I wasn’t really sure about what to call today’s post, but it’s something that has been on my mind for a while now. So I’m just rolling with it! Today I’m talking about trying to be a bit more of a responsible shopper. By this, I mean cutting back on how much clothing I buy and also making better decisions when it comes to choosing what I want to buy.
In my 2017 goals post (which you can read here!) I talked about being more frugal this year. I have kept to that quite well this month – I have bought the grand total of 1 jumper in January. Obviously, I have bought food and had a handful of other expenses (1 trip to lush, 1 haircut, 1 cinema trip, 1 restaurant meal). However, this is quite a bit less than what I would usually buy in a month.
I am a shopping addict. I love shopping and I always will. However, I am starting to realise that you can love shopping and also make more responsible decisions when it comes to what you spend your money on.
While I’ve been planning on cutting back my spending for a while now, what got me thinking about excessive shopping habits was this great post by Liv from What Olivia Did. She raises some great points about how there is a sort of expectation in blogging that you need new stuff all the time. When we see people filming haul videos every week, it is difficult not to be influenced by it.
I have definitely felt this pressure before. I always feel like I can’t shoot outfit photos because I don’t have any new clothes or because my favourite things to wear were purchased years ago. But I’m trying to get out of that mindset now. It isn’t realistic to only show new clothes (at least if you aren’t a full time blogger!) and it can be really nice to see the pieces that people have actually got the wear out of.
Case in point – my little outfit above. The skirt is relatively new from Oasis (although I bought it in December so it’s no longer available!) but everything else is a well-loved piece. My Whistles leather jacket which I bought 3 years ago now is still going strong has been one of my best ever purchases. My cashmere jumper is actually a vintage find which I got for an amazing £9. Yupp, £9 for cashmere and I have worn it all the time for the last 4 years since I bought it.
While I do love shopping and trying out new trends, it is always the same things that I come back to. However, I do admit that I want to diversify my wardrobe a bit and introduce some new things into it. But I want the new things I buy to become long-term loves rather than ‘wear it twice and forget about it’ items.
With my birthday coming up, I know I will be doing a bit of shopping. But I’ve been browsing all my favourite shops online for a while now and thinking about exactly what I want to buy. I did a little January Payday Wishlist this week, which actually really helped me to think about the things I want to buy next.
I’m wanting to get some nice Spring appropriate things next month (well, Scotland Spring appropriate!). I’m thinking florals, some lighter colours and also investing in some more nice t shirts. But I’m going to try not to impulse on anything and really think to myself will I wear this next year?
So that has been my little ramble about responsible shopping. I’m not expecting to be suddenly cured of my shopping addiction, but I do really want to try to be a bit more cautious when it comes to spending.
I’d love to know what you think on the subject! Also, I’d love to know your thoughts on outfit/fashion posts where the clothes aren’t brand new. I know it’s a bit annoying when you see something but it isn’t available anymore, but I was thinking of maybe trying to find similar items to link instead? Tell me what you think!
