Disclaimer: In an effort to be transparent, I want you to know that I am currently an affiliate of Project 333, but all the comments are mine and I am not being paid to post this. In fact, I didn't become an affiliate until the post was finished, and this was edited in!
********************************************************************************
I am going to do it. I'm joining an online community that narrows their wardrobe down to only 33 pieces of clothing - including shoes and accessories - for three months at a time. Undies, sleepwear, loungewear, and exercise clothing is not included, but I can guarantee you that I will be paring those items down as much as possible in the next round. I only need 7 pairs of undies, maximum, right? 7 days in the week = 7 undies. The MOST I'm going to work out in one week is 6 times, so I could probably get by with 3 exercise outfits and wash half way through the week...you see where I'm going with this.
I went through my closet and dresser drawers last night and put my decision into action. I am going to admit right now that I've already broken the rules. I could not narrow down my earring choices any more, so if I were to consider each pair as an item, I went over the recommended 33...but only by a pair. Call me a rebel. Next time, I may just go ahead and consider earrings one item as a whole, but we will see. I will probably need more clothing options in the colder months because Outerwear is included in the 33!
I am also entering the project halfway through a cycle. The summer cycle started July 1, and obviously we are a couple weeks into August already. I thought that would work to my advantage though. If I hate it, I can always stop after the month and a half. I haven't tossed the clothes that didn't make the cut (except ones that REALLY didn't make the cut AKA: Those that I knew I would never wear again), but boxed them up for review again later. I had a lot of t-shirts that I didn't want to toss because of sentimental reasons, so if they go unworn until this time next year...I need to just do it already. Maybe I will make a t-shirt quilt!!
But I digress...
Here is my official Project 333 Summer of 2014 list of items:
4 dresses
2 tunics
3 tops
5 tank tops
2 pairs of leggings
1 t-shirt (mostly for under one of the tunics but can be worn alone too)
3 pairs of shorts
2 sweaters
6 pairs of earrings
1 necklace
3 pairs of shoes
1 pair black slacks
1 skirt
So far I am not experiencing any anxiety about only having a few things to wear...but I also just came back from a missions trip to Haiti, where I basically wore the same two outfits for a whole week, so...my perspective may be skewed.
I AM experiencing some anxiety when I think about getting rid of the boxed up items, but I can put that action off for now. Looking at my closet and dresser is nice because its minimalistic nature takes the stress out of dressing...and actually makes me a little more creative in trying different things together/mixing and matching things I wouldn't normally try.
This first purge has already made huge space in my room! Previously, I had to put all of my exercise clothing in an extra 3-drawer rolling storage container because I didn't have room in my dresser. Now I have emptied that container and will be taking it to the basement where it is needed to help store TP and paper towels. SPACE! Woot! I should take a picture of my closet for you so you can see how little is hanging on my side. It's mostly empty hangers! It's so exciting to see it. I will be working on the hubby to do the same once I get the hang of it. I also have a sneaking suspicion that this is going to carry over to many other areas of my life. Like the book shelves? We have more books than shelves...so I will probably be working on that once the clothing thing gets routine.
This cycle lasts through September, so my ONLY concern is that I only picked one pair of pants (and they seem pretty dressy, but maybe they will be more versatile than I think) and if it gets chilly in September, I may be suffering...or I may also swap some shorts out mid-month for some jeans. I can do that. I am a rebel, remember?
If you would like to learn more about Project 333, or build your own capsule wardrobe, you can take the "Build a Capsule Wardrobe" course. Just click on this link and off you go!
I will be back next week for an update on how it REALLY feels living with less than 33 items of actual clothing... Until then... Orevwa! (that would be Hatian for good bye...not bad French spelling!)
