Editor’s Note: The following is a guest post from David Singer of Six Simple Rules.
“I can change only myself, but sometimes that is enough.” —Ruth Humleker
Last year, I read The Story of Enough: Giving Up (new) Clothes for One Year, a Becoming Minimalist guest post by Sarah Peck of it starts with.
At the time, I had been a regular reader of the Becoming Minimalist blog for about 18 months. While I loved the writing style and the messages delivered in the posts, I hadn’t yet figured out how I was going to deploy minimalism in my life.
I have always taken pride in being a smart consumer. Though I have more than a minimal amount of “stuff,” I own very few things I don’t use, I make purchases when items are on sale, I use coupons, and I shop in off-price stores. When someone asks me what I want for a birthday gift, I ask for gift cards to Amazon so I can buy music or books.
But when I read Sarah’s post about her modest minimalist journey and her struggle with identifying how she would embrace minimalism, I knew I had found my way into making progress. Sarah bought no new clothes for a year. As she explained, “I spent 2011 conducting an experiment in which I decided to stop buying new clothes for the entire year.”
I decided, as well, to buy no clothes of any kind for a year, starting August 1, 2012. I thought of it as my clothing fast. I didn’t even make the underwear and shoes exception that Sarah made. I was confident I owned even enough of those and every other kind of clothing. It would be my minimalist experiment.
And I would soon be surprised by the importance of the lessons learned.
Relatively early in the experiment, I visited a dermatologist. While she told me I was doing well protecting my skin, she strongly urged me to buy a hat with a wider brim. I felt required, in that moment, to amend the terms of the challenge to not buy any clothes I didn’t need for a year. The key, of course, just like so many of our life choices was recognizing the difference between want and need.
To purchase the hat, I went to one of my favorite stores, an off-price retail chain. Surprisingly, I had an experience unlike any of my previous trips. I walked in, found the men’s hats department, tried on a few, and promptly walked out after paying $10. Never, at any time, did I wander the store looking for deals or sales.
Walking back to my car, I passed a factory outlet of some popular retailers. I felt a pull—a temptation to go in and look for deals. But I resisted. Standing in the parking lot, I had time to think. And then it hit me, “I was addicted to finding deals.” I began to recount all the times in my past when I hated to walk past any of my favorite stores without looking at the sales rack.
I discovered a variation of the scarcity mentality that Sarah talked about in her post. In my version, deals are scarce and bypassing one meant losing an opportunity that may never return.
This time though, I happily walked to my car, having resisted the pull of a possible sale. I immediately thought of something my wife had said to me long ago when I came home from a store with something I had bought on sale. I proudly boasted that “I had saved $20 by buying on sale.” To which she replied, “You didn’t save $20, you spent $30.”
I learned a valuable life lesson and discovered a by-product of my clothing fast. I recognized (and was beginning to break) my addiction to deals. Though it had been pointed out in the past, this time I finally saw it. I had found an important way to start saving more money.
Over the course of the year, I only bought a few items—items that I needed. I purchased a winter hat from a NYC street vendor for $5, a belt for $10 when I realized my every day belt had become unacceptable for work, and a three-pack of white V-neck tee shirts for $18 (Apparently, I didn’t have quite enough underwear for the year…I see why Sarah made the exemption.)
Another important lesson was learned when I went through my closet. I assumed after a year of not buying clothes, I would have worn all of mine. But I actually found quite a few items I hadn’t worn in years—for example, pants I was saving to wear “one day.” I decided it was time to do what we had always done with the clothes our kids grow out of—donate to those who need them more. And thus, the second surprise of my year emerged. Buying only clothing I needed actually helped me remove some of the clothing that I didn’t need. It helped me simplify my life and help others in the process.
Even better, a few months later, my kids did the same commenting how ridiculous it was they had so much clothing in their own closets. I was reminded again how my actions, my decisions, and my example influence the people closest to me.
Ultimately, the 12-month clothing fast experiment has turned into a permanent lifestyle change. One that recognizes and promotes better habits, better attitudes, and better behaviors. Pretty awesome. Maybe even awesome enough for you to try as well…
***
David Singer blogs at Six Simple Rules. He is the author of Six Simple Rules for a Better Life. You can also find him on Facebook.
Image: Monica Arellano-Ongpin
Janine @ BreathOfOptimism says
I Love that it spread to your kids! It’s a valuable lesson to see how much they are impacted by such “simple” things in our every day lives. It must be so refreshing to be free of that want to go find all those deals!
David J Singer says
Very refreshing! Absolutely. And yes, very gratifying with my kids. :)
Thanks for the note Janine.
All the best,
David
Dre says
So, I’ve decided to do a clothing fast. I’ve been really inspired by these posts. I pride myself on not collecting too much because I consign clothes every season…and while this is a solid solution to the “clutter” issue, it does have me in this wheel of consumerism (because, of course, I just buy more with the proceeds of the consignment). Ultimately, this has caused me to consider that I am essentially paying “rent” on articles of clothing that I get rid of long before they have worn out.
Not only that, but I realized last night, while I contemplated this, that I didn’t wear my favorite dress at all last year. Not once. How could this be? Too much. Too addicted to the excitement of having something “new”.
Anyway, here goes!
With thanks,
dre
David J Singer says
Great Dre.
Your note reminded me of another aspect of the scarcity mentality. I have some favorites that I rarely wear. I want them to last. But they should be worn and enjoyed!
Thanks for the note and all the best with your plan!
David
Marji says
Thanks for the inspiration here! I have learned a way to facilitate purging clothes closets that allows time to say good-bye to an overload but not ignore it. Simply turn all the hangers with clothes on them backwards on the rod. Once you wear something, turn the hanger back around. After a year, when you have gone through all four seasons, those still hanging “backwards” are your prime candidates to go out the door.
David J Singer says
Marji:
Good, simple advice.
Thanks!
David
Stephanie says
I commend you on your clothing fast! I need to do it, I just…. haven’t
On my “training runs” I’ve discovered something amazing; the free time that became available. My “too busy” weekends, it turns out, were busy roaming the Goodwill, hitting up Target, etc. When I’ve cut that out, I suddenly (who knew?) had more time to hike with the dogs, try new recipes, and see if I really do suck at watercolor painting (I do).
I’m going to commit to a clothing fast in earnest. I need to get a decent winter coat, one more suit (have to wear them daily), and that should do it for the next six months or so. I’m not sure I can do it, but there’s only one way to find out, right??
David J Singer says
Exactly Stephanie!
And you make a good point. Many others mentioned used clothes and that is a great way to meet one’s needs. At the same time, for someone like me (and you), it can also be another way to find “deals” on things you don’t need. I’ve stopped going to garage sales for that reason.
Thanks for the note and good luck with your six-month plan.
Best regards,
David
Melissa says
I enjoyed this very much. I too know that the word “clearance” can drag me in anytime! You have inspired me to go through my closet–again–and get rid of what I dont wear!
David J Singer says
Excellent Melissa! Thanks so much for the note. :)
Best, David
Tori says
Love it! You have inspired me to try this out, starting today. I am not addicted to deals, but I am addicted to variety. I love having different hats, coats, etc. because otherwise I think it would be boring. However, I am sure I will need to buy SOME items. It is getting colder, and my weight has been fluctuating, so some pants are too tight, while some are too loose. I am interested to see what the results are. I don’t think I should have that hard a time. It would be more difficult if I had to give up buying books. Maybe I’ll do that next year.
David J Singer says
Books are tough Tori! I given away/donated most of those I have owned.
Thanks for the note and enjoy the fast or near-fast.
Best regards,
David
Stephanie says
Tori, I have one bookcase and any book I love and can’t live without has to be able to fit in it with all its brethren. I’ve decided that the public library is my own personal book storage, and I can get anything I want, when I want, and return it when I’m done.
quiltdivajulie says
For me, it is the thrill of the hunt – the joy of a new acquistion (and then there’s the “it was on sale” issue). I recently lost 55 pounds, so I have purchased smaller sizes – but not excessively. I have purged the closet and become more “at home” with my current choices. It absolutely IS a journey – one that I’m coming to enjoy more and more.
David J Singer says
Julie (my daughter’s name too)
That’s great.
A journey for sure.
Thanks.
David
Miss Growing Green says
I really enjoyed this post! I made the decision to stop buying new clothes (with a few exceptions) a couple years ago and haven’t noticed a decrease in the overall quality of my wardrobe. I even go so far as to pick up “free” boxes of clothing that people leave in front of their houses. I realized, like you, that the amount of clothing I had stockpiled was ridiculous and enough to last many, many years.
As a 20-something female, I still get the same (if not more) number of comments on how cute my outfits are. I love responding to those comments with “thanks, I found it on the side of the road!”
I think people need to re-shape the thinking that getting free or used clothes is for “poor people”, and that the only way to prove we aren’t poor is by buying flashy expensive things to wear so everyone can be impressed with us.
David J Singer says
Miss Green :)
Thanks so much for your note and kind words.
I legitimately laughed out loud when you said you tell people you found a cute outfit “on the side of the road”.
Great stuff.
Best regards,
David
Eva Z. says
Great post and something I can relate to. I grew up with 2 pairs of shoes, one for summer, one for winter and a very few items of clothing, none of which fit me or made me look good. So after I married and started to earn a paycheck, I started to compensate for it (always loving fashion). I have had so much clothes and shoes that I could wear different thing every day of the year and probably never repeat. Although I always liked to purge, I was always refilling by shopping and mostly finding “deals”. Then I started to read about minimalism (including this blog) and something started to shift. Do I really need all this stuff? Do I really find joy in shopping? Do I really need another dress/shoes/top to feel better about myself? All answers came to no. So I slowly stopped shopping and kept donating/selling/throwing away my shoes, clothes, accessories. Am I aiming for having only 30 things altogether? No, but I just want to have things I use and enjoy and remove the need for more and more storage. Thank you all for the inspiration!
David J Singer says
Eva:
Thank you for your great story. As Sally said, there is also a time saving from cutting out unneeded shopping and more time to do fun and important things is always welcomed!
Best,
David
Epi says
I would love to cut down on some things; I don’t need many clothes, though I have to replace work shirts I wear out through use (the cuffs/collars start showing it). We have 4 kids who are still growing though, and I feel like I have mountains of clothes that are being saved to pass from one child to another. It’s very practical and saves money and resources, but it is still clutter and not very minimalist to have rubbermaid bins full of clothes (bagged, by size/season) for when dd#3 can fit dd# #1’s hand-me-downs.
We’ve purged a couple thousand books and yet I still keep all the scrap of wood from when I build something, in case the scraps are useful for another project. There’s a horrible trade-off between being responsible and economical and being minimalist; if I throw out wood (rather than breaking down an old bookshelf for use in other projects) I reduce my needs for space, but at the expense of having to buy new wood next time I need to build something.
David J Singer says
Epi:
Moderation can be a good thing and it sounds like you are doing a good job balancing and could do better at giving yourself a break. I’m all for saving hand-me-downs and the way you have organized them is great. Measure and celebrate your progress and don’t beat yourself up over lack of perfection!
Thanks for the note.
David