Tuesday, October 19, 2010

The Year I Didn't Buy Any New Clothing

My "New" Alfred Sung Sweater

On Sept. 22nd I declared this "The Year I Didn't Buy Any New Clothing" and almost a month has gone by without making a purchase. That's not to say the thought never crossed my mind - it did and still does almost everyday.

It's been an interesting process so far. I saw some really nice winter coats at Costco - great for hiking in the snow, making snow angels, skating outside at Victoria Park and so on. Then I said to myself - "self, you can continue to wear your daughter's lovely castoff she gave you last winter when she bought herself a new coat - you don't NEED a new coat, you just WANT a new coat."

Whew! Made it over that hurdle.

As the weather started to get colder I thought about new gloves and new boots. Then I thought I could stitch up the hole in last year's gloves and start polishing up my collection of boots. Yes, there is the odd scuff here and there but they can certainly get me through another Canadian winter. Suck it up Jane...and I did.

Now Halloween is looming and we've been invited to a party.  Ideas of costumes started running through my head and I envisioned myself out shopping at the local Talize but then I wised up and decided I would rummage through the house and be "creative" instead.

Betcha thought I'd forgot about that picture up there of me (squinting into the sun) with my NEW black Alfred Sung silk/cotton sweater on that absolutely fits me to a TTTTT! I love it and it's just what my wardrobe needed. And it didn't cost me a penny.  I found it.  In my condo complex parking lot. I had walked by it once or twice and just thought it was a rag. Then I picked it up to see what it was (luckily it wasn't a dead skunk!) and saw it was a sweater. So thinking that it was perhaps my daughter's and she had dropped it getting out of a car I brought it inside and washed it.

Well, turns out it wasn't hers so I was faced with the dilemma of going door to door to ask everyone in my neighbourhood if they'd lost a sweater or I could just keep it as a reward for my discard rescue efforts.

I tried it on and of course decided to....keep it! Yay me!

11 comments:

  1. Lets hope the original owner does,nt pass you and whip it off your back. LOL
    You look great in it, plus you gave it a good home so enjoy.
    I am also not buying anything for myself this year unless it,s pre loved, so I will trawl Ebay and visit my local secondhand shop for anything I absolutely need.

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  2. Hi Maureen: yeah, I thought about that lol. Luckily (I can't believe I'm saying this) winter is approaching so I am usually wearing a jacket:)

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  3. too funny!!!

    good for you for not spending any $$$ on clothing! :) keep it up

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  4. Good for you for trying to go without new clothes. Very hard when you're in the city and there's so many wonderful shops nearby.

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  5. Yes, well I am trying anyways - it's early days yet - we'll see how I do in the winter when there's less to do outside.

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  6. When I saw the new sweater I nearly freaked but read to the end and when whew! It's a lost and found..hooray!! If I get desparate for something "new" to wear and I can't think I will with my bulging closets, I'll go to the Salvation Army or Anglican Church which has a basement full of used clothes..I forgot I got new walking boots last yr. in Stratford and got my three or four yr. old winter coat dry cleaned so I'm all set..and I might stay away from the Ten Thousand Villages sale end of Oct. that is if my neighbour chains me to the kitchen table, ha, ha..Pat gave me a super "new for me" black sweater and everyone asks me if I've lost weight when I put it on..bonus, thanks Pat..she didn't know you had a blog til this week..what do those guys talk about? love ya L.Dee

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  7. Hello Lanniedee: I think I'll manage to stick to the no new clothes for a year - like you I have a lot of clothes in my closet and I only buy new ones in order to follow trends etc. I will just stick with what I have for this year. Now if I could stick to a diet just as easily...

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  8. Wow, a whole year with no new clothes? I wear out my clothes until they look terrible, so every year I need to buy new things. I do shop at Marshalls or TJ Maxx to save a couple of dollars though...

    love the "new" sweater!

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  9. I have a very eclectic closet full of clothing - some new, some not so new, some vintage and I love to create new outfits from what I have. But I am encountering a new problem - which will be the topic of a new post!

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  10. It was your lucky day! Looks very nice on you also.
    Enjoy you free new find.

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