Now that Project 333 has me thinking differently about how much clothing I actually wear, I’ve been thinking about how little shopping I need to do.

Honestly, I have all the clothing I need. I see a few pieces that could use updating or replacing, but I’m at a point where I can do that over time. I don’t need to do a big re–haul every season, and I don’t need to search for a new dress for every big event.

I’ve always been inspired by Rachel’s posts about No Spend Month and Janet’s posts about Simply Stopping Shopping. While I’m not a huge fan of shopping, I do still like the rush of “Ooh, new stuff!” but that rush is getting weaker.

And I’m pretty excited about that.

This morning, my sister called to see if I wanted to keep her company while she ran a few errands. I tagged along because that’s what summer is for, and when she dropped me off, she handed me a shopping bag. She’s been cleaning out her closet and had a few items she no longer wanted but thought I might like.

And do you know what happened? I didn’t have the “new stuff” rush.

I was appreciative of her thoughtfulness, of course, and I was certainly excited to go through the bag, but my approach was different from what it normally is.

Normally, I’d try on everything, keep whatever fit, and add it to my already overflowing closet and dresser.

But today? Today, I only tried on what I knew I’d be interested in keeping. And I didn’t think about the new items as additionals, I thought about them as replacements.

Take this ruffled tee, for example.

My t–shirts tend to fall into one of two categories: cute to wear out but too cute to wear around the house (and get covered in dog hair) or only appropriate for wearing around the house because I’ve had them for 10 years and they’re falling apart.

Please tell me someone else suffers from this.

When I add this tee to my collection, it will probably replace two items. I’ll donate a “cute to wear out” tee that doesn’t make the 333 cut, and I’ll toss a falling apart t–shirt that has seen better days. And by “toss” I mean “I’ll make a few dust rags out of it because I hate waste.”

And this one?

It will replace two similar tees, one that I purchased a few summers ago because it has a boatneck and one that I purchased last summer because it’s striped and summer–y. Neither one fits quite right—certainly not well enough to make the list of 33—but this one does. It’s boatneck–esque, it’s striped, and it will make the list. It’s a keeper.

Need another example? I’m nothing if I’m not long–winded.

These basic tanks are perfect for replacing a few old, stretchy jersey tanks that have lost their shape. Those are the kinds of items I planned to replace over time, but my unexpected gift from my sister has sped that along for me.

And just for fun . . .

These adorable shorts are the kind of item I’d see at J. Crew and love but not want to spend money on. But for free? Oh, they’ll make the July 1 list. You better believe it.

How about you? Looking forward to your next 3 months? I’m already planning and listing! : )