The "Want" List

I am a shopaholic. There. I said it and the first step is admitting you have a problem. Shopping isn't necessarily the problem, it's spending too much or wasting money on something that I know I don't need or that I am not going to get a lot of use out of. So, to combat this, I've started making a "want" list. (I thought about calling it a "need" list, but let's be real, most of us don't really need more clothes... it's all want.) I'm learning that, much like when you make a trip to the grocery store, if you create a list of the things you want and stick to it, you are much less likely to overspend (well, at least not overspend as much).

Creating your want list can be a lot of fun. I keep a bulletin board on the wall beside my closet and, along with sayings or sweet notes someone has written me, I like to pin up things I see in magazines that I like and would love to wear. I maybe never, and usually never, get anything that I put up there, but it serves as another form of inspiration. I might particularly like one piece in the outfit I pin up and after oogling it for weeks, decide that I would love to have a similar piece in my wardrobe... so begins the want list. (I'll be posting my want list here. Mainly because it really helps me to see links/pictures of things I have my eye on all in one place.)

But wait! Don't add things to your want list just for the sake of adding something or because you just have to have it. Assess what you already have first. Maybe you're lusting over an elegant black top to wear on a date night, but hey, remember that black shirt you wore one time a year ago? It's still sitting at the back of your closet waiting for another debut. So, break it out. Pair it with pants, skirts, shorts, anything, and see how you can make it work for you. It might not match the style you were going for, but at least you gave it a try. Or it could fit exactly what you were looking for and you just saved yourself time and a pretty penny. It's not about over-consuming or denying yourself. It's about assessing what you already own and trying to make it work for you first before you decide to spend money.

I am in the middle of doing just that: assessing what I already own. Especially after this morning. I woke up late, changed outfits at least five times, and still left the house not loving what I decided to wear. I was left with an intense desire to go shopping. Instead, I reminded myself that 1) "You don't have a single dime to spend on clothes right now," and 2) "If you would just organize your clothes and try things in new ways, I bet you'd find an outfit you'd love even more than a new one."

That's my goal for this week: to go through the things I already own before buying anything new with my upcoming paycheck. That way, when I do decide to go shopping, I won't end up spending money on things I don't need or already have and I can have a little more room to buy things that I have had my eye on for a long while (the Gladious skirt at Anthropologie, anyone?). I challenge you guys to do the same. What things have you had your eye on that you might already own? How can you make what you already have work for you?