A Very GAAD Birthday

My birthday was last Thursday.  In recent years, my birthday has fallen during either finals week (quarter system) or during spring break, so I had come to associate my birthday with a day off from academic responsibilities and a day of shopping either with friends or flying solo.

This year was different.  I got up.  I got dressed.  (Unlike SFE, I did not wear my hagiographical green, as being the birthday girl (and one who would punch in exchange for a pinch) exempted me from any potential repercussions.)  I went to campus and taught my classes.  I attended a talk given by a visiting speaker.  Then I picked Bailey up from doggy daycare, since my spouse was out of town, and made dinner for myself and a few friends who came over to help me celebrate my birthday.  I had a lovely time cooking, chatting with friends, eating birthday cupcakes made by a dear friend, and drinking wine.

 (Blouse - JCPenney (purchased in December to wear with suits), Skirt - Sandro (remixed), Tights - We Love Colors (remixed), Shoes - r2 (remixed), Necklace - Gift (remixed), Ring - Boutique in Salamanca (remixed), Watch - New York & Co. (remixed), Belt - from another dress (remixed)

I did not shop.  I'm not sure if I would have been tempted to if I'd had the time.  It's hard to break habits that have become deeply engrained, especially when they're ones associated with special occasions and rituals, but I like to think that I've changed a little bit over the past eleven weeks.  I do know that (online) shopping is no longer my default activity when I'm stressed or bored or pleased with progress.  I'd like to keep it that way.   

P.S. We've gone over to the dark side of the force and switched to Disqus comments so we can more easily respond to individual comments.  

GAADfly - Two Month Check In

February has been a blur of research talks, travel, class prep, and grading.  The month flew by, and, as in January, I had essentially no time to even think about shopping - except for maybe at an airport.  (I did indulge in a new lipstick from Body Shop during one lengthy layover.)  The only real moment of temptation came when I visited Shabby Apple to pick out which dress we should giveaway to one of our readers.  (Don't forget to enter!)  I put one of their dresses on my birthday wishlist, but all the other items I'm hoping I'll get for my birthday are reading, writing, or travel related.

Right now not shopping for clothes, shoes, or accessories seems a lot easier than I expected it to.  Sure, there are moments when I want to shop - because I'm bored, tired, stressed, cranky.  But then I just go look at my closet and dresser crammed full of clothes, even with a laundry hamper overflowing with dirty clothes sitting in my spacious closet and a basket full of laundered, clean clothes waiting to be folded next to my bed, and I know without a doubt that I do not need to shop right now.  I know that, in terms of wardrobe, I have everything that I need right now, and most of what I want.

It doesn't hurt that I am still working my way through un(der)utilized items in my closet, such as this pair of shorts that I purchased at H&M back in November.¹  Saturday marked the second time that I'd worn them and the first time they were documented for the blog.  While I still think shorts + tights is a little trendier and more youthful than I want to go for the classroom or even for office hours, I love the look for a Saturday of grading, running errands, including getting my hair cut, and taking my spouse out for a birthday dinner.

 1. Shorts - H&M, Tank and Cardi - New York & Co. (both remixed), Tights - We Love Colors (remixed), Boots - John Fluevog Bondgirls (remixed)

I do anticipate that March might be a little bit harder.  I have fewer professional spring clothes.  My birthday is March, and I usually spend the entire day shopping.  Hypothetically, I will also be quite busy, but not working at the breakneck pace I've had to maintain for the first two months of 2011.  How have you established new and different habits in the past?  What have you done to reward yourself when you're trying to get away from a system of material rewards?

GAADfly - One Month Check In

For those of you not interested in my endeavor to go a year without purchasing any new attire, I invite you to just look at a recent teaching outfit.  If you are interested, though, here are some of my thoughts after a month of not shopping for clothes....

(Shirt - Larry Levine (via Winners), Cardi - Anthro (remixed), Trousers - Sandro, Boots - Kenneth Cole Reaction (remixed), Necklace - Gift (remixed), Watch - New York & Co. (remixed))

In some ways this has been a lot easier than I anticipated.  I have a number of items in my closet that aren't exactly new but that I've never worn, such as this blouse, or only worn once or twice, such as these pants (they've been worn once before but not on the blog).  I'm only about half-way through that stockpile, so focusing on those items has helped.

I did have to face temptation in Boston at practically every turn because the AHA was in the Copley Place, and there were tons of shops.  Some of them even had window displays welcoming historians to buy their wares.  But I was only one week into GAAD in Boston, and my will-power was still at maximum levels.

For the rest of the month, as self-discipline began to creep to only above average levels, I've been too busy to even think about going shopping.  Without going into too much detail at this point, I'll just say that this has been the busiest month I've had in a long time.  Almost every waking minute has been filled with teaching my three classes and writing lectures for the two new ones, conference and travel to the conference, committee work and department meetings, and working on my research, including getting ready for two upcoming research presentations in the next few weeks.  Those few moments that haven't been filled with professorial things, I've spent running, cooking, cleaning up after a sick dog (who is now thankfully back to normal), enjoying my spouse's company, or blogging.

I've been so busy that I've only been to Target once this month - this past weekend in fact - to buy decongestant and eyeliner.  Out of habit, the moment I walked in I started walking toward the clothes.  When I realized that was what I was doing, I stopped and steered myself to the pharmacy.

With all the frenetic activity in Casa de Moda lately, it's no surprise that I've been stressed.  Historically, it's been stressful times like these that I've been most apt to spend a few minutes here and there shopping online.  In the past - even if I've been too busy to leave the house or my office - I've taken little breaks to browse websites, such as John Fluevog, Anthropologie, Shabby Apple, or Ebay.  And when I would browse I tended to put things in a shopping basket and sooner or later I would buy some of the things in it. Not so this month.  I have very strictly not allowed myself to visit these sites or to open any emails from LOFT, Anthro, Zappos, etc.  I'm trying to retrain myself to put my computer down when I'm feeling overwhelmed and do a few minutes of yoga or to close my laptop and read a book for half an hour when anxiety or the vague desire to shop strikes.

So one month down.  I have eleven to go.  Perhaps from the perspective of GAAD, it's a good thing that February promises to be even busier than January has been.

How do you approach not shopping?  For those of you doing this round of 30x30, what are your strategies for not buying new clothes?  For those of you who are doing GAAD, have you found that you get into the habit of not purchasing things within a few weeks?

Back in Action

Yesterday was my first teaching day of the term.  This semester I'm teaching three different courses, one of which is cross-listed as a grad course, and I'm doing an independent study with a student.  I'm only teaching on Tuesdays and Thursdays, which has its advantages, but makes for a very long Tuesday.  One of my classes only meets once a week on Tuesdays and is almost four hours long.  My "spidey-senses" (one of my strengths according to a student evaluation from last semester) tell me that Tuesdays will present a fair number of pedagogical challenges and some sartorial ones as well.

On Tuesdays I'll need to balance my desire to rock the professartorial with the knowledge that being on campus from 9 in the morning until close to 10 in the evening will require comfortable clothing.  Yesterday I chose my trusty red pencil skirt and a soft silk blouse that I bought on my shopping expedition with Kristin. I wore the blouse while at the conference in Boston, but, since it's dry clean only, I wanted to get another wear out of it before sending it off to be laundered.  I resisted the urge to belt it and to just let it do its drapey magic.

 (Skirt -J. Crew (thrifted and remixed), Blouse - Sandra Angelozzi (Femme de Carriere), Boots - John Fluevog Bondgirls (remixed), Earrings - New York & Co., Ring - Boutique in Salamanca (remixed))

Nutty or on Cold Meds?  You decide!

My sartorial goal for the next few weeks is to wear a number of items that I purchased pre-GAAD that have been worn rarely or never.  Because, honestly, I can probably shop my closet for at least a month before I'll run out of such items.  And hopefully by then this whole no shopping thing will be old hat and I'll have a better handle on some of the other line items in my scholarly budget.  Did you set any sartorial resolutions for the new year?  

GAADfly

Although I'm somewhat extremely terrified by it, I will be joining the likes of Style Underdog, Cynthia, and Rad and going on The Great American Apparel Diet (GAAD) as of January 1.  I've given it a lot of thought, and I'd like to spend this next year focusing my financial resources on some things other than clothing.  I'd like to make a dent in my student loan debt and to donate more to some charities.  I'd also like to do some traveling and run some more races.  So I will not be buying any new clothing during 2011.

I will allow myself emergency job market related purchases if the need arises, and I'll allow myself a couple of new footwear purchases.  (I'll need to replace my running shoes in June if I run the number of miles I intend to by then, and I'll allow myself a pair of Fryes or Fluevogs when I get a couple of publications off of my desk.)  At the end of every three months without shopping, I'll allow myself $50 for thrifting and accessories.

But in the meantime, I have so many clothes that I haven't even worn yet, more still that I've never worn on the blog, and even more that I've only worn a couple of times and should definitely get more use out of.  I offer you Exhibit A:

 Dress - ModCloth (remixed), Cardigan - Anthropologie (Xmas gift from M.), Boots - Coconuts Rosetta (DSW), Tights - We Love Colors

I received this cardi from M. for Christmas.  I purchased the boots in San Antonio when I was shopping with my sister, but I hadn't worn them until today because of 30x30 and traveling, and I've worn this ModCloth dress maybe 5 times since I bought it last fall....

I have some other sartorial resolutions and some thoughts on where I'd like to see my blogging here on FA go in 2011 that I'll be posting sometime soon.  For now, I'd love to hear your thoughts on GAAD or on shopping bans and budgets.  Would you consider joining GAAD?  And I'd love to hear what's working well for those who are GAADflies!