February's comings and goings

What came in:

• 4 pairs of new shoes from Nine West and Townshoes (ugh, on the last day I came across these pony-hair black wedges for a steal - just couldn't pass them up =S). I am NOT doing well in the shoe department.

What went out:

• 1 black cardigan/bolero
• 1 card holder - I finally was able to sell my teal Cole Haan cardholder. I will miss this piece as it was a great color but it did add some bulk to my bags; the 2 remaining cardholders work better for me as they are the slim kind.
• wristband - don't ask haha
• 1 scarf - another scarf gone! I hummed and haahed about this one because it was a great mix of blues but I've only worn it twice since I bought it 5 years ago.
• capsule wardrobe - This year I thought I would try implementing a capsule wardrobe, and I decided to do it by month. January went well; February started out well; upon my return from my trip, I gave up. I gave up because I missed wearing a lot of my clothing and I don't think I'm at a point in my wardrobe count where I won't be distracted by other items I want to wear. I think, until I am able to pare down more, where more of my favourite clothing is in constant cycle, a capsule wardrobe won't work yet. I will revisit the capsule wardrobe again, but for now, it's another wardrobe lesson learned =)

Rave!!! - my Nine West kitten heels

I mentioned before that I purchased 3 pairs of Nine West shoes. 

Yesterday, I wore my black leather kitten heels for the first time and WOW... they are SO comfortable. I have NEVER worn a pair of shoes that seem to just mold perfectly to my feett. I wore them all day and forgot about the fact that they are even heels. I know, I know, kitten heels are more comfortable in general, but the comfort that I'm talking about with these is just too amazing for words. They felt like they were painted on to my feet! I don't normally do this, but I even went walking around the mall in them - I only ever wear flat shoes to the mall. AMAZING, that's all I can say - I highly recommend them. 

(Style name: Swaymeso)

I'm wondering if all Nine West shoes are this comfy. I own a pair of flat ankle boots, and 2 pairs of high-heeled sandals, (which for high-heeled sandals, were quite comfortable given the amount of time I was in them), but they definitely were not as comfortable as these.... I can't wait to try on the other two pairs I got since they sort of gave me the same 'foot feelings' as this one, when I was in the store. 

Sold! Cole Haan business card holder

I'm pleased to share that I have let go of my Cole Haan business card holder. I love this item but it's thicker than I would like and I'm working on carrying less stuff, and bulk. 

I miss her as I really love the color, but I think it's for the better. Her new owner seems to really love her so I'm happy =)

I've found my new go-to dress pant: GAP's true straight pants

Up until 2014, I bought all my dress pants from Banana Republic and I would choose cuts with a wider pant leg. The previous year, I purchased a few slimmer fitting pants for spring and summer to wear with sandals and flats and fell in love - they are much more figure flattering and more versatile in terms of what shoes I could pair them with - flats, sandals, heels, wedges, they all looked great and because I could get them at ankle length, they didn't require any hemming (which is a HUGE plus in my books).

As luck would have it, early in 2014, I had to replace a pair of black dress pants so I went on the look-out for a nice fitting, price friendly, replacement and found myself loving the GAP's true straight pants. There were no sales going on at the time but that day the GAP was offering $15 off their dress pants so I gave them a shot.

When I tried them on, they fit perfectly, and were sooo comfortable - I was tempted to purchase more in other 'boardroom' colors but as I'm working on minimalism, only purchased what I needed. Plus, I wanted to know how they would hold up for a period of time. I wore them regularly throughout the year and they have been great. No fading in color, holds up well during wash and wear, no sagging or shrinking, and the best part is I don't have to hem them if I purchase from their 'short (A/C)' fit.

One of the last items I purchased in December included a pair in light gray for a fantastic price - it was on sale for $33.99 with an additional half off; I really couldn't say no to that. I did go home and put a pair of super wide-leg dress pants into the donations pile. One-in, one-out is my general rule of thumb!

I would love to add a dark gray and navy pair but I still have those in a wider pant leg that work perfectly fine so I will leave them be for now and only replace them if I come across another fantastic deal, or my current ones need replacing, or I've lost weight.

Removing 100 items from my home

Last month I read an article that one of my friends posted about purging 100 items from their household - 

"Get Rid of 100 Things Weekend": http://letslassothemoon.com/2011/09/11/take-100-things-off-your-houses-waistline/.

They recommended that you just go around the house with a garbage bag and without thinking, just plop in the stuff you no longer use or has a use. 

My husband is currently away so I took it as the perfect opportunity to go through things and get rid of them. I purge best when I have the house to myself. I took it a step further and set up my computer for any of the random items that needed to be logged - i.e. signing up for things, so I can throw away the bits of paper that reference codes were on; I had an empty garbage bag ready for any thing that belonged in the trash; and set aside an area for items that can be donated. 

In one evening I found glassware and candle holders I could let go of, unused items that could be donated, mail that was old and could be thrown away, empty boxes that can be recycled - it was so easy and felt so freeing! I also took out anything that was hiding and forgotten so that they can be visible and used, and not wasted by just sitting there .

When I first purged to begin my minimalist lifestyle, I would get rid of 10 items a day - ranging from donating something to disposing of a post-it. It really is the simple things that can get me on a roll to keep going and even today I try to get rid of things on a daily basis (mostly papers that can unknowingly pile up), and once I make a major donation of items, I immediately start another bag to fill up.

If anyone is wanting to declutter but finding it difficult, I'd start off with the 100 item purge of anything you can think of, and then try to let go of 10 items a day for a while. You'd be really surprised by how amazing just throwing away a piece of paper feels.