I am steadily running out of clothes to wear again. Between our dryer (which stains our clothes with rust marks) and the plain fact that many of my clothes are 2-3 years old, I’m finally having to chuck the clothes that hang in my closet attempting to make it look full and complete. I’ve left them hanging there for long past their expiry dates because it’s scary to see how little is really there when I remove them.

I know, I know. What kind of girl am I? Why should the idea of going clothes shopping elicit groans rather than squeals of excitement? Well, there are a few reasons . . . and probably the main one is just that I’m picky, but here’s my reasoning:

First, I’m not very good at visualizing what will look good on me, nor am I always good at getting the right size. By the time I’ve tried it on and realized it’s the wrong size, I don’t have the drive to really go back and find a different size. I think “Did I really like it that much anyway?” and easily convince myself it’s not worth it.

Second, I have a hard time spending money.

Third, I don’t really like a lot of styles and materials. It’s seems like so much of the clothing out there today is cheap and plasticky. It looks like it will fall apart, pill, bag out. Or I know I’ll hate how it feels. But I have a hard time going only for high end clothing because of reason number two.

Fourth, I don’t want to look like everyone else. Shopping at Old Navy means I’ll see my clothes everywhere. I don’t mind with t-shirts and sweaters, basic items that look the same no matter what store you buy them in, but when it comes to cute dresses or more “unique” tops, I get bummed thinking about how many other girls are going to be wearing this “unique” shirt.

Fifth, a lot of the current styles don’t fit me properly which makes shopping depressing. Whether it’s the empire waist shirts which make me look pregnant or the pants that somehow don’t get that you can have a small waist and larger hips, it’s frustrating that flattering clothes seem so hard to find.

Today I thought I could do it. I had sufficient mental prep, John had approved spending $200, I thought I could go and refurbish my wardrobe in one attempt. I started off on a good note. At Old Navy I managed to spend $60 and buy four t-shirts and a sweater. But that’s where it ended. I went to Nordstrom’s Rack, Kohl’s, Target, Express and The Limited and at each store succumbed to one of my bad habits: shopping cart abandonment. I came home grumpy (and hungry), mad that I wasted four hours shopping.

These kind of days remind me why I think I should learn to sew . . . and stick to my strengths – buying books and furniture!!