Not buying clothes 2024

[Nonewclothes2024]

I need to stop buying clothes.
I have far too many.
I feel overwhelmed deciding what to wear every day.
I wear a uniform to work.
I have deleted all shopping apps.
I am unsubscribing from shop e mails.

Anyone else ?

Oh, I use Monzo which is very useful for budgeting and "pots" for various things, and I really enjoy seeing my holiday pot grow!

Beginning of April, and another month done , I'm so pleased.

I kept the 2 skirts from Nobody's Child plus a dress. The jumpsuit went back. It was less than £60 total and the skirts were replacements for 2 I sold on vinted at the end of last summer. The dress was an extra but I've enjoyed wearing the 'winter' dress I bought.

I also bought golf shoes and need a couple of tops as we're going on a golfing holiday in the summer. We're away at the minute and I didn't need to top up with anything though one or two things are looking a bit shabby.

Ok hmm. Well I’ve blown it.

Ordered:
1 cardigan and 1 jacket from Zara
Two pairs of trousers from Yoox
2 dresses from Realisation
2 dresses from Asos
1 pair of shoes
1 dress from Brand Alley

On the plus side I returned a jacket to Amazon as it was vile.

No clothes bought this year !! Just got a new pair of shoes but they are a present from DH for our anniversary so that doesn’t count, or does it?
Can’t say I haven’t succumbed to spending though but it was all on dog grooming stuff.

I bought a Hello Kitty night shirt because it was too cute to resist! That's two items I have bought this year. Just under one item a month. It's really hard to completely resist if you have to go into shops anyway as the kids are growing.

Still not bought any socks. They will all have to fall apart before I cave in ( unless I see cute ones of course)

No new clothes or accessories in March! Few school uniform things it those were essential, plus a few small dc treats. Very pleased. In Feb I only bought one £15 so pretty good going so far.

For the first quarter, I've bought / been given (birthday in February) 6 items of clothing, of which 2 were second-hand and 4 new. One second-hand top was very spring coloured and the other was a muted mustard cardigan that actually looks good on my pale features (yellow and warm colours can be tricky for me, apart from brown).

None were really impulse purchases (even if it felt that way initially when I replaced my boots last month instead of waiting until the autumn!). Both new pairs of shoes/boots and the running tops were genuinely needed and all are getting a lot of wear. So that's good.

I have also found several items to donate, partly based on how often I'm (not) wearing particular items in my Whering app and the subsequent reflection on whether I still want that dress/top/pair of trousers. I could take this further, but I am not currently aiming for a minimalist wardrobe - just a hopefully more sustainable one.

This month I'm spending on clothes for ds, who has outgrown some of his trousers and also needed pyjamas and a new pair of school shoes. Charity shops for children's clothes aren't very good here, but I do try - they don't wear things for that long really!

Good luck all.

I didn't do so well in March but I shall try again for April

@IndianSummer78 were your purchases needs or wants?

After a successful March, I fell off the wagon a bit. I went thrifting with my mom and came back with 3 items: stripy cotton culottes for summer; green sweatshirt-material tee, and a stripy cotton sweatshirt. The tops were $5 and $2 respectively and I know both will be worn. The trousers were $6 and more of a punt - not my usual thing but I'm keen to try something different. At that price I'm happy to give it a whirl.

I'm doing a one in, one out though so that means I'll need to bid adieu to 3 similar items.

I did buy 2 stripy t shirts in March from Tk Maxx. They're 100% heavyweight cotton & in a great style, which is so difficult to source. I'm keeping images of clothes/outfits I like in my Whering app, as I often find I have items that are similar already. I still find this time of year tempting as I love it when the spring/summer clothes arrive online, but then check through my pieces on the App.

Didn't buy anything in March. Have also decided to stop buying online. I have too many mistakes, stuff that looks great on the Zara model bent over like a pretzel, but shit on me and then I forget to return. Only going to buy stuff I can try on in store. That will limit me severely, but thats all to the good.

How do you forget to return? Aren’t the boxes in your room?

I’ve just found a lovely jacket in Zara.

How do you forget to return?

Because, you know, life. First your kid gets norovirus, then you, then your husband. Add in a few work deadlines that then see you work until 10pm (or crafting a bloody world bookday costume), plus maybe one worktrip too and poof, a month is gone. I've forgotten to return things on time because I prioritise other things, and life is hectic

I don't buy from Zara at all anymore, their sizing is too erratic.

I prioritise other things

That’s not really forgetting, it’s choosing not to.

Bought nothing so far apart from a pair of high waisted leggings (black) in Tescos the other day. And an embroidered blouse in Zara for SIL’s birthday in March last month.

@Mirabai

I guess some people just have more going on in their lives. It easy for returns to be pushed to the bottom of the pile - especially if people in the family are ill.

1 beautiful vintage watch. charity shop £5
1 Hobbs dress charity shop £4 (both in Dec)
1 pack bobby pins.(March)

Nothing else at all 😁 I've extended my no buy to everything else in my life, excluding food/household cleaning. I managed a very low buy for clothes last year, and I have enough to last years.

It's amazing how much stuff you just don't need. I'm spending more time on hobbies. (That I already have the stuff for.)

I’d have said 3 kids, 2 ill elderly parents, job + diploma was quite a lot but hey..

I’ve not done so well this quarter. I was hoping after the Jan sales and Feb birthday month I would have slowed right down but it seems I haven’t. I have been marking any purchased this year that have been ethical or second hand though to try and keep on the right path.

I’ve bought a few surprise buys in the last couple of weeks. I had not actively gone looking for them so definitely an indulgence I didn’t need. Really getting distracted by the new spring/summer stuff coming out and it is 100% my colours and style where it has not been for the past couple of years. I’m also digging out older items from my wardrobe that fit in well though so cutting myself a bit of slack but might need pulling into line in a month or so.

I agree with @CharlotteRumpling that buying in person is better. Partly because of the inability of websites to give proper sizing details. How tall the model is doesn't help me much.

Hard though because the internet promises you the world and occasionally delivers (but mostly not). And physical shops keep closing down or are poorly stocked, leaving you having to estimate whether a different colour and size will suit you. I quite like some Seasalt things and there's no shop anywhere near me.

Me, I'm on a rollercoaster as ever but doing MUCH better than 2022 and 2023. Even for cosmetic items, I keep thinking ok well that is only 8.99 but if I keep buying £8.99 items it adds up. So I'm not. I'm hoping slowly not spending on unnecessary stuff becomes a habit.

It's not always forgetting. Sometimes it's just thinking " Yeah OK this will do" but realising a month later that it could have fitted better or been more comfortable or been a softer texture. I have maybe 3 or 4 items like this but I have very little wardrobe space so that's too many. I think one coat was bought in the pandemic and I was too fed up to return it.

My other problem is that I an menopausal so my body has changed a lot and the prevailing baggy oversized fashions don't suit it. There's so much fabric in clothes these days. I think they are pinned onto models. Buying in shops will hopefully stop that. Or order to shops, try on immediately and return if needed.

Sometimes it's just thinking " Yeah OK this will do"

Ah yes I know that one. When you really need something, can’t find what you want, compromise, and then regret it.

These massive oversized things do not suit me either. I’m not convinced they suit anyone really.

I did fall off the wagon a bit, bought a few things in the sale. A half price pair of Icebreaker black crush pants for a spare as they are being discontinued and they are a wardrobe staple which fit me really well. An Icebreaker warm merino long sleeved top in a colour I like as some of my old ones I've had for about 7 years are developing holes under the arms. And some smartwool gloves. That adds to the new pair of Hoka trainers, some smarter Icebreaker trousers and a pair of Smartwool socks bought earlier this year. There is an Icebreaker summer dress I like the look of, so if I see it in the end of summer sale at half price, I'll probably get one then. But my plan is not to buy anything else this year, or indeed look!