What I bought and what I learned after a year without new clothes

I can't deny that I was very excited by the prospect of shopping again in the New Year. And I must confess that I technically didn't wait until 2015 to hit the stores. Since part of the goal was to save money, it made sense to go to those after-Christmas sales (Christmas gift cards in hand) for the first of my new clothes purchases. But I did wait until the New Year to wear the new clothes.

I'm afraid the first few things I bought are a bit boring. Thanks to a year of extra wear and my going down a size after the 21-day fix, I needed to replace a few basics.

Here's what I bought:

1. Top Left:The coziest Lou and Grey Sweater from Loft.
2. Bottom Left: Black pants for work, Loft. (similar -- the ones I got on clearance in the store were a bit different and not online)
3. Bottom Center: Madewell T-shirt. (It's closer to a dark navy blue in person.)
4. Bottom and
5. Top Right: Levi's legging jeans in dark blue and black.

I also bought a few random clearance items that I can't find online because they're sold out now. Contrary to what the picture suggests, I did buy some items with color. I'm leaning toward burgundies, greens, plums, and soft, muted rose and lilac colors this season.

Now, here's what I learned:

1. I'm a pickier shopper now. I'm no longer content just buying something because it's discounted and I think I can "make it work." I want it to fit me well, right away; I want it to be high quality; I want it to reflect my personal sense of style; AND I want it to be reasonably priced. It takes a lot of time to find items like that, and my choices above reflect those sensibilities. While everything I purchased above was on sale in some way, and I was able to use Christmas gift money and gift cards, I still spent more than I would have prior to my new-clothes fast, because quality, fit, and classic style were more important to me after a year wearing the same clothes over and over and seeing them wear out.

2. I can turn off that impulse-buy voice. After 12 months of stifling it, my inner "impulse buy" voice doesn't nag me like it used to. I can ignore it and avoid useless purchases. Oh sure, Target clearance racks still call to me, but I'm better now at listening to other voices instead -- voices like "bank account" and "practicality" and "self-expression."

3. I want to get rid of a lot of clothes. It's never been easier to purge my closet. There are some items that I didn't wear once during the whole challenge, so those were the first to go. Then there were the things that I wore a lot that got worn out or that no longer fit; those were tossed and replaced. Finally, there were beloved items that I wore more than I would have before, which I was finally able to let go of after giving them their proper wear or just getting tired of seeing the same things all year.

4. Shopping is just as much about inspiration as actual shopping. While I was out, there were a few specific trends I was looking for that I wanted to try, but because I've grown so picky, I couldn't find what I was looking for. Then I got home and realized I could DIY one of these trends. (I'll share it later -- it's a super easy DIY). This trend was one I wanted to try for much of the year, but couldn't figure out how to do myself. But the process of shopping and trying on clothes gave me the inspiration I needed, and I was just as happy with the DIY version as I would have been with a new purchase. (Even after a year of subbing DIYs for new clothes!)

4. I have more than I need. And I'm deeply grateful.

As I continue into 2015, I want to institute a "1-in-1-out" policy for keeping my closet from overflowing, and I'd like to establish a monthly clothes budget -- something I've never done before now. I hope that those two practices will help me to keep the spirit of my no-new-clothes-challenge into 2015 and beyond.