I was raised to shop the end-of-season clearance items, shopping one year ahead for the best deal so shopping for clothes before the needed season SHOULD be second-nature to me. Yet as I have been in a semi-constant state of weight gain/loss over the past 10 years I have fallen out of this habit, and instead shop only for what I need when I need it.

Now with my weight loss slowing down a bit, and my clothing goals having shifted from "whatever fits" to "I'd like to LOOK good!" I am working on combining these two shopping habits into something that actually works for me.

I do NOT need to pick up the same shirt in multiple colors just because it fits well & looks good on me. I will invariably choose one favorite color, and rarely wear the others. Likewise it just isn't wise to wait until it's 98 degrees & I have NOTHING in the closet that won't cause heat exhaustion to realize I need summer clothes.

My new shopping habits are to shop for the current and next season only. As of right now, I have finished all of my spring & summer shopping for the year... and have a very short list of things I am wanting already, for this coming fall. I am still shopping the end-of-season clearance clothing, but I am MUCH more careful now. A $4 price tag is awesome, but only if it's attached to perfectly awesome piece of clothing! For me there will be no more stocking up on solid tees in 6 different colors.

My wardrobe has been pared-down over the past year from a tiny dresser positively bulging at the seams with okay-fitting clothes to the same dresser with a little room to spare - and yet because I have chosen my clothes more carefully, I am also dressing better than I have since High School. Who knew? Less really CAN be more - even in clothes!