Why I Will Never Own a Uniform Wardrobe Again

The minimalist community is talking about wardrobes again. As warm weather arrives we are evaluating our "summer" clothing. One of my favorite bloggers, Joshua Becker from Becoming Minimalist, posted this piece today, in an attempt to convince his readers to adopt a uniform wardrobe: http://www.becomingminimalist.com/wear-one/. The other very popular minimalist wardrobe, the 333 capsule wardrobe, has an explanation here: http://theproject333.com/.

For those of you who don't feel like reading, here is the abbreviated version. Project 333 challenges you to reduce your wardrobe to 33 pieces of clothing for 3 months. At the end of those 3 months, you reevaluate your clothing, deciding what worked well, what will work with the upcoming season and adjusts accordingly. The uniform wardrobe takes this process one step further. The idea is, if you wear the same thing every day, it reduces the time and energy spent each morning deciding what to wear. Now people do not literally wear the same clothing everyday. The idea is to have 4 pairs of similar pants and 8 tops, maybe a few sweaters or scarves.

As I began my minimalist journey, I am embarrassed to admit I owned over 100 pieces of clothing. My first goal was to own under 100 pieces. Six months after paring down to 100 pieces, I couldn't remember what I had purged. Those clothes had no meaning to me. Seeing less in my closet every morning made me happier. My mornings were easier with fewer clothes to comb through. I took the next step, a capsule wardrobe. I started project 333, but instead of reevaluating every 3 months, I reevaluate every 6 months. I live in a climate which is warm 6 months, and cooler the other 6 months, and never really frigid. This next step in my minimalist journey was again a success. I felt freer, having even fewer clothes to comb through in the morning. As long as I do laundry once/ week, I never lack for anything to wear. I figured, if owning less than 100 was freeing and then owning 33 was freeing, time to take the next step: a uniform wardrobe. I pared my wardrobe down to 2 pairs of blue jeans and a pair of black jeans. I kept 8 short sleeved shirts and 4 tanks to layer underneath them. I kept 3 scarves and 2 short sleeved cardigans. I kept 3 dresses in case of a wedding, funeral or other special occasion, but I even began wearing jeans to church.

I hated the uniform wardrobe. Were my mornings easy? Sure. Put on a pair of jeans, tank and shirt. But really how is that any easier than it was when I owned a larger variety? How is it any easier to put on a pair of jeans and shirt than it is to put on a cute skirt and shirt? I had not gained anything between my capsule wardrobe and my uniform wardrobe. But I had lost something. I lost my spark. I lost the ability to express what I was feeling by what I was wearing. On a sunny spring day I love to throw on a skirt and there is a bounce in my step. On a rainy day I wear a hoody and my clothes reflect those feelings. With a uniform wardrobe, everyday is exactly the same. I also saw other people in their cute clothes and wished I were wearing them. Then I realized I could be again. I tried the uniform wardrobe for 6 months. I will never do it again. This weekend I went out and bought 3 super cute dresses. They look happy. I cannot look at that orange and denim dress at the top of this post and not smile. I am not making my wardrobe larger. I am just putting the feeling back in the way I dress. I will be getting rid of the three dresses I had to make room for my new dresses. I plan to give away some of my plain short sleeved shirts and buy some colorful blouses and tunics. Is this less minimalist? Personally, I don't think so. 33 pieces is 33 pieces. And 33 is not a magic number. Some minimalists may disagree. Another reason I choose to live the moderately minimalist life.

Weekend Happenings

Shopping makes me a wreck. I get rid of everything that I don't use or love. That puts a lot of pressure on a shopping trip. If I don't end up loving and using what I purchase, it is a complete waste of money. I would prefer not to have to shop at all. But that isn't reality. In reality things break down and need replaced. Specifically, a pair of cloth brown ballet shoes wore a hole in the toe. Since those were the only shoes that matched my brown tone skirts, I haven't been wearing them. At this point, I either need new shoes or the skirts have to go. Since it is almost summer, I bought an inexpensive pair of flip flops that will do the job.

Tomorrow my husband and I have a date planned. He suggested I buy a new dress for the date. One of my favorite dresses has developed an issue with the seam. The dress is really too old to make repairing it make sense. So tomorrow I am meeting a friend at the Dress Barn. I love my friend's style. Everything she wears looks great on her. She says she isn't great at fashion, she just knows what looks good on her. I am hopeful that having her with me will make the trip more enjoyable. I am also aware that it might make me feel like I need to buy something just to make her feel good about coming with me. I cannot do that. If I don't love it, it will just sit in the closet. And I don't allow things to just sit in the closet. So as you can see this shopping trip is already giving me anxiety.

I have some friends who are not minimalists. They accuse minimalists of being even more focused on things than them. And in some ways they are right. I am much more aware of what I own than my average friend. So why do it at all? I also have more extra time and a cleaner house than my average friend. The decisions we make in life come with positives and negatives. Most days minimalism brings me more positives. But some days, like tomorrow, I have to face a negative. So shopping I will go, in hopes of finding the perfect dress for me.

"Minimalists don't do that."

I love painting my nails. Twice this week I have been given the side eye. You know the look people give sometimes, like you just grew a third head and they are looking at you from the side. As Christina gave me the side eye, she said, "I can't believe you did your nails. It doesn't seem like a very minimalist thing to do." Christina's issue with nail painting is probably the amount of stuff she thinks I need to keep them looking nice. Last night the comment came from a fellow minimalist, Jaime. Every time she sees my nails done, she says she doesn't consider it minimalist. Last night she asked me how much time I spend on my nails. To Jaime, spending time on unimportant things in not minimalist. Allow me to tell you why I believe they are wrong. Why that thinking can even be hypocritical.

How many people do you know that wake up, get out of bed and walk into the world looking like they did when they woke up? OK maybe that wouldn't be very sanitary. How many people do you know that walk around looking like they just stepped out of the shower? It takes time to dry your hair, comb it, straighten it, curl it. It takes time to put on make up, which Jaime does wear. So she is already spending time making herself look nice. My nails take 45 minutes every 10 days. That is an additional 5 minutes/ day when you average it out. As to Christina's argument, I am not an extreme minimalist that owns 2 outfits. I own 33 pieces of clothing per season. Not just to keep myself from having to wear dirty clothes. But because wearing different outfits is pleasing to me and those around me. I am not opposed to having things in order to look nice.

I probably own a lot less nail polish than the average woman who keeps her nails up. I only own a handful of bottles. Currently I have 4 colors, a glitter and a clear top coat. I also have one box of Sally Hansen nail strips. I will not buy another box until this box is gone. So while, I do paint my nails, I do it in a minimalist sort of way. "Minimalists don't do that" doesn't make sense. Minimalism isn't about the number of things you own. Minimalism is about owning things you need and that bring you joy. As people, we find joy in different places. When I look down at my pretty nails, they bring me joy. Therefore, they fit perfectly into my moderately minimalist life.

Weekend Happenings

What is the moderately minimalist family doing this weekend?

Saturday morning our local farmer's market opens for the first time this season. I have never been to a farmer's market. Not as an adult, anyway. I am excited about going somewhere to buy food that doesn't sell toys. I grocery shop at Aldi. They only have 4 aisles. It is a super small grocery store. Yet they still have about 12 feet of toys. I imagine it will be fun to go and look at all the different produce without my children getting distracted by the stuffed animals and action figures. I plan to give them each 5 dollars to pick something out. We will be supporting local farmers, getting higher quality produce and a fun morning activity, all in one trip.

Saturday afternoon we will go to my son's best friend's baseball game. I usually play hide and seek on the play equipment next to the bleachers with my 4 year old. The 10 year old will sit eating homemade trail mix and cheer his heart out. He is super competitive. It is very important to him that his friend wins. I hope the rain holds off until late that afternoon.

Sunday I would love to go to the park. The weather forecast has other ideas. It has been raining for five days now. It is supposed to rain late tomorrow. Rain again Sunday. Rain again Monday. We NEED to get outside. So we will be sneaking out into whatever bits of sunshine we can find. My kids are miserable stuck inside. There is something about being able to run free outside that brings peace and stillness to their hearts.

There is the plan. The only money being spent is on experiences, not things. Memories last, things break down and are gone.

Tsum Tsum

Tsum Tsum. Ever heard of it? I was walking down the aisle in Target and my 4 year old stopped to look at something. It was plush, but I didn't immediately recognize it. It looked a little like a Mickey Mouse stuffed animal that someone had driven over with their car. It was flat and the face was on one end. I walked over and picked it up. The sign said tsum tsum. Yes, the ugliest Mickey Mouse I have ever seen. Why would they make it so squished and ugly?

I came home and googled tsum tsum. I may or may not have rolled my eyes as I read about it. They are supposed to be the next popular thing. They are flat like that so as to be stackable. Of course. Why didn't I think of that? Probably because my children each only have 2 loveys each. The 10 year old has a hippo and a bear that don't receive much love anymore. The 4 year old has a Buzz and a Woody. It would never occur to me to stack them. I would guess you would need at least three in order to stack them well, like a pyramid. The creator of tsum tsums is genius. By sheer nature of the product, for it to be cool, you need several. Most kids have multiple loveys. Now you are going to add at least 3 more? For what purpose? I have no clue. But I have no doubt that the inventor has already made millions. But they won't be making a penny off of the moderately minimalist family. My kids already have two loveys each. And two is enough.

Busy, Busy, Busy

Busyness is contrary to the minimalist lifestyle, but sometimes unavoidable. One day last week I went to the store, a book study, a birthday party, made dinner for my family, then went to a fashion show. I barely sat the whole day. Not everyday is this race of going here and there. The next day I wore my pajamas until noon. Whether I choose it or not, there will be busy seasons of life. These are the times I am so thankful I am a minimalist.

How does the minimalist lifestyle save our family time? I never have to clean out the garage, the attic, or the basement.... Ok truth be told, I don't even have a garage, attic or basement. I don't need one. I don't lose things or waste time looking for them. I don't spend time trying to find the best deal, drive to the store to purchase it, bring it home and clean it, or look for a place to store it. With children, fewer toys means they are able to maintain them on their own. We don't need a day to clean the playroom when all of the toys they own can be picked up in 15 minutes. Possessions take our time.

When we have fewer things, we have more time. More time to do the things that really matter to us. I am currently planning a garden party for May. I am also a storyteller for VBS in early June. I would not be able to do these two events on top of helping my 10 year old with homework, doing preschool with my 4 year old, general house cleaning and maintenance, fixing meals, etc, were it not for minimalism. This is one of the reasons we live the moderately minimalist life. I want to spend my life serving people, not possessions.

Highlights: Top Secret Adventures

I am usually not excited about getting advertisements in the mail, but this week I was pleasantly surprised. Gifts are complicated for everyone when practicing minimalism. The receiver has many concerns. What if the gift isn't something they wish to keep? Will they be able to live through the guilt of giving it away? What if the giver notices? Then there is the concern of the giver. What if the gift isn't appreciated? What if it doesn't pass the standard? What if they are spending money on something that will be given away? Gifts are complicated.

I recommend consumables. Adults are somewhat easy. Many adult gifts are consumable, such as Starbucks gift cards, a bottle of wine, lunch at a favorite restaurant. When it comes to children, the consumables are not as satisfying for the giver, especially grandparents. There are only so many art supplies, play-doh, bubbles and chalk a person can buy. Those items don't cost much to begin with.

All of this explains the delight I found in my mail. It is a flyer from Highlights. They have a series called Top Secret Adventures. They send you a world map and a key chain. Then each month they send you a packet from the country of your choice for 13.95. The packet includes a book, puzzles to solve, and villains to chase. My son loves heroes and villains. This slides in a little education on the side. Once the puzzle is solved, we can donate the book or keep it in our modest collection of books, if we so choose. Best of all, what a perfect gift from a grandparent. A year's supply would be around $150, the price many grandparents spend on birthdays and Christmas. Thank you Highlights!

*This post was not sponsored by Highlights. No promotional gifts were received.