Clothing shopping ban

I have been thinking about this for a while, and I thought, well, just do it!

So what is it exactly!

Here it goes….

I am going to put myself on a clothing shopping ban for 2017. 

So what was the impetus behind this?

Well, many of you have read how Dave and I tried to get rid of a lot of our stuff when we moved to our new place. Dave had donated 14 bags of clothes himself! (Seriously, he has very little now and keep wearing the same old pieces. But I know those are the few that he really likes). As for me, I probably got rid of about half the number that he got rid of, but nevertheless, they were still pretty significant. However, at the end of the day, I am still left with a huge wardrobe (according to Dave). What’s worse though, is that sometimes I still have difficulties finding clothes to wear (thinking, oh dear, I don’t have enough clothes).

For someone who has a huge wardrobe, this is a silly comment and to be honest, sometimes I am even awed and surprised by myself thinking that way, because, if that’s the case, then are the clothes in my wardrobe trash? Or should I have discarded them in the first place?

However, despite thinking that way, at the end of the day, I always manage to mix and match different pieces from my wardrobe and “make it work”. You get creative in these situations.

Since I won’t be outgrowing any of the clothes, and I have already got rid of those that I had purchased 10-20 years ago (teenage styles which I won’t ever be wearing anymore). What is left are mainly professional clothing, casual clothing, and formal or gym wear.

If I look at my current lifestyle and habits, this is probably what I need:

1. Work wear – since I work in the professional services sector, I can’t be too sloppy with my work attire. And I have a pretty good selection of attire to wear to work. This category doesn’t need any further add ons.
2. Causal home clothes – These are clothes that we wear at home. These are comfortable clothing, lounge clothing as some might call it. The interesting thing is, they might not be the nicest pieces, or most fanciful piece, but you simply love it for it’s comfort level. In fact, I have a couple of t-shirts in this category that has been with me for over 10 years and I simply don’t want to discard them.
3. Casual/informal clothing – These are clothing that we wear out in an informal setting. Could be a picnic in the park, a night at the movies, a day at the amusement park. Of course you could choose to separate it into simple or smart casual.
4. Formal/dinner wear – These could be clothing we wear to functions, like a wedding event, etc. To be honest, I don’t have that many of these to attend in a year and so for the last few years, I have been wearing the same old pieces.
5. Gym/exercise wear – These will be what you wear to go to the gym or to exercise. Could be your swim wear as well, or any other types of active wear
6. Underwear – I don’t think this requires any further explanation
7. Pyjamas – I know many people change into their pyjamas before bedtime. I don’t really have this habit of doing so, as I normal sleep in my home-casual clothes.

After identifying the categories of clothes I need, here’s what I figure out.

1. Work wear – I probably have more than 5o pieces of this. Dresses, tops, bottoms (including skirts and pants), blazers etc. Actually come to think about it, it’s probably 60 or 70 pcs and more. Possible to sustain me for the entire year? Of course!
2. Casual home clothes – I bought extra 6 pairs of shorts this year and my mother brought me some t-shirts that fall under this category. Definitely enough!
3. Casual informal setting – Considering that I only wear this 3 days a week (including the weekend and a causal friday) and the dresses, tops and bottoms that I have here, oh yeah… definitely enough.
4. Formal dinner wear – how many do I attend a year.Just recycle the same dress at every event.
5. Gym/exercise wear – I practice yoga and there’s a yoga club that I frequent. I practice anything between 1-5 times as week (yes it’s very random). I try to go if I have time. I have 4 sets of yoga clothing (top/bottoms/sports bra included) and that’s definitely enough even if I go 5 times a week. As for swim wear, I have a bikini and a regular swimsuit. I bought the bikini back in 2009 during a trip to Phuket and have been wearing it everyone I go on beach holidays. Surprising, it still in good condition (for the price I paid). No reason to get another. Also, I have another full-body suit  I purchased almost 8 years ago and I probably only wore it a few times. Still in good condition. Hence, I shouldn’t need to buy any extras.
6.  Underwear – I bought extra sets this year. Won’t go into the numerics but definitely sufficient.
7. Pyjamas – I don’t even wear them. Ignore.

As such, looking at my arsenal of attire for different occasions against what I need, I should have enough to last me through 2017 (actually even longer) without buying any new clothing.

If I were to purchase anything new, it definitely has to be a case-to-case basis. For instance, my bikini snapped and I needed a new one. But otherwise, I am strictly not allowed to purchase any new clothing.