No New Clothes 2014 Challenge

Last year, for Lent, I decided to give up buying new clothes. (You can read about that experience here).
After the experience, I toyed with the idea of giving up new clothes for a longer period of time, but the Target clearance racks sang their siren song, and I couldn't make up my mind to do it. Plus, I wanted to be able to blog about it, because it's much easier to keep resolutions when they are made publicly. This year, we need to save some extra money, and I was frankly shocked when I started looking through my bank statements at clothes-shopping expenses. I do not buy expensive items, but those clearance items really add up, especially when they become a compulsion, which they seem to have done. So I knew 2014 was the right time to begin my No New Clothes 2014 Challenge. 

Here are the rules:

1. No new clothes! (With some exceptions; see below)
2. Shoes, accessories, and underwear don't count. (Not that I'd tell the whole interwebs about my underwear.) For me, these items are less tempting, so they don't represent a big percentage of my spending. Plus, the right shoes or accessories can completely change an old outfit.
3. I may spend gift card money on new clothes. The point, after all, is to save money. My spending, however, must meet the following requirements:

• The item may be a staple that no longer fits or is damaged beyond my meager abilities to repair; or
• The item may be an important addition to my wardrobe for a particular lifestyle need such as work wear or clothing for a special occasion.
• I must first make every effort to make new clothes, or repair or refurbish clothing I already own before buying, unless the cost of doing so is far greater than the cost of buying something.

4. If the requirements listed above are met, but I'm out of gift card money, I may shop at thrift stores, but this should be a last resort.

5. I may accept clothing as a gift or hand-me-down.

6. I will set aside the money that I normally spend on clothes in order to save it.

I don't know if I can do it all year, but I'm certainly going to try. Anyone want to try with me? You could use these rules, or make a set of your own with your own personal exceptions, restrictions, and time limit (1 month, a quarter, etc.). If you do decide to join the challenge, let me know in the comments section, below. You could consider blogging about your progress, too, so we could all encourage each other.

(See Part 2 of No New Clothes Challenge, Here)