September Recap and Getting Rid of Swimsuits

I shared about my summer swimsuit situation in last month's recap.  I basically spent the entire summer wearing one swimsuit with baggy drawers.  It wasn't pretty, but it worked.  I was more than happy to purge some old swimsuits and swimsuit cover-ups in September.  Including some that I am 99.9% sure my body will never again fit into.

I donated 5 bikinis, some extra bottoms, and 4 cover-ups.

As the end of 2017 gets closer, I keep thinking about what my new goal will be for 2018.  I will be done with my ban on shopping, but I plan to continue this lifestyle of buying less and spending our money on much more important things.  There are however some things I know for sure I'll be purchasing.  If I spent an entire calendar year wishing I could buy them, then I figure it is something I can actually really use in my closet.  First on the list: a new swimsuit!!

I only have 3 more months of purges to go.  Check out what I've gotten rid of earlier this year here.

Summer Recap {June, July, & August}

So now that I'm pregnant, #toddlermombrain PLUS #pregnancybrain surely gives me an excuse for not blogging all summer long, right!?

It's unbelievable that the school year has already started, and fall is just around the corner.  In general, I did fine with not shopping during the summer months, but the one swimsuit bottom I wore 213 times is looking ROUGH.  

Last summer, I was just a month postpartum, so I bought 2 swimsuits to accommodate my mom bod.  This summer, those 2 suits were too large, but my pre-baby suits were a tad too snug and just didn't seem appropriate for wearing while chasing a toddler at the neighborhood pool.  I mean I'm all for working on my cool mom status, but not if it means risking a nip slip or bathing suit wedgie.

I almost caved a few times and just bought a new swimsuit, but instead I wore my one well-fitting bottoms with its matching top or a dark-colored full coverage sports bra.  I'm planning to really limit my shopping again in 2018, but I can guarantee you a few mom suits will be purchased next May.

Since I'm recapping 3 months, that means 3 different categories of clothes will be donated this post.

I donated 10 pairs of pants and leggings:

10 shorts and skirts:

And 30 tops/blouses/sweaters:

Although I have a shopping problem overall, tops and blouses are my kryptonite.  I am tempted to buy them most often, and they have the most real estate in my closet by far.  I think when I resume minimal shopping in 2018, I will need to set some clear rules so that I don't go overboard buying tops as I have done in the past.

For those of you following along on my journey, thank you and sorry I've been so M.I.A.  I'm sticking with my goal, and there are only 4 months left!  If you are also resisting the urge to shop or donating clothes, keep it up!  We got this!

View past recaps here!

May Recap and Dress Donation

Time seriously needs to slow down.  Like for serious.  Back when I was in the throes of new momville (AKA 9 days between showers, 1.68 hours of sleep a day, baby attached to one boob or the other at all times, and lots and lots of crying - from the baby, that is) people kept saying, "Oh just enjoy every second.  It goes by so fast.  You'll blink and they'll be off to college."

And I'd have to fake smile and bite my tongue to avoid shouting back, "I sure hope it goes by fast!"

But in reality, they were right.  It goes by way too fast and before you know it your child is sleeping through the night yet scaling bookshelves and rolling off couches.  Funny how when your babe turns into a toddler you get much more sleep at night yet you're just as tired because their daytime antics are exhausting.

May flew by, but to be honest, it got harder to resist the pull to shop.  May is a great time for stocking up on fun summer clothes and new swimsuits, and I kept seeing so many cute things that I would normally have snatched up right away.  I kept my mind on my goal and resisted!  However, if you see me at the pool and I look a fright, it's because my pre-baby swimsuits are a tad too small but my post-baby swimsuits purchased last summer are a tad too large.  So it's either muffin top or saggy butt for me this swim season.

For May, my goal was to donate at least 10 dresses that I no longer wear or need.

This category has been the hardest for me so far.  I have tons of dresses that I can safely get rid of, but it's hard parting with something I attach to a fun memory (weddings, Vegas girls trips, special dates).  I have to remind myself that the memory is not held in the physical object, but in my heart and mind (and photos don't hurt to keep around either).  

I doubled my goal and purged 20 dresses!

View past recaps here!

April Recap - Money Well Spent & Items Purged

It's only the 3rd 8th of the month (dangit I really did start this on the 3rd), and I'm getting my recap for the previous month on the blog.

April was a fantastic month, both for my social life and for my non-shopping resolution.  I have had numerous people ask me each month, "How much money have you saved by not shopping?"  I never know how to answer that question, because I never had a shopping budget in the past, so it's hard to know how much I would have spent had I shopped at will.  I decided to make a guess at what I might have purchased this past month had I been shopping as usual.  I'm going to tally up how much I saved, as well as share what I did spend money on this past month.

Money Well Saved
So I tried to stay away from the fashion blogs, I really did, but I failed at that.  I just love reading blogs.  Not just fashion blogs (cooking, mom life, interior design, organizing, etc.), but I couldn't quit that category altogether.  There were many items this past month that caught my eye (hello spring!), but I resisted them all.  Here are things that I'm guessing I might have purchased.  And I'm purposefully not linking these items or telling you where they're for sale, because if I can't have them, then you can't either!!!  ;-P

$29

$29

 $42

$23

$60

$38

$13

Obviously I'm just guessing and who knows if some of those would have actually fit correctly, but that totals up to around $250.  I know I would have definitely used my employee discount to grab a new tank or 2 and leggings at my barre studio, so that adds another $100 I would have spent.  So I'm going with $350 dollars I saved last month! Cha-ching!

Money Well Spent
So what did I spend money on in April?

A wine date with 2 of my best girlfriends!

A special double date birthday lunch with a dear friend and her sweet girl who is 3 weeks older than Beckett!

Beckett's 1st birthday party!

And a crazy fun girls weekend at a rental house - 12 of us met from all over the country!

I even convinced them to learn a choreographed dance to make a One Direction music video.  #FREE

I can confidently and happily say that those were all meaningful experiences that enriched my life.  MONEY. WELL. SPENT!  It feels good to not only save some skrilla, but to also use what I do spend on things that are truly important.

For April, I thinned out my PJ stash.

I had gone through this drawer pretty recently, so I didn't have as much to purge, but here's what I donated in April: 

Check out past recaps here.

I hope you are spending well so far this year!

March Recap & Workout Clothes Purged

So luckily my New Year's Resolution wasn't to keep up with this blog, because I'd be straight failing.  I'm doing great at my actual resolution, and I can honestly say at this point, my life does feel different in many ways!

Back in mid-March, when I found myself in the mall, it was pretty tempting and difficult.  Now, a month later, it is much easier to resist the pull of retail.  It's empowering to remind myself that I can do anything if I just simply make the decision and commit to it.

I'm also loving my shrinking closet.  It's nice to be more organized, have less stuff jammed in every possible storage space, and to have dresser drawers that close properly.  In March, I went through my workout clothes collection.  

I have been an exercise junkie since college, and I have been teaching fitness classes since 2012, so I have always had a great excuse to buy new leggings or a strappy tank.

In March, I donated 18 workout tops, 1 pair of capris, and 1 pair of leggings.  

More recaps and closet purges here.  Pajamas and loungewear are up next!  

February Recap & More Items Purged

Man did February fly by or what!?  It's crazy to think I am already 1/6 the way through my non-shopping journey.  So far, so good.  I have stuck to my goal without any slip-ups.  Not that it's always easy.

Case-in-point: Just this past week I ran into the super cute kids' boutique MudPie, because I still have a gift card to use for Beckett.  Whelp of course the first thing I see is an adorable woman's dress.  Followed by perfect-for-me wine glasses (Mimosas All Day and If You're Gonna Brunch, Brunch Hard - might as well have had a tag on them that said "These are for Nora!"), super cute $12 tassel bracelets, and awesome home decor pieces.

Seriously, MudPie!?  I thought I was safe here.  I thought this was a store with over-priced but precious CHILDREN'S clothes!  My inner dialog went something like this:  You have a gift card.  You won't be spending any ACTUAL money on yourself.  It's totally fine.  Buy 1 wine glass for yourself and 1 for a friend.  That's a gift.  No, Nora focus.  Your goal is much more important!  

Ridiculous monolog aside, I reminded myself that this journey is not just about saving money but about minimalizing (<--apparently not a real word but I'm going with it) and breaking the addiction to stuff.  I quickly shopped for Beck and then high-tailed it out of there without buying anything for me.  Mission accomplished.  Barely.

As I entered my closet to do my February purge, I decided to switch it up by focusing on one area of the closet each month.  I MUST get rid of at least 10 from each category, but I can go over if there is more to be purged.  Here's my plan for each month in case you want to join me in your own closet!

So here are the 15 tees and tanks I am donating this month:

Let me know if you are purging along with me!  Find more monthly recaps here.  Happy March!

January Recap! (& 10 Items Purged)

I totally started writing this post in oh, you know, the actual month of January.  Now somehow we are 1/4 through February.  "Mom brain" is still a valid excuse when your baby is 10 months old, right!?

One month down, 11 to go.  Here's how I fared in January...

-Not a single clothing, jewelry, shoes, or makeup item purchased  (HUZZAH!)
-Survived a trip to Target and the outlet mall
-Borrowed my best friend's clothes for a trip to Chicago
-Survived shopping on the Magnificent Mile without spending a dime
-Resisted the urge to purchase the most beautiful pink Beyond Yoga leggings (best pants in the world) at my Pure Barre Studio

So did I save GOBS of money this month or what!?  Well, no not really.  Whomp whomp.  John and I spent a lot of money in Chicago on food (and maybe drinks, too, full disclosure), and my son Beckett needed real shoes with soles since he's semi-walking now, as well as some 12 month clothes.  That said, I guarantee the credit card bill is lower than it would have been had I also been shopping this month.  Like $400 lower at least.  So that's a win!

I also decided that purging and donating needs to be a part of my challenge as well.  Not only do I need to stop adding to my stuff, I need to get rid of things that I should have never bought in the first place.  Donating them seems like a great way to help others while also helping myself.  So at the end of each month this year, I must get rid of 10 items - they can be shoes, clothing, purses, or jewelry.

Choosing 10 this month was super easy, but I'm sure by December I'll be struggling.  Here's what is vacating my closet:

2 pairs of booties and 1 pair of flats

2 necklaces

2 t-shirts, 2 long sleeve shirts, and 1 sweater

So yeah it's probably cheating to count old sorority tees, but I'm going with it.

If you set a resolution this year, I hope January went well for you, too!