30 in 30 Challenge: Full Retrospective

I did the halfway mark, but I really want to see all 30 together. Small photos, at least!

Days 1-30:





















WHEW.

I won't do a whole count here, but I did tally how many times I wore each item. What astonished me was how evenly I really did wear similar items. The four pairs of shoes got about the wearings I assumed: the cheetah flats and black booties tied for the most (once the weather cooled I went from flats to boots), and the clogs and Pikilinos were more specific-outfit driven. The pants rotated pretty well, although if I had any skirts that fit I could have swapped out the micro-tweed pants or Gap black skinnies and not have missed them. But the tops and sweaters really surprised me: everything got 3-5 wearings except the gold ruffled blouse, the long grey H&M open cardigan, and the Old Navy grey zippered moto vest. Those only got 1-2 wearings apiece. I did not realize that at all; it felt like I was wearing those all the time! Maybe I just kept trying them on but they rarely worked in a final outfit.

What I liked about this challenge:

1. I really liked being able to dress quickly each morning. Unless it was a morning where nothing was working that was clean (which was rare), it took me half the usual time to get ready.
2. The timing was perfect because I started MF at the same time, so it stopped me from shopping for things I don't need, and it let me measure my success on the diet with the fit of my clothes. I actually can see some changes through the month of photos.
2a. Especially with my hair! LOL! God, why do I let it get so grown out? I love it shorter and darker. Someone remind me when it starts to come due for a color and cut, please!
3. Packing for Tuscon was a breeze.
4. My credit card bill will be really low for last month. :)

What I disliked:
1. I was bored by Day 3. I like variety, and I don't think having a big closet is a terrible thing. My creativity and love for colors felt stifled.
2. I should have picked more shoes and less sweaters.
3. I wish I had fit into some of my dresses and skirts because the occasional change-up in silhouette would have been very much appreciated.
4. The LOFT polka-dot blouse is frayed beyond repair, the melon BR cardigan is pilled very badly, and the white button-down tuxedo tunic has a huge hole at the seam. I have never worn out clothes before, mainly because I don't wear them as frequently in a short period of time as I did here. Hmm, I should think about that.
5. Next time I will spend much more time picking my items and putting them in trial outfits. I threw things together the Sunday before it started, then ended up swapping in and out unworn items for the first two weeks until I had cycled through all of it.

I will confess that I started back up my shopping over the weekend, while I was still on days 27 and 28. But it was close enough to the end that I really didn't care if it was breaking the rules; I wanted to get some items that were on big sale, and I wasn't going to have any time to do any shopping during the week once the challenge was over.

All that being said, I think I *would* do a 30-in-30 Challenge again, depending on the time of year and where I am with my weight loss and job and stuff. I definitely liked having 30 items instead of other challenges which are much stricter in number; in comparison those are no fun at all. This was a great idea, and the allowance of accessories and coats made this do-able as the weather chilled and froze.

Thanks, Kensie, for the idea and for organizing this!