No buy or low buy 2023

[TheOGCCL]

Starting a new thread for the new year. I really must do better. Pretty sure I am in need of nothing after my 2022 spending spree.

Ironically I think this board sets me off a bit.

I’m better with a blanket no spend but how dull. Still thinking about my ‘rules’, eg set a budget or an item limit.

I need to avoid the sales as many mistakes happen there.

All welcome who want to cut down for environmental or ethical or financial reasons, or simply the satisfaction of buying second hand, or the ease of getting dressed when you have less stuff.

I can recommend Lauren Bravo’s book How To Break Up With Fast Fashion.

Its a bit like eating meat, if we all collectively did it a bit less, the world would be a better place.

Thanks @SheSawSeaShore I will investigate it.

The Laura Geller set was completely wrong for me so it's going back.

I was doing so well and nearly made it to the end of the month. I'm going to consider this a minor relapse and start again for March. But Feb was definitely better than Jan. Bought nothing for myself other than one coffee out. Then last week I walked around the city centre while DS2 was having his 6th form interview there. I did too much people watching and decided I 'needed' some baggy/wide legged trousers after concluding the best dressed people (IMO) were wearing them. Being petite I always thought they wouldn't suit me, but having seen other short people out looking good in them I wanted to try. I almost always wear leggings but decided I want to try something different. I have loads of tops, skirts, dresses, leggings, joggers, jackets, coats, jumpers, hoodies. Mostly I like the feel of soft, non rigid clothes. I only own one pair of jeans and 3 pairs of what you would call trousers, which are basically cords and not wide legged/baggy. So I have ordered 3 different styles of trousers to try, 2 wide legged and 1 baggy tapered and will see how they look, but I'm highly likely to send some (or maybe all) back!

Logging in at the beginning of the month.Its so cold here I'm back in my Winter Clothes & re-enjoying my leather leggings, cashmere jumpers & wide pants. E Bay selling has been a success & I've used the funds to replace basic jeans/ t shirts & some functional walking trainers for my weird feet. I am tempted by some lovely knitwear in Wrap & Poetry but shall resist. As I literally have no room in my wardrobe.
The Whering app is working well for me. Its particularly useful at reminding me of clothing items I haven't worn for a while. I don't think I'm quite as thorough as you @Netcam at utilising it. But I've copied your idea of noting multiples in the notes section. I'm wearing a Jigsaw jumper I haven't worn for the last couple of years today. And I dug out an old Autograph Cashmere jumper that looks pretty current & it's really good quality heavy Cashmere. Shame it's the drab colour of my old school uniform though 😁 It's definitely not sparking joy!

I have ordered two little bralettes. My aim is that’s all I will spend on clothes, with no cosmetics/toiletries in March.

I spent nothing on myself this month. I think all the time I'm spending trying to find tomatoes has kept me too busy to online browse.

I did have a good mooch around the Boots 70% off sale but there was nothing there I needed. I would venture to suggest in our local store's selection there was nothing there that anybody needed. I've never seen such a load of useless old tat in all my born days. My husband got excited about a velociraptor mug you couldn't drink out of that was still a fiver in the sale but the expression on my face quickly put a stop to that nonsense.

@Cantonet, glad Whering App is working for you. I am still adding everything I wear each day. You did well to resist purchases. I was eyeing up linen trousers for summer on Wrap and Poetry but also resisted as they are so expensive and I'm not convinced about quality from reading reviews. However, the first pair of wide leg trousers I ordered arrived and I'm keeping them as they are machine washable wool and fit me well. Let's hope the 3 others I ordered do not all fit into my 'must keep' criteria or I really will have failed. But these are for winter and the others are light summer (cotton or linen) and much cheaper than the Wrap/Poetry options which I couldn't justify at full price.

I bought a long sleeves top, 2 hair accessories and a necklace today, none of which I needed. I also got several pairs of tights which I did need. Normally I'd return from the first shop after payday laden down with bags full of anything and everything. It felt weird to be this restrained about it today. I'm trying to stop buying cheap stuff that doesn't last so I can buy better stuff that does.

My favourite company emailed me with the new releases but so far I haven't bought anything because it's mostly not practical for my lifestyle and I really don't need it. I keep wavering though

@IndianSummer78 My strategy is to delete the emails without looking at them. It felt alien and was tough at first. Now I do it automatically.

Feeling pretty good at the moment. I haven't bought anything since the Rapanui t shirts in the sale at the end of January (2 striped ones and 3 plain ones) and it meant I could pay for some expenses (insurance on our new second car!) out of my wages rather than savings. It is helping that we're between seasons though. It's supposed to snow next week so I'll just be wearing one of my 8 to 10 nice jumpers on rotation for the foreseeable.

I wish the weather would change, I'm sick of winter clothes.

On a positive, I've sold nearly £70 worth of stuff on vinted. There were a couple of bigger beauty items which accounted for half of it and yesterday I sold two fascinators. It's my new hobby. I'm on the look out for a purple cardigan to replace the one I've holed. There are two on vinted but neither is my size.

I've marked a lot as spam so I'm not tempted to click through and look.

I fell off the wagon a little in Feb but am intent on repenting this month.

I love reading this thread for the tips on how to keep going, but I too am feeling the NEED for wide leg trousers.

I bought 4 things - 3 off my list (wide legged trousers, black jumper and black dress) and a pair of jeans not on my list. Will try to do better this month.

@StrawHatOnTheParcelShelf
oh no, this was supposed to be a low / no spend and now I'm encouraging wide legged trousers buying. So, the first ones, from Icebreaker, are very warm and soft wool jersey, I have been wearing them constantly in this cold weather. But the next 2 I returned. Waiting for the last pair, which are tapered linen from John Lewis. Confess to also having ordered a navy wool coatigan that was too good an offer to refuse in the sale, I really didn't need it but I know it will be good quality . This cold weather is not helping!

I think I want to make a purchase in terms of some layering bits, I'm not working from home all but one day a week so I've put away my smart jackets and work clothes. So I'm after jackets/shirts/cardis of a more casual nature, but I don't want to go all out slob in a hoody. Currently doing some research on pintrest/vinted.

£0 on clothes last month which is definitely a first for me. Now for March - I think this will be harder as we're going to France for 6 weeks in April. I have everything I need but am always tempted

Waves 🤗 atNetcam my icebreaker friend.

I have unsubscribed! 😇

I've replaced a pair of jeans that were starting to lose their stretch. I'm really focusing on doing more rather than buying more. Just got back from holiday, booked another and got lots more stuff planned. Apart from replacing stuff I will cave at some point when I see something I love but don't necessarily need.

That feels too extreme for me 🫣

I really need to join in! This was initially spurred on by the fact that I have had a couple bad experiences returning online purchases (went missing and I have lost the tracking receipts, so my own fault) and I am down to the tune of £80.

I constantly buy online and my cupboards are busrting at the seams - I've got bags and bags of stuff to go on vinted or to the charity shop, alot of it 'mistake' puchases.

I need to focus on only replacing things that I need and hopefully I will see the results in my bank balance. I need to revalue other things too - I find it difficult to spend money of meals out but I will spends £££'s on bags of stuff from the shops for the family that we probably don't need.

I think I will delete all shopping apps from my phone and also unsubsribe to emails when they come through.

Roll on the warmer weather and I can get all the spring/summer clothes out that I bought last year and feel like a have a new wardrobe anyway!

@LunaTheCat waves to you too 🤗, Icebreaker stuff is a bit too nice and easy to wear, isn't it! I think I don't need any new clothes because over the years I've bought so much on offer in their sales and rarely return anything from there, unlike from anywhere else.

Checking back in. I bought one black leather belt and one cream silk shirt. Am now at, I think, 6 items already during what is supposed to be a 12 item year.

Average price of each item has also increased quite a bit, but am happy with that: aim for me is less about saving money and more about saving space!

Failed, failed and failed some more. In my attempts to not buy the expensive thing I didn't need, I thought I'd settle for a couple of hair accessories from elsewhere which I also didn't need but ended up with a jumper and trousers, a skirt and two jumpers, another skirt and a blouse, a storage box and a makeup pallet organiser, which all caught my eye, as well as the hair accessories. Treated myself to something I spied in a charity shop, to cheer myself up over my failure to not buy all the things. Then a week later I thought stuff it and bought the thing I was trying to avoid. So...yeh. I need new tactics. Trying to just buy less is only partially working. So I'm going to see if I can ban myself from buying anything except from my favourite designer. I'll still spend a pile of money but I'll be limited by having to wait for the next drop, and because it's expensive I'll have less items coming into the home to find room for, plus I'll be getting what I really want and not a cheaper or more practical and less fun alternative

I have learned the hard way to buy the £22 mascara I know I like rather than try an £8 mascara that smudged on me followed by trying a £12 one that stuck all my lashes together, and a £16 that I hated the brush on and it smudged on me.

Nay to displacement purchases and yay to buying the thing you really want.