When my husband decided to start his own business, we put our family on a very strict budget.  While we both have always been very thoughtful about how we spend our money, the new budget forced to us become even more creative.  Gone were the days when we could buy something without consulting with the other.  Now just about every purchase – big and small – is a joint one.

For the past couple years, we really haven’t had any extra money for clothes.  Last year I went 13 months without buying a single item of clothing for myself.  Fortunately, I’ve never been a big fan of shopping, but this still was hard.  It wasn’t until I gave up shopping cold turkey that I realized just how much I didn’t need anything new.  I had plenty of nice things to get me through a year of regular days and special occasions.

We recently put aside some money to treat ourselves to some new clothes.  Instead of running to the sale racks to stock up on as much stuff as possible, I was very deliberate in how I spent this small sum.  I carefully considered each item, asking myself what I liked about it, what else it might go with in my wardrobe, what events I could wear it to.  I bought just enough to feel like I splurged a little.

It wasn’t until I returned home that I realized that none of the new items I bought were on sale.  Everything was full price…and everything was beautiful.  While I could have spent the same amount of money to get more stuff that was only halfway right for me, I ended up buying less stuff, all of which was perfect for me.

The lesson here is that less can really be more.  I feel more confident and special in these nice new clothes.  I feel more grown-up and pulled together.  And, most importantly, I feel more like myself.