Consumer Behavior

I'm at it again! I have to say that I have a bit of an obsession with organizing my belongings, and living in NYC has only made it worse, or better, in my opinion. Literally from the moment I got off the subway today in Rockefeller Center this morning on my way to work, all I could think about is how I can't wait to get home and get more organized. I came up with a few ideas that I'm going to apply to cleaning my space/making it a SHRINE, and then a few more rules to dictate my future shopping habits.

CLEANING HOUSE

1. If the weather today was totally ideal to wear this _____ item, would I wear it? If no, toss it. No sense in hanging on to stuff.

2. Cheap vs. High Quality - I find that most of my good quality/designer stuff I just tend to keep for longer, wear more and just feel way better in than some of my cheaper/trendier/more on the spot purchases that I am lured into because of cheap price and assumed high value - except it's actually not. Any lesser quality trendy stuff from last season I most likely will not wear again, and that's the point of buying it. TOSS IT.

3. WHAT the hell is under my bed!? I have everything already organized into compartments - 3 large rolly bins (the day I don't have shit under my bed will be the day I know I've made it in NY, along with when I have a washer/dryer and dishwasher) plus 3 little zip around containers that keep 1) medicines/supplies 2) All nail polishes and items 3) Extras and backups: soaps, lightbulbs, etc. The containers that piss me off are the larger 3. They hold 1) Grad school notebooks, binders and books. I feel like I can't get rid of this until I graduate, but it is so heavy and I only open it to add more retired notebooks. 2) the "sweatshirt box" that also has scarves. I never wear these scarves. I also SHOULDN'T wear some of these sweatshirts, as they are fugly. TOSS SOME of these. The 3rd box has handbags. Although the ones I use are in my closet, I can't get rid of them. Maybe I'll find a way to ship these babies on a one way trip back to my parents house in Charlotte, NC, to my old room. That I now realize is a PALACE.

4. LESS IS MORE. Leave enough room between hangers so you can see what you have. Then it's like you're shopping in your own little personal boutique in the morning to get dressed. ALSO (very important) make sure to buy the thin little velvet hangers and ONLY use these in your closet. You can fit much more this way and the hangers all match, which is so visually pleasing.

5. COSTUME BOX (under my bed) - I am NOT in a sorority anymore. I don't have mixers. I barely have dress up parties, and I should never be a sexy cab driver again. Maybe a ballerina, but not the cab driver. Or an Amish person. I no longer need a dress up box. These costumes must go.

That was my Amish brother for the night, and real brother. His name is Zach and he lives in NYC too. He'll also be on Broadway someday soon.

6. Jewelry - how can I get this in order? I failed at an art project recently, when I tried to display my necklaces on my wall behind my bedroom door so that I would urge myself to remember what I have and wear it more. I have worn my necklaces more, but it has also made me buy more jewelry. In addition, I think I've developed a bit of anxiety as a result of looking at the little trinkets hanging there. I really like bold things that are sturdy, and am not a fan for some reason of small delicate things in a room, maybe because my room is smallish, and I just don't love chotchkies (SP? seriously have no idea).  I am going to purchase this hanging organizer so I can organize, and also hide my goods. And most importantly, easily pull them out in the morning to accessorize.

You can get something like this here on Amazon - for only $13. A small price to pay for organization.

7. Beauty products on my dresser - since I share a bathroom with my roommate, I can't really display my plethora of amazing beauty products, and now, my growing supply of anti aging products, so I generally keep them organized in my desk drawer. They need to all go back in there, aside from perfumes - which are pretty.

I took this to check out my newly purchased Celine sunglasses from afar because I thought they might be too big - but they are perfect and I love them, but I happened to capture just some of my beauty goods out and about on my dresser. These must find a home.

8. Undergarments - why do I have so many nighties and why don't I wear them? Again, throw away if it is something I wouldn't want to be seen in by someone else.

MOVING FORWARD: My Own Consumer Behavior

1. NO MORE ONLINE SHOPPING (for the most part). I've become addicted to the excitement of finding  items and hitting purchase, specifically in the daytime. Then when I get my packages, I have to deal with the annoyance of walking to the post office before work to return the stuff, or WORSE, not returning it and settling/keeping a mediocre item that I'm not in love with. This is done. I also need to stop spending so much on this nonsense. (This doesn't apply to Etsy and a couple other things, see below, I have reasons.)

2. BUY BETTER. Once I have space in my room (after the big clean) I will feel easy and breezy and able to leave my apartment in search of new and better items. I need to start shopping in more of the awesome boutiques that NYC offers (especially in Soho, East Village, etc) to find unique items. I used to do this more when I first moved to NYC, but now I usually meet with friends/am not in the mood to shop after work and on the weekends I like activities like brunching and having drinks and walking, and just haven't made a big effort to constantly browse the cool stores. Need to do this again. Also, I need to take advantage of Sample Sales to stock up on better priced designer items. (2 good blogs for finding Sample Sales are Madison Avenue Spy and Mizhattan.)  Well made items never fail. I can still shop online for 2 things: 1) home and jewelry items from Etsy - these are unique and good deals. 2) Any clothing item that I have already tried on in a store and know fits, but I find a better deal online.

There are so many great boutiques in the East Village that I haven't explored yet, even though I've lived there for 2 years. I've noticed there are a lot on 11th street.

3. BUY WITH THOUGHT - I recently read that you should try and purchase items that fit into 2 main styles of your choice, so that you end up with a closet that can be mixed and matched easily, rather than a bunch of random trends. I would say my primary style is Classic with a Menswear influence. I prefer tailored pieces in neutral colors, but I also like to add a sexy element depending on where I'm going. I like a bit of a edge mixed in to spice things up. I certainly am not trendy and need to steer clear of this, along with anything too girly/floral. The flowers are not really for me (along with any style that would incite someone to give me the "complement"... "OMG You look so cute!!" Fuck you. I'm not cute.
 :)

Good quality basics can't go wrong.

Love this menswear influence so much - with just the right amount of added sex appeal.

I love Sienna's classic style with a bit of edge/glamour.

Classic stuff like this can last for a while, be mixed and matched and always looks great. Or maybe she's just really pretty and I'm not even looking at the style. 

4. BUY FOR YOUR OWN LIFESTYLE - This is a major, major point, because while I would love a closet full of high heels, skin bearing tanks and studded shit, it just doesn't work out with what I do 40+ hours out of the week, which is a working at an online brokerage company. It's very conservative, so I obvi need to look professional. I also have 2 subway rides to work each day and then a good bit of walking, so I literally wear flats EVERYDAY.  I need to spend money on good, nice flats, rather than heels.  A good pair of black & nude heels will do the job. ha. Get it.

I need  a good pair of flats to get me through the day. These are by Elizabeth & James on Piperlime, on sale for  $195

I also tend to sit Indian-style at my job (ok, I'm tackling the professional bit one step at a time), so it's preferable if I wear pants and not heels for this position. A skirt and heels would make this suuuper awkward.

Hello, and welcome to my lap

So these are my own new rules for how I am going to clean, organize, and then restock my room and closet. If you have other tips please let me know! Staying organized in a small space is definitely an acquired skill, and very satisfying one, I might add, when done properly. How good does it feel to leave a space, know everything is in its place, and then come back into it?! Ahhh..mazingg.