capsule wardrobe

NO BUY YEAR NOVEMBER RECAP

/ OrganizedWithJoy / Leave a comment

Okay friends, for today’s Thoughtful Thursday I will be sharing my recap for the month of November for how my no buy year has been going. I usually share the last Thursday of the month, but since last week was Thanksgiving I did not share at all, so I decided I would share today. I will be sharing a wrap up on my overall thoughts on how the no buy year affected me, and what I plan to do moving into 2026 the first Thursday in January. But for today I will share how I did in November.

Y’all, these last few months have been a true struggle! Okay, let’s be real – half the year has been a struggle! One of my brothers got married in the month of November and they had a dress code – everyone was instructed to wear black. I thought it was a bit odd, but let me tell you it looked so classy! Even though I have in my rules that I can purchase items for events, I thought to myself – I have several black dresses to choose from, there is no reason I need to purchase another black dress. So, I found the outfit I wanted to wear to the wedding, but then I thought to myself – what jacket will I wear? They were getting married in Indiana in November, so I definitely needed a jacket. Living in Texas, I don’t have very many jackets and I didn’t have any jackets warm enough and nice enough to wear to a wedding. WELL, there is a jacket that I have honestly been wanting all year. It is a khaki colored trench coat. At the beginning of the year I was keeping track of the items I wanted to purchase but did not, and this trench coat was on the list. You can probably guess by now that I decided to purchase the coat since I did not purchase a dress. It is amazing how easy it becomes to justify spending! With all that said, I really do love this coat and it is versatile. I also wore it with jeans and I got a lot of compliments on it!

Me with my four sisters at our brother’s wedding!

BUT, this was not my only slip up in the month of November. UGH! Ya’ll, it truly pains me to confess this… but you know what, I am keeping it real here. My birthday was the day before Thanksgiving and of course many stores already had black Friday sales going on. There is a pair of boots that I have actually been wanting for years, but the exact ones I wanted are the Frye brand and way too expensive for what I would usually spend on a pair of shoes – even the used ones I found on Poshmark were too expensive, BUT one of my favorite stores had a similar boot ON SALE! Not only was it cheaper to begin with, but also on sale! AND it got me! There is still a chance I will return them as I need to try them on with a few outfits to see if I really love them. They just came in the mail yesterday.

I feel so frustrated with myself that I have really failed almost every month since June! I know a year is a really long time to do a no buy, and I know I wasn’t going out and buying tons, just a piece here and there, but my perfectionist personality is irritated with my failure! I keep thinking about why this is such a pull for me? I want to be content with what I already have, and I have plenty! It makes me wonder about a deeper root issue in my heart. Spoiler for what I will share in my final recap: I will not go back to buying whatever in 2026. I might not do a full on buy nothing year again, but I do still need to deal with my heart and why I have a desire to purchase or have new things.

As I evaluate my heart, I realize a lot of why I like new clothing in particular is because it is a creative outlet for me. I love fashion, and putting together outfits and I really have my whole life. When I was younger, I grew up with four sisters and my parents were both teachers, so we didn’t have a lot of disposable income for me to get what I wanted. Not that I spend frivolously as an adult, but we are comfortable financially, making it easier to spend. If I look at it from a more sinister perspective, I think in my heart I may not be content with what I have, which in my opinion needs to be dealt with. I will talk more about all of this in my next recap which will happen the first week in January! But for now, that is all I have to share for the month of November!

Here is the YouTube video I shared in conjunction with this blog post!

Why I’m FINALLY Okay With Not Creating a Capsule Wardrobe

/ OrganizedWithJoy / 2 Comments

I discovered minimalism over 5 years ago, and ever since have read books and blog posts, watched YouTube videos, and listened to podcasts related to this topic. I am interested in the idea of living with only the things I find useful or love, but I don’t think I want to label myself a minimalist. I think there are too many people out there who have a specific definition of minimalism – a certain number of items in your home from clothes to dishes.

One of the things I have struggled with over the years contemplating how to carry out minimalism in my life is the fact that I do own quite a lot of clothes, shoes, and accessories. I have tossed around the idea of creating a capsule wardrobe, and it has been an appealing concept to me. Just recently I did yet another closet declutter, and during that process I decided that I am okay with abundance in this area of my life. I enjoy clothes, putting together creative and fun outfits, and asserting my personality through my style. I understand the value in it, and appreciate the decision of others who have capsule wardrobes, but it is just not for me! Today, I wanted to share 5 reasons why I’m FINALLY okay with not committing to a capsule wardrobe.

{{ONE}} I like choices. When it comes to my clothes, shoes, and accessories I like to have choices. I get bored easily with wearing the same thing over and over. If I have a variety of choices, I am less likely to get bored with the pieces included in my wardrobe. I know variety can lead to extra time in the closet, staring at your clothes feeling like you have nothing to wear. But, I truly love and feel amazing in all the clothes that I own. I just don’t overthink it, because I know I will love anything I grab! Also, I wear somewhat of a uniform everyday. That cuts down on the decision making process as well, because I know the basic pieces I am choosing each day.

{{TWO}} I love fashion! Clothes are a creative and artistic expression in my life. I love making things beautiful, whether that’s in my home with cozy decor, in my job organizing a space, or in the outfits I choose to put together. Finding pieces that go together in a creative and unique way is fun for me – almost like a hobby. Adding accessories is the finishing touch!

{{THREE}} It doesn’t make financial sense to me. One of the main things holding me back from pulling the trigger on creating a capsule wardrobe is having regret about getting rid of items and then needing to replace them. I have gotten rid of a lot of clothes over the years, and sold a good bit on Poshmark. I have very rarely regretted the things I let go, however this would be a different situation getting rid of so much! In addition to that, I think if I pared my wardrobe down, it would make it more tempting for me to go shopping. I would get easily bored with the few pieces that I kept, and be longing to mix things up.

{{FOUR}} My closet is big enough. On a practical level, I do have a good sized closet which easily houses the number of clothes I currently own. I do have a fixed number of hangers, and so for that reason I will need to continue to do what I call the “one in, one out rule” in which if I bring something new into my closet I have to get rid of something so all of my items have a hanger or space.

{{FIVE}} Ultimately I am choosing freedom over oppressing myself with some “set of minimalism rules.” Minimalism should not be something that is oppressive. It is something that should actually BRING freedom to your life! I know for a lot of people, they don’t care about clothes. They have other outlets for artistic expression. So, creating a capsule wardrobe for them absolutely makes sense. They don’t like daily putting together outfits, so the capsule wardrobe gives them freedom. For me, there are other ways that I have implemented minimalism into my life, and that has brought freedom into those areas.

Let me know if you have a capsule or minimalist wardrobe, and if so if these reasons make sense to you even if you don’t adopt the same choices.