Part Two: Confessions of a Catholic Material Girl

After categorizing my over one-hundred plus shoe collection according to brand, color and style on an excel spreadsheet and doing inventory on how many times I have worn each pair.  The shocking results showed that I have never worn (not once) over twenty-pairs in my collection; routinely I rotate among a batch of 12 pairs of shoes almost all flats and the other 80 pairs of shoes sitting in my closet have been worn under five times.  Getting this data together helped me see that I have a problem, a shoe problem.  Thus, I went on a shoe diet and stopped buying two pairs of new shoes on payday and changed my habit to if necessary occasionally buying a quality used pair.  I also got rid of ten pairs as one of my Lenten exercises and was feeling really good about myself refusing to call it an addiction and humorously laughing that it’s my lovely collection.  Until I took a serious look around my room and saw piles and piles of stuff everywhere- it seems like I have several unacknowledged collections!

BCBG Two-Toned Pump-Goodwill $12.99, Free Press Statement Necklace-Nordstrom Rack $14.99, Rubbish Leopard Sweater-Yard Sale $1, Skirt Refashioned by Me 

I didn’t have to do more spreadsheets to see that I have tons of make-up, jewelry, clothes, scarves, belts, gloves, hats, books...  Everywhere I turned I saw evidence of my consumption problem, of my excessive shopping sprees.  Things that I have never worn spilling from my closet, drawers and floor –including hundreds of unread books occupying tons of shelve space.  I recently began to learn about fast-fashion and while most of my items are quality pieces the way I shop might as well be fast shopping!  Through years of sales and bipolar shopping sprees I have become a materialistic Catholic!  I began to meditate on scriptures like: “do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy…” or the image of the raining manna in Exodus where God tells Moses to only gather what each will need.  I looked at my space and saw excess way more than I needed of everything!

All this time I prided myself in my thriftiness, my recycled fashion sense and my ability to constantly donate to secondhand organizations.  Yet, I continue to buy, to hoard and to discard.  These actions have serious effects, though I donate constantly bags of stuff to Goodwill I have come to learn that a lot of donations end up as waste because our society has turned into a disposable society.  People are getting rid of cheap clothes at such fast rates that thrift stores are forced to throw out a lot of donated stuff. I had imagined that my dresses and heels were being worn by underprivileged women and that my sweaters were keeping the less fortunate warm- but the reality is that (according to research) very little of my donations get purchased.

As I looked at my over-stuffed closet I realized changes need to be made…  While the thought of cleaning out my closet and my living space quickly came to mind as a possible solution.  I realized that donating my stuff is a temporary solution because at the rate I shop my closet will soon be full again...  

Turn in next Monday for part III...  

Part One: Catholic Fashionista
Part Three: Spring Cleanning