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?

I'm in. I said this morning that I wasn't going to buy any make-up unless I've actually run out. Clothes will be bought as I downsize, ONLY!

I have stocked up on shoes with Christmas money and gift vouchers so that is it for a good while.

What I want to do is only spend on things I a) really need and b) know will last. Good-quality, classic things instead of cheap tat which I will hate after a few months, if it hasn't fallen apart first!

I shouldn't really 'need' to buy very much at all: fully stocked on make-up and toiletries. I've been through my jewellery, got rid of loads of crap and will now save up for one really nice piece at a time instead of impulse-buying random stuff. Same for clothes.

Agree frugal fashionista
I dress better on holiday when my choice is pared down.
Too much stuff is my problem.
My NYE outfit is black sequin French Connection dress which is very straight and above the knee, worn with black opaques and Clarks black patent Kendra heels.
We going to a party at friends house and will be walking back so will take flat boots too for journey home plus fur coat if it stays dry.

Today's outfit = black skinnies (M&S jeggings - I highly recommend these and they only cost £22 iirc)

Remus I usually wear black topshop Leighs but I find that they are increasingly short-lived as the fabric seems to bag quite easily. Do you reckon M&S jeggings would make a good alternative?

Probably not, Tondelayo. The pale wash ones hold their shape better but the black ones do fade and go baggy, I'm afraid.

Today's outfit =

v pale wash skinnies (M&S as above)
old black t-shirt
long ribbed black cardigan (ancient Gap, when Gap was good)
black biker boots (now replaced by slippers)
black scarf with a beetle and moth print (Topshop)
khaki parka when I went out

Won't be changing for NYE, as we're staying in, unless I change into my PJs! :)

Can I join please? I Had a huge cull if clothes in the summer and seemes to make loads of room but I seem I have lost my way at present. Not helped by some extra weight which means things don't fit properly :( have started the Davina fit in 7 and won't buy any clothes until I can it into what I've got.
Today I'm wearing comfy lounge pants blue long sleeved t and chunky blue/green cable jumper with my fav xmas pressie blue/pink buffer fly scarf.
Tonight we're out so I think black short cord skirt, opaques, knee length black boots and a pink hollister long sleeved polo and my scarf.

I had a huge cull of clothes over the summer which has made it a lot easier to see what I have got in my wardrobe and also things hang better as it is not all stuffed in.

I have been to the sales today as my final hurruh but came home empty-handed - all I wanted was a couple of tops for work but they are all unsuitable in some respect. Maybe I will just have to wear what I have got until my Spring deadline?

Debating whether my evening outfit will be Reformation black pajama pants and a velvet blazer or just the layers of wool I'm currently wearing with slim boyfriends. The champagne is cooling outdoors - it's colder there than in the fridge! Brrrr...

Here's to a happy and frugal New Year

I'm wearing warm casual clothing tonight as it is freezing and party with fireworks outside at some point

Family coming over for dinner, so wearing sale purchase Cos jumper dress, leggings, black Camper ankle boots, big sparkly Tatty Devine necklace unearthed from pile of jewellery. Good eating clothes. :)

Other bit of plan: attempt to lose festive slight pudge so that I don't grow out of the clothes I already have. Today's jeans were a bit ... tight.

I'm going have fun tomorrow sorting out my wardrobe.
Hangover permitting of course.

YY I'm in. I couldn't do a non-spend in Oct/Nov because I am too fond of winter clothes but I have them now.
I'm a hot-flusher so Sometimes I don't wear a coat (dead hard, me ).
I am still on the lookout for a pair of perfect jeans but my abdomen is still a bit sensitive after surgery in October so I'm wearing mainly leggings and jeggings. I have a pair in the wardrobe unworn, that I will try out soon.

I have bought loads of shampoo and shower gel so I'm well stocked there.
The only thing I really need is something for my nails, they are splitting and painful and will get worse when I'm back at work.
I think a night treatment of cream and gloves will help.

I said this morning that I'd sort out my drawers and wardrobe today. Massive fail there then! Will do it tomorrow - hate New Year's Day so it will be a useful way to kill a few hours.

Yep, I'm in too. I've found these threads really inspiring previously. This year I have decluttered, ebayed and charity shopped lots, made friends with my local tailor and redefined my "style". However I am still a serial returner who shops for a hobby.

So my 2015 resolutions are to shop as if returns aren't possible, and ask myself 1) do I need this, 2) when will I wear this/what with, 3) do I really like it/does it look good? It sounds so obvious when I write it down........... More positively, I'm taking a basic sewing course in February so I can put my machine to use.

Happy new year!

What tips do you suggest to stop going to shops and reading about new things and wanting new things?

70isaLimit I am a hot-flusher too so am often coatless, much to everyone else's surprise!

My nails are brittle and split easily but I always wear nail polish to work as I then feel more 'groomed'. I have been finding that the remover dries my nails out even more. Ideally I would re-do my polish every night or every two nights at a push but this is too much remover so I have been applying a whole new coat each night and then on a Friday evening, removing all 5 coats in one go. I think this is less damaging to my nails in the long run.

I always like these type of threads. But. I'm guilty of being frugal for a little while but then lapsing.
This year I really need to spend money on the house and am saving for a trip to NY in 2016.
I don't want to spend more than £50 - £70 a month.
I want to enjoy the items I have - I like classics, plain and simple designs.
Today I'm wearing old black skinnys, old black ankle boots and a grey over size fair isle jumper I got in the Gap sale.
I've made a list of everything in my wardrobe and identified pieces I need to fill the gaps. The plan is if it's not on the list I'm not buying.

I'm in too please. I'm determined no longer to buy tat only good quality pieces. Also thinking of doing project 333 after a massive cull

thanks for the inspiration

Great thread. I spend too much on clothes. It was justified a couple of years ago; I emerged from a phase of being pregnant/fat/badly dressed and did a major makeover. I bought some decent, good quality stuff that suited me, things that matched each other and matched my life (apart from minor lapses like the time I had to take back the crazy red patent Vivienne Westwood sandals to the vintage shop because they made no sense on any level). I fell in love with clothes again, I read fashion blogs, got stuff altered instead of leaving it in a heap somewhere, didn't buy impulsively, didn't buy cheap rubbish. I got it right more than half the time, probably. Dressing well makes me happy.

But unfortunately I just kept going, instead of slowing down - it took me about 18 months to build a decent wardrobe - but I still have a fatal weakness for the sales, for just one more thing. And I do shop when I'm bored or feeling a bit flat and it's so fatally easy to do online, any hour of the day or night. And I need my money for other, far more important stuff. So I'm going to not spend any money on clothes til the end of March and even then only something that can be really justified. I have enough, more than enough clothes and I can get rid of a couple of things on ebay that never really suited me (that ridiculous secondhand twee Orla Kiely dress with the too-high waist that makes me look both seven years old and pregnant at the same time, not a good look). I'm also sorted for the summer thanks to the Boden clearance sale where I bought five 1950s style print cotton dresses (in my defence, they were all reduced from £89 to £17.50 and are completely gorgeous.)

Another thing I hope will help is losing a few pounds, which will increase my choice of wearable things by about 30%. Roll on January....!

Can I join? I probably don't buy too much but do hold on to things and don't throw out / recycle as much as I should.

Shins - I'm in the same position as you. If I lost half a stone I'd be able to wear more of the clothes in my wardrobe.

Welcome to all the new 'faces'.
Georgina your NYE outfit sounds lovely.
Leedy -I laughed at 'good eating clothes'. My NYE outfit was picked for the same reasons!

Todays outfit is my comfies - all old and nothing stylish about them really. I don't plan to leave the house!
No spending today!

Thanks frugal
I love the dress,it is very different to stuff I usually wear and I can only 'do' black if it's shiny as opposed to matt!
Am going to make a list of things I need for spring and summer over the next few weeks.
I want some well cut white jeans that I can roll up,a couple of Jersey sleeveless dresses in greys,navy and possibly white or cream.
I like soft tees in white,grey,navy and taupe and find jigsaw or marks limited collection good for these.
I will also be looking for some silvery grey converse style pumps. I have converse copies from Sainsbury and Tesco that are fab

I also love White Company knits so will be checking out their new collection.

I tried to ban clothes shopping and failed, mainly because I lost weight and nothing fit. So I have bought quite a bit since.
I do want to cut out the mistake buys- you know the clothes that languish with tags still on and don't go with anything.
However if I see something I really like or need, I'm buying, because I do like nice stuff.
I have loads of make-up so will avoid buying new except mascara which I chuck after a few months and lip gloss, which I always run out of- but I have discoved MUA and it is great and v cheap.
I'm already frugal with face creams and the like- I stick to a very simple and cheap routine and my skin is just as good as when I used the expensive stuff.