February 2024 - The Forever Capsule Wardrobe: Investing in Timeless Pieces

💎 I love luxury 

I struggled to write that. Luxury can be such a contentious topic in a world so filled with inequality and oppression. I want to be real though, and that means talking about one of the primary drivers in my quest for simplicity: luxury.

Merriam-Webster defines luxury as: “a condition of abundance or great ease and comfort.” And Google: “a state of great comfort or elegance, especially when involving great expense.” I could do without the “great expense” part, but to be honest, these two definitions are pretty aligned with what I want out of life.

Simplifying my life has always been in pursuit of great ease and comfort and that feeling of abundance.

When my home isn’t cluttered, it feels at its most abundant. When my wardrobe is filled with fewer but better items: abundance. When my calendar is clear and I can call up a friend for a coffee: a-bun-dance! 

I’m not going to pretend I only care for "little luxuries." My quest for great ease and comfort has also been at cost. The key to simplification is knowing where to invest your money so you get the most out of it.

Hiring someone to clean my home for me has added great ease to my life. Getting lounge access at the airport has been a way to add comfort in a situation that wrecks my nerves. Going in for monthly laser treatments for my rosacea has boosted my confidence and simplified my morning routine.

Simplifying my life has included spending money on things that make my life easier and more comfortable. So, in this month’s newsletter I want to share some slightly more money oriented topics:

• Investing in timeless pieces for a forever capsule wardrobe
• Healing how you feel about money
• Brainstorming luxury in your own life  

If you struggle with the term luxury, if you feel like you somehow have to reject it because of your quest for simplification, I hope what I share this month helps you accept the comfort, ease, and abundance I truly believe you deserve.

Something by me 

Ever since I started my simplification journey in my early twenties I’ve had this dream of having a wardrobe that completely fits into one or two suitcases but consists of only the highest quality pieces. I’m slowly curating pieces that I intend to keep, love, and use for a long time. This means quality over quantity. 

My ultimate goal is to open my closet and think: done. I’ve written a post in which I share my process for deciding what timeless pieces to invest in as I build my “forever capsule wardrobe.” You’ll read about what I’ve learned when it comes to:

• Knowing you’re ready for a “forever capsule wardrobe”

• What people get wrong about the term “timeless”

• Knowing what you should invest in

• What to avoid and keep in mind when buying things to keep for a long time

READ IT HERE 

Something by someone else

To invest in quality things, it’s useful to have money. It’s also useful to heal how you feel about money, so you can earn, and subsequently wield your money in ways that go beyond making your own life better. This is where this month’s book recommendation comes in:

Title: We Should All Be Millionaires: A Woman’s Guide to Earning More, Building Wealth, and Gaining Economic Power by Rachel Rodgers 

What it’s about: We Should All Be Millionaires details a realistic, achievable, step-by-step path to creating the support, confidence, and plan you need to own your success and become the millionaire the world needs you to be.

Why I like it: Part personal finances, part personal development, and part activism: this book has helped me understand that sharing my skills with the world and being paid fairly for it is allowed. Not only that, it’s a winning outcome for everyone. I now know that when I am fairly compensated, my generosity and desire to make the world a better place grows. This book has empowered me to look at money not as something sinful, but as a tool for creating the world I want to see.

My favorite quote: “Bottom line: When women earn more, all society benefits immensely. The research proves it. I’ve seen it and felt it. I’m sure you have, too. Instead of just admiring women who earn millions and change the world, become one.”

Find it here: https://helloseven.co/the-book/

Something by you

Let’s go back to luxury. Luxury is very personal. What feels luxurious to one person might be completely uncomfortable to someone else. In this month’s prompt I invite you to join me in exploring what luxury looks like for you and how, regardless of your current financial situation, you can already invite more luxury into your life. 

Find somewhere with no distractions, and reflect on the following, write them down if you can:

1. If money were no object: What would you do with your time? What kind of things would you want? What would you pay other people to do for you? What would you give to the people around you? List as many answers as you want.

2. Go through your answers and find out what’s really behind each one. Ask yourself “why did I give this answer? What does this say about my and my desires/needs?”

3. Based on this reflection: Did any patterns emerge? Luxury often speaks to basic human needs: comfort, safety, acceptance, peace, and much more.

4. Going back to your current reality, look at the patterns from the previous question: are there any small changes or shifts you can make to your life now to give you that feeling of luxury?
   (perhaps decluttering an area of your home, making some time for yourself, replacing/fixing something that’s broken, or spending time with someone important to you)

I’m always reviewing my (day)dreams. They teach me about what I truly need from life, and make it easier for me to know where to invest my money and time, so I can live simply and luxuriously. With great ease, comfort, and a feeling of abundance.

Refine updates: Behind the scenes

Last month I was still on the fence about whether I should continue making standalone digital organization workshops, or whether I should make one more complete offer. I’m excited to announce that I am in full script writing mode for the complete course. 

I’ve got the complete framework for how to best tackle all your digital clutter, and in what order, ready to go. It’s been so much fun writing these scripts but I want to make sure I don’t miss anything important: I’d love to hear what kind of things you struggle with when it comes to digital decluttering and organization. Topics I’m including in the first version: files and folders, passwords, email, bookmarks, notes, calendars, general device decluttering. 

I’m curious to hear your questions about digital decluttering or even the course itself. You can reply to this email and I’ll do my best to answer any and all your questions. I will be announcing any and all launches in this newsletter, so no further action is required on your end!