Whatever, predictable is saving me $.$$

January 05, 2011

So today, I looked at my clothes with fresh, bright, optimistic eyes..  Until I was snapped back to the reality which is my closet.  Oh well, it was worth a shot.  In the end, I decided on a pair of jeans [my staple go-to pant; the new AE ones I was talking about..I can't believe how much I like them!], a flowy embellished chiffon tank, and a sparkly festive cardigan from Madewell.  Lovely if I say so myself.

..and then a thought creeped into my head: Kind. Of. Predictable. “Why?” might you ask?

Well, right now it’s VERY winter where I live.  There’s tons of snow ..and coldness.. like, I have to wear ski-pants on-a-daily-basis-type-coldness.  There’s definitely no cute winter outfits going on here or in the near future.  Theres no doubt that I lose most of my style ”mo-jo” during the winter months, since the main focus is to stay warm..

…Which ultimately leads me to no other choice but my tried and true outfit:  Jeans [of course..], a flowy tank of some sort.. paired with a cardigan.

At least I can take solace in the new clothes I ordered pre-diet that have yet to arrive  and as each day gets warmer, I will slowly swap ski-pants for skirts, winter boots for high heels, and sweaters for sleeveless tanks [not to be worn at the same time, mind you] and hopefully I can get the creative juices flowing.

Peace, Love & Happiness.

Progress is Happiness!

January 03, 2011

DayThree:

Three days in, and I feel GREAT!!! I’m feeling a lot more positive, and now truly believe that i can do this challenge. I guess it helps that I went on a mini shopping binge before the diet began, and now I feel refreshed and ready to tackle my closet for the rest of the year!

On my binge, I bought a few items [Jean skirt, High-waisted shorts, a Chambray shirt..which I wanted for like, eva!] that will make it easy to transition season to season..so, that gives me hope! Also, just the other day I ripped the tags off of a brand new pair of skinnys by Madewell and forced myself to wear them. THEN! I remembered that I have two boxes of new clothes that I bought online but didn’t really like at the time…so maybe I’ll pull them out and have a fashion show for the boyfriend…or dogs, whoever is more interested. Ha.

Good Luck everyone & Happy New Year!!!

ShoppingHolidays!

December 21, 2010


I’ve recently returned from a whirlwind trip to Ontario for a family visit with the boyfriend. Like I’ve said in an earlier post, I don’t have many shopping options here in my town and most of my clothing purchases happen online. So being in “civilization” kind of put me into shopping OVERDRIVE!!! Since I normally don’t have the luxury of being able to pack up and leave town whenever I want, being in any city with endless shopping possibilities is pretty exciting! Even the most minuscule mall can give me a rush!!


One of the reasons I chose TGAAD as my new years resolution was to ease myself into it without feeling too overwhelmed. Also, I figured since we had already planned this trip way far in advance, that I didn’t want to limit myself while on the second trip out of town this year…like I said, I don’t get out much.


So..First things first: Budget, Budget, Budget! I budgeted for the entire trip. I saved up a couple months in advance, made a list of things that I really wanted to buy annnd… I didn’t bring my credit card [that part was pretty easy since it's been sitting pretty in a block of ice in my freezer for the last year and a half].


So as soon as we got into the city[Day 2 of a 15 hour drive and at this point we had been up since 4:30 in the morning], we went straight for the mall. THE WEST EDMONTON MALL!! Oh the convenience! Oh the stores! Oh the humanity!!! Anthropologie! Victorias Secret! H&M! Lululemon!! Ahh there are too many to name! ShoesShoesShoesssssss!!! The one stop shop!


It was great and I loved it, and somehow I managed to buy more accessories [scarves, hats, jewelry, sunglasses..etc] and gifts than actual clothes. In the 17 days we were gone I came home with 2 sweaters; 1 cardigan – $12.99 at Old Navy; 1 long sleeved active shirt (perfect for under my hockey equipment) and a pair of AE jeans $49.50….Huh, go figure. One of the best purchases would have to have been the most darling of egg holders from anthropologie in this fab blue colour..it was something like $16 and I LOVE IT!


TenDays until the real challenge begins. EXCITED MUCH!?!?! xoxo

A little bit about my situation

November 29, 2010


Hello Again!


I live in northern Canada in a small Village called Fort Simpson. It maybe, maaybe, houses 1200 people…On a good day (and that’s probably pushing it). My community is on a small island where you can walk end to end in about twenty minutes. It’s fairly traditional with a good majority of the locals being First Nations people and the main economic contributors being the Territorial and Federal Governments.


With all this being said, you can imagine what type of shopping district we have here in town…I’ll give you a hint: It rhymes with Hero…now replace the “H” with a “Z”. The closest thing we have to a clothing store is our own trusty “Northern Store”. It’s the main hub of 2, yes TWO grocery stores. Let me tell you, the type of clothing found in said store is nothing to brag about. Actually, I’m pretty sure the Old Navy changing rooms are bigger than the entire clothing section in this store.


Anyhow, that’s enough background info for the day. Yay for not shopping!

Hey! I have a blog!

It all started with someone else's idea. I just decided to follow along..

January 01, 2011 marked the beginning of the end to my unnecessary shopping habits. It also marked the beginning of my journey [or struggle?] with www.thegreatamericanappareldiet.com/ [TGAAD] and a year without clothing. Actually, to be more precise, it's a year without new clothing. Huh? Say what? Pardon? Yes, yes it's true; I have pledged, promised and sworn up and down that for the entire year of two thousand and eleven, I, Susie Hanna, will not buy any new clothing, shoes or accessories. Eeeee!

At first my challenge started with only a diet against clothing and having the option to purchase shoes and accessories, but as these last couple of weeks went on, I figured, "I have plenty of everything" so why not just add the to the "do not buy list". So that means, no new shoes for me, no pretty rings or necklaces. I can kiss those Tiffany earrings goodbye.. It's alright though, my bank account will speak nothing but kind words to me by the end of this challenge.

I'll give you a little background info: I've joined this online group called "The Great American Apparel Diet" and planned to implement it as my New Years Resolution. If you have never heard of this website before, I highly recommend that you check it out and see if it's the right thing for you! When I began telling people what I was planning to do, they all seemed to have the same reaction. A few examples:

"What? Whyy?"

"Really, you're not going to buy ANY clothes?... for a whole year?!?" and my favorite;

"Hah, yeah right!" [lovely words spoken from my bf.]

Ha, yeah right, is RIGHT!!! I'll show you AND the world that I don't need to shop to have a meaningful and fulfilled life!!!!! I'll take up beading with my spare time, or better yet, soap making! I'll become a world renowned soap making connoisseur and Oprah will want to give me my own network or something. We would call it Soaprah! There, that ought to teach him to second guess me. [just kidding boyfriend, nothing but love!]

SOOooOo Anywayyy...

Rules, there must be rules! While on this diet, I will have to come up with a few rules of my own that will aid me in succeeding at this challenge. Most of the rules that I will be following will come from the lovely Sally & Co. of TGAAD who have already given members a list to live by while on this challenge.

So here are a few rules I will add to my existing list:

If I need something that will benefit my health, then I am permitted to buy it. Granted, I can't buy it unless I actually REALLY need it. Like a new pair of running shoes, golf shoes, yoga pants, etc.

Tailoring of clothing is acceptable, obviously.

I have a few beloved treasures such as: My beautiful bib necklace from Anthropologie, or the gorgeous pair of Orange Lava Hunter rain boots and my lovely winter Mukluks. If any of these coveted items shall perish in any way, I am obligated to purchase new ones. They would want me to.

Also, I will be uploading earlier post from TGAAD so they can all be accesed on this site.

xoxo new blog girl..