Around this time every year, people start saying that in the next twelve months they’re going to make drastic changes in their lifestyle. They’re going to lose 50 pounds, stop drinking coffee, go vegan, spend less money and start taking zumba classes twice a week. Yeah, right. We all know deep down inside that we’re never going to live up to our high expectations for ourselves, and by setting the standards high, we’re also setting ourselves up for failure. By the end of 2012 you’re going to look back on the year and think, “Crap, I did it again. I’m gonna do all those things for real this time.” Yeah, right. Now, I can’t control your life (that might be illegal if we’re being very technical about it) and tell you what your New Year’s resolutions should be but I can push you in the right (read: realistic) direction. As a fashion blogger on a constant budget, there are a few fashion-related things I’m planning on doing this year that you may want to do yourself.
1. Only shop during sales.
The thing that I absolutely love about the wacky way the fashion seasons cycle is that the winter merchandise starts being sold in September, so that by the time it’s December everything is on sale, and it’s finally cold enough to wear it. The same thing happens for the rest of the seasons. That means that there’s no reason why I can’t wait until November to go cray-cray with my wallet if I’m buying cold weather clothing. It doesn’t really get super hot in New York until late June anyway, right?
2. If I must shop during non-sale season, thrift.
I am a strong believer in the magic of thrift shops. I’ve snagged a YSL sweater for six dollars, some flare jeans for four dollars, books for a dollar each, and I once saw a pair of Doc Martens for $28. That fish cray. Some people thing thrift shops are gross, or something outrageous like that, but magic is never gross. Have you ever seen Hogwarts? It’s sparkling clean. …In the common rooms. When Fred and George haven’t been there recently. Whatever. The point is, thrifting is the best invention since sliced bread, so get yourself over to your local Buffalo Exchange (that’s just an example) and get shopping. (Some even help charities, like Housing Works and Salvation Army.)
3. Only buy shoes if I really need them.
I’m not a shoe-aholic or anything, but I have recently become more interested in what goes on my feet. I don’t wear the same shoes every day any more (oh, the regrets of 7th grade). But I did go a little overboard this year: I now have approximately five more pairs of shoes than I did a few months ago (two were gifts, mind you, I didn’t pay a cent for those puppies). That means I don’t need any more until one of them dies, at which point I will hold a funeral ceremony for anyone who’d like to attend. We all know that shoes can often be the most expensive things we buy, but also the first to break. We must shop wisely, and only when needed.
4. Paint my own nails.
I don’t go to salons to get my nails painted more than four times a year anyway (my mom takes me as a mother-daughter bonding experience), but when I don’t have someone else do it for me, my nails often go bare and shiver in the frigid winter air, naked. For some reason I have it in my mind that painting my nails requires a lot of time, when it really doesn’t. I also don’t watch television often, meaning every three weeks, so I sometimes take that time to color my nail beds. Multitasking, people. That’s how I survive. Even though it may distract you a little from your show, it’s well worth the eight dollars saved. That can buy you…a burrito at Chipotle.
5. Make some of my own clothes.
This one might not be as realistic for some of you (if we’re being super honest, it’s not that realistic for me either, but shhhh), but it’s definitely one of my goals for this year. I’ve been doing some sewing in the past few weeks because I had some time off from school, and it reminded me how much I love it. I’ve also been doing oodles and noodles of research for my Pre-fall 2012 and Resort 2012 trend reports for my blog, so I’ve been getting tons of ideas for sketches. If you’re capable of making your own clothes and have the time/materials to do it, go for it. I’ve worn things I’ve made to school before and everyone flips out when they ask where I got it and I tell them, “Me.” It’s great. Just don’t be pretentious about it; I only tell people I made something if they ask, but that might just be me.
Here are a few mini-resolutions:
6. Make the most of my time.
If you’re waiting for the train/bus/airplane/Vespa/magic carpet or for the doctor or something, or if you just find yourself with time to spend but nothing to do with it due to your location, think. Instead of complaining to yourself that you should be doing something worthwhile, use that time to plan your next blog post or tomorrow’s outfit. Or maybe what you’re doing for dinner. Perhaps jot down a baby-sized to-do list on your iPhone so you don’t forget. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. I freak out about wasting time all the time (I spend more time freaking out then actually doing things) so if you’re like me this should help.
7. Drink more water.
I tend to unintentionally dehydrate myself constantly. During the school week I’m okay, but on the weekends, I sometimes won’t pick up a glass of water until 5 p.m. That’s an issue. I find it easiest to drink more water if it’s in a bottle, so pick up that old water bottle you got from summer camp all those years ago and fill it with some H2O.
I’m sure there are other important things that I want to do this year, but for now I think that’s quite enough. No one is Wonder Woman (I mean, except for Wonder Woman), so making 20 realistic resolutions is just as bad as five unrealistic ones.
All images via google.com
