It's Resolution Time.

It's January 1, 2010 and I'm about to begin a crazy project. I'm actually going to try and totally change the way I shop and dress. This isn't going to be easy, my shopping habits are old friends. But they are terrible. Last year I spent $15,000 on clothes and have nothing to show for it. And of course I feel like C. Montgomery Burns for spending like that in a recession when so many of my friends are without jobs. Just typing that number is embarrassing. Once everyone reads it...ugh.

Let's backtrack a second...my name is Heather, I'm 36 and I live in Manhattan where you are expected to be fashionable. I have a good job, and I'm not in debt from this ridiculous habit, but I have no savings and would like to retire before the age of 109. 2009 has been a year of change...moved to New York, got a new job, moved again. I think the clothes made me feel better about all of this. Shopping is something I've been doing forever. It's something that I could control. Or, as I found out, not so much,

But honestly people, I swear I had no idea what I was doing. In April 2009, I downloaded a nifty little app called iXpenseIt. It's a budgeting and expense tracking app and I have been faithfully recording every dime I spend every day since I got it. that's why I've been shocked to see what I've spent, and why I'm so confused when I look in my closet and see just average stuff. If I'm honest with myself I probably have 15 -20 outfits in rotation and the rest is never worn. If I had a small closet full of select designer pieces that I wore all the time a million different ways maybe I could justify this. (that's a big maybe) But I don't. I have Banana Republic jeans and Urban Outfitters tops and dresses from the Limited. I have a few pairs of designer shoes and some handbags, but the rest is pretty much boring crap.

But now, at year end I know. I can see what I've done, and it ain't pretty. Time for a change. I'm hoping this blog will help, hold me accountable, force me to look at my terrible shopping and spending habits and change them or feel the shame. Here's the plan....

Every Day: A photo of what I'm wearing on the blog. This is going to force me to be creative, reach for new stuff, and not spend entire weekends in the same pair of jeans and spagetti stained t-shirt.

Every Week: I'll hold myself accountable for what I've bought, what I've worn and what I'm learning.

Every Month: Closet purge. Painful but necessary. I'll get rid of a minimum of 5 items from my closet and sell them on ebay or donate them.

At the end of the year I really hope to see a complete change in my wardrobe and have fixed my spending habits. Should be interesting.

Off we go!