A post from Redawn (about the fat chick's clothes shops) has inspired a brilliant idea. Tomorrow I am opening a special savings account. Every time I lose a 10 pound block I will deposit $100 (thats Australian dollars, about $70 US). By the time I lose enough weight to fit a size 16 Australian and I have NOTHING to wear in the multiple size 18-24 wardrobe I have at home I should have around $700-$1000 to spend on new clothes. Now that is a great inspiration and reward for success.

Sounds like a very smart idea!

I second Mister E......very smart.

Erin

while I have not got a set amount I have been putting money away for when I get to my goal weight/size as well
not like I will have many choices other then shopping.. not like I can run around clothless (though I am sure I would get a bunch of attention that way!!)

also I have two goals that I am saving for sepratly
1) a good fitted leather trench coat
2) a pair of knee high transformers (IF I can find a size 12 to bad that won't change! )
and my mom said I have to get a pair of good jeans so she can fix them for me (she is going to make insets of spiderweb lace in the legs to make a huge bell, and then paint webs up the seam to the back pockets I can't wait )
I have so many craft idea's myself that more will be spent on craft supplies to modify stuff probably!

wow...that will be quite a nest egg for some new duds!!!

crysania...don't be too sure about shoe size not changing...my neighbour lost 100 pounds and her shoe size went down 2 sizes!

Fantastic idea!

I think i shall have to start that myself!

Charran - i also heard this lots of times. shoe size does actually get bigger/smaller when someone gains/loses weight.

Very strange and yet very true!

xxx

Luscious - I love this idea! I'm going to start a separate account tomorrow! What a great way to reward yourself.

so far I have lost 70 and it hasn't changed but I am 6' so I don't so its fairly well preprotioned as it is (even if I hate having to buy shoes!)

This is a great way to save. I highly recommend a book by Mary Hunt, called "Debt Proof Living". Her concept, called a Freedom Account, is similar to this. I started doing it last year and it works wonderfully!

At my office, we are allowed to accumulate vacation time we don't use and cash it in for extra salary. I have been there long enough that I get more vacation than I can use each year, so I have quite a few extra hours accumulated. When I get to my goal weight, I am planning to cash in a week or two of vacation time (which will get me an additional week or two of salary) and spend the money on clothes!

Someone was mentioning shoes. After losing 100 pounds, I am reaching the point where I am going to need new shoes son. I am walking out of all my dress shoes. I think the change is mostly in width, not length. I used to need a double wide (WW) and I am pretty sure that I do not anymore. I went to Payless recently and tried on some wides and they fit fine. I don't think I'll get any narrower than that, since I have worn a wide as long as I can remember, even before I had a weight problem. My daughter, who is quite thin (5'6" and 120 pounds) has also always worn a wide, so that might just be genetic.

I fully approve of the reward idea!

I've been around here for 2 years now, and we've had this conversation before...how to reward ourselves for our accomplishments. Of course, the gift of good health is reward enough, but how about some icing on that LC cake?

I always treat myself to new clothes or extra special grooming supplies. Some of my other rewards have been foods, like extra special cuts of meats or seafood. But my tattoo is probably one of my very favorite rewards!

Go ahead, be good to yourself!

And, while we may be saving our largest reward until we get to goal, I think it is important to reward ourselves all along. I buy clothes when I need a new size because I look better in clothes that fit me. I'm not going to wait until I lose all 180 pounds to buy anything to wear! However, there are things that I do avoid buying because they are so expensive that I will hold out on as long as possible. For example, I bought a new winter jacket this year because my old one was so huge on me (size 4X) that there was absolutely no way I could wear it. I buy new blue jeans in every size, but I only buy two or three pairs and do the wash a lot, since I know they won't fit me for all that long. I wear a lot of skirts to work because I can wear the same size skirt through a bigger size range than I can for pants.

clothes are my reward...and not only because I need them but becuase it makes me feel happy to buy smaller clothes and look better.

haha... well I was on the way to the bank today, $100 in hand, to open the account for my first 10 pounds lost, and walked past my favourite plus sized clothes store.. having a HUGE SALE. I stopped, mentally argued with myself, but went in....

BIG MISTAKE

Well, not too big, I picked up a great mid thigh black jacket, beautiful apple green shirt... the cost.... $102.00. These were reduced from over $350.00 for the shirt and jacket, so quite a bargin. They look beautiful and will be perfect for our Australian Autumn (or Fall as you call it). The other good news was that i bought both 2 sizes smaller than my previous purchases. I do also agree with Liz that it is important to reward as we go. I am 2 pounds away from my 2nd 10 pound block.. so maybe the bank account will wait till next week

Perhaps I will modify the plan and bank $50, and spend $50 on something in the current size to look good as I go down in sizes.