Live Debt Free

Pay off debt. Save. Give. Live your mission.

  • Blog
  • Contact Us
  • Credit Scores
  • Spending
  • Investing
  • Earn Money

Results of The Wardrobe Mission

03.28.2011 by Matt Jabs //

As an exercise in simple living, back in November of 2010 I wore one outfit for a month.  Here is how it affected my life…

Simple living revisited

From the original article:

“The purpose of this short term mission is to reduce my clothing from what I want to what I need. At the end of the 30 days, I will pare my wardrobe down to the essentials and will either sell the rest to repay debt, will give the excess to those in need, or some combination of both.”

As presupposed, occupying just one outfit for a month radically changed the make up of my wardrobe; and, how I view clothing.  It opened my eyes to what I actually need and taught me that I greatly prefer a simple wardrobe.  In fact, over the last four months I have happily worn just a handful of outfits.

So what did I do with all my excess clothing?  In a nutshell, I gave most of it away rather than trying to sell it to repay debt.  Betsy and I took approximately 85% to Goodwill – which filled 3, 30 gallon garbage bags.

It felt really, really good to give it away and get it out of my house!

My new wardrobe

Nowadays I buy limited amounts of high quality, high functioning clothing and typically wear an outfit for nearly a week before making a change.  I change into fresh unders daily while wearing the same shell outfit.  Sound gross?  It’s not at all.  If you think it is then I encourage you to try it before commenting contrariwise.

When faced with buying a new article of clothing I stop to think about what purpose it serves.  If the purpose is fashion, I keep my money in my wallet.  If the purpose is function, I carefully consider whether I already own something that can fill the need.

What about colors?  I remember going through my closet in college and saying to myself, “Everything I own is blue or gray!”  Turns out that was a good thing.  Darker, neutral colors like black, gray, and blue are easy to pair into multiples of outfits – which is precisely what I do now.

This isn’t for everyone

If you were forced into a situation where you only had a handful of outfits, I’m confident you would get along just fine.  That doesn’t mean you have to, or even should, I simply pointing out that you could.

Some people need a lot of clothing for their careers.  Others may find fashion enriches their lives and value their robust wardrobes.  All these things are fine… always remember that what is good for one person isn’t necessarily good for another.

If you have been thinking of paring down your wardrobe then I’m happy to encourage you by sharing my experience.

Results of the mission?

Mission accomplished!

I’m very happy with my new lease on clothing and view the Wardrobe Mission as a successful personal endeavor.

For more on this topic, check out DFA Missions.

Categories // Life Missions Tags // clothes, downsize, mission, simplify

The Wardrobe Mission

11.01.2010 by Matt Jabs //

Welcome to the first DFA Mission!

Starting today – and over the course of the next 12 months – I will embark on month long missions designed to retrain myself to live a mission minded life.

For a thorough explanation of the purpose of the missions, go read the DFA Missions page and meet me back here.

What is the wardrobe mission?

“And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.” – Luke 12:15

I have way too many clothes.  At this point in my life, my stuff has become a hindrance for the mission minded life God is calling me to live.  So I am making a change. You can too.

For the entire month of November 2010, I will wear just one outfit.  The video below also describes the mission, shows my wardrobe as it exists now, and shows the single outfit I’ll be wearing… if you’d rather watch than read you can scroll down and check it out.

The purpose of this short term mission is to reduce my clothing from what I want to what I need. At the end of the 30 days, I will pare my wardrobe down to the essentials and will either sell the rest to repay debt, will give the excess to those in need, or some combination of both.

The reason I’m wearing just 1 outfit for 30 days is to help clear the fuzzy boundaries of wants vs. needs so I can reduce my wardrobe the essentials.  The wardrobe mission is the first in a long line of short term missions to simplify my life so I can better serve God and others.  Up till now, a lot unnecessary time and resources have been spent acquiring and maintaining unnecessary stuff, and it’s time for a change.  I believe we are all here for a purpose, and that nearly all of us are bogged down by excessive debt and possession.  Because I see it as a problem in my life, I am taking steps of obedience to “take heed, and beware of covetousness.” I am excited to have others join me so we can make positive changes in our lives and the lives of others.

Encouragement from leaders around the web

Chris Guillebeau of The Art of Non-Conformity…

“It’s hard to say where these missions will take Matt, or anyone else who joins the ranks, but rethinking past decisions to live a life of pointed purpose can never hurt… I say go for it!” – Chris

Bob Lotich of Christian PF…

“I believe that the most exciting, joyful, and fulfilling life comes from diligently obeying God’s plan for our lives. As we take the plunge to give all we have to the Lord, we will find that all of our needs are met, people’s lives will be changed for the better, and God will be glorified. I appreciate what Matt is doing with DFA Missions and encourage you to get involved in any way you can!” – Bob

JD Roth of Get Rich Slowly…

“Living with purpose is the best way to get more out of life. When you have a goal or a mission, it makes every decision easier. Matt’s missions are a great way to bring focus and clarity to your finances — and your life.” – JD

Adam Baker of Man Vs Debt…

“I love the idea of Matt’s ‘Wardrobe Challenge’. Courtney and I are always looking for tips and strategies to raise the consciousness in our lives – especially when it comes to consumerism (and wants vs. needs). And this first “mission” is the perfect way to start things. I’ll be taking part at the 3 outfits level – for the month of November, I’ll only be wearing three different outfits. I’m excited about this challenge and it already has me brainstorming ways to apply this to my daily  life. Come join us!” – Adam

Participation is encouraged

The wardrobe mission begins today and will last all 30 days of November 2010.  If you have been wanting to simplify life or live more of a mission minded life… why not be a part of something bigger than yourself?  Join the mission.

I am setting rules for myself, and if you join, you’re encouraged to do the same.  In saying that, I still wanted to outline a few suggested levels of participation below.  Do not hesitate to customize any level to make it fit in with your job or what have you.

One outfit (what I’ll be wearing – see video below)

  • 1 coat, hat, pair of gloves, pair of shoes
  • 1 over shirt, pair of pants
  • 3 undershirts, socks, and underwear, handkerchiefs

Three outfits

  • 3 coats, 1 hats, 1 pair of gloves, 3 pair of shoes
  • 3 over shirts, 3 pair of pants
  • 3 undershirts,  socks, and underwear, handkerchiefs
  • add/remove any customizations you like

Five outfits

  • 3 coats, 1 hats, 1 pair of gloves, 3 pair of shoes
  • 5 over shirts, 5 pair of pants
  • 5 undershirts,  socks, and underwear, handkerchiefs
  • add/remove any customizations you like

Video explaining the wardrobe mission

Apologies for the “shakiness” of this video, I’ll do better next time. 🙂

Join and or commnt below

What do you think?  Are you ready to simplify your life, reduce your wardrobe, repay more debt, and help others?

Join us and define your plans in the comments below.  I am really excited to get started!

Categories // Life Missions, Simplify, Spirituality, Video Tags // clothes, downsize, mission, Spirituality

Dryer Savings – DFA Tip of the Week – 3/16/2009

03.16.2009 by Matt Jabs //

There are many ways to reduce costs in our every day lives, so to help do just that each Monday I will post a money saving “Tip of the Week”.

“And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities.”  Luke 19:17

This weeks tip involves…saving money when drying clothes.

Modern society has beguiled us into believing we need to run the dryer after every load of clothes we wash.  Don’t believe it my friend!  Here are a few tips to help you return to the old world style of clothes drying.Clothes Drying Rack

  • If it is nice outside hang your clothes out on the line – This will dry them for free & will give them that “Outdoor Fresh” naturally.
  • If it is not nice out (or if you live in Michigan like me) use one of these modern clothes drying racks – My wife & I have one of that folds up & stores behind the door of our laundry room when not in use, we use it all the time.
  • Clean your lint catch after every use – this allows the air to more freely move through the unit, using less energy.
  • This is my favorite tip & one I thought of myself. Use an Absorber with every load – My buddy Fred introduced me to The Absorber on a camping trip last summer & I loved it.  Mrs. Jabs ended up buying me one for Christmas and now I use it all the time.  We throw it in with each dryer load we do and it cuts our drying time down to 2/3rd the normal time (so if our dryer time is normally 60 minutes, using the Absorber will cut it down to 40 minutes).  Since each dryer load can cost you between $.35 – $.45 you will save around $.10 to $.15 with each load!

If you utilize all of these things every time you do laundry you can save yourself upwards of $100 – $200 (or more) every year.  This may not sound like a lot, but any fan of frugality & personal finance knows that little things over time add up to big things!

Click here to see all our past DFA Tips of the Week.

Categories // Tips Tags // absorber, clothes, drying, lint, money, on, rack, save

Popular Posts

  • Understanding & Improving your Cash Flow
  • Credit Card Debt Reduction Handbook
  • Our Monthly Debt Reduction and Savings Statements
  • Pay off Credit Cards VS Build Emergency Fund Savings - Me VS Suze Orman
  • Credit Cards - Close 'em Shred 'em & Forget 'em!
  • More Reasons to Pay Off Credit Card Debt
  • Wise Use of Paid off Credit Cards? You Decide.
  • The Whole Armor of Personal Finance
  • One World Currency - New World Order
  • Debt Testimonials - Encouraging Success Stories!

Disclaimer

Content on Debt Free Adventure is for entertainment purposes only. Rates & offers from advertisers shown on this website may change without notice: please visit referenced sites for current information. Per FTC guidelines, this website may be compensated by companies mentioned through advertising, affiliate programs or otherwise. We respect your privacy. Privacy policy.

Popular Posts

  • Lending Club - My Review of Social Lending
  • Understanding & Improving your Cash Flow
  • Credit Card Debt Reduction Handbook
  • Our Monthly Debt Reduction and Savings Statements
  • Pay off Credit Cards VS Build Emergency Fund Savings - Me VS Suze Orman
  • Credit Cards - Close 'em Shred 'em & Forget 'em!
  • More Reasons to Pay Off Credit Card Debt
  • Wise Use of Paid off Credit Cards? You Decide.
  • The Whole Armor of Personal Finance
  • One World Currency - New World Order
  • Debt Testimonials - Encouraging Success Stories!

Disclaimer

Content on Debt Free Adventure is for entertainment purposes only. Rates & offers from advertisers shown on this website may change without notice: please visit referenced sites for current information. Per FTC guidelines, this website may be compensated by companies mentioned through advertising, affiliate programs or otherwise. We respect your privacy. Privacy policy.

Copyright © 2023 · Modern Studio Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in