Happy New Year!
Happy New Year readers!
2017 has come and gone, which means my year without new clothes is officially finished. In my last post, I shared my thoughts and feelings about wrapping up the challenge. Today, I want to share a few things I learned from it.
1. It's easier thank you think.
Not buying any new clothes for a year seemed at first like it would be nearly impossible. I set the goal for myself, but I wasn't sure if I'd actually be able to do it. Interestingly though, I found that once I detoxed from the instant gratification of shopping, I hardly even wanted to shop anymore. It was like I almost forgot about it.
2. YOU SAVE SO MUCH MONEY!
This was a big one. Having been a student for a very long time, I haven't ever really had a stable income. Money is almost always tight for me. I can afford to support myself and do what I like, but I rarely have much left over. This year should have been especially bad - the first half of the year I was only working part time jobs (~20-30 hours a week), making minimum wage or slightly higher and no tips. I also wasn't in school for the first half, so I didn't have student grants or loans. Amazingly though, I was able to pay my rent, support myself, and still be able to do the things I wanted. I think a huge part of this is because I wasn't buying clothes.
If I were to estimate my regular monthly spending on clothing before doing this challenge, I would have put it at about $120 a month. This might seem high, but think about all the little things you buy in a month - you need a new top to wear to an event - thats $40. Your leggings got a hole and you need new ones - $50. You're going to a wedding and need shoes to match your dress - $80. That's already $170!
So anyway, if I said I averaged $120 a month, that adds up to $1440 a year. That's crazy. that's 2 months rent for me. I definitely noticed that savings this year. It's something I will absolutely keep in mind as I transition into buying new clothes again.
3. Dye, borrow, swap, reinvent.
When buying something new isn't an option, you do find yourself getting creative.
2017 has come and gone, which means my year without new clothes is officially finished. In my last post, I shared my thoughts and feelings about wrapping up the challenge. Today, I want to share a few things I learned from it.
1. It's easier thank you think.
Not buying any new clothes for a year seemed at first like it would be nearly impossible. I set the goal for myself, but I wasn't sure if I'd actually be able to do it. Interestingly though, I found that once I detoxed from the instant gratification of shopping, I hardly even wanted to shop anymore. It was like I almost forgot about it.
2. YOU SAVE SO MUCH MONEY!
This was a big one. Having been a student for a very long time, I haven't ever really had a stable income. Money is almost always tight for me. I can afford to support myself and do what I like, but I rarely have much left over. This year should have been especially bad - the first half of the year I was only working part time jobs (~20-30 hours a week), making minimum wage or slightly higher and no tips. I also wasn't in school for the first half, so I didn't have student grants or loans. Amazingly though, I was able to pay my rent, support myself, and still be able to do the things I wanted. I think a huge part of this is because I wasn't buying clothes.
If I were to estimate my regular monthly spending on clothing before doing this challenge, I would have put it at about $120 a month. This might seem high, but think about all the little things you buy in a month - you need a new top to wear to an event - thats $40. Your leggings got a hole and you need new ones - $50. You're going to a wedding and need shoes to match your dress - $80. That's already $170!
So anyway, if I said I averaged $120 a month, that adds up to $1440 a year. That's crazy. that's 2 months rent for me. I definitely noticed that savings this year. It's something I will absolutely keep in mind as I transition into buying new clothes again.
3. Dye, borrow, swap, reinvent.
When buying something new isn't an option, you do find yourself getting creative.
- Borrowing a dress for an event instead of buying is such a great idea, especially if it's something you might not have the chance to wear again.
- I dyed a white dress maroon so I could wear it to a wedding, and it turned out great!
- CLOTHING SWAPS! These are fantastic. Almost everyone I know has a pile of clothes sitting around that they want to get rid of. People are just generally so busy that they never get around to organizing clothing swaps. But if you organize it yourself - people will come. It's like free shopping, pretty much. Try it!
- Reinvent new items. I found that when I didn't have the choice to buy something new, it caused me to look harder at the clothes in my closet. I found myself wearing items I thought I didn't like in new and different ways.. Try taking out things you haven't worn in a while and trying them on in new and different combinations. You might be surprised at how good they look!
I hope this post was helpful for you, if you're considering not buying new clothes, or if you've already started the challenge. As always, leave any question sin the comment section and I'll answer as best I can!
XO
K
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