Confession

Confession: I consume way too much stuff.

I take, buy, and eat more than I need. I over-consume. We've talked about this, I know. But it has hit me afresh.

Many Americans are over-consumers. Myself included. I think pretty much all of us recognize the problem and its many, many ramifications. Many of us don't want to consume so much stuff, and we try not to, but we fall back into our well-trod path

Is this you? This is me.

Over-consumerism has become ingrained in our cultural identity, like pasta with Italy, safaris with Africa. I don't think it was always this way, but somehow instant gratification and getting so much of what we want became the norm.

Somehow I chose to let it become my norm.

This is definitely not how my parents taught me to spend! They taught me to be frugal. Just buying something on sale is not frugal. Buying what you need and a little of what you want; that is frugal.

I've been paring down the stuff all over our house. This cleaning out of home has been equally a decluttering of mind and heart. The list of what we no longer have is really long.

The list of what I have acquired new, however, is atrocious.

I'm about to show you a very scary picture. The faint of heart should avert their eyes.

All other purchases aside, these are the clothes I bought and those that were given to me this year.

THIS YEAR!

Do I dare tally the tanks, sweaters, and dresses for you? Oh, what the heck.

{8 sweaters, 5 dresses, 3 skirts, 1 scarf, 3 shorts, 3 jeans, 1 pair khaki pants, 1 pair sandals, 2 belts, 5 tanks, 6 undies, 1 pajama pant, 2 nighties, 4 bras, 3 socks, 2 pairs running shorts, 4 running shirts, 1 sports bra, 1 fleece coat, 22 shirts}

78 new things.

The grain of salt you can take with this is that I did need to buy a lot of new clothes. After losing 15 pounds, very few of my old clothes fit. What you see here is around 80% of my closet.

Hopefully -and I really think it's true- a regular year would have me consuming 50-75% less.

Grain of salt taken, this is still so many clothes! For one person. For one year.

And this is what I bought used. One single, solitary pair of jeans for $7. It just makes me wonder what good could have been done with the money saved from not buying so many clothes in the first place or buying more of them used.

In the name of transparency, let's dig deeper. Please Father God let me not be the only ridiculous person who needs this lesson desperately.

Approximate spending:

8 sweaters x $15 each = $120

5 dresses x $30 each = $150

3 skirts x $20 each = $60

1 scarf x $10 each = $10

3 shorts x $15 each = $45

3 jeans at ($30 x 2) + ($7 x 1) = $67

1 pair khaki pants x $20 = $20

1 pair sandals x $35 = $35

2 belts x $13 = $26

5 tanks x $8 = $40

6 undies x $3 = $18

1 pajama pant x $5 = $5

2 nighties x $15 = $30

4 bras x $35 = $140

3 socks x ($5 x 2) + ($0 x 1 gift pair) = $10

2 pairs running shorts x $20 = $40

4 running shirts at ($0 x 3 "free" race shirts) + ($10 x 1) = $10

1 sports bra x $40 = $40

1 fleece coat birthday present x $165 = $165 (I'm still counting this because the cost came from my shared account with Husband.)

23 shirts at average of ($15 x 20) + ($0 x 3 gift shirts) = $300

--------------------------

=$1,331

Have mercy on me, please. Let's say this ridiculous total is the amount to buy one brand new, basically-from-scratch wardrobe for an average woman who obviously has more than her needs met. Truly, aside from old t-shirts and a few pairs of pants left over from college, I had about ten other things that fit. The wardrobe total doesn't seem as crazy when you consider I don't usually replace my wardrobe every single year.

Remember, hopefully a regular year would have me consuming 50-75% less. I know this is true. While I've always had a vice for new clothes, I really, truly don't usually spend or buy this much. And I really needed clothes that I would feel good in, in my new self. For these reasons, I don't feel as guilty.

However, it's still $333-665!

$300-600 for something that we don't actually even have a line item for on our budget. We've just included it somewhere between $50 miscellaneous and ____(apparently the cottage fund)____. We need to fix this.

Let's think more reasonably. What clothes could I reasonably need to replace in a given year? Remember, I'm working from home so I won't need to purchase dress clothes for a long time. I only wear my current ones about once a week.

Projected spending:

1 pair jeans x $30 = $30

2 bras x $30 = $60 (I need good ones, but I can save a bit by buying them on clearance.)

4 shirts (1 per season) x $30 = $120

Socks, underwear, & accessories = $30

-------------------

= $240

That sounds much better to me, -doable- and it's only 18% of what I spent this year.

Why all the transparency? Why the juicy confession?

Because the budget doesn't lie.

Here at the end of the year is where I'm starting to see my poor choices add up. We have a lot of unexpected expenses right now for the move and our vehicles. In other years our budget always had cushion to absorb these extra expenses, but apparently not The Year Brooke Bought A New Wardrobe. Luckily our savings account is stronger than ever, but it just stinks to have to pull from there when we've worked so hard to build it up.

Because being responsible with what I've been given is important to me,

I have plenty of clothes now until they become worn out, and

I want to try a new approach.

I want to buy what I truly need, and only occasionally what I want. I want to replace only those clothes that become worn out.

So I took this pledge.

And this next year will not be characterized by consumerism but by contentment.

I will practice contentment.

"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what is is to have plenty. I have learned the secret to being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want." Philippians 4: 11-13

"Keep your lives free from love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." Hebrews 13: 4-6