment stores or thrift stores?  What about garage sales?  I will be writing more posts on more of my past and future frugal shopping experiences soon!

Frugal Style

Today I have two more outfits with pieces I chose for my summer remix challenge.  I've been busy this week with VBS and yesterday I wasn't feeling 100% therefore I didn't take any pictures.  So today I kept the same top and remixed it with different bottoms and voila!  Two outfits done!

I haven't told you how much I paid for some of the pieces in my summer remix challenge.  I will do that in this post and also explain why I get so excited about it. 

One of my revelations during my year-of-no-shopping was that when I do go shopping, I don't have buy full-priced retail name-brand items.  I know, I know, such a simple concept, but it's difficult to realize sometimes.

I grew up in Hawaii where you can wear a t-shirt, shorts, and slippahs (a.k.a. flip flops) every day, all day, year round and from year to year.  It never goes "out of style."  Sure, the "mainland" trends would  reach us too, but everyone is pretty content to wear super casual clothes. Like if you decided to wear jeans, people would ask you why you were dressed up.  Locals usually own one pair of tennis shoes (usually white) and one jacket (usually black) to match everything.  Okay, I may be exaggerating...then again maybe not.  

Growing up, my parents never had a lot of money to spend on clothes for us.  My sisters and I usually wore hand-me-downs from relatives, and we only went shopping for school clothes.  In high school and college I had part-time jobs to help me buy things that I wanted.  I even worked at Gap and especially enjoyed the employee discount.  After college I moved to Southern California where some people dress casually and others don't.  I got my first job as a teacher and finally had a steady income.  It was easy for me to want to buy clothes at the hundreds upon thousands of malls and retail stores literally everywhere.  I was in debt with college loans and yet I would go shopping for "work" (and "play") clothes almost every weekend. 

 

I tried to be frugal by shopping at outlets and cheaper retail stores.  I always looked for what was on sale or on clearance.  I remember shopping one day with my cousin at the mall and after browsing a few stores, I said to her, "What are we doing here?  Let's go across the street to Ross and Marshall's!"  Sadly, I never learned how to shop wisely.  In my attempt to save money, I would buy poor quality clothes.  Sometimes I would buy pieces that didn't fit me well just because they were on sale.  The result was a closet of unwearable clothes because they were either faded or pilling or ill-fitting. 

I have a whole different mindset when I shop now.  I try my best to only buy items that fall under these categories. 

A.  I look for quality classic pieces that are comfortable and will hold up well when washed and worn. 

B.  I look for pieces that can be remixed for my lifestyle: work, weekend, church, etc.

C.  If I buy trendy pieces, I try not to spend a lot of money on them knowing that they'll only last a season. 

Outfit 1: striped t-shirt $3 at Old Navy + Levi's jeggings $1 at Plato's Closet

Outfit 2:  same striped t-shirt $3 at Old Navy + coral corduroy jeans $2 at Old Navy

Okay so here are two outfits under $5!  Isn't that crazy!?  Our Plato's Closet here in North Little Rock has these awesome $1 clearance sales pretty much every season.  (Stay tuned for a shopping haul post from the last sale!)  I've gotten some steals there because it's a consignment store that carries some really good quality name-brand stuff.  The Levi's jeggings are a prime example.  The shirt and coral jeans are from Old Navy. I love Old Navy for the fact that I can get brand new (as opposed to consignment which is usually worn) trendy pieces on clearance. 

I've already worn all three of these items a bunch of times because of their remixability.  (Is that even a word?)  I get so excited knowing that I only spent a few dollars on cute comfy clothes.  It also makes me feel good that I'm being a better steward by wearing these pieces over and over again by remixing them with items I already own.  That's why I love remix challenges like these.  They show me how many outfit options I really have and remind me that I don't need to go shopping every weekend!  I can be content with the things God has given me. 

How do you feel about your closet?  Are you a frugal shopper?  What are some things you do to be a better steward of what you already own?
 

Linking up with Tucker Up!

A Clothing Fast Revelation

When I decided to start this blog (a week ago), I wanted to be able to share not only the things I've learned towards my "quest for comfort," but also the things I've learned about being a good steward.  I mentioned in this post that when I finally discovered style blogs, I also decided to take a break from clothes shopping for an.entire.year.  Since there's just so much I can say about that year of no shopping, I will probably go more in depth in future posts.  Today I'm literally going to cut and paste a summary of what I wrote to Caitlin about my clothing fast experience.

Caitlin is Caitlin Skidmore who writes over at Greater Than Rubies. To make a long story short, I basically found her blog via Pinterest.  When I discovered her jewel of a blog on Black Friday of 2012, Caitlin was near the end of her own break-up with shopping.  She had started her clothing fast in January of that year and had documented many of her outfits on her blog.  As I read post after post about her experiences over the year, it suddenly dawned on me, "This is what I need to do."  I was inspired.  A whole year of not shopping for clothes?!  Impossible!  Or was it?

I emailed Caitlin and shared with her my decision to go on a clothing fast.  We kept in touch and she was (and still is!) an encouragement to me in so many ways.  One day she asked me if I would write a guest post for her blog and share some of the things I had been sharing with her.  I was humbled to have been asked and I didn't feel confident about writing a piece about my experience, but with God's help, I went ahead and wrote some things that I had learned over the past year.  I felt like God would want me to share my story of His grace and faithfulness to encourage others who may have been experiencing similar things as I had been experiencing. 

You can read the original post from Cailtin's blog here.  Here's my clothing fast revelation:

There’s so much more to my story but basically one year ago I had been feeling discontent with several areas of my life. As a wife and working mother of two little ones I was feeling overwhelmed and stressed out with the busyness of trying to balance my marriage relationship with my husband, caring for my then 4 year old son and 18 month old daughter, and teaching English to 5th-8th grade middle schoolers. Add housekeeping, ministry at church, and other family/social obligations and you can imagine how busy and tired I was (am!) I know many of you reading this can relate!
I had been searching for ways to simplify my life for several years and I realized that one of the areas of my life that needed to be simplified was my wardrobe. I was so discouraged waking up every morning with “nothing to wear.” Or needing to have outfits that could be functional yet stylish for the different hats I wear throughout the day.

So while perusing Christian style blogs I stumbled upon Caitlin’s blog. It was Black Friday (God has a sense of humor) and realized that I needed to fast from buying clothes. The reason why I was so discontent with my closet was because I had a closet full of clothes that were ill-fitting and poor quality. Many of the pieces in my closet were impulse buys. I told myself I would learn to be content and be a good steward of what God had already blessed me with.

At first I thought I needed to hoard clothes. “How would I be able to survive without buying anything new!?” was one of my thoughts. I began scouring Pinterest for outfit ideas to remix my closet like Caitlin and so many other style bloggers do. After more “research” I realized that the reason I was so discontent was because I had too much!

Over the past year I have learned to purge my closet, redefine my style, shop wisely for quality timeless pieces with a few inexpensive refreshers to keep up with the current trends, and then remix, remix, remix!

Today I am so content with my wardrobe. Sure, over the course of the year I was still shopping, but with gift money and gift cards from special occasions. And even then I would look for remixable or classic or functional pieces. I was also given hand-me-downs from family and friends, several who didn’t even know I was fasting from shopping.

I know that there’s more to life than clothes, but it is amazing how a comfortable, well-fitting, and yet stylish outfit can change the way you go about your day. I’ve included a before and after picture that kind of sums up what I’m talking about. Both are outfits with jeans, sweatshirts, and comfortable shoes, however the second one (which actually cost less than the first one) makes me just want to get on my feet, be-bop around the house, and get chores done. It’s also functional enough for running around with my kids, and still stylish enough to go out in public and look cute for my husband.

There’s so much more I can say about what I’ve learned over the year but then this post would go on and on. I guess one of the main things I’ve learned (or realized again) is that God is faithful. By trusting Him with this area of my life I’ve been able to witness His faithfulness and His goodness in so many other ways, too. By learning to be content I have discovered more of His purpose and will for my life, which is ultimately to glorify Him with every area of my life.

I share this post because my purpose here is not to compete with or try to be like the gazillion style blogs that are out there.  During that year of not spending money on clothes, God revealed so many things about life to me, and I realize I need to share these things to hopefully inspire others in the same way I have been inspired.  We all need encouragement and I hope and pray my little blog will do just that...encourage you!