Julie Gumm - Author

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Avoiding Temptation (aka Target)

01.24.2011 by juliegumm@yahoo.com //

One of the biggest things that has helped me during this 12 month no-shopping challenge is to just stay away from temptation. Kind of a no-brainer isn’t it?

I make it a point not to pick up and flip through fashion magazines. I don’t gawk at the celebrity outfits online. (Well, except for the Golden Globes. But really, it was the year of the ugly dress.)

And I haven’t been to the mall since the challenge started.

But Wal-Mart and Target? Well, they can’t be avoided. There are groceries to eat, birthday presents to buy etc. So instead I just avoid the clothing section. Even when I can see those lovely red signs that call to me “Clearance 50% off”.

I have done REALLY well.

Until last week.

The girls get done at school at 3 but the boys have basketball practice until 5. The plan on this particular day was that I would get the girls, take them to Target to get a birthday gift for one of Natalie’s friends and then go home. Mark had a doctor appointment and he would get the boys on his way home.

Have I mentioned that going with your kids to pick out a birthday gift is pretty much like Chinese Water Torture? We looked up and down the toy aisle, then it was over to the jewelry, then over to the purses. Oy!

I had given Natalie the “you got 2 minutes to decide” speech when my phone rang. Mark was running late and needed me to pick up the boys. No problem. But, there was no sense going home at this point so we had another 40 minutes to kill.

In the accessories department of Target.

Where I found this hat.

The exact style I had seen on someone’s blog a couple weeks earlier and thought – “Wow, that’s cute. Wonder what it would look like on me.”

And so I tried it on.

And looked in the mirror.

And realized I had made a major mistake.

I looked good in that hat.

And now since then I have been obsessively thinking about that hat. It was even on clearance for crying out loud.

And this is why you don’t go where you know you will be tempted!

Lesson learned.

Categories // Faith, Financial Freedom Tags // accessories, hat, no shopping challenge, Target

Clothing Diet

11.09.2010 by juliegumm@yahoo.com //

It’s been amazing to me how much I’ve seen on the news in the last few months about “clothing diets”. Turns out there’s a whole group doing the no shopping for a year thing. I’m not sure I’m ready for 6 items for 30 days though.

So we’ve passed the halfway mark. I’m looking forward to getting down the bins of winter clothes. Except of course it’ s not really cold in Phoenix yet. Heck, this week we finally made it down to the 70s for the high. Brrrrr!

There have been a few “special occasions” lately where typically I would have gone out and bought a new outfit, or at least a new top. Instead I got creative with what’s in the closet and my jewelry. Truth is that once you’re at the event you’re having so much fun it doesn’t really matter.

The gauntlet Mark threw down last April was mostly about money. But for me the purpose of this challenge, other than proving to him I can do it, is to truly discover why I shop. What are my motivations behind what I buy and how much I buy?

The first is Boredom with a capital B. I’m not sure if this affects all women or just some but I get tired of the clothes in my closet. Maybe because I’m a somewhat creative person I find more of a “personality outlet” in what I wear. Not sure. But I am getting REALLY sick of the clothes in my closet.

Second is vanity, pure and simple. Which is weird. Because really I’m not the type of person that cares what people think about me. So why am I trying to impress people with what I wear? Still thinking on that one…

Categories // Family Matters, Featured Articles Tags // no shopping challenge

Clothing Challenge Update

08.18.2010 by juliegumm@yahoo.com //

So it’s been 4.5 months of the 12 month “no new clothing” challenge and I figured you guys were due for a little update.

Interestingly in the last month I’ve read a couple of news articles about similar challenges.

The “6 items or less challenge” had about 100 people going 30 days wearing the same basic 6 clothing items (not including socks and underwear). I love this slideshow that illustrates the different looks you can get with the same clothing items.

It’s even catching on in Europe.

Our gypsy lifestyle this summer had me living in the same 7 outfits (re-arranged some) for about 4 weeks. Boring? Yes. Easy? Yes. Didn’t have to think too much about what to wear.

The one potential hitch in our brilliant plan is that in the last several months I’ve lost 11 lbs. Great for me. Not so great for the fit of my pants. Although now there are some pants that I WASN’T wearing before that I am back in. It’s the summer shorts that took the biggest hit and I was only left with about 2 pairs that did not require me to hitch them up every 30 seconds.  (Sorry, I hate belts with shorts.)

I probably could have talked hubby into letting me purchase some new shorts but I’m determined to not take the easy road out.

So this weekend I took out my trusty sewing machine (hubby purchased 17 years ago at a pawn shop for $20) and altered 2 pairs of pants and about 6 pairs of shorts. None of them would pass muster with the Project Runway judges but my t-shirts always cover the waistband anyways.

It has helped that I was given some hand me downs (totally allowed in the rules) from a friend so I have some new tops to mix in my wardrobe.

Plus in about 3 more months I can break into my “winter” (read long sleeves and jeans cuz that’s all a Phoenix winter needs) wardrobe. It’s kind of like having all new clothes again.

Of course the problem with this challenge is that come next April I’m going to be so sick of my entire wardrobe that I want to burn the whole thing and start fresh.

Which would kind of defeat the point.

Right?

Categories // Featured Articles, Financial Freedom Tags // no shopping challenge

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About Me

Writer. Wife. Mother. Traveler. Coffee-addict. Book-lover. Television-Junkie. I love stories. Hearing them, watching them, telling them, living them.

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