I’m excited to announce a new 4-week challenge for the month of February! Read on to get the details on what I’m up to and how to join in.
The “why” behind the challenge
It’s no secret that I love to talk about style, exciting new products, and great deals. I use this blog to highlight what I love about the clothes I wear and the products I buy. I love to highlight how having those things can make my life better, and maybe yours too. But once my shopping habit starts controlling me, it’s not fun anymore, and it’s definitely not making my life better.
I know firsthand how easily it is to get carried away with the latest and the greatest. I know how easily I can get sucked in to the never-ending stream of newness. It’s so easy to lose perspective on what’s fun and positive and instead shift into compulsive, mindless shopping.
But it’s not about buying more, more, more all the time. Sometimes you need to take a step back and remind yourself of why you’re buying before you automatically hand over your credit card. Sometimes you need to pause for a hot minute to cultivate gratitude for what you already have.
That’s exactly what this month’s challenge is all about. I want to take a month to reset my perspective. I want to make a consistent effort to be a more mindful shopper and a more grateful one, too.
With that out of the way, let’s talk about the challenge itself! This challenge has two parts. I chose to make it a double-header because they really go hand-in-hand! If you like, feel free to participate in just one half or the other if that’s what works best for you.
SYC Challenge #1: Spending Freeze
Oh yes, the February spending freeze is back! I did a spending freeze in February of last year and many of you joined in, and I would love for even more of you to jump in this year. I’ve done a few spending freezes and I’ve never regretted a single one!
The basic rule of this challenge is that you hit pause on your discretionary spending for the whole month of February.
It’s up to you to define “discretionary spending” and what is allowed or out of bounds for you. At the bare minimum, I encourage you to set your shopping budget to zero, or to a very small number if zero seems overwhelming.
For me, pausing my spending means that if I don’t really need it in some way, I don’t spend. I don’t limit my freezes to just shopping, I also extend it to other kinds of spending, like entertainment. Anything that requires me to pull out my wallet, I ask myself: “do I really need this?” Or, at the very least: “can I get by without this until March?”
A few things I don’t buy during my freezes: clothes, shoes, spa treatments, beauty products, eating out, movies…
What I do allow myself to buy during my freezes: groceries, toiletries, dog care, gym membership, home necessities like laundry detergent, pre-planned gifts, pre-planned travel expenses…
A big key to success with a spending freeze is thinking through the pitfalls and the grey areas you’ll face, and planning for them now. For example, last year we had some houseguests in the middle of February. I decided in advance that I would buy fresh flowers like I usually do for guests. But I stuck strictly to that and didn’t let myself go crazy with buying home decor or whatever else. As another example, this year, I have a friend who’s about to have a baby, so I have a maximum budget in mind that I’ll use to get her a gift. By planning ahead, I can still feel like a kind friend without feeling guilty about the spending freeze and without losing control of the goal of the spending freeze.
Take a few minutes to write out a list of what’s allowed for your spending freeze and what’s off limits, including specific examples that you expect to face. Refer to that list all throughout the month to stay on track!
I use my Commit30 planner to track my monthly goals and progress toward them. If you want to use a similar tool, the folks at Commit30 have a printable PDF of their 30-day challenge tracking sheet. You can print one off for free here if you’d like to use it during this month’s challenge.
Related reading: The Benefits of Doing a Month-Long Spending Freeze
Note: through the month of February, I’ll still be posting about some new products and recommendations this month. I have a lengthy backlog of styles to review that I’ve already purchased. So don’t be dismayed if you see a post featuring a recent purchase. I bought everything before February, and I’m not buying anything new during the challenge, pinky promise! ;)
SYC Challenge #2: Closet Remix
The second part of the challenge is new to me, and I hope it will be more fun than the first half!
For the month of February, I challenge you to not repeat ANY outfits. Once you wear something once, put it away and don’t wear it again until you’ve worn everything else in your closet. Instead of looking for new outfits in stores, shop for new outfits in your own closet.
I already have a very minimal wardrobe for non-active clothing, so I’m focusing on doing this challenge for my workout wardrobe. Feel free to apply this challenge to any/all areas of your closet that you think need it.
The most basic version of this challenge is not to repeat the same outfit combination for a whole month. Use the clothes you have and remix them into new combinations over and over, even when you think you’re out of ideas.
The more intense version of this challenge is not to repeat any of the same items at all. For example, if you have 28 pairs of leggings, I challenge you to wear all 28 this month, no repeats! Same goes for your tops, sports bras, shoes, jackets, and whatever else is in your closet. Once you’ve gotten through everything in one category, then you can go back and repeat.
An important caveat: function should always come first! For example, if I’ve already cycled through all my high-support sports bras but haven’t worn any of my low-support bras yet, I’m going to repeat a high-support bra if that’s what I need for the workout I’m doing. Likewise, I’m not going to wear a light jacket when it’s freezing outside just because I’ve already worn all my winter coats. Don’t wear something that doesn’t make sense just to prove a point and stick to the “rules.”
But with that in mind, push yourself outside of your comfort zone in terms of style. Try to come up with new, adventurous combinations. Even if you don’t feel like wearing your purple top and you want to wear your blue one again, make a conscious effort to wear the purple one anyway. Make a point to try to wear everything you possibly can. Look for ways to make it work. (Side note: this can also reveal the styles don’t truly make you happy to wear!)
The closet remix is a fantastic antidote to the urge to shop. Instead of getting distracted by what’s new, focus on seeing what you already own with new eyes.
Join the challenge
I would love for you to join me for a month of resetting our shopping habits, practicing gratitude, and cultivating creativity with our personal style.
Remember, there are no absolute rules for this challenge. I encourage you to modify this challenge into whatever fits your personal situation. Choose your own personal rules that are challenging but not completely overwhelming and impossible. You want to stretch your comfort zone, but you don’t want to set yourself up for failure. Only you can decide where that sweet spot is.
Every week during the challenge, I’ll write a post sharing my outfits from the week to show you how I’m remixing my own closet. I’ll also share tidbits about how the challenge is going with tips and encouragement. Feel free to use the comments section of these weekly posts to check in and share your own successes, struggles, and discoveries.
Do you want to feel more gratitude and less guilt when you step inside your closet? If so, I hope you’ll join me starting February 1st!
I want to do this! Over Christmas I have bought an insane amount of gymwear. Yes it makes me Very happy but I now have so much. Also the idea of coming up with new combos I hadn’t thought of will be fun!
Yes I’ve gotten lots lately too, a lot of which hasn’t gotten worn because I got so much new at once! Definitely time for a breather. :) Glad you’ll be joining us!
yess!! i need it soo badly! and i totlaly agree about the wardrobe remixing. i recently relooked at my clothes and was surprised by the number of items i have NOT worn and are in pristine condition… yet i have this urge of buying things esp when they are on sale :(
Yup I feel you there! I was also surprised by how many things I had only worn once or twice, or I hadn’t worn in months! Time to show them some love. :)
Gosh I’ve missed a lot of posts in January but am definitely up for the February challenge. I remember readin about your spending freeze last year and closet clear out series. They were some of my favourite posts. I spent an enourmous amount of money on high end spandex last year and getting rid of lightly used gym wear. I even created an eBay account after reading your tips!! My New Years resolution was actually to challenge my self from Jan to June spending freeze on clothes and actually spend time enjoying what I bought and enjoy being fit! The only thing I allowed my self was 1-2 high support bras, I really would t want to compromise protecting the ladies properly! Really looking forward to your Feb posts AA and everyone’s tAke on the challenge
Oh yeah, sports bras are definitely a worthy exception if you need them. And I’m so glad the closet clean-out posts were helpful! I hope your freeze keeps going well in February and beyond. :)
Great challenge! I’m going to do my darndest to partake in this challenge! Can’t wait to see some of your outfit ideas. This past month I’ve also sold a lot of old activewear that I never wear anymore. It’s fun to make space in the closet!
Hooray, glad to have you on board, Jen! I agree, I love making space in my closet. It feels good to get down to just what I LOVE. :)
Your closet cleaning project has helped me become a pretty productive seller. I did purchase plenty of activewear last year but I am definitely more selective. The $ recouped helps too. I am at the point that I am pretty happy with what I have even though I still have way more than I need, lol. Yes, I will join the February ban and the closet remix, perhaps with the exception of the SS Indian Ocean Swiftly. I bought and returned the LS so I will use the refund toward the purchase if we ever get it. Like others, I am looking forward to your outfit ideas.
That’s awesome! That was exactly my purpose in creating those guides, so I’m glad it worked for you. It always feels good to get some $ back in your pocket. Glad you’ll be joining us for the challenges! :)
I’m in! I love all of this, but I have to say I am definitely more confident in my ability to stick to the second half of the challenge over the first ;) Either way, looking forward to giving both a shot!
My hope is that the second part will be a sufficient distraction that the first part won’t seem so bad! ;) Good luck, and I’m happy you’re joining in!
I’m in!! At least I’m going to try… ;) You’ll need to be making lots of motivational posts!!
Hooray! I hope we can all keep each other on track. :)
I’m up for this challenge too! I think it’s a great idea. I’m most interested in seeing how much time I’ll save. In the past I’ve spent a lot of time hunting for a particular item in a particular cut, color or style, then tracking down my size (sometimes going on multiple trips multiple stores) or ordering items then returning them, buying something to match that other new thing I just bought. Even my partner has commented on the time factor. Plus, February is the shortest month so it’s a good choice! I’m with you, I even told a couple of people that I’m on this challenge so no backing out now. Just the necessities.
That’s soooo true. I also spend a lot of time stalking sites, pining after things I want, looking for better deals, taking things in and out of my cart… Also, I know I spend a lot of time packaging up returns on not-quite-right items, too. I’m looking forward to spending more time on other things, too. Also yes, February being the shortest months is totally on purpose. ;)
Yay! I actually already committed to my own challenge for Jan/Feb, which is similar, but instead of no spending, I keep my fun credit card (yes I have a separate one) balance at zero. So, I can spend whatever money I make from eBay sales or returns, but should have no balance to pay for two full CC cycles. I am trying this approach because I think it is more long-term sustainable for me (eg, I could do it every other month forever and not feel like I was “fasting”). Plus so far, it has really helped me decide how much I really want something (I have to prioritize big time), and it helps me get rid of stuff that I don’t wear. So far it’s going well! I will definitely be enjoying you and your readers’ company with regard to limiting spending in general next month and I will TOTALLY do the second half as written. I have a terrible habit of wearing the same dang thing for days on end. I work at home and if it’s a cute outfit and laying right there from the day before, I just put it on again. Eventually I end up getting toddler snarf of some sort on it and then I proclaim it officially “dirty” and move on to a new outfit. So yeah… I will get dressed in something new every day of Feb!
P.S. One of my very few and well-earned (from all my eBay selling efforts) purchases in January was the Charli Cohen laser leggings. They arrived today and I really really like them. They are not at all what I expected though. They seem more like tight pants to me than leggings/tights… a lot like the pants I wore clubbing when I was 20 (in a good way). The thick waistband with drawstrings (actual strings, not an elastic loop), and the way the knee and down is just a tad loose in a cute way, not in a too-big way, and just their general look is very chic night out more than work out to me. I will wear them for all things except clubbing cause I am not such a clubber these days (ha) because they are super cute and very very comfy. Oh and you mentioned you are worried about the knee area – it hits me slightly high even though I’m relatively tallish (5’7″), so you would probably be fine in that regard. I got a M (bigger of my 2 sizes) after consultation with their customer service. I’m very happy with the fit, but I think a S would have been fine too – just more compressy.
I meant to add, in case you or anyone else is interested in the CC laser leggings… I got them directly from the CC website. They are MUCH cheaper, plus there is an email subscription discount, no tax, and free shipping (I paid about half what I would have paid on c38).
Nice job!! ;) They must have steep import costs and/or a not-so-great wholesale discount. Most C38 brands are priced comparable to the brands’ own site, but I’ve noticed a couple from overseas can be a bit pricey.
Yes, I really like that strategy! When faced with a decision of whether you like a new thing well enough to get rid of your old things, you *really* learn what you love and what’s just a passing impulse. When I was semi-unemployed (well, under-employed I suppose) that’s how I ended up purging a bunch of my not-so-great stuff. I realized I’d rather have one new pair of leggings than 2 or 3 of my old pairs, since sometimes that’s what it took to get to that “break even” point. It was definitely an illuminating exercise! And I agree, it’s definitely long-term sustainable too.
Thanks for the Charli Cohen review, too! I’m glad you chimed in because I wouldn’t have expected any of the things you mentioned either! I’m holding off on them for now (obviously…) but will be watching the brand for sure.
You and PetiteImpact have talked me into Frugal February. I’ve bought plenty of things I love in the last 6 months, and need to start getting them into my rotation more. Plus we booked a trip to Spain for March 2-18th, so this will help me save up for fun adventures and shopping on the trip (which will end up being much more rewarding, I’m certain). I actually think it will be really easy for me not to repeat items, so instead I’m going to try on things I haven’t worn in a long time and if I don’t love them, sell or donate them (Konmari style). I have the additional motivation that my boyfriend has promised me a custom closet as long as I commit to fitting all of my clothes into it when everything is clean. So yay, no unnecessary shopping in February! Can’t wait to see your posts and to have a group to support this.
Sounds like perfect timing! It’s always nice to have a little funds saved up before a trip, it can definitely help with any stressing or guilt factor about the expense of a trip. And like you mentioned, it’s nice to go through things and see what is/isn’t working for you anymore. I’ve already found a couple things that I think I can safely say goodbye to. P.S. Definitely jealous of your custom closet. ;)
strategic choice of month, too. bought too much winter stuff, and spring stuff isn’t out yet. very wise.
Precisely! You read my mind. ;)