The Shopping Ban / Frugal Fashion Thread

[FrugalFashionista]

Tentatively dipping my toes in here ---
Do you love clothes, shoes, accessories, and beauty products - perhaps a bit too much?
Have you self-prescribed a shopping ban, are you on a strict budget, or are you trying to learn to shop more mindfully for other reasons? Are you a budding recessionista, thriftionista, frugal fashionista - or would you like to become one?
Would you like to do this with like-minded people, still looking stylish and up to date?

This thread could be a place for mutual support, inspiration and creative tweaks (planning outfits from what you already have; charity shopping, swaps, repurposing).

My personal goal: no more clothes, shoe or beauty purchases in March.

I'll tell you more about why I am here in true 12-step tradition, but we need a few like-minded people first

Also, I have a beautiful, soft black leather jacket in my wardrobe I bagged for a bargainous £12, though it's slightly too big and 80s looking.

Has anyone every had a leather jacket altered? I think the shoulderpads just need removing and taken in at the waist. Is this even possible? Very expensive?

Organising your wardrobe properly will help. I have a dreadful habit of putting stuff into storage (ok tossing into a bag in the garage) this is how I have ended up with 3 pairs of almost identical brown knee high boots !! I had a really good clear out last summer and was horrified to see how many times I have repeated this crime it did mean that Dd inherited a whole new wardrobe so I did manage to save money that way !!!

I used to spend a ton on beauty and found stopping going into Boots on my lunch hour saved a fortune as did stopping my subscription to beauty magazines I have not bought any hair products, body lotion or moisturiser for a year by insisting to myself that I have to finish things before buying any thing else !!!

Perhaps the clothing equivalent would be to make sure all the tempting e-mails that drop into my inbox a put straight into junk I have lost count of the number of times I have been directed to a website to save £££s with a special money off code when actually I would have saved even more by not clicking on the link in the first place !!!!

I am a recent convert to pinterest and did find inspiration there last week and put a whole new outfit together based around a black maxi skirt I have not worn in years, whole new look no pennies spent. I would agree we need to stick to the boards that give 'looks' rather than the "look what I just bought you should have one too" type.

Count me in....

I do love clothes etc. I am on a very small budget at the moment, but I cut back in other ways (work lunches etc) so that I have a bit of money for clothes.

My plan

1. get rid of anything that doesn't fit etc DONE
2. replace my staple items (jeans, jersey tops etc) ONGOING
3. focus on accessories (jewellery, shoes etc) PROJECT for 2013

Cheeseandchive taking the shoulder pads out will make a difference so I would definitely start with that. Not had any experience with altering a leather jacket but when Dh had his bike leathers repaired I think the repairers just said an ordinary sewing machine needed a different sort of needle and foot perhaps try a local dressmaker and see if this is so.

All, I need to work now but have a lovely empty evening (DH going out, I'm babysitting) ahead so can 1) tell my story 2) give in-depth answers to some of your questions 3) play with Polyvore 4) think about a group board 5) tell about some things I've found helpful you are beating me to it though. (So if you asked a question, be patient... We'll get to it!)

Absolutely loving this overwhelming response, austerity has never been this much fun before

Limoncello I'm already looking forward to before and after pics of the leather jacket but remember that strong 1980s shoulder line is quite trendy right now! No experience of leather alterations but a cobbler might also be able to help. I used to sew a lot and my home machine was strong enough for leather but I don't have the special needles etc!

Sorry meant Cheese

www.moneysavingexpert.com/shopping/money-mantras

i (sometimes) use this mantra

If I decide i want/need it - can i get it cheaper elsewhere, is there any discount codes and is there quidco/cashback?

Would love to learn how to alter clothes but have a reasonably priced good dressmaker in the next town so sometimes its cheaper to got to her.

sorry

bad link

www.moneysavingexpert.com/shopping/money-mantras

Yes frugal, I did try and pull it off complete with shoulder-pads, however I already have rather large norks so lots of extra volume up top wasn't doing me any favours. I looked like an obese bat.

Many of us are ex/current W&A or MNV - hence the need for some ground rules. I love both of those longstanding threads, but we definitely need a thread with a bit less enabling and stricter fiscal discipline... We want the friendly, super-supportive environment but, ahem, a bit less spending impulses and temptations.

W&A and MNV are really about style: looking and feeling good and sharing. We want to do that too but on a limited/zero budget/relying on existing resources as much as possible

Makes sense Cheese! I'm under-endowed in the shoulder department and always need to add padding. I actually know how to make shoulder pads from scratch

I'm sure a dressmaker would fix that for you cheese, or at least steer you in the right direction. I have been surprised at how relatively sheap it is to have alterations done.

Frugal I love the 5 day rule. Will def be using that one.
Describing what we are buying sometimes makes us realise it will/wont work, or it's unecaessary, wrong colour, whatever.

Should we think about composing a set of rules or 'guidelines' that we stick to when shopping? And some for rationalising our wardrobes?

Is there room for one more chair?

Since being more disciplined about what to buy following a lot of the rules on here I have a wardrobe which I wear a lot more. I used to buy a lot of 'going out clothes' which is pretty useless really as I don't go out that much so now I've invested more in my day time stuff. For me I really had to get over the thing of saving things for best and realised that just because I'm a SAHM doesn't mean I can't have nice clothes.

With the exception of maybe a couple more short sleeved tops for summer I really don't need anything else. I'm getting my colours done in April though so may buy a few things then if I don't already have those colours in my wardrobe. Is that allowed

Great thread frugal.

Space for one more chair? Practically everything I own doesn't fit me well, so Id love to spend better on quality clothes, so buy less but more what suits?

I have no summer outfits so I'll need to -carefully- plan this soon.

Can I join too?
Have clothes in all sizes and styles...yet wear jeans or leggings jumper dress / tunic combos ALL the time.
Accessorising could make a new me and I don't want to be spending more money on clothes to hang in wardrobe lonely and unnoticed!

Lurking if you are good at keeping track of things you might help us to shape some guidelines aka the Frugalista Manifesto by collecting input? (I'm very good at jump-starting things but need someone a bit more diligent to stay on track.)

QC welcome! If you ask me, of course new purchases are allowed, but I guess the vibe of this thread is short and long-term planning, ie anti impulse purchases and yes to purchases that can be premeditated, are necessary and fill a gap.

Anyone who is in a phase where it's necessary to buy a lot of new things all at once, the Primark/NewLook or Mumsnet Vogue are great threads for wardrobe-building.

But ladies this is getting too serious: what are you wearing? (Are outfit-of-the-day posts okay? Are they inspiring or dangerous territory?)

I'm not exactly a paragon of style this morning : black running leggings (was going to go running, started this thread instead...), Nordic patterned red and white woolen socks (MIL's gift), sheepskin houseboots (from 2 years ago, have survived a wash), black long-sleeved tee (about 3 years old), red cardigan-jacket (winter sales this year), free subscribers's gift mock-Tiffany bracelet, big silver smoky quarz ring from 2008.

Welcome everyone!!!

ooh wewere, we'll help you plan!

Fran, have you had a good sort-out of your clothes? I got rid of quite a bit recently and found I now wear a much wider range of clothes from my wardrobe because I can now actually see the nice things I do have!

Can I pull up a chair too please?

I'm very new here too

Yep - I'm definitely in. I spend too much on clothes and still have the same old, same old faithful few fighting for wardrobe space with some bad mistakes. My two motivations: I live abroad in a land of bad taste, frilly euopop style clothes and, secondly, I have just lost 2 stone. So - I am coming to England in May and hope to be another stone lighter. (Strangely - losing 3 stone will only take me from a tight 14 to a comfortable 12 but, boy, does/will the difference show) I am not on a budget so to speak but am saving my pennies/eurocents til I am in the land of good shopping once again :).
I am going to use my Pinterest account to really target some lovely things. Btw - I am a warm autumn so am having to think about how to dress for spring summer.
........ and, in my best 12 point admission..... "My name is A Little and I have more than forty shirts hanging in my wardrobe ..........."

Looks like it might be standing room only now but I am definately in!
My biggest weakness is late night online shopping when for some reason I am less rational and completely unable to resist a 'bargain'. I have loads of clothes too but of late have tried to buy better quality stuff.

Me too! Me too! I'm permanently promising myself that I will stop buying and mske the most of the many, many clothes I have. I need to make the time to have a good clear out and organise.

I also need to not look in any clothes shops or look at ebay or any other websites..I managed to buy a dress the other day when I popped into tesco for bread and milk. Doh. Thankfully it didn't fit so went back.