Feeling Frugal for 2015

[FrugalMcDougal]

I'm planning a clothes/ make-up buying ban for at least the start of 2015 and just buying things when I really need them.

I have a good amount of clothes and accessories and think I could be much more creative in how I wear them instead of going for my old favourites when I'm rushing in the mornings. I want to make the most of what I have.

I'm aiming high and imagining myself planning the next day's outfit the night before.

Anyone interested in supporting each other and sharing outfits?

PeachandBlack - FF gave a great reply up above. I find that if I tell myself I can't buy anything then I begin to want to buy things, anything! I also totally get the rewarding yourself with shopping. I am better at not making bad choices and buying things just for the sake of it, but sale times are such a temptation!

brilliant count me in. loads of beauty products to use up.

dexter sale times are my weakness too! I don't feel so bad buying something I don't need if it is reduced.

I have been very good recently and have managed to resist the sales both for me and for the dcs (which is difficult). We need every penny we have got as we are buying a new house. I have used the last week to mend, re-heel, darn and do turn-ups and have added massively to wardrobe staples. I am finding it difficult to avoid the Aigle sale, but I reckon that in 6 weeks we will see signs of Spring, so North face parka will live to see me through another (5th) winter.
I am still using your Eucerin Frugal although it has been discontinued in many places. Love it.

I wish I had learned to be frugal years ago..

Oh god yes with the clothes that are too smart

I own 38 evening dresses.

I've been out twice in the last 5 years! Just wtf!

Laurie that is a lot of evening dresses!

Hello, can I join in? I was actually thinking of starting a thread like this but you've beaten me to it. I've joined several of these threads before and have found them reslly thought provoking. I started by putting myself on a 3 month shopping ban but found that all that happened was that I'd get to the end of three mobtgs and reward myself with a shopping spree...! So then I banned myself from buying clothes but replaced clothes with make up....now I need to stoo buying clothes, make up and skincare as really I have more than enough of all 3. I am thinking that instead of putting myself on a ban I should set myself a budget for the whole year. That way I can self regulate andthink more about my cchoices. I'm thinking £100 for clothes and the same for skincare + makeup.

I've learnt loads from the previous threads. In particular they've helped me to realise that I use spending as a reward/comfort system and that has to stop.

I also badly need to De clutter!

Peach very impressed, you are doing so well! I think quite a few of us have realized that we are not alone in this and sharing ideas and perspectives how to turn things around does help! Really lovely to see lots of familiar nics here!

Laurie I might have an equal number of cocktail dresses... In reality I like and wear just two or three of them, the simple black ones. Just like FantaSea, I've realized that no one notices or cares. But still difficult to let go of the rest...

Snap FrugalMc I went totally overboard with a post-preg style overhaul too and shopped myself out of PND.

Pinkhouses oh no, they cannot discontinue Eucerin

Dexter thanks for your thoughtful comments! And yes, it makes sense to wonder if this is like dieting and whether it works long-term. I would not say that I'm totally free of overshopping as I will constantly need to watch what I do and still regularly have to face the DHL man for returns... The weird thing is that I can go without overshopping for three or six months but then do a lot of damage in just a few hours. Shopping is a cocaine-like high for me, impossible to resist if I get too close.

In any case, the attempts to understand the forces that trigger and maintain overshopping (=that trapped SAHM thing, feeling strssed, lonely and not belonging) have really changed my life far beyond from what I thought possible! I have changed how I work - before, alone, now I'm in a group setting working closely with people whom I really like and admire. I have also gotten back in touch with several old friends and we now see each other regularly - over he past year or two we've laughed and cried and shared a few major life crises - it feels incredibly good to have that connection!

Shopping and fashion used to be an important form of self-expression for me: now I have found more direct ways of being creative! I used to shop to relax and to get a break - but sleep, exercise, reading, socializing, small weekend trips, even sharing a meal with DH are far more effective! My job is still quite stressful but I'm learning to handle that better too. A key realization has been that perfectionism and excessively high standards make my life much harder than it should be - working on them. Perfectionism may also maintain overshopping - nothing is ever perfect so my wardrobe is full of reiterations

Sorry about the navel-gazing, just wanted to give you an update!

Overshopping? Yes, guilty as charged! What a fab word, it totally describes my retail habits.

I love these kind of threads but cannot do complete ban
I think I have been wiser in my purchases in 2014 but have lost a lot of weight so have had to buy new things although I have been more 'considered ' in my purchases and bought only what I loved and from slightly more expensive shops on the whole.
I agree with whoever said they didn't wear things bought too far in advance.
I am guilty of that definitely.
I am now planning for my sunshine holiday at easter but will hold off buying until my birthday in Feb at earliest and hopefully not until March as the spring stuff doesn't really hit shops properly until then.
I am unfortunately a great Internet shopper but will limit myself to browsing.
I love fashion blogs and actually for me a great part of fun is in the planning of an outfit I have realised.
Plus talking all things style and beauty on here

Can I just say Remus we often post on same threads and I admire your style

I'm in
Big lifestyle change for me this year as I'm getting divorced and am very used to just buying when I see.

I have a wardrobe full of clothes and need to look at each item and if I dont wear it, decide why. Lots of Mint Velvet which I need to where more on an everyday basis.
I live in Topshop Leigh black skinny jeans and have 4 pairs.

I'm very tall with big feet, so will buy things which got, often regardless of whether I need. I panic about finding things to fit.

I won't compromise on skin care...occasionally get roseacea so use Dermalogica as it doesn't irritate. But I buy the salon sizes which are more economical.

Ooh arla wear your Mint Velvet, I love lots of their stuff
I enjoy sorting my wardrobes and culling.
I just don't do it enough.

I've just ebayed a load of things. They were all purchases in sales that I couldn't resist and never wore. I got about 1/3 to 1/2 of the cost back but clearly very expensive mistakes. I have decided I will only buy what I need when I need it and only make purchases I'm very sure of on line. I have bought some reduced knitwear in the sales that I'm certain I need and it all fits. That will be it now until May at the earliest.

I'm in! I've been doing Project 333 this year (where you pick out 33 items of clothes/accessories and wear only them for 3 months) and it's really made me fine-tune my wardrobe into just things that I really like.

In the sales I've bought a (discounted) dress for the black tie events I go to and that's it. I'm holding out for one more sale (braintreeclothing - some nice stuff and I'm trying to be ethical/support organic and fair trade stuff where I can) and then I'm well and truly done, at least until the weather warms up a bit.

Welcome everyone. Its so nice to have that support.

FF you are very insightful about buying and relaxing techniques. I have got into the mindset over the years that any birthday money/ treat money or spare time should be spent on clothes and shopping when actually other things make me far happier.

Clothes do give me pleasure so I'm not banning totally but I'm spending birthday money on a bird watching weekend trip with my mum which I know will be special and memorable for us both, rather than another handbag!

Georgina Thank you. I actually look like a bag lady most of the time. I have nice clothes but am naturally chaotic looking!

My plan over the next few months, other than for work clothes, is to buy better replacements of things I live in (eg one perfect black poloneck instead of several not quite right ones / a perfect pair of brown boots) or to buy several versions of things I live in too (eg another pair of Converse would be worn to bits whilst a pair of heels probably wouldn't be etc). So I will be spending money and not being entirely frugal, but it will be money better spent.

That is my plan too Remus
I've bought jumpers in greys and navy this season from The White Company,Jigsaw and Mint Velvet and worn them loads.

I'm on the look out for a perfect/gorgeous grey v neck jumper, slightly longline but fitted not baggy. Any ideas? I want it to be bum length.

Remus I know they don't completely fit the brief but have you seen the ME&EM knitwear? Some in the sale right now.

I also like the Zara v neck cashmere Remus but sadly currently no grey.

Thanks, Happy. Me and Em no good, as cba with online, but will have a look in Zara (although I hate going in there, as the Birmingham one is like a jumble sale). Hobbs look as if they might have a couple of contenders for something not perfect but on the way.

Sorry for the hijack, FrougalMcDougal.

I'm in too - overshopped seriously in the last couple of years (suddenly being on decent money plus a slightly overcompensating touch of "I am a mum of two and cannot look frumpy/need to treat myself") and now have stuff wodged into the back of the wardrobe that has hardly been worn, keep getting the guilts about how much unused stuff I have, totally recognize the "binge shopping high".

My weaknesses - buying unnecessary multiples (I've worn this loads, I need it another colour -> never wear the other colour), buying for a dressy lifestyle that I just don't have (heels when I live in flats, fancy frocks), handbags (when I mostly just use one or two), makeup.

Plan: Have already identified a bunch of stuff to Ebay, try to wear/use what I have creatively (and if I don't use something, in to the Ebay/charity pile it goes), avoid buying anything significant after sales until March/April unless replacing something, avoid "it hardly counts, it's cheap" makeup spending.

No worries Remus.

Laurie that is an impressive dress stock! Get yourself out wearing them!

Has everyone 'shopped their wardrobe' for NYE?

We have friends coming over with their dc for afternoon park visit, drinks sliding into kids to bed then dinner and prosecco for the grown-ups.
I am wearing a charcoal Cos dress from 2 years ago with opaques, another statement necklace (I've just sorted out my jewellery and unearthed some forgotten items - how bad is that), black boots, silver jewellery and damson nails.

Hi Leedy and Georgina your spending patterns / justifications sound a lot like mine! And yes Victorine kudos to you, we always mention the bargains but rarely the costly mistakes.

I love the thrill of the chase and the purchasing moment. Although I love fashion, I'm not into owning a lot of stuff, I really prefer freedom, and the overflowong wardrobes feel like a burden and an embarrassment. Too many options make picking an outfit much more difficult. Unfortunately I'm also very good at buying items that are either very difficult or impossible to return In Italy, returning stuff can be a pain, and refunds are often not possible.

Today's outfit: it's super cold, so wearing a denim blue Fair Isle cardigan from 2006 layered with a slim cream cashmere sweater purchased last year and worn almost to death (the normal lifespan of department store cashmere ). Bottoms forest green khakis from Gap (this season, love the reinforced knee detailing) and my trusty oatmeal Celtic sheepskin slippers from several years ago. I stopped wearing this cardi because it looked really boring with blue jeans and not right with black - really pleased with how the pairing with green makes it look all new.

FrugalMc the birdwatching trip sounds like a fantastic investment! I bought today's cardigan on a trip to Iceland: during that trip, I paid roughly the same sum I spent on two items of knitwear to go whale watching. The whale watching thing was one of the most exhilarating things I've ever done, something I'll remember forever. The wooly stuff just ended up taking space on my back shelves (the second sweater - the multiple - has barely been worn)... Kind of wish I had gone volcano watching or had a walk on a glacier instead...