shop your closet.

i'm sure you've heard this term before. it's where you add a twist to clothes you already own to make them like new. it's a lovely thing for this full time mom living on a budget.

yesterday, i was putting away clothes that had been hanging out in my laundry room for about a year. a YEAR people! they weren't in my way and it was winter so i never wore them and blah blah blah. i have no excuse.

anyway, as i was putting these clothes away i discovered things i forgot i owned. not only that, as i was sorting through all my clothes i discovered even more clothes in my closet that i forgot about.

SIDE NOTE: i am OCD when it comes to my closet. everything is organized by type of clothing, length of sleeves, etc, then by color. i LOVE it. my husband thinks i'm a dork. this is nothing new, though.

you may be thinking that i either have more clothes than i know what to do with (which is only slightly true) or i must wear the same thing every single day (which seems to be the case these days).

here's the deal. i kind of have been wearing the same thing for the past year -and-a-half or so. for most of 2010, i was with child. the only maternity-wear i purchased was a pair of shorts and a pair of jeans. i refused to spend money on clothes i would only wear a few months (even though i somehow justified spending over $200 on maternity jeans. but they fit like a dream. well worth it!) i instead purchased a few dresses in my pre-pregnancy size that fit over my baby belly but i could wear post-baby by belting.

since alex was born, i have been nursing so everything i wear has to be appropriate for nursing when i'm out and about. so yes, i have been wearing the same clothes for FOREVER. and i am completely bored with it.

now that alex is nursing less, i am slowly mixing in "new" pieces from my closet that haven't seen the light of day since 2009. sorry north park, looks like we'll be taking a break for a while.

give it a try in your own closet. add a belt, a brooch, or just mix a top with shorts rather than jeans.