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Results of The Wardrobe Mission

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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.

The Wardrobe Mission

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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!

Downsize and Simplify Your Life – DFA Tip of the Week

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There are many small ways to reduce costs in our every day lives, so to help do just that each week I post the 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 week’s tip involves…simplifying your life by downsizing your possessions!

A Common Problem

A lot of people are experiencing a steadily increasing amount of stress & discontent related to unquenchable desires and/or a paycheck-to-paycheck type existence.  Many of us have been following the ever-so-common path of college, career, & consumerism – like so many others – only to wind up with a big house, a bunch of debt, and a restless state of mind!  Many times we end up feeling that our lives would be better if we could just get that raise at work!

As an alternative to dwelling on the absence of desired salary increases – over which we have no control – we’re better served to focus on reducing our possessions and lowering our expenses.  It stands to reason that taking charge of what we can change and forgetting about what we cannot are necessary predicates to the increased financial well-being we seek.

Thinning out & streamlining your “stuff” is a great way to start taking charge of your own financial destiny, and will likely yield any or all of the following benefits:

  • Reduced clutter
  • Reduced stress
  • Reduces expenses
  • A smile on your face
  • A little extra money on the side
  • A jump start to your very own Debt Free Adventure!

When is the last time you took an inventory of the items in & around your home to decide whether or not you actually need, use, or even want them?  Chances are, if you did take a home inventory, the amount of unnecessary stuff you have would blow your mind!

Normally an overabundance of useless possessions exists in direct correlation to an empty savings account & financial instability.

So What’s The Answer?

Go through every room of your home with a pen & pad of paper and ask yourself these questions:

  • Do you need it? Need…not want.
  • Do you use it? If you have not use the item with the last year or two, you can safely rid yourself of its burden.
  • Do you believe in it? Your belief system may have changed since you originally saddled yourself with it.
  • Does it do more harm than good? Making positive choices can be awesome turning points in our lives, be it financial, physical, or spiritual.
  • Do you even want it anymore? Past purchases made in haste often lose their luster after just a short while.  This is a common reality and just one example of the empty promises of rampant consumerism.

Make sure you do not limit this philosophy to your possessions alone; you can also successfully apply these questions toward your habits & services used.  You may decide to sell your DVD collection, quit a bad habit, cancel your TV service, install a rain barrel or may decide to do all four!

Remember that you do not need to do everything all at once.  This exercise can be something you do over the course of one week, or something you do over the course of one year!  My wife & have been actively taking inventory of our behaviors & belongings since the beginning of 2009, and intend to do so continually for the rest of our lives.  Slowly but surely this practice of downsizing and simplifying our lives is yielding great results, both expected and unexpected.  This weekend we found several items that we either never use, no longer enjoy, and/or no longer believe to be beneficial to our lives…so we’re selling them on eBay!

What about you??

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

DFA is passionately dedicated to helping others break the bondage of debt using biblical principles.