A cleanse of a different kind

Call me crazy, but I’m going on a cleanse. Not the lemon juice/maple syrup combo – a cleanse of a different kind.

I’m not going to buy any clothes for 3 months.

Crazy, right? My mom laughed when I told her.

I’m not buying anything for 1 month, and no accessories for 2 months.

I was first inspired to do this by the ladies at 365 Fashion Rehab, who aren’t shopping for an entire year. I thought it was an interesting idea but didn’t really see myself doing anything like that. Then I had a Twitter conversation that changed my perspective. Out into the ether I posted:

“in a moment of weakness i let my workaholism surface, and have now agreed to working 4-midnight 3 of 4 Fridays in Feb. whoops.”

Then @BrokeintheCity (of the blogs Fabulously Broke and Style on a String) responded, and we had the following exchange:

brokeinthecity: @FashionistaLab At least you will have $$ and no energy to go out shopping it all away 🙂
me: @brokeinthecity that’s what i was thinking too! now i’ll just have to make sure i don’t spend it all in March.
brokeinthecity: @FashionistaLab throw it into savings and never open your account again j/k
me: @brokeinthecity come to think of it, I should really seize this opportunity to develop a healthier relationship b/t saving and spending.
brokeinthecity: @FashionistaLab That’s the spirit!! I am all for that 🙂

And then I decided, I’m really going to do this. But for me it’s not just about spending money, it’s about not spending all my money on clothing, about finding a balance in my very lopsided shopping habits. Last month I blogged about my budget, and mentioned buying some magazine subscriptions and the game Taboo, among other things. But, as usual, once I started spending money I forgot about everything else but clothes. Every month this happens. Among the items that have fallen by the wayside are magazine subscriptions, dry measuring cups (for baking), a tambourine (I’ve wanted one for 2 years), a new duvet cover, a frame for a poster I bought in Spain, and even buying a domain for the Fashionista Lab. Pretty regular and unremarkable things, but all things I’ve been too distracted by clothes to buy. So my goal in not buying clothing for 3 months is to remind and force myself to be more well-rounded in my spending, and to remember that there are other things to buy besides clothing. It will also be a great way to save money. 2010 is the Year of Saving Money, after all.

To recap, this is happening in three phases. Here are the details:

• Phase 1/February – no buying anything. Not even magazines.
• Phase 2/March – no buying of clothing or accessories, everything else is fair game.
• Phase 3/April – still on the clothing fast, everything else is fine.

These rules don’t include entertainment (drinks, movies, etc), services (haircut, etc), or renting clothing for a special occasion (ie, Rent the Runway). There are also 3 exceptions to these rules:

• At any time I can buy an external hard drive to back up my files. I bought one, but didn’t like it and returned it a month later. This is something I should have.
• At any time I can buy a domain for the Fashionista Lab, provided I’m organized enough to do it.
• At no time can I buy skincare products. Moisturizers and exfoliators are a weakness of mine and I *do not* need any more. If I claim otherwise I’m lying.

This is going to be a tough few months but I’m ready for the challenge. Blogging will definitely help keep me honest! And thankfully I’m in good company. In addition to 365 Fashion Rehab, the bloggers @PrettyandPoor and @DenimDebutante are doing this too! You can keep up with their experiences at Pretty and Poor and the Fashionable Housewife, respectively. Wish me luck!