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.

I saw that dress today in Sainsbury , it's nice .

I bought four M&S vest tops a couple of weeks ago

I am so put off the dresses out there at the moment -the tiers and flounces are so not me <sigh>

This thread 😁. It’s literally all buy, buy, buy.

I’m on the abstaining from alcohol thread. They are very similar.

@Refreshmentsanyone Ah but it's not necessarily a no-buy; lots of people are doing a low buy like me.

It does occasionally sound a bit like a confessional when people 'declare' items but it's good for accountability. I have new shorts on my spring shopping list, and will go looking for some next weekend. But having a wish list helps me keep focussed, shop intentionally, and so it means I hopefully come back with just the shorts, and not shorts, top and sandals, for example.

Although it doesn't impact anybody on here when I purchase anything I do find having to come on here and declare really helps me consider purchases.

Refreshmentsanyone
I have several things that I want on my list but it will probably take all year for me to find the ideal one of each item because I'm not interested in buying for the sake of it and adding meh to my wardrobe. I want perfect fit, quality, exactly my style and to be able to wear the hell out of it for years. For me that is a low buy. I don't have tons of clothes and wear them all.
I can go shopping and come back with nothing, no longer do I buy things for the sake of it. I'm also happy to spend a lot on one item so I definitely don't want to make mistakes that won't get worn.

I mean you could just not read the post if it isn't for you? Which it clearly isn't.

Well, "low" is just as subjective as "low for an individual...

If being on this thread reduces someone's shopping habits by 25% then it's probably worth it?

I have a few gaps in my wardrobe and I don't intend to punish myself by saying I can't buy anything. That's not the point. I've not bought clothes this month but I have bought beauty products I was low on. I'm not going to forgo my beauty routine just because I'm an MN thread

Well, it must be very nice to be totally perfect. The rest of us mere mortals can only aspire to your lofty heights, it seems. Hope it’s not too chilly up there on your high horse.

What matters is the thread is supportive for those who are trying to make changes in their life, not whether some random stranger thinks that the changes are good enough.

If someone is used to adding lots of extras in their trolley every time they go to the supermarket then cutting that by 59% is huge.
If someone else wants to focus on delaying purchases to save and buy higher quality items, good for them.

Neither is better or worse than the other and both can gain support on this thread.

That poster says they're on an abstaining from alcohol thread. Don't think their horse is very high! Probably it's standing in the gutter

Refreshment you don't seem to realise this isn't an addiction thread, it's just for people who want to shop differently going forward, whatever that looks like for each individual. I post a lot on here and it probably looks shocking to someone wanting to buy 3 items in a year. That's not me though, I just want to spend less and own less. So using things up and not replacing everything, more two out for one in. I've spent thousands a year on clothes some years and cluttered up my home a bit, so if I spend £300 a month this year and purchase fewer items with it, that's a vast improvement for me and I'll be happy

My mid month update is I've not spent anything else since that one spend at the start of the month. Hoping to make it to April before I buy anything else. As I gradually organise like with like so I can see more clearly what I already have, I'm losing the urge to buy absolutely everything I see and like

You sound like a perfect candidate for the ever growing army of us who make our own clothes 🙂

😁I’m not even on the thread really.

I just find it curious that the thread has turned into a “ what are we all buying” thread. I’m sure in the first few pages a number of posters asked that people don’t post purchases as it sets everyone off.

Anyway good luck with it.

AnnieSnap I can sew a button back on 😄
Luckily I kept in touch with the dressmaker who altered my wedding dress years ago, she's been extremely helpful over the last few years especially.

I only started sewing because the woman who did my alterations stopped doing it. That and binge watching The Great British Sewing Bee when I had Covid, inspired me to get a cheap sewing machine to try doing my own simple alterations. I had never used a machine before. That was 16 months ago and now I’m making my own clothes! No one could be more amazed that me. I find it really mindful and good for me, plus I can choose my own fabric, print and style!

Would love to hear more about this. I taught myself to use a machine in lockdown but patterns terrify me so I’m a bit stuck!

My first was was a bucket bag following a YouTube tutorial called ‘How to Sew a Chubby Tote Bag’ by Sotak Handmade. I was amazed at how well it turned out and I love it. I then made a Gardening Apron. At that point, I realised that it I didn’t learn by working on stuff I genuinely wanted, I’d become bored and wouldn’t learn at all. So I moved on to some clothing patterns for beginners by Tilly and the Buttons. Their instructions are very good. That said, the skirt I started with drove me nuts and wasn’t wearable. I didn’t stop there though and tried their Skye Sundress (which I posted a photo of further up the thread after someone else asked). It was the first dress I made and I love it and wear it all the time in the summer. I have become more more adventurous since then and making clothes has become my relaxation, interest, meditation and general pleasure. I have also made my husband a few things 🙂 My advice is ‘sew bravely’. If you don’t start ‘dressmaking’, you’ll never learn to do it and big picture - what’s the worst that could happen. Do let me know how you get on. Feel free to PM me if you’d like to

Thanks @AnnieSnap I'll take a look at the bag tutorial and the sundress pattern. So far I can: make very basic bags / sew zips into simple zippered pouches / make a very basic kimono.

If you can do that, you can make all sorts of clothes. Look on www.thefoldline.com It’s the most comprehensive pattern site. You can filter for beginner pattern. I also filter for Independent, as the 4 big companies (those that were around in our grandmother’s day) tend to be more ‘old fashioned’ and their instructions are not as good. I’d suggest avoiding Style Arc. They have patterns for some lovely stylish garments, but, although they call some Beginner patterns, their instructions are practically non-existent!

I really like the idea of making clothes, but my fear has been the sewing machine. Hours spent sorting out jams and puzzling out how the stitching ended up like that. I only made bags and craft things. It might have been the machine. I don't know.

Sounds like it was your machine. It only ever happened to me a couple of times and only took a minute or two to sort out. It shouldn’t be a big problem even with a basic machine. My first one was a £200 Brother and I didn’t have that problem. I’ve recently moved on to a fairly expensive Bernina which is the Bees Knees. If you still have the same machine, it might just need servicing. Maybe take it in to your local sewing machine dealer. Anyway, don’t let that experience put you off. That isn’t a problem you need to deal with.

Try this pattern. The instructions make it straightforward. She has videos on the website to help you with certain parts, in addition to very good written instructions and you’ll love wearing it on a hot day. You can make it as a maxi or above the knee. Ignore the image the link has put up. That’s a different pattern, but the link takes you to the correct one.
https://shop.tillyandthebuttons.com/products/seconds-sewing-pattern-envelope-1-10?_pos=2&_sid=5f4053b91&_ss=r&variant=39265696219241

There are some lovely patterns on that site. Can you recommend any good places to buy fabric? I haven't made any clothes for years but reading this I feel inspired to start again!

I certainly can. Online there https://poundfabrics.co.uk/ has fabulous fabrics (the ones they sell for £1 are polyester horrors of course). You can get excellent cotton lawn, cotton poplin, cotton double gauze, linen, viscose, linen/viscose and linen/cotton blends at prices so much cheaper than elsewhere and their customer service is excellent. Rainbow Fabrics is online, but also has a shop in Kilburn London. They buy in deadstock (it would end up in landfill if sewers didn’t buy it) from Nobody’s Child, Boden, Next etc. I’ve bought some great retro prints from them this season and last, but not least, when I want something special, I go to Guthrie Ghani. Lauren Guthrie chooses the best quality fabrics for her store and gives a really personal service, both in the store (just outside Birmingham) and on line. If you’re lucky enough to live nearby, you can pop in if you have a query about the weight of a fabric, or if you’re uncertain if it’s right for a particular pattern, or you can email or chat to them on the phone and they are so friendly and knowledgeable.

I’d also recommend joining some lovely friendly, helpful groups on Facebook. Pound Fabrics groups, The Great British Sewing Bee group (the latest series starts on Wednesday 9pm BBC 1). That group is active all the time though. There are others, but they are the loveliest 🙂

The sundress is lovely. I'll try to get the pattern and have a go, although the idea of a pattern terrifies me and the idea of bias binding is equally terrifying!

It terrified me too. Tilly (business owner) does a video on the website showing how to do bias binding, so check out the Skye Sundress tutorial on the website when you start. I amazed myself when I discovered that I’m pretty good at doing bias binding and I enjoy doing it. Let me know how you get on.