Decree? What Decree?

I broke the Old-Clothes-Only Decree. Majorly broke it.

Gap had a huge sale.

I couldn't resist.

Target may have also been having a sale.

Do shoes count?

What if it's ordered online and not really bought from a store?


Going to go round up receipts and pretend like I'm contemplating returns now. And then cry. More on this later.



At least I haven't been to Old Navy yet, right?
Crap.

Old-Clothes-Only Decree: Week Six and a Half

I've been lagging in this department, I know. Here it is week six and a half!

This past weekend in Burlington, Vermont I stopped into an adorable record/vintage clothing store, Burlington Records. And I walked away with an adorable button-down top!





This is getting difficult . . . maybe I should just make it for the month of July. What do you think?

Old-Clothes-Only Decree: Week Five

Warning: Confession ahead. Read at your own risk.

I have a confession to make. I really didn't want to, but I need to be truthful. As I committed this scandalous act my only thought was how I was going to break it to the blogosphere. So here goes:

I bought new clothing.

Granted, it was only two pairs of yoga pants and a tee shirt to decorate for the Fourth of July (yes, I can be crafty), but still. I feel kinda let down. By my self. Which is silly. If anyone's going to be letting me down, it shouldn't be me. Oh well. Five weeks is a pretty long time. And it's not like I'm throwing in the towel and giving up. I'm still continuing the OOOD. I just . . . strayed.

Plus, I really don't want to be wearing someone's old sweaty yoga pants. Right? Er, right . . .

So that's that.

Thrift stores, here I come to fill a hole in my heart. I've got cash.

(And plenty more cliches. Cringe.)

Old-Clothes-Only Decree: Week Four

You know, this is really going fabulously. Who knew it'd be so easy to just not buy new clothes? Okay, well I guess it's not really a walk in the park (did I just use a cliche?) but it's not the worst thing I've ever come up with, either.

Think of all the money I'm saving! Think of how many times I've deleted the "Hurry in for 20% off everything in the store!" emails from Gap! Think of all the clothes I would usually have bought and then let sit in my closet because they looked humongously worse than in the dressing room and I'm too forgetful to return them! Think of the environment! The madness!

(However, this week I did purchase an adorable night-dress and a bra. I think those are allowed, right? I really couldn't buy a used bra, I have to draw the line somewhere . . . )

And to top off this one-month-marker, I found a new consignment store! It's just ten minutes from my house and has the greatest stuff. I happened to drive by it and decided to stop in just for a peek, even though I had yogurt in the back seat boiling in the heat of the car. But a new find! I had to go in!

Turns out, it was their very first day open. I think they were really excited to have another customer that afternoon (I was the only one in there). It was a bunch of cute old ladies putting a manequin wearing "PJs and a housecoat" in the window and figuring out how to work the cash register. I found amazing things and can't wait to go back (and I can bring in all my stuff the other store didn't take!). Here's a sampling of what I got:

Vintage skirt, summer sweater, and purse--all for less than $20:

(Note: The skirt has pockets. And it is high-waisted. You really can't go wrong.)

(Are you new to Ruth Writes? Welcome! Be sure to become a follower and check back often for updates--thanks for visiting!)

Old-Clothes-Only Decree: Week Three

Is it Week 3 already? I could have sworn I was just typing up Week 2 the other day . . . No doubt this is how the whole summer will go!

This week I took a new approach to my OOOD. Instead of buying myself clothes, I donated old stuff! (I guess I shouldn't say donated, because really I sold it to them "on consignment," but still, I'm contributing to recycling and reducing my carbon footprint and all that, so it counts.)

I had so much old stuff! I promised myself when I re-did my room I would do away with any clothing I hadn't worn in the past year. It was difficult, but I really needed to let go of the too-tight, green, cargo capris from high school--let's be real. I had an absurd amount of clothing that I've had since I was 14. So off it went to Uptown Consignment and I walked away with my shoulders feeling a little lighter. They even said that to encourage recycling, they let you take 20% off anything if you use any profit from your consignment in the store! That's my kind of place.



I scoured the store for anything good while I waited for them to process my heaps of clothing (they probably thought I was crazy--it took three trips from my car), but it was their two-year anniversary celebration day or something and the store was mobbed with crazy old lady shoppers looking for bargains and taking advantage of the free coffee and brownies (I, of course, abstained--flat bellies don't come from brownies).



Anyways, even though they didn't even take all of my stuff (they said some items looked too "worn"--as if that wasn't the reason I was bringing them to a secondhand shop, but whatever), it was still a very good use of a Saturday morning and now I have a whole empty Rubbermaid container to do with as I like!

Old-Clothes-Only Decree: Week Two

We're getting into the tough part, folks. This is only week two. How many weeks are there in the summer?? My calendar tells me fifteen.

Wait, I have to do this for thirteen more weeks?!@*^!?

It's already been hard enough. The other day, I had to drive past Old Navy (I tried to go around, I swear) and the signs in the window were just too much to bear. NO, I did not break, but man was it difficult. Fifteen dollars for all women's summer dresses? Fifteen dollars? It's like Old Navy knew I was doing this Old-Clothes-Only Decree and wanted to mock me.

Not to mention, I've had to disable the weekly emails I get from Old Navy and Gap through my credit card. Opening my Gmail every week to countless emails taunting me to come to their stores and buy fantastically-priced goodies was just too much.

But I will stay strong. I haven't even purchased any used clothing, so that's something, right?

You're welcome, environment. Two weeks down. Thirteen more to go . . .

Old-Clothes-Only Decree: Week One

Hi guys. I have a confession to make.

I buy too many clothes. I buy things and never wear them again. I buy things and get them home only to realize they don't actually fit. I never return them. I buy things just because they're on sale. Or clearance. I am a bargain shopper to a fault.

This is where it ends.

For the rest of the summer, I hereby vow to not purchase anymore brand new articles of clothing. I figure, there's already so much old clothing out there that no one is using, so why not just wear that? It does seem rather silly for everyone in America to keep purchasing new articles of clothing when really--what happens with the clothing they replace it with? What happens to the outdated styles or skirts you get sick of? It's simple, really--I'll wear it.

That's why for the rest of the summer I am avowed to not buying anything new.

This will be detrimentally difficult.

But I'm going to do it. I've already started this week, purcashing a top and a sweatshirt from a tag sale just this past Saturday:





I'll continue to keep you updated, and try my best to STAY AWAY FROM THE GAP!