Today is a two new things kind of day! Due to the time of year, and all the fresh start idealism that comes with it, we have been decluttering and finishing jobs we should have done a while ago. One of the jobs that always gets pushed to one side until we can’t see, is fitting a new lightbulb in our flickering lights. So it’s with this that I realised I have never changed a lightbulb before. Me, a 33-year-old practical and intelligent former brownie and girl guide. I was ashamed that I’d been relying on my husband to do all these little home jobs when I could quite easily do them. So I, along with my bruised feminist ego, changed that lightbulb with more gusto than anyone had changed a lightbulb before, vowing it wouldn’t be my last. It wasn’t, I changed the one next to it too.
My second new thing today was a bit different but along the same theme. I decided to make a capsule wardrobe. We’d discovered Project 333, a minimalist project to make the most out of your wardrobe by using only 33 items, including shoes, hats, bags, coats, scarves – basically anything that is part of your outfit, for 3 months. In an effort to be more sustainable and buy fewer clothes in the sales, something of which I’m exceptionally guilty of (the clothing industry consumes more carbon than the aviation and shipping industries combined) we both decided to take on this challenge.
The first task was getting all the clothes I owned out, and sorting them into three piles: like, love, and donate. I was ruthless, and to be honest it was truly eye-opening as to how many items I owned but felt ambivalent towards. I had so many jumpers and tops that I’d bought in sales thinking they’d be practical, or for “knocking around in”, but I didn’t really like them. This exercise, although time-consuming, has now left me with clothes that I truly love, and means I can wear my favourite outfits every day. I didn’t find it constrictive at all, I think I’ll be continuing this when the warmer weather comes around too. I didn’t just get rid of everything though, I’ve put summer things and spare jumpers that in a suitcase that I can store in my cellar until the 3-month mark comes round.
Just using these 33 items means I feel great in what I’m wearing each day, something I didn’t have before. Colour me converted!
New Day, New Thing 