Fewer clothes, greater happiness

Jul 05 2011 Published by under Happiness, Nonconformity, Project333, Sustainability

Is your closet stuffed full of clothes you never wear?

Mine was, too, until I joined the Project 333 wardrobe challenge last fall. For three months, my closet contained just 33 items of clothing—outerwear, jewelry, and shoes included. Everything else got boxed up and stored out of sight. (See my original 33 items.)

I enjoyed the challenge immensely, and at the end of the three months I donated almost all of the clothing I had boxed up. I realized I didn’t need it, nor did I miss it, and I loved the look of my simple, uncluttered closet.

Other people enjoyed the challenge, too, so much so that Project 333 and its creator, Courtney Carver, have gained national attention. The Project 333 Facebook page has more than 1,700 fans, many of whom are looking for ways to happily live (and dress) with less.

I continued with Project 333 through Phases 2 (January-March) and 3 (April-June), making a few modifications to the rules to better suit my lifestyle and Wisconsin’s unpredictable weather.

Over the last nine months, I’ve sorted through every piece of clothing, jewelry, and outerwear I own. I’ve pared my wardrobe down to nearly half of what it used to be. I sold a few of my nicer items on consignment, and donated bags and bags of ill-fitting, outdated, and “not quite right” clothing to charity.

One of my “not quite right” items was a skirt I bought years ago at Anthropologie. It had a large purple iris appliqué on the front, one of my favorite flowers. I love the skirt, but I could never find the right top or shoes to go with it. So, it sat in my closet virtually unworn. I finally admitted to myself the skirt wasn’t a wise purchase, and added it to my pile to donate or sell. There’s got to be someone else out there who will love it as much as I do and actually wear it, which makes a heck of a lot more sense than a pretty skirt collecting dust (and guilt) in my closet, benefitting no one.

Having a simple, functional wardrobe is such a great feeling. I no longer agonize over what to wear, because I can clearly see everything I have. And contrary to what I used to think, “simple” does not equal “boring.”  I can mix things up by combining pieces in different ways, and use jewelry and scarves to add pops of color.

If you haven’t tried Project 333, I highly recommend it. Phase 4 runs July 1-September 30.

I’ve decided to take a break from the challenge this time around, mostly because it doesn’t feel like a challenge anymore. I enjoy my simplified closet so much, I can’t imagine going back to the way it used to be. I think much harder now before bringing something new into my wardrobe, and it’s easier to let go of items that no longer work.

In other words, I feel I’ve learned the lessons Project 333 was intended to teach. If you’d like to give Project 333 a try, go to www.theproject333.com for rules, tips, and advice from other participants.

Have something to add? Please, leave a comment with your thoughts. If you enjoyed this post, you can subscribe to Peculiar Girl or share it on Twitter or Facebook.

Photo by JoshMadison on Flickr

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Sometimes you just want new clothes

May 25 2011 Published by under Project333

This spring has been a big fat bummer. April was snowy and gray, and most of May has been rainy and gray. The lack of sunlight has me in a funk, and my seasonal allergies are so bad I’m wondering what it is I did to tree pollen to deserve such wrath.

I’m tired, I’m cranky, my eyes itch, and most days I can barely breathe through my nose. To top it off, my Project 333 Phase 3 wardrobe is proving to be woefully inadequate.

For most of April, since it was still depressingly cold, I wore the same pair of jeans and either a long-sleeved T-shirt with a cardigan, or two long-sleeved T-shirts layered together. I do have a second pair of jeans in my Phase 3 wardrobe, but they are more than a little snug so I rarely wear them. The other pieces in my wardrobe were too summery to wear in an April that felt more like November.

Last week, the weather finally started to turn nice. Much to my dismay, however, I discovered my skinny jeans aren’t the only clothing item that’s too tight. Two of my short-sleeved T-shirts are also uncomfortably snug, revealing, to borrow a phrase from a local seamstress, “too much sexy.”

When I chose my wardrobe for April-June, I assumed I would lose my “winter weight” fairly early in the spring. My martial arts class has outdoor sports conditioning classes in the spring that usually do the trick, but the weather has been so wet we haven’t been able to train outside.

I decided to re-evaluate my Phase 3 wardrobe. I found that some items had holes, some didn’t fit, and some were looking dated. There really wasn’t much I enjoyed wearing, and forcing oneself into clothes that are too tight, unflattering, or otherwise not quite right is no way to beat the rainy spring blues.

The point of Project 333 is not to suffer with less, but to enjoy having just enough. I was definitely not enjoying my wardrobe. So, I bought a few fresh, new pieces at the outlet mall in the size I am now, rather than the size I was last year. I added more color, but chose pieces that work with the other items in my closet, a personal rule I added at the start of Phase 3.

Now, I finally feel ready for spring, if it ever stops raining.

Here is my revised Project 333, Phase 3 wardrobe:

  1. Skinny jeans Replaced with new straight-leg jeans in a size larger
  2. Boot-cut jeans
  3. Grey khakis
  4. White shorts
  5. White cotton skirt with lace hem
  6. Coral satin camisole
  7. Pink tank top Donated, the color is too pale for me
  8. Black cardigan Tossed, had a hole in the elbow, need to replace
  9. Cream ruffled cardigan
  10. Black short-sleeved sweater with attached white ruffled blouse
  11. White cotton jacket
  12. Dark red long-sleeved T-shirt
  13. Aqua long-sleeved T-shirt
  14. Aqua V-neck T-shirt
  15. White T-shirt Boxed up, replaced with fuchsia T-shirt in a size larger
  16. Coral T-shirt Boxed up, replaced with black long-sleeved T-shirt from winter wardrobe
  17. Grey T-shirt with white vine pattern Tossed, had a hole in it
  18. Grey sleeveless shirt with ruffled front Boxed up, replaced with paisley sleeveless blouse in a size larger
  19. Short-sleeved purple cotton shirt with belted waist Donated, replaced with blue and white checked 3/4-sleeved shirt
  20. Long black-and-white cotton sleeveless top
  21. Black sleeveless dress Chambray shirtdress
  22. Brown and black patterned wrap dress Green patterned dress
  23. Black pumps
  24. Black ballet flats
  25. Metallic gold sandals
  26. J-41 Sierra walking shoes, stone
  27. Jambu Touring shoes, black
  28. Keen sandals, aqua
  29. Fuchsia scarf
  30. Pink-and-white striped scarf
  31. Aqua patterned scarf
  32. Navy purse
  33. Silver clutch purse

Since I’ve been wearing nearly the same thing every day, I haven’t been posting many pictures to the Project 333 Flickr group. Now that I breathed some new life into my Phase 3 wardrobe, I will try to start taking more photos.

Have you been struggling with Project 333 this time around? I find this time of year the most difficult to dress for.

Have something to add? Please, leave a comment with your thoughts. If you enjoyed this post, you can subscribe to Peculiar Girl or share it on Twitter or Facebook.


 

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Sunday morning blogroll: May 8, 2011

May 08 2011 Published by under Sunday Morning Blogroll

Welcome, Peculiar Girl readers. Each Sunday morning, I post links to some of my favorite blogs and articles. I hope you find them as interesting and entertaining as I do. Enjoy!

Feminist Frequency

Anita Sarkeesian is a feminist pop culture media critic who produces an ongoing web series of video commentaries from a feminist/fangirl perspective. I highly recommend watching “The Bechdel Test for Women in Movies,” especially. Take me there…

Eat, Drink & Be Vegan

Dreena is a cookbook author and stay-at-home mom, as well as the keeper of this awesome vegan cooking blog. I’ve had readers ask about vegan food that’s kid friendly. Dreena has lots of kid-tested recipes here. Take me there…

Get Off This Wheel

This is a simpler living blog I recently discovered. The focus is finding happiness through living with less: less stuff, less debt, less stress. Bernie, one of the authors, describes himself as a “mediumist,” someone who wants to get away from consumerism, but is not interested in hard-core minimalism. Take me there…

Next on Peculiar Girl…

A new Peculiar Girl post is coming soon. Sign up for e-mail updates and be the first to know when fresh content is available!

Photo by Norwichnuts

 

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Project 333 Phase 3: Mix, match, or toss

Mar 30 2011 Published by under Project333

Some of my Project 333 Phase 3 items

Phase 3 of Project 333 starts Friday. The third rendition of the minimalist wardrobe challenge runs from April 1 through June 30. I’ve been a participant since Phase 1 last fall, and I am absolutely loving my clutter-free closet.

It still feels like winter here in Madison, so hauling my summer clothes of storage seems a little premature.  Yet, it should only be a matter of weeks before I’m ditching layers and boots for tank tops and open-toed sandals.

As Phase 2 of the challenge wraps up, I admit I barely touched many of the things in my wardrobe. That’s primarily because I’m working from home now, so most days I’m in a long-sleeved T-shirt (or two) and jeans.

My Phase 2 wardrobe included a few “business” pieces in case of client meetings, and some dressier items for evenings out. I did wear each item at least once, but for the next phase I have a new rule…

If I can’t wear an item in at least two different ways, it’s out.

I want to avoid having “just in case” items hanging in the closet that only serve one purpose. Instead of a suit, for example, I can choose a nice pair of khakis topped with a camisole and a lightweight cardigan.

I tried to choose pieces that will give me more versatility, and make for an easier transition from cold, rainy spring days to dry, sunny summer ones.

For Phase 3 of the challenge I’ll be following the same modified rules I created for Phase 2. I don’t count jewelry, outerwear, or grubby clothes worn for gardening and other chores.

My Project 333, Phase 3 wardrobe:

  1. Skinny jeans
  2. Boot-cut jeans
  3. Grey khakis
  4. White shorts
  5. White cotton skirt with lace hem
  6. Coral satin camisole
  7. Pink tank top
  8. Black cardigan
  9. Cream ruffled cardigan
  10. Black short-sleeved sweater with attached white ruffled blouse
  11. White cotton jacket
  12. Dark red long-sleeved T-shirt
  13. Aqua long-sleeved T-shirt
  14. Aqua T-shirt
  15. White T-shirt
  16. Coral T-shirt
  17. Grey T-shirt with white vine pattern
  18. Grey sleeveless shirt with ruffled front
  19. Short-sleeved purple cotton shirt with belted waist
  20. Long black-and-white cotton sleeveless top
  21. Black sleeveless dress
  22. Brown and black patterned wrap dress
  23. Black pumps
  24. Black ballet flats
  25. Metallic gold sandals
  26. J-41 Sierra walking shoes, stone
  27. Jambu Touring shoes, black vegan (love these!)
  28. Keen sandals, aqua
  29. Fuchsia scarf
  30. Pink-and-white striped scarf
  31. Aqua patterned scarf
  32. Navy purse
  33. Silver clutch

During Phase 2 I fell out of the habit of posting pictures regularly in the Project 333 Flickr group pool. I vow to be better during Phase 3, so you can follow how well (or not so well) my wardrobe is working.

Have something to add? Please, leave a comment with your thoughts. If you enjoyed this post, you can subscribe to Peculiar Girl or share it on Twitter or Facebook.

 

 

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It’s time for spring sustainability-ing

Mar 18 2011 Published by under Happiness, Kindness and Compassion, Sustainability

 

Yeah, the headline’s a little awkward, but after the long, cold winter we’ve had, can you blame me for being a little punchy?

Yesterday we had a real taste of spring; the high temperature in Madison was a balmy 61 degrees. I took the dogs for a walk and actually broke a sweat wearing just jeans, a long-sleeved T-shirt, and an insulated vest—no hat, no gloves, no scarf. It was glorious.

Another sign of spring—I can see the tulips peeking up through the dirt in my flowerbeds, which always makes me happy.

Yes, it’s very likely we’ll get another snowstorm before spring has officially sprung (or even after), but the occasional warm and sunny day like yesterday is enough to keep me focused on the positive.

Over the next few months, in addition to spring cleaning, I also plan to do some spring sustainability-ing—finding new ways to help us live well on less money, and starting new habits that will reduce our impact on the environment.

To live sustainably is to live with kindness. Cultivating kindness, along with compassion and empathy, is key to finding happiness—kindness to ourselves, to others, and to the earth.

Here are my spring sustainability-ing projects for 2011. What are yours?

  • Start a vegetable garden. We’re going to start small, with a 4 ft. by 4 ft. raised bed and some beans or peas on trellises. Neither of us is very handy when it comes to building, so we plan to use raised bed corners to ensure our garden is square and secure.
  • Landscape the yard—for free. When we bought the house last year, the landscape was badly neglected. Huge, overgrown shrubs dominated the front and back yards, and the flowerbeds were mostly weeds. With most of that cleared out, I’m starting nearly from scratch. I want to use native plants, and my goal is to get as much as I can for free, from friends, neighbors, and family.
  • Ditch the toxic laundry detergent. Store-bought laundry soap is loaded with chemicals. Homemade laundry soap cleans clothes just as well, is non-toxic, and costs just pennies per load. I’ve made it in the past but got out of the habit when I lived in a small condo with no laundry room and little storage space. Now I have no excuses. I found this simple recipe for homemade washing powder on the Low Impact Betty blog.
  • Bike to the grocery store. This year I want to use my car less often, in favor of foot or pedal power. The grocery store is less than a mile from the house and we have a bike trailer. Now that the snow is gone, I want to try biking to the store instead of driving, saving gas and increasing my activity level.
  • Continue with Project 333. Phase 3 of the minimalist wardrobe challenge starts April 1, are you in? This will be my third, three-month stint in Project 333. It’s taught me so much about building a practical, functional, and fun wardrobe. Here’s how to get started.

How about you? Have you thought about ways to live more sustainably this year? I’d love to hear about them. Share your spring sustainability-ing projects in the comments below.

If you enjoyed this post, you can subscribe to Peculiar Girl or share it on Twitter or Facebook.

Photo by f_trudeau

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