“Cheerfulness and contentment are great beautifiers.” – Charles Dickens
A few years back, I experimented with reducing my wardrobe by joining Project 333.
The idea behind Project 333 is simple: Wear only 33 articles of clothing for the next 3 months. All clothing, accessories, jewelry, outerwear, and shoes count towards your number. Exceptions include wedding rings, underwear, sleepwear, in-home loungewear, and workout clothing. Clothing that no longer fits or becomes in poor condition may be replaced during the time period.
Originally, I decided to try it for a number of reasons:
- I needed an extra push to reduce the clutter in my closet.
- I find boundaries to be helpful in minimizing.
- The project sounded both challenging and reasonable.
- The Project 333 community seemed encouraging.
The project began on October 1 and concluded on December 31. And other than a few minor exceptions (think Ugly Sweater Christmas Party), I was able to stick to the rules of 33 articles of clothing with only minimal adjustments to my weekly routine.
It became an experiment that I valued and often recommended to others. I learned some valuable lessons about boundaries over those three months.
Consider the benefits of living life within boundaries:
1. Boundaries keep us restrained.
Artificial boundaries can keep us in check when our natural self-control does not. Over the years, I had amassed a closet full of clothes—far more than I truly need. Looking back, I am embarrassed at the amount of time, money, energy, and attention devoted to my clothes.
In similar ways, the average American carries $7,200 in credit card debt and watches over 32 hours of television per week. We are in need of boundaries. Good parents set boundaries for their children… and good adults should set boundaries for themselves.
2. Boundaries force our values.
When you are challenged to pare down your clothing to 33 items, you are forced to identify which items are absolutely necessary. You are forced to single out the most important, most versatile, and most loved items. You are required to identify the most valuable things in your closet.
Similarly, boundaries in life help to force this exact same thought process. Boundaries force us to identify the difference between “really important” and only “somewhat important”—just ask anyone who has ever been given a limited amount of time left to live.
3. Boundaries promote creativity.
Orson Welles said, “The enemy of art is the absence of limitations.” Limiting your clothing items to 33 items for 3 months forces art. Limiting your wardrobe to a capsule wardrobe does not rob you of personal style…it causes you to truly find it. For help getting started, try this: A Practical Guide to Owning Fewer Clothes.
4. Boundaries bring freedom.
This may sound contradictory…and depending on the exact boundaries, it may be. But in the example of clothing, I found great freedom in the project. It is a refreshing feeling to look inside a closet and see only clothes that you love. Getting ready in the morning is less time-consuming. Laundry is easier. And I saved a few dollars over the 3 months as well. The experiment granted me more time, energy, and money—the very things I was losing without it.
For me, Project 333 became something far greater than wearing fewer articles of clothing. It became about recognizing the value of boundaries. And the value of boundaries reaches far beyond our closets. It begins to spill into how we decorate our homes, the toys we buy for our children, our yarn supplies, and even how we choose to spend our time, money, and energy.
Why don’t you try giving it a shot?
You’ll enjoy the challenge. And you’ve got nothing to lose but the clutter in your closet.
deb says
This is something we have been heading toward for about 6 months now…
When we made our last long distance move we stayed with relatives for a while so stored all our “extras”. That situation then moved into house-sitting jobs and so for 2 years we continued to spend $75 a month to store our “things”. (Which of course included clothes for 4 seasons…coats, footwear…you get the idea..) Eight months ago we finally settled into our own small apartment and 2 months after moving in we emptied the storage unit and had a HUGE sale. When it was all done we asked ourselves WHY we had paid $1800 over 2 years to keep those items we had obviously now LIVED WITHOUT? It was a big turning point for us and since that time we have pared down even more. I found your blog Joshua and we use your ideas for minimization as we continue on our journey. The 333 challenge is not going to be difficult but I do know we each still have more than the 33 items. We’ll begin today and move forward with this challenge and keep everyone posted.
In closing I would just like to say that we are a couple in our early 60’s and we spent our lives as CONSUMERS….doing what they do best…CONSUMING ;). It’s a bit embarrassing, (actually shameful), to look back at our 41 years of marriage and see the time, effort, and amount of money we wasted in our mindless CONSUMPTION OF THINGS! I hope that readers younger than us will see your blog, this post and the 333 challenge as a way to lead their lives into true minimization….It’s the best way to live! Thank you for your wonderful blog!
deb says
This is something we have been heading toward for about 6 months now…
When we made our last long distance move we stayed with relatives for awhile so stored all our “extras”. That situation then moved into house-sitting jobs and so for 2 years we continued to spend $75 a month to store our “things”. (Which of course included clothes for 4 seasons…coats, footwear…you get the idea..) Eight months ago we finally settled into our own small apartment and 2 months after moving in we emptied the storage unit and had a HUGE sale. When it was all done we asked ourselves WHY we had paid $1800 over 2 years to keep those items we had obviously now LIVED WITHOUT? It was a big turning point for us and since that time we have pared down even more. I found your blog Joshua and we use your ideas for minimization as we continue on our journey. The 333 challenge is not going to be difficult but I do know we each still have more than the 33 items. We’ll begin today and move forward with this challenge and keep everyone posted. In closing I would just like to say that we are a couple in our early 60’s and we spent our life as CONSUMERS….doing what they do best…CONSUMING ;). It’s a bit embarrassing to look back at our 41 years of marriage and see the time, effort, and money we wasted in our mindless CONSUMPTION OF THINGS! I hope that readers younger than us will see your blog, this post and the 333 challenge as a way to lead their lives into true minimization. Thank you for your wonderful blog!
anonymous says
Such an inspiration! It’s never too late, some people will NEVER realize why it’s so great to live with less so kudos to both of you. I am 26, I have drastiacally pared down everything in my house and it feels great!
Inez says
Hello, the whole thing is going well here and ofcourse every one is sharing facts,
that’s genuinely excellent, keep up writing.
Lynne says
When my husband passed away, I took on the task of packing away his clothes. When I was done I found that the once full closet was pretty much empty. I was shocked; my sister made the commet ” You need to go shopping, it is a shame that a dead man had more clothes than you”. I will admit that stung a bit, but to be honest I am to cheap to shop. I wear the same stuff every year. So I have a dresser, I am going to empty it out. I do not wear the stuff in it. But this task will done tomorrow.
jen says
April in Kansas will be good chance of rain with warm days (short sleeves) and cool nights. By June, it is often over 100 degrees.
Kimberly says
I’m laughing nervously to myself as I read this. We’re moving back to America from Germany. It will take 60-90 days for our household goods to make the journey. Like it or not, we have to plan on packing three months of belongings into suitcases following the airline’s baggage restrictions. I’ve made this overseas move three times before but this time it might be fun to do a version of this challenge, though the climate in Germany in early April is wildly different from the climate in Kansas in late June.
Something I’m struggling with as I go through the process of simplifying my life is:
Where does the desperate need for variety come from?
I’m sure every individual has a slightly different answer, but I’m wondering if you have ever written anything addressing this question.
jen says
LOL – I posted right above you with my babbling questions…. from Kansas ;)
jen says
ok – but when you live somewhere with 4 distinct seasons (center midwest) where it is 10 degrees today and in 6 mos, the heat index will be over 100 – I find it hard to pare down clothing.
On the flip side to that, I did read not too long ago about an American who moved to Rome with limited wardrobe, and I find the rule of 3 to be helpful in building winter layers. For example, tshirt, cardigan, and scarf. Or dress, necklace, bracelets. Anyway, the point is – having 3 items makes you feel pulled together and if what few items you have coordinate, it exponentially opens up your options.
It appears I’m arguing with myself, but it’s more of a matter of “how do I do this” and be prepared for our diverse weather (plus business meetings, mommy duties, etc).
Deborah says
Exactly! It gets -40° her, and more than one pair of boot is absolute!
Holly Dominguez says
I’m on Round 2 of this challenge and love it! I have gone from a “just for mommy” 9′ x 10′ (with 8′ ceiling) closet filled to the max, to 16″ of a closet rod that holds all the clothes for this season. It has been a turning point in my life, going from mindless consumerism back to minimalism (with the inspiration and help of your blog).
I will say that as a woman changing sizes (have a baby, still nursing, questioning if I would even fit in a dress for Christmas), I was not as strict with the challenge during the first round. Having some clothes around as a security blanket helped me realize that they were not actually necessary. I was able to donate an obscene 9 garbage bags of clothes at the beginning of Project 333, and donated another 2 at the beginning of this round. So liberating!
Oliver Nielsen says
Good that underwear is excluded from counting towards the limit. I got nervous there!
I don’t have to do the exercise though, as I have a very simple, minimal wardrobe. I actually need to buy more to wear, and can do it with good conscience, despite the fact that I’m a diehard minimalist;-)
Oliver
Peter says
I am definitely doing this. I first thought, “There’s no way I can do this”. But 33 items. When you really think about it, 33 is plenty. You wrote, “Limiting your wardrobe does not rob you of personal style…it causes you to truly find it” I love that quote. It’s easy when you have all the choices in the world, but setting those boundaries forces creativity.