Toying with the idea of not buying any new clothes/shoes/accessories in 2021

[TableNiner]

I spend a lot of my time looking for new clothes, ordering clothes and returning clothes. I have more than enough to last a year and wonder if I should challenge myself, just feels very daunting. I would save a lot of time, money and environmental impact. Has anyone done this or do you think you could?

Yeah do it OP!! Maybe set yourself monthly goals rather than yearly. I love clothes shopping bit hardly bought a thing this year cos got nowhere to wear it! Good luck !!

I did this in 2018 and it “reset” my habits of buying things for the sake of it. I set my own rules & allowed myself to buy from charity shops or buy something from eBay if I had built up enough credit in my PayPal account from selling clothes I hadn’t been wearing. It was a good challenge & has stopped me from buying unnecessarily. 2 years on now from my self imposed challenge I now make sure I wear the clothes I have & I really think before buying anything new. Go for it !

There was a lady a couple of years ago who did this and blogged about it (model knickers own) she only bought from charity shops and posted her outfit each day

I would like to do this because my spending is out of control!

In the last three months I’ve spent far less as I have nowhere to wear new clothes! I’m hoping to reduce this even further in the next three months while we’re still all stuck inside.
Maybe try Jan-March and see how you get on

I did this a while back and benefited hugely. I've been considering doing it again because whilst I enjoy shopping I have too many lovely things already.

I'm going for a full no spend '21

I've bought a few things this week to see me on and have saved my birthday cash as my only "treat spends" - everything has to come out of that and it's in physical cash so I have to buy in shops, rather than online which in theory should mean I can try before I buy and only buy stuff I'm sure on.
This week I've bought two new pairs of jeans in the sale, just £17 each and a new pair of casual shoes - vans - in the sale at £23. that's it!
I have an absolutely full wardrobe to go at with a couple of new pieces I've bought in lockdown that should do if any occasion arises. I'm hopeful that I can do it, I just hope I don't lose my resolve.

Looking long and hard at 2020 all I bought was 5 pairs of socks. Other than more socks, I can't see anything I need in 2021.

I'm keen to do a version of this...but instead of buying nothing, I'm planning on saving for the odd thing. Maybe an item per season. Maybe less. Something like that. But when I do buy, whatever the thing is, I will buy something which will last and not go badly out of fashion. Classic, quality pieces I shouldn't need to rebuy again later iyswim. I suppose I could do this, but buy secondhand....

I've been meaning to attempt this as I like to make sure I use everything in my wardrobe and I like making new outfits from what I have. I certainly have become a more mindful shopper the past year...I've done the same with beauty products too-not buying any more and trying to use up what I have.

I've not bought a single item of clothing since August 2019 and to be honest it never really bothers me. Chocolate on the other hand...

I'm up for this. When I am finally able to go out again it will be like having a whole new wardrobe, I've lived in jeans for 9 months

I started doing this last year. I made it through to April without buying anything. My bank account was in the black and I was very smug. Then, well work was hell, in an NHS hospital, unimaginable pressures and long days. I decided to treat myself because I thought I deserved it, and the downward spiral began again. I got back on track in November and December, although was forced to buy 2 new bras as my old ones fell apart.

So, this year's effort is the full 12 months for me. I don't need anything except to lose 3 stone and then everything I own will look marvellous on me,

Great idea.
Prior to this I think I went about 2 years without shopping. I had a big stock up on basics and that was it. I can't say I missed it.

I did do the odd thing like a one off perfume box or a seasonal shade of nailpolish. Keeping it cheap and cheerful.

I did this in 2019. Strange as it sounds, I felt very at peace. Might do again in 2021

I did this last year, loosely. I did make a couple of dresses for myself. And in the winter I did buy myself a long wanted/needed pair of black boots in the sale.

But apart from that I didn't really buy any clothes for myself last year. Let's face it we all got wardrobes full of clothes that we just even forget to wear so it's not that tricky - if you set about just using what you've got.

I did this a couple of years ago, too, and think I'll do it in 2021, so thanks for the thought.

This is my goal too. I'm not that bold to make it a goal for 2021, but rather, to begin with, a goal for January and see how it goes

I try and shop thoughtfully, e.g. I normally buy mostly second hand (although I haven't done too well this year) and I've started making my own clothes. But a total ban on anything I enjoy just makes me obsess about it and I'm not sure what it would achieve. It's not as if I think clothes are intrinsically bad - it's the excesses of fast fashion and the poor ethical practices that I have a problem with. If I was going to make a change, I think it would be to only buy from independent shops.

I’ve been thinking about this too. Browsing through the Jan sales online and it all seems so pointless when I’ve got a bulging wardrobe full of clothes upstairs. It might motivate me to lose weight so I can get into my nice clothes again. I think I’ll probably allow myself charity shop buys when they reopen.

I'm going to try this month by month. I'm waiting for some sales stuff to comment I really have enough clothes, bags and shoes to last me for ages, especially as I'm not going into town everyday so there is less pressure ( and retail therapy opportunities!). The only things I will definitely need are new bras as I'm losing weight so will need to get re-measured, and some new dance trainers for Zumba. Again those are things I like to try on in-store as sizes vary between brands.

Sales stuff to come!

Flaming tablet!

I'm with you OP although agree monthly goals might be a less onerous prospect! I'd struggle to go all year without buying any clothes, shoes etc but certainly easier whilst we're locked down and it's all online only.

I personally loathe online clothes shopping and the inevitable hassle of returning most of it! I think that quality seems to have taken a nose dive recently too so I'd rather wait until we're back to shopping in stores before investing in more for my wardrobe.

Sounds like a good idea. I am tempted to do this too, and transfer £100 a month (average monthly spend on clothing & accessories) in to a separate savings account. So it feels like I've achieved something.