Quitting cold turkey

I think I may need to stop buying clothes for awhile in order to save up as much money as possible for my home renovation project. (I met with an interior designer and architect today, and what I thought was a substantial amount of money for a project apparently isn't so.) Has anyone tried this before? How long were you able to hold out?

Originally Posted by Ambulance Chaser

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I think I may need to stop buying clothes for awhile in order to save up as much money as possible for my home renovation project. (I met with an interior designer and architect today, and what I thought was a substantial amount of money for a project apparently isn't so.) Has anyone tried this before? How long were you able to hold out?

Until the next sale or trip to an outlet store (less than a week). I find that I've given up eating out, buying books (a big addiction), and buying myself food treats to save up for clothes, but that only goes so far...

I don't understand your logic.

Why would you need a house to keep you warm - what, when you have clothes?

To keep your clothes in, you reply? Why, buy a G-Wagen, fit it out with sliding closet rails and you're good to go!

I think eBay would be my downfall... Too many good bargains.

In the last few years I've really slowed my consumption of things sartorial. I simply realized that I had more than enough, for three men. It's not that hard to control as long as I stay out of the stores. I must note that I've redirected my previous clothing funds to the acquisition of wristwatches and cufflinks which is no picnic on the pocketbook.

Originally Posted by DocHolliday

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I think eBay would be my downfall... Too many good bargains.
I would unsubscribe from ebay alerts, stop reading sale alert threads here, and try to focus on interesting combinations of your existing clothes. Depending on your wardrobe, I think you may find it easier than expected. When I'm in an acquisitive mode, I often enjoy my current stuff less, and get less than the maximum wear out of them. EDIT: Tomasso, we've seen your postings, and you probably do have more than enough! Most of it looks gorgeous, too.

I usually go about a month before I see something "that I have to have because the price is too good to pass"

even avoiding ebay and not going to stores, somehow something manages to catch my eye that I end up buying

C,
In my never-ending quest to look out for the health of younger SFers, and fearing the effects of your quitting cold turkey, I hereby bestow upon you the patch...

Why don't you start by returning that Brioni suit you bought at C21 in NYC last weekend?

Originally Posted by Dakota rube

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AC,
In my never-ending quest to look out for the health of younger SFers, and fearing the effects of your quitting cold turkey, I hereby bestow upon you the patch...



Yup, that would make me quit (and I dress pretty trad on most days).

Since I just dropped a bundle at the BB website, I don't think I'm the best person to advise you on this.

I've told myself that I'm allowed to go crazy this year but that next year I have to save for a condo. Whether or not I will is a different story. Especially since I now dream of fabric books and EG shoes.

What makes it worse is that my tastes are now in the stratosphere. I can't tolerate stuff that doesn't fit perfectly and doesn't allow me complete freedom of movement. The only thing I buy RTW anymore are Borrelli sportsjackets; I get everything else MTM or bespoke. Luckily Borrelli is a near-perfect fit for me right off the rack so Borrelli sportsjackets are now the foundation of my wardrobe.

However, I'm essentially building a wardrobe from scratch this year and getting up a decent rotation has been very hard on the wallet. All I can say is thank God for Lance and Ian.

Can I stop next year as I've planned? I honestly doubt it, but i'm quite confident that my spending will taper-off once i have a good two-week rotation going.

Originally Posted by GQgeek

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I've told myself that I'm allowed to go crazy this year but that next year I have to save for a condo. Whether or not I will is a different story. Especially since I now dream of fabric books and EG shoes.

What makes it worse is that my tastes are now in the stratosphere. I can't tolerate stuff that doesn't fit perfectly and doesn't allow me complete freedom of movement.....

However, I'm essentially building a wardrobe from scratch this year and getting up a decent rotation has been very hard on the wallet. All I can say is thank God for Lance and Ian.

Can I stop next year as I've planned? I honestly doubt it, but i'm quite confident that my spending will taper-off once i have a good two-week rotation going.

LOL. This is what I told myself last year. I'm spending less this year, but my tastes just keep getting more expensive...

The good news is that I really do have a good shoe rotation, so I'm exercising some restraint. I passed up a pair of color 8 shell cordovan Alden bluchers for $170 two weeks ago because I have so many more attractive shoes that I would rarely wear the Aldens (they were also significantly creased, as if they had been tried on for several hours).

What GQGeek said. When I commissioned my first suit, I was standing in the fitting room and the tailor had his tape out. He looked me square in the eye and said, "this is the worst thing I will ever do to you. You won't be able to go back to normal clothes after this. Are you sure?"

I wish I had listened.

Originally Posted by Ambulance Chaser

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I think I may need to stop buying clothes for awhile in order to save up as much money as possible for my home renovation project. (I met with an interior designer and architect today, and what I thought was a substantial amount of money for a project apparently isn't so.) Has anyone tried this before? How long were you able to hold out?

I just buy low and sell high on Ebay, and supplement with gift money. I haven't really spent any actual money yet this year, but I've acquired a couple of things I wanted in exchange for things I didn't need.

What I'll really like to do is sell enough stuff on Ebay to fully a cover a MTM or even a basic bespoke suit. We'll see.

When the contractors and builders start screwing with your home you will forget everything sartorial. I went through a 2 year rennovation and lost all sense of anything but getting them done and out of my home. Taught me a lot, but mostly on the greedy nature of many people.