And so it begins...

I've never been a millionaire, but I just bet I'd be darling at it. - Dorothy Parker

I have made many ultimately lame attempts over the past few years to cut down on this nasty little habit of mine. It has come time to face facts though. As good as I may think I look doing it and as fabulous as it might make me feel, this downward spiral has got to come to an end. Smoking you might say? No, I quit that years ago. Drinking? Nope. I feel I have a healthy relationship with my booze (and honestly may need them to provide me with necessary comfort over the next 11 months). This vice I speak of is my shopping habit. I don't believe I am a shopping addict per se, I just have a serious problem budgeting myself and living life within my meager means. Let me shed a little light on my situation.

Due to the choices I have made, I will never make a lot of money. Now don't get me wrong, I am fully proud and committed to the life I have chosen. During my years as a dancer I managed to navigate my career in a way that I was paid to do what I love and travel the world at the same time-but moving all the time does not a healthy savings account make. Then I moved to New York City 5 years ago, where I started teaching ballet in the public schools which is obviously beyond rewarding for the soul, but not so much for the wallet. To add to this, New York is a city where unless you work in "big business", you will never quite be able to get ahead. Now I am not blaming NYC. I have made the choice to reside in the most glamorous, cultural, fascinating, and exciting city in the world (according to me!) and I wouldn't trade that for anything. This city has also presented to me many amazing and genuine friends, a wonderful boyfriend and an adorable dog, as well as the opportunity to land my dream job at one of the foremost ballet companies in the world.

My problem is how to financially manage this chosen existence. I will not mince words...I am clearly crap at it. For those of you who have seen my closet, the facts of my overspending are abundantly clear. Simply put, I do not make enough money to spend what I do on clothes, shoes, and accessories. So my friends, I present to you a self-imposed challenge! Marked by my 33rd birthday on January 31st 2010, I will not purchase any clothing for the rest of this year (11 months). At the suggestion of a friend, I will be keeping this blog to keep me honest and make me take ownership of this hair-brained idea (hmm...maybe I don't have control of my drinking, cuz clearly I was drunk when I came up with this insane challenge).

Now let's establish the rules (totally ripped off from another who tried a similar experiment):

1. No exchange of currency may result in the purchase of an article of clothing.

2. Gift cards, gift certificates and merchandise credit may be used to obtain merchandise including clothing up to and not exceeding the total value of the certificate or credit as long as I am not the purchaser of the certificate or credit.

3. Gifts of clothing may be accepted.

4. Used clothing may be traded in or consigned for credit toward the "purchase" of other used clothing.

5. Articles of used clothing may be traded to friends and/or family in exchange for other used clothing.


And what might you ask will happen if I do not follow these rules? Shame, shame, shame!!!!!

So stay tuned. I promise I will get better at this witty banter via the computer thing!