It's Saturday again and time to link up with Linny at
A Place Called Simplicityto share our favorite ways to simplify our lives. Go check out her great ideas this week on how to simplify your children's birthdays and make them feel super special.
We're going to implement the "take them out for lunch with just mom and dad on their special day"!! Torie's turning 20 this Thursday, so I guess she'll be the 1st one to try out this new birthday tradition. Thanks Linny for the great idea!!
One of my long-standing simplify ideas is "Simplify My Wardrobe". Now I'm warning you...this one is going to be really, REALLY boring to some of you. But it works and if you ever try it you will be hooked!
Limit your base color to 2 or 3...Let me explain:
I only buy black or denim pants/capris/skirts (and I splurged a few years ago and bought the white capris pictured above). What this translates to is I only need a few pair of shoes - they only need to match black and denim. When I shop for shirts, I can totally dismiss whole racks of shirts because I only need to match black or denim. My earrings and necklaces need to match - black and denim....you get the picture.
I can't tell you how much time, energy and money this saves me!
For those of you old enough...remember "Color Me Beautiful." Phil spent hard-earned money to have "my colors done" not long after we were married.
Every time I went shopping I faithfully carried around my wallet of "allowed colors". It seemed like 100 colors...probably really about 36. I faithfully held them up to each rack of clothes.
Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with picking colors that look best against your skin tone, but I can't tell you how I agonized over this. And I'm ashamed to say how many times I went over our meager budget. At the time we were living in a single-wide mobile home, so I could stay-home full time with our 1st daughter and live on Phil's teaching salary at a private Christian school.
Finally I had an "aha" moment and realized I could put colors near my face that looked good next to my skin and the base color really didn't matter. Voila...black and denim.
Now I don't need to own a plethora of pants and capris. They are black and denim. And who really knows if I am wearing the same pair day in and day out. I own a few classic pairs. I wear them until they wear out and then I replace them. EASY!!
The same goes for Phil. He wears khaki pants to work - denim at home on the farm. His suits are navy and khaki. The end.
It's simple and sweet.
Okay...maybe a little boring for some but it works for our family and simplifies our closets, our budget, our time and our wardrobe!
I just have to tell you how my family was laughing with me (o.k. I think it was at me) when I was hanging my pants on the old homestead chimney to take the photo for the blog. I dropped the white capris in the dirt and we were all trying to decide if that was part of simplifying your life...you know coming back in the house, washing the capris, drying the capris, ironing the capris...oh the irony of it all...I just had to share:)
6 comments:
I do the SAME thing...I love it! You and me are trackin' girlfriend!! It makes life so much easier....
I have to tell you something funny since you mentioned "Color your World" or whatever it was called...
I had just had major surgery...Abi was little and I was recouping..a friend brought me the book to look at while I was recovering...
I looked thru it and decided I was an Autumn {my color was pale from surgery, etc} and so I, over the course of time, ditched all my colors...and ended up with an "Autumn wardrobe"....
And before long, everytime I would go out I would have people say, "Are you sick? Don't you feel good?"
Years passed and still everyone thought I looked lousey...
Eventually for Mother's Day when Tyler was little, Dw paid for me to go "have my colors done"...he said as I went out the door, "And babe, if they say you're an Autumn don't come home!" I remember laughing when he said it.
Sure enough I was a Winter {far cry from the Autumn colors}...and eventually went to just white, black, soft pink, etc...
Anyway, long comment, but thought you would enjoy the story...
Thank you for posting...thought there might not be anyone joining in....and sorry you dropped your capris...bummer! But I confess I rarely and I mean rarely iron. Like only at weddings I think. =)
Sorry! Somehow I posted the comment twice...and as if it wasn't long enough to begin with...nothing like having it on there twice...so I deleted it. xo
Ps Happy birthday this week Torie!! Have fun at lunch w/mom and dad!
I LOVE this idea and would have never thought of it on my own! Thank you! I usually wear denim and black anyway, but try to work in browns and it messes up everything (shoes, like you said). Thank you for the idea. I am starting today and cleaning out my closet. I don't think it is boring at all - it's genius! Thanks for sharing!
I never intended to 'do' this but that is what has ended up in my closet! I do think I can work on my shirts in this manner. I just have to mention that I did notice that you are wearing tan slacks in your family photo (wink wink)Is there a chocolate prize for noticing that? PLEASE??
Love you girl~
You caught me Sherri:) Last year when CWA "hired" me as an independent contractor to help with their summer hosting program, I had to attend real business meetings. Going from a full time stay-at-home mom to attending 4 days of meetings put me in panic mode. I ran out to the store and purchased my normal black pants but decided denim was a little too casual for business so opted for a pair of khaki linen pants...thus the pair of pants in the family picture. All I want to know is where were my Sister Chicks when I needed them??? What was I thinking when I bought that shirt?? Is that hideous or what? It's finding a home in the giveaway pile:)!
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