New Years Resolution 2017: No New Clothes!
I suck at New Years Resolutions. I rarely make them, and if I do, I rarely keep them. I don't always see the point in deciding to make a change just because of a change in the calendar, and I have seen so many people fail and then totally beat themselves up for it that I just generally don't make them.
That being said, this year I decided to step out of my comfort zone make a resolution that I am going to try my VERY DARNDEST to keep! I decided that from January 1st 2017 to January 1st 2018, I won't purchase or wear any *new* clothes. I'm only allowed to wear something if I make it myself or if it is second hand (passed on to me by a friend, found at a thrift shop, etc).
Now, there are a few exceptions to this.
Firstly, I got a gift card for christmas that expires at the end of the year, so I'm going to use that.
Secondly - underwear. Sadly I am not brave enough to wear second hand underwear.
I thought about this challenge a lot throughout December, and although I am quite nervous about it, I am also excited for a few different reasons.
I've been learning bits and pieces about living a minimalist lifestyle lately, and it's something that really appeals to me. Anyone who knows me knows that (like many people at my stage in life) I move houses/apartments incessantly. I think the longest I've lived in one place since I graduated high school was 2 years, and typically it's a lot shorter than that. I love the idea of not having so much crap to move. I'd love to eventually be able to own my whole life in a suitcase or two. So giving up buying new clothes is just one small step towards that.
For many years now I've felt guilty about buying mass produced stuff, including clothes. I am aware of the environmental and ethical impact that mass production has, and it's something I just tend to push out of my mind when buying something that I know was probably made in a sweatshop. Hopefully I can learn more about this throughout my year of not buying new clothes, and share what I find on this blog.
Because I am allowed to wear things if I make them myself, I'm hoping that this resolution will encourage my sewing! I've been putting sewing on the back burner lately because I have been too busy with other things, but I'm hoping that this challenge will put me back on track and inspire me to design and make new clothes, not only for myself but for others (which will hopefully mean more tutorials on this lackluster blog of mine!)
So yeah. As strange as this resolution might seem for a 24 year old woman, it feels like the right choice for me. I'm a bit worried that I might totally FORGET that I'm doing this and accidentally buy something... so please friends, remind me!
I'm planning to write weekly updates for the next little while on how this is going, just to record any little challenges and successes that come along. I hope you'll read and go along on this experiment with me!
xo
Katy
That being said, this year I decided to step out of my comfort zone make a resolution that I am going to try my VERY DARNDEST to keep! I decided that from January 1st 2017 to January 1st 2018, I won't purchase or wear any *new* clothes. I'm only allowed to wear something if I make it myself or if it is second hand (passed on to me by a friend, found at a thrift shop, etc).
Now, there are a few exceptions to this.
Firstly, I got a gift card for christmas that expires at the end of the year, so I'm going to use that.
Secondly - underwear. Sadly I am not brave enough to wear second hand underwear.
I thought about this challenge a lot throughout December, and although I am quite nervous about it, I am also excited for a few different reasons.
I've been learning bits and pieces about living a minimalist lifestyle lately, and it's something that really appeals to me. Anyone who knows me knows that (like many people at my stage in life) I move houses/apartments incessantly. I think the longest I've lived in one place since I graduated high school was 2 years, and typically it's a lot shorter than that. I love the idea of not having so much crap to move. I'd love to eventually be able to own my whole life in a suitcase or two. So giving up buying new clothes is just one small step towards that.
For many years now I've felt guilty about buying mass produced stuff, including clothes. I am aware of the environmental and ethical impact that mass production has, and it's something I just tend to push out of my mind when buying something that I know was probably made in a sweatshop. Hopefully I can learn more about this throughout my year of not buying new clothes, and share what I find on this blog.
Because I am allowed to wear things if I make them myself, I'm hoping that this resolution will encourage my sewing! I've been putting sewing on the back burner lately because I have been too busy with other things, but I'm hoping that this challenge will put me back on track and inspire me to design and make new clothes, not only for myself but for others (which will hopefully mean more tutorials on this lackluster blog of mine!)
So yeah. As strange as this resolution might seem for a 24 year old woman, it feels like the right choice for me. I'm a bit worried that I might totally FORGET that I'm doing this and accidentally buy something... so please friends, remind me!
I'm planning to write weekly updates for the next little while on how this is going, just to record any little challenges and successes that come along. I hope you'll read and go along on this experiment with me!
xo
Katy
Comments
Post a Comment