Minimalism

Saving Money on Clothes but at What Cost to Your Mental Health?

This sweater. I bought it three times to save money. I wish I were kidding.

Gretchen Schock wearing sweater standing next to barstool

Here’s how it started: I purchased several new outfits for a photo shoot scheduled for this coaching website. I wanted the colors I wore in the outfits to be “on brand” with my yoga studio, Bee Yoga Fusion. Many of my yoga students become coaching clients and vice versa. So I want the two places that I show up on the internet to reflect each other in the same color scheme.

I paid full price for this sweater (#1) in the store. I rarely do that, but when I saw it, I had to have it because it is the same color as one of the walls in my yoga studio. So, it’s obviously on-brand. Then online, a week later, I saw that the sweater was on sale. I called the company, and they wouldn’t make a price adjustment even though I hadn’t worn the sweater yet or taken the tags off because I hadn’t had the photoshoot.

So I purchased the sweater online (#2) for $20 cheaper and returned the original full-price sweater in person at the store. Then, I kid you not, two days later the sweater has a lower price tag! I hadn’t even gotten sweater #2 in the mail, but yes, I purchased #3 to get the lower price. When this was all said and done, I saved $50. But did I really? I spent time traveling to and from the store to make the returns and then so much of my time scouring the website, looking for something else to purchase for myself or to give as a gift so that I could get free shipping. And then the time it took to check credit card statements to be positively sure that I was, in fact, refunded for the previous purchases.

Yes, I’m frugal and I love to save a buck. But at what cost to my mental energy? This isn’t the first time I found myself in this situation, repurchasing items and returning items to save money, but not to the extent I have done with this sweater. Instead, it became an obsession to get the lowest price possible. I’m so glad that this behavior is behind me in 2022 as I am participating in a No Buy Year, a personal challenge that is allowing me to investigate my relationship with consuming clothes.

Ironically, as I write this post, the sweater is still sold at Chico’s and for even less than what I paid after purchasing it three times. Seeing this change in pricing on one piece of clothing in a two-month time frame was a huge wake-up call for me in stopping my consumption of fast fashion because of the time and money I have wasted on the hunt for the best deal. I love the color and style of this sweater, and I will wear it for a long time, but every time I pull it out of my closet, I think about the amount of time I spent shopping for this one piece of clothing. And that seems ridiculous to me now.

How have you wasted time hunting for the best deal only to realize that you don’t actually like the item or barely wear it? Let’s try to change our perception of a great clothing deal, and instead of looking for a bargain, first, think about the purchase. How many different environments or events will you possibly wear it to? Then look to see if it coordinates with several items already in your closet rather than having to purchase shoes or additional tops or pants to match. The money saved needs to outweigh the amount of time you spend searching, driving, and repurchasing for your mental health to remain intact.

Just in case…

Minimalism

How often have you said those words before making a purchase?

In preparing for my personal challenge to not purchase any clothing, shoes, or handbags for an entire year, I found myself days before the January 1 start date frantically buying clothes.

I made a list of all the significant events that will be taking place in 2022 that I might need a new outfit to attend. For example, I know I’ll be going on a vacation to the beach in June, so I purchased a new bathing suit. My sister-in-law is getting married, and the events during the weekend are cocktail and business attire, so I bought a few separate clothing pieces that would work for those events and that I could mix and match to wear again for less formal occasions. And I bought a backup of one of my favorite shirts just in case something happened to the original.

I felt a bit manic leading up to and preparing for this challenge. And then, on day one, I took a sigh of relief. It felt refreshing to be done with the “just in case” mindset.

For the last two years of this pandemic, haven’t we all been living in that “just in case” mindset? Take a covid test before traveling, just in case. Bring extra masks, just in case. Pack a mini hand sanitizer with you at all times, just in case you don’t have access to a bathroom before lunch. And it’s not like thinking this way is new or only during the pandemic. How many times have you thought to bring an umbrella just in case it rains, a shawl just in case it’s cool in the air-conditioned room. And then these things live in the random spaces where we once left them because we didn’t need them. As a result, the back of the car is cluttered with umbrellas, the closet stuffed with various sizes of clothes just in case you gain or lose weight again, the bookshelves overflowing with books that you plan to read someday but purchased because of a great deal.

For me, reducing one “just in case” mindset feels a bit refreshing right now. Maybe the challenge of not buying clothes for a year isn’t for you. Instead, try shopping in your closet first before putting a new outfit in a virtual shopping cart or only purchasing one item at the store rather than buying two. Try reducing the number of napkins you grab after your food purchase, just in case you spill, even though the glove compartment is already overflowing with napkins. All of these “just in case” moments can cause undue stress in our bodies and result in cluttering up our lives and filling our homes with unneeded stuff. Is there anything you can let go of thinking about or planning to make room in your body?

Rather than focusing on what would happen on the rare occasion that you didn’t bring the “just in case” item you thought you needed instead, let’s focus on the goal of having a clutter-free home, more time and space to make other decisions, more energy to move our bodies.

The Minimalists have a theory that if it costs less than $20 and takes less than 20 minutes to replace, then you don’t need to hold on to it, just in case. Behind the “just in case” mindset is fear. But for most of us, we already live with enough. So begin today, let go of the need to fill your space with anything. See if you can stop yourself from purchasing any new physical items for just today, whether clothes, makeup, shoes, etc. Notice how it feels to be this version of you.

My Intention in 2022

Home Life, Mindfulness, Minimalism

Is to wear what I own.

I’m going to refrain from purchasing clothes, shoes, or handbags unless absolutely necessary. What would define “absolutely necessary“? A huge weight gain/loss or an event that I don’t already have an outfit to attend in my closet.

So why am I doing this? I could say it’s for environmental reasons, and partly it is. But to be honest with you…I’m in recovery, have been sober for nine years, and I’ve been observing myself shopping to numb the pain of this pandemic.

As a small business owner, I am exhausted. I’m tired of feeling at a loss on what to do with my yoga studio. Constantly assessing if and when people will feel comfortable taking a group class again, and keeping up to date with the ever-changing mandates. These last two years have been the hardest I have ever had to endure with my business, to not feel any of those hard emotions I’ve been masking it with shopping. Exactly what I use to do with alcohol. Which has been my wake-up call that there needs to be a shift.

I want an outlet to document this journey, to explore my relationship with shopping honestly and authentically. I hope you will follow along on Instagram as I take this journey! https://www.Instagram.com/schockgretchen Between clothes posts, I’ll also be posting home decor and craft projects that I hope to be focusing on rather than time spent online shopping.

Building a Sustainable Wardrobe is Making Me Happy

Minimalism

I’ve tried doing a capsule wardrobe. I’ve reduced my closet to 33 items. And I’ve paired down my clothing to a particular style wearing a set uniform of clothes. What I realized in the process of doing this is that it makes me depressed.

Creating rules around my clothing taps into my scarcity mindset of childhood, of not being able to afford the Guess jeans that I so desperately wanted or wearing my sister’s hand me downs until I got a job and started buying my own clothes. Though I love the idea of creating a minimalist wardrobe, having a set rule around my clothing doesn’t feel good in my soul. So I’ve thrown the closet challenges away and I’ve disposed of the notion that my entire wardrobe will fit on a small clothing rack. What I know for sure is that creating rules around my wardrobe doesn’t bring happiness into my life but neither does an overflowing closet!

Instead of rules around the number of items or limiting the color of my clothes to a particular color palette, I want to continue to be intentional about the clothing that I bring into my home so that it fits my lifestyle. I’ve decided to focus my clothing purchases on conscious fashion clothing brands. I’m intentionally buying from B-corps and businesses that have good environmental practices or use fabrics that are good for the planet. This is going to be a slow process but I’m excited about building on what I have with pieces that can easily mix and match to create various looks easily.

What's a B-corp? "Certified B Corporations are businesses that meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose. B Corps are accelerating a global culture shift to redefine success in business and build a more inclusive and sustainable economy.
Society’s most challenging problems cannot be solved by government and nonprofits alone. The B Corp community works toward reduced inequality, lower levels of poverty, a healthier environment, stronger communities, and the creation of more high quality jobs with dignity and purpose. By harnessing the power of business, B Corps use profits and growth as a means to a greater end: positive impact for their employees, communities, and the environment."

I’ve always wanted to own Eileen Fisher but the price tag has always prevented me from purchasing. The pieces in her collection are simplistic and classic and that’s what I am drawn to. I like the idea of investing in a piece of clothing and wearing it for years without ever feeling like you are out of style. Finally, as luck would have it, I stumbled onto Eileen Fisher’s website during their 70% off sale- I can afford that! (Unfortunately, the sale is now over but there are still many items that are on sale though not priced as they were when I purchased.)

Here are pictures of my Eileen Fisher purchases to create 4 different looks.
The Eileen Fisher items are Flex Tencel Ponte Notch Collar Jacket in the color Bramble and Organic-Cotton Stretch Shift Dress in Black. I paired them with items already in my closet; Chico’s So Slimming Girlfriend Jeans, Tieks ballet flats, Merrell boots, scarves, and necklace are also from Chico’s.

Eileen fisher jacket in bramble and pragnic cotton shift dress in black, printed scarf and jeans from chicos, tieks ballet flats in taupe.

Eileen Fisher black organic cotton shift dress, chicos jeans and necklace with tieks ballet flats in matte black.

Eileen Fisher organic cotton black shift dress with necklace from chicos and Tieks ballet flats in matte black.

Eileen Fisher organic cotton black shift dress with chicos scarf, jeans and merrell boots

Have you been wanting to focus on more conscious clothing purchases? What are the brands that you are loving?

Declutter Your Space & Free Your Mind

Minimalism

You don’t actually need MORE, you are perfect just as you are.

Guest bedroom with bookshelves on either side of the bed that are clear of clutter. Bed has pillows and quilts. Very welcoming space.

Clutter is stressful. The more stuff we fill our homes with the more time it takes to care for those items. And adding one more thing to your to-do list can feel stressful and daunting. So then the cycle happens where we don’t care for the stuff we have in our home, piles begin to build, those untouched things fill with dust, our health declines because we are breathing in dirty air and then we feel pretty rotten. Let’s start by stopping the cycle!

I’m not suggesting that you throw everything away. Let’s begin by taking a look at the bookshelves in your home. Clear some space on your bookshelves for the eye to fall on to nothing. Resist the idea that we have to fill all the shelves with books to the point that they are spilling over and stuffed in. Find places for the eye to rest on nothing. It’s in those spaces where your own creativity lives, it’s in those spaces that you can truly highlight the precious books on the shelf.

Make a pile of the books that you will never read again and either donate them to your local thrift store or find the Little Free Libraries in your neighborhood to donate to.

Now think of your own life, just your everyday life. Where can you create space for nothing? Where can you let go of the idea that you must be busy, that every second of your day needs to be filled with action items or noise, or that boredom means picking up your phone and scrolling through images of other people’s lives? Allow there to be room in your life where you stare off into space and daydream, reminisce, or work out the problem in your mind before reacting or doing. Just like the bookshelves, make room in your day for nothing. For the mind to settle and the body to relax.

Where in your home can you create room for the eye to fall on nothing?

The Importance of Letting Go

Coaching, Minimalism

Let’s think of our life from beginning to end as a journey. And throughout each of our individual journeys, we all at some point have struggled with the decision on what to continue to bring along with us on this journey and what to leave behind.

I have moved a lot, and completely by choice. I’m not in the military, jobs have not forced me to move. But in the last 26 years, I have lived in 16 places. That’s averaging a year and a half at each location! I really just like the process of moving, of starting fresh in a new place and purging the stuff in my life.

In the process of moving, and maybe even now with the pandemic and feeling as though you are stuck in being in the same space. Maybe you are looking at your walls and all of your possessions and wondering, do I really want all this stuff around me all the time?

During the pandemic, I know several people who have “Marie Kondo” their lives. Holding each item and asking if it brings them joy? And in the question of- does it bring me joy- we make the decision to either continue to bring it along with us on this journey or leave it behind.

Sometimes it feels hard to throw or give items away. It’s as though by giving away that teapot somehow it means that we are throwing away all the memories of sharing tea with friends. We give these physical items in our lives power, as though they are our memory keepers and we know that that is not true. The teapot doesn’t have that special power.

If we don’t purge some things in our life occasionally we begin to feel weighed down, it becomes almost as though we can no longer see anything new because all we’re seeing is old. All we’re seeing is old memories, old things we’ve carried around from place to place. And when we create a bit of space, space for the eye to drop into nothingness. We begin to lean into the possibility of change and lean into the possibility that maybe something could be different and that it will be for the good.

I’m not suggesting that we have to pack up our houses and move. I promised my wife we’d never move again, that this house is the last house. But just as we purge our closets of clothes that no longer fit or are outdated or as we go through papers and shred years of old documents and bills, we need to also really look at our habits. What can we get rid of that is no longer serving us well? Maybe that is the scoop of ice cream every night before bed. Maybe it’s the two glasses of wine after dinner. Maybe it’s the hours spent on Facebook.

As we embark towards the beginning of a new year. Let’s start to look around. Let’s look at the things that we are continuing to carry on our journey. Let’s look at the inventory, not just in our closets and around our houses but really take the time to look at ourselves. What can we dispose of that is no longer serving us? What habits can we get rid of, so that we can continue on our journey, lighter and more in line with who we want to be on a daily basis?