Preparing to Go on a Clothes Diet

While many people will start the New Year with a new food diet, in 2013 I will be not be buying any more clothes.

I have enough.

For the next two months, I will be scrutinizing my closet, what I wear on a daily basis and will attempt to have enough outfits and practical clothing items to get me through the next 365 days. The goal is to have enough items to keep me stylish and appropriate for work, warm in the winter and cool in the summer. I will be purging what no longer works, but I will also purchase one or two things to round out my wardrobe and to make sure I have enough socks and underwear.

The idea behind this challenge is that all of us really have all we need in our closets to stay warm and clothed. The constant wanting for new items has nothing to do with not having anything to wear, but more with being bored with what we already own.

This is what I've been learning about my own clothing purchases and how my habits will affect this challenge:

Get rid of and don't purchase the "just in case" stuff

It's highly unlikely I will ever walk the red carpet, so I am not going to go looking for a pair of black kitten heels to keep "just in case".

Embrace the staples

I reach for the same tank tops and black, long sleeved tops all the time. These will become the staples of my wardrobe and I will make them work with every other item I have. I have struggled over the years to find a "uniform", so I hope this challenge will enable me to find what works best for me.

Take care of what you have

When thinking of not purchasing clothes for a year, I got a little panicky. What if my favorite sweater completely unravels? What if a heel comes off my shoe? I relaxed and realized that I sometimes treat my favorite clothes in a not so nice way. Now I am conscious of taking off my nice shoes when I get home rather than running out into the garden with them. I also will quickly sew up a hole in that sweater before it grows to the size of Minneapolis.

Replace worn out or inferior items…but not right away

If I have an item that I think needs to be replaced, I am going to really think about how I wear that item and if I really do wear it enough to justify purchasing something similar.


Photo by Sue Westergaard

Decluttering the Morning Routine

This morning I counted each toiletry product as I used it. Shampoo, conditioner, soap, lotion, makeup and mouthwash all got counted and I was a little disconcerted that for my typical morning routine I ended up using 15 different products. Is that really necessary?

Over the years I have attempted to reduce the amount of toiletries that I use with some success and I've been able to keep the shower, bathroom drawers and under-sink area clean and clutter-free, but 15 items seemed like too much.

For a typical morning I use:

1. Dr. Wood's Shea Vision Pure Black Soap (for showering and shaving)
2. Shampoo (usually Burt's Bees or Garnier Fructis Organic)
3. Organix Argan Oil conditioner (my hair is super dry and curly)
4. Organix Argan Oil heavy conditioner (for styling)

5. Degree or crystal deodorant
6. Body lotion (shea butter or Pure Fiji that I bought in Fiji)

7. Physician's Formula tinted moisturizer with sunscreen
8. Physician's Formula bronzer (I'm pale)
9. Physician's Formula mascara (Again…I'm pale)
10. Cover Girl brown blush for eyeshadow

11. Tom's of Maine toothpaste
12. Sonicare toothbrush (my dentist loves me)
13. Floss
14. Listerine Total Care mouthwash

This morning I added in one more thing:

15. Q-Tips (for cleaning ears)

Even though this seemed like a lot to me, I was proud that my makeup routine takes less than 60 seconds. On most weekends and when I'm camping I eschew the makeup.

So I started thinking what I could do without. Do I really need an extra type of conditioner for styling my hair? Do I really need that chemically mouthwash? What about getting rid of that eyeshadow? Can I combine any makeup items? I do love that the tinted moisturizer is doing triple duty and I'm wondering how many other products can do double or triple duty.

Next time you do your morning routine, count your personal toiletry items and see what number you come up with. What can you get down to? I'd love to hear from you.


Photo by nimble photography

Save Your Fives

Do you want to save up for something? A fun way to go about it is to save your five-dollar bills. Any time you get change from that $20 and you end up with a $10 and a $5 — pocket the $10, but take the $5 and put it in a jar or envelope.

After a couple of months, deposit the bills into a specific bank account just for your goal. Use the easy account setup with ING and have access to that money when you hit your goal. It's an easy and simple way to save up for something. If you happen to save two to three $5 bills a week, you will have saved up about $500 to nearly $800 in a year.

Photo by laszlo-photo

Messy Veggies

With the summer heat comes the abundance of neighborhood vegetable gardens. August and September usually give birth to multitudes of tomato, squash, sunflowers, herbs and peppers and you can really see what your winter and spring work can accomplish.

Now that you are reaping your delicious rewards, you can also keep this in mind: the vegetable garden is a wonderful place to keep things messy. Sure, we all want our gardens to look as good as the ones created by the Barefoot Contessa and Martha Stewart, but like most things these perfect women do, it's unrealistic. Gardens are outside and outside is disorganized.

Glorious tomato plants don't care if they are in perfectly measured rows with matching cages; they just want a lot of hot sun and a little bit of water. Weeds are going to pop up in the most unlikely places and friendly little birds and bugs can't be eradicated in one fell swoop. Because of the heat and general summer laziness, I really don't feel like getting all the weeds out of my beds (which are made of old fence wood). My walkways really need to be mowed and my compost pile is really piling up. That's okay, my plants still grow and I don't want to stress too much about it.

It does make for wonderful peace of mind when your house, closets, vehicle and workspace are clean and organized, but I think once in a while you should have permission to be a little messy.


Photo courtesy of Magalie L'Abbé

My Minimalist Travel Wardrobe

I love to travel. Over the years, I've visited fantastic places like Japan and Fiji, Turkey and Easter Island, the Czech Republic and the Galapagos Islands and have loved every minute of it. After my first few trips, I quickly realized that packing super light is the only way to travel.

I can't travel without a good raincoat. This basic black coat is from Patagonia and has saved me in several downpours.

When discussing travel wardrobes with other world travelers, I've come to the conclusion that too many people are concerned with what others are going to think about them based on their clothes. I don't think I've ever thought differently about a fellow traveler with fascinating travel stories by what shirt he or she is wearing. I've chosen these clothing items to join me on my trips because of their versatility, various pockets, and ability to dry quickly and keep their shape while I hike, bike, run for trains or swim in tropical waters.

From my typical travel wardrobe, you'll notice that most of my items are black or gray. These basic items are in dark colors that hide dirt and can fit into nearly any situation (except maybe a black-tie ball). I intersperse my wardrobe with a few colors and a bright scarf to liven it up. I only bring two pairs of shoes: a good walking/hiking pair and some flip flops. If I know I'm going to a wedding, fancy party or to a more cosmopolitan area (e.g. New York City, Los Angeles) I may throw in some nice jeans, flats or a dress. However, these are my typical items that I bring on every trip, and to make it even easier, I keep them all in one area of closet so I can grab-and-go.

I bring several long sleeve shirts that I can use for daily wear, sleeping or for layering. Wearing all three of these shirts together keeps me warmer than one bulky sweater. The top shirt is one of my favorites: it's a Patagonia wicking top with a big pocket on the back. I've used that pocket for my wallet and money, to store additional clothing and for holding my lunch for the day. The second black top is another wool Patagonia layering piece with a zip neck and the third shirt is a Scottevest Women's Q-Zip in Violet.

I've really fallen in love with the Scottevest brand. Their well-made and versatile clothes are full of pockets, which is a necessity for light packers. I purchased the Women's Lightweight Vest for its 20 pockets (including one huge back pocket) and have taken it on every trip since.

I always take a scarf or Buff to wear around my neck on planes or in cold weather, as a blanket on the beach or protection from the sun. I purchased this scarf at a shop in midtown Manhattan for about $3 and I love how soft it is.

I always bring some sort of leggings, yoga pants or workout pants with me. They usually do triple or quadruple duty as loungewear, workout wear, pajamas or a layering piece to put under my pants or shorts.

Finding good travel pants seems to be a struggle for women travelers. While my Merrel Lanaia pants/skirt combo are looking a little wrinkled in the above photos, they are actually excellent travel pants. They are seven clothing items in one: zip-off pants, shorts (which are not dumb-looking like most zipped-off shorts), capris, a skort (the shorts and skirt together), a skirt, a skirt/pant combo or a skirt/capri combo. These were the only pants I took on a trip to Chile and Easter Island and they traveled/washed and dried like a charm.

Whether I'm going to a warm or cold climate, I always have one or two t-shirts and a few tank tops to use for hot weather, layering and for sleeping.

If I'm heading to the tropics, I will throw in a bikini and a rash guard. The flip flops are always in my bag for hot weather, lounging around a hostel and walking to and from an outdoor onsen in Tokyo.

I really only bring about 3-4 pairs of underwear and two bras or sports bras. They are always in rotation — one pair on, one pair drying after being washed and one pair waiting to be worn.

My tried and true Ryka shoes have hiked mountains, walked cobblestone streets, and have been soaked in downpours. They are starting to show their age and I will have to replace them soon, but these types of nondescript shoes are perfect for the traveler who packs light.

Falling off the declutter wagon

Even though you may have made excellent strides to declutter your life, is it okay to fall off the declutter wagon? That's the way my life has been for the past few months, rather than getting simpler, my life has gotten a bit more complicated: visiting family members, work and home projects and new hobbies have gotten in the way of me trying to obtain a decluttered home and a clear head.

What's the best way to get back on the wagon bound for a simpler life? I've come to these conclusions:

Reevaluate

Take a look at what might be blocking your process. Have you decided to do something on a whim and it's causing you anxiety and distress? It's okay to let it go. For example, I have several family members coming to visit for a month this summer and they are not used to the heat. I was practically killing myself to make them comfortable and was even thinking of getting an expensive above-ground pool. After much thought and a push from my husband, I dropped the idea and I feel a lot better. My relatives are great, but they can go to the lake.

Life happens, even when you try to make it simple

Things happen that are entirely out of your control. You might just make yourself crazy trying to constantly stay in control. It's okay to let go of some things that don't jive with your uncluttered life.

Let things get messy for a while

It's okay if your life gets hectic and wild for a few months. Don't pout or overreact. Things will get back to normal soon.

Find just a few minutes of peace each day

If your life has gotten a little too wild for your taste, plan for just a few minutes (during your lunch hour, at 5 a.m., in the garden or during a walk) to take a few breaths and clear your head.

Photo by taomancer/Flickr

Simple Apps

The appeal of apps is mesmerizing. There are so many apps that say FREE next to them that it's difficult not to click and download them to your device of choice. Before you know it, your iPod, iPhone or iPad is filled up with the tiny boxes with the rounded corners – and most of them you don't even use or need.

It took a crash on my device and the loss of all my apps to realize that I don't need to download every app that I come across. These are the five apps that I have found to be the most useful and that I use nearly every day.

1. iXpensit: $4.99

I use this app all the time to track my daily expenses. It's a lifesaver when it comes to doing my monthly spending and income reports. It's totally worth it at $4.99.

2. Kindle: Free

With the Kindle app on my iPod Touch, I can load up both free and purchased books from the Amazon store directly to my device.
 
3. Relax Melodies: Free for the lite version

This app allows me to create my own nature or white noise sounds to use while I'm meditating, napping or trying to drown out outside noise. I love the Rain + Zen music mix.
 
4. Google Translate: Free

Google Translate has become very handy for traveling. It can translate up to 60 languages.
 
5. Star Walk: $2.99

This is my fun app. It's fascinating to be able to look up a the night sky,  wonder what some bright object is and be able to identify it with more information than you ever needed. It's a blast for those who love to gaze at the sky when not looking at their iPad.