The Great Clothing Freeze of 2015.

How are you going to remember 2015? Will the year be remembered for the many weather records that were broken? Or for the records broken by you? For me, 2015 will go down as the year I went on a Clothing Freeze.

Clothing Freeze of 2015: No new clothes for a year!

What is a Clothing Freeze, exactly? I think it’s different for everyone who does one. I initially got the idea from "And Then We Saved" as they suggest doing a Spending Fast. My Clothing Freeze was a halt on any and all clothing spending. No new scrubs for work. No new workout clothes. Basically, no new clothes. Just like in 2010, the year I didn’t wear jeans, I didn’t tell many people about my goal until I had survived at least six months of it. Just in case I failed. I hate failing, and I really hate other people knowing how hard I failed. But here’s the thing: I did fail. Twice.

I bought a new outfit for an interview I had in March, and I bought a new dress for a wedding in October. And while I’m not so proud of those moments, I’m proud I didn’t buy anything on the other 363 days of 2015. I hold myself to such a ridiculous standard that I literally just used the word “fail” to describe my 363/365. (Which by the way is a 99.45% - an “A” by any standard.) At one point, I considered extending the Clothing Fast to make up for those two days. But, I realized that the 363 days when I didn’t buy any clothing meant more than the two days when I did. Maybe I didn’t do a perfect Clothing Freeze, but I did do a hell of a good job trying. And trying wasn’t an easy process.

Think hard about what a Clothing Freeze would mean in your world. What would you struggle with the very most? When you go on vacation, do you like to commemorate that vacation with a “Steamboat Springs” sweatshirt? Do you like buying new hats, scarves, and mittens in winter/flip-flops in spring/swimsuits in summer/jeans in fall? Do you like to buy a new outfit for special occasions? Because, I do. I like having new clothes; it’s true! So the Clothing Freeze was a hard task for me.

And maybe I didn’t do it perfectly. But I did it! And my family, friends, and coworkers knew about it (before July). And I’m proud of my attempt at a full year of no shopping.  So, 2015 is going to be the year I not only did a great job with a Clothing Freeze, but also the year I quit punishing myself for slip ups.