1st Month of Seven = Clothing

Reading through the Clothing chapter of “7,” reminded me of some key cultural differences between us Northern gals and our sisters to the south of us. For some reason, despite our need to be prepared for temperatures which range from below zero to over 90 and humidity which fluctuates just the same, I still think we have a tendency to accumulate a mite bit less in this category. Unless long underwear collections count. For many of us, paring down on our clothing for a month may at first glance appear to be a gentle easing into this mutiny against the excess of our lives, but I want to remind us that by comparison to the rest of the world, we still live with far more articles in our closets than we need and could use a few weeks of reflection on this fact. Therefore, be careful you don’t take it too easy on yourself as you develop your plan of attack for March. To help you get the ideas rolling, I’ve copied down Jen’s regimen and additional suggestions from her workbook. Be sure to enter your comment below, being as specific as necessary about your perimeters for our clothing fast. Include any questions you have for the KGG Council so we can all be ready to get going this weekend!

Jen’s Approach: Choose Seven items of clothing for one month:

The articles she chose (obviously, we would choose what fits our own needs most):

1. One pair of jeans, dark wash, kind of plain
2. One long-sleeved solid black T-shirt, fitted
3. One short-sleeved black “Haiti relief” T-shirt with white print
4. One short sleeved gray “Mellow Johnny’s Bike Shop” T-shirt with yellow print
5. One pair of gray drawstring knit Capri pants
6. One long silk darn brown dress shirt (my “speaker shirt”)
7. Shoes: Cowboy boots and tennis shoes

She adds these comments:

 "Shoes counted as one item. However I only rotated through two pairs of shoes. I had to reconcile my stay home life with my Conference Speaker life, and I’m sorry, but I wasn’t wearing nice cowboy boots with my yoga pants to the park. Underwear didn’t count. It just didn’t, OK?   I also omitted all jewelry for the month (except my wedding ring) and accessories. TEAR."

(See? The fact that she is this detailed about what clothing she picked reveals she’s not from around here. And where are the pajama pants for her Wal-mart trips? Sheesh.)

Alternative Ideas (from her workbook or my head)

• Grab a small bag, like a reusable grocery bag. Whatever fits in there, including shoes is what you have for the month. Shut your closet and live out of that bag.
• Seven clothes too easy? Count undergarments and shoes as one item
• Wear the same outfit for seven days, but change accessories. You would need four outfits to get through the month.
• Choose seven items to wear every day for each week, but find a way to wear them differently – one outfit, seven ways.
• Reduce your toiletries to only seven items, including make-up.
• Give yourself a seven-minute time limit on getting ready each morning after you shower.
• Wear only clothes you haven’t warn in over a year, even shoes.
• Put away your "comfort clothes" for the month and do your best Doris Day impression. See if anyone notices you've stopped looking like you just stepped out of bed each day!

It’s totally up to you whether to include the rest of your family on this month! 

Now it’s your turn. Comment below on what YOU will be doing! Include any questions you might have for us to resolve together. Be ready to BEGIN this Friday!