#6MonthsWithoutShopping: Lessons From a Former Shopaholic

It's here! The end of June! After completing my #6monthsWithoutShopping challenge without a single fashion purchase, I think I'm officially able to call myself a former shopaholic!

I love shopping and bargain hunting a lot. Getting together with friends would be an excuse to shop, I'd shop during my lunch breaks, shop when a sale email came through....shop whenever I got the chance basically, and often that meant shopping more than once a week. I'm an emotional shopper too - happy, sad, bored, all were excuses to shop. My parents taught me the value of money so I wasn't spending huge amounts and never more than I earned, but I suspect I was shopping a bit more than average. Especially after discovering designer handbags 😂

How My Wardrobe Grew

Wardrobe at my parents 2008

My wardrobe expanded from a single wardrobe at my parents to a wardrobe and a half after getting married and moving in with hubby, then adding on an extra clothes rack and eventually taking over an entire room filled with clothes and bags. I routinely broke the clothes racks from overloading them! I had way too much stuff. It was when my 'wardrobe room' was turned into Toddler T's nursery that I did my first big declutter. I got frustrated at the amount of new with tags items in my wardrobe and resolved to shop better.

The year Toddler T was born I realised if I was going to be adding things to my now limited wardrobe space I'd best be sure I would get use from them - and so started thinking more critically about what I bought.

I attempted a few 'tricks' to help tame my wardrobe and my shopping.

• Started the 'wear twice in a month after buying it' rule. 
• Donated or sold everything I tried on in the postpartum days that I no longer liked the fit or practicality of (this was a mistake and I tried to avoid doing it after Baby Boy's arrival! Your body changes so much - wait a while!).
• Had a professional wardrobe detox session which helped declutter and reorganise my wardrobe.
• Changed my shopping rule to 'wear twice in the month I buy it' to force me to only buy things I'd want to wear so frequently.
• Attempted No Buy July in 2015 and successfully completed No Buy July in 2016.
• Set myself a clothing 'wishlist' to shop from.
• Started and completed 6 months without shopping.

Wardrobe 2012

Why #6MonthsWithoutShopping?

I covered it in more detail here, but basically it was another 'trick' to hopefully curb my shopping and help me use my existing wardrobe more, so I could wear more of what I own 30 times (idea from The True Cost movie). I wasn't sure I could do an entire year, 6 months seemed more reasonable.

Wardrobe 2014

How did I manage no shopping for 6 months?

I couldn't make it 31 days without shopping before, so I'm just as amazed as you are that I made it a whole 6 months without spending anything on fashion. There are a few things that helped make me successful this time around that I thought I'd share, in case you want to do your own no-shop challenge for any length of time.

• Major life change. I mentioned it briefly on the blog, but the later half of 2016 was a bit scary, particularly in December when Baby Boy was admitted to hospital. The next few months involved re-prioritisation and shopping was just not on my radar.

• Tell people about it. Of course I shared my intentions online on the blog, but I told everyone else about it. Friends, family, everyone was 'in' on it to help me with my goals. I'd meet up with them other places instead of defaulting to shopping as an activity.

• The long timeframe. I didn't want to be that person that caved in the first half of the challenge, and by then I'd had 3 successful months behind me so didn't want to invalidate it by buying something in the last 3 months. It actually got easier the longer it went on.

• Timing is everything. The challenge started in summer, and after an autumn full of heat-waves I was thoroughly bored and uninspired by my current wardrobe. When the temperatures eventually dropped, I got to unpack all my winter items and feel like I had something 'new' in my wardrobe. As I don't pack away much of my summer clothes, I wouldn't have had the same enjoyment if I'd started this in winter and had to box away half my wardrobe when it got warmer.

• Get another hobby. I've always said shopping was a hobby for me - instead I took that time and channeled it into something else. I recently started a volunteer job as an example.

• Limit your time. Similar to the point above, as Baby Boy grew and he and his big brother napped less, I had less time to shop. Instead of online shopping on the computer when they went to bed, I'd be trying to write a blog post or read the blogs I didn't get to through the day.

• Have a reward. I purposely asked for (and gratefully recieved) a lot of gift cards for Christmas. It was my 'reward' at the end of the challenge. Didn't make sense to spend money in my favourite stores when I had gift cards just waiting to be spent in July!

• Practice makes perfect. I didn't always meet my goals when I did No Buy July but I did learn more about my shopping habits - when I was inclined to shop and break the challenge and how I could avoid doing that in future. They were lessons rather than 'failures'.

Wardrobe 2015

What Next?

I have the gift cards ready to go, I've had 6 months to put together an updated clothing wishlist...but I'm not going to be marking the 1st July with some purchases. I'm going to do #noBuyJuly17 instead, making it 7 months without shopping.

Why another no shop challenge?

As I mentioned above, my parents taught me the value of money and I'd frequently buy bargain pieces to fit my budget. 30 wears and the 6 months without shopping has taught me the value of quality: to have a wardrobe that I love, that I wear often, and where every piece is something I'd want to wear 30 times. It doesn't matter if something was $5 or $50, as long as it's something that's actually getting worn.

I think I have so much further to go to really get value from what I already own in my wardrobe, so I'm not looking at shopping again any time soon. I calculated if I wore some things 30 times I'd have 11 years worth of outfits. Not really feeling the urge to add to that number at the moment! Buying more just means I'll wear the existing things I already love less.

I'm not saying I'm never going to shop again, just that I'm content with the wardrobe options I have at the moment and don't yet see the need to add anything new. I'd like to wear more of my recently unboxed winter pieces before I buy any new ones.

I'm definitely a former shopaholic!

Wardrobe 2017

Have you ever attempted a no-shop challenge? Do you find my tips useful? Or did you just scroll in amazement at my ever-changing wardrobe?

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30 Wears: Rebecca Minkoff Grey MAB Satchel Bag

Another 30 ways to wear, with an update on #6monthsWithoutShopping.

6 Months Without Shopping: Month 5 Update

You might find it hard to believe but that's the 5th month of my no shopping challenge completed with no shopping! Of course now I've shared the secret for how I've been distracting myself from shopping for these 5 months - I was working on an eBook in any spare time I had. Not that you get spare time often with two boys under 3!

This month I think I've been more tempted by things, there have been so many sales. I'd usually use a sale as an excuse to jump online to 'just take a look', but I've distracted myself with doing something for the book instead so I've never had the time to think about purchases for too long. It's also easy to talk myself out of wanting things when I realise I've nearly done 6 months without shopping and I'd hate to go and spoil it so close to the end by buying something!


And now, 30 wears. Still finding it difficult to identify clothing that I've worn 30 times, I'm featuring another accessory. The Rebecca Minkoff MAB mini that I've worn over 60 times in the 4 years since I bought it. A surprisingly low number given that when I get it out of its dustbag I tend to wear it for a few days in a row. It's such a good bag I usually wear it for a while before thinking I need to enjoy some of my other bags again.

#30Wears: Rebecca Minkoff Grey MAB Mini (MAM) Bag

I bought this Rebecca Minkoff mini MAB bag back in 2013, before the boys were born. At the time I liked the flexibility of the bag as you could wear it so many different ways: over the shoulder, handheld, and cross body. It's only now I'm chasing toddlers that I'm really appreciating the cross body feature for more than just a different look, it's a very practical choice for a mum bag! The neutral grey mini MAB goes with so many different outfits and I've worn the bag for many occasions too, as you can see in the 30 ways I've worn it below.

Rebecca Minkoff Mini MAB in the Office

The classic shape and neutral colour make the MAB satchel a great choice for the office! It's just large enough to fit in all of the usual things I carry as well as a small notebook, water bottle and snack - essentials for meetings across the city. While my workplace has a business casual dress code, I think this is the kind of bag you could easily wear in a more formal office too.

Mini MAB and Maxi Skirts and Dresses

The beauty of the Rebecca Minkoff MAB satchel is that while it works in a more formal office environment with a pencil skirt, you can dress it down nicely with a maxi skirt or maxi dress for the weekend or stay at home mum style. The rectangular satchel shape of the bag slouches down nicely so it's just as suitable for a casual outfit too.

Grey Mini MAB and Print Mixing

The benefit of neutral grey bag is that it goes with anything, so you can be a little more adventurous with your outfit. You can easily try some print mixing and pair different clothes together, as the bag won't clash with whatever you're wearing. Stripes and skulls, stripes and Aztec print, stripes and stars and even polka dots and skulls. I love my colourful handbags, but you can't beat a nice neutral sometimes!

Grey MAB Bag and Colourful Outfits

Just as a grey bag works in the outfits above when you are wearing different prints, it's the perfect neutral for a more colourful outfit where you're trying a new colour combination. I'm trying to add more colour to my outfits so when I'm wearing two colours I like to opt for a neutral bag. Blue and grey work so nicely together, and continue to do so even when you add in other colours like purple, yellow, pink and red.

MAB Satchel and Printed Dresses

Of course you don't have to be paring different prints or colours together to wear a neutral bag. A fail-safe grey bas is a good accessory with a bright printed dress too. 'Pick a colour from the pattern on the dress to accessorise with' is wise advice, but you can never go wrong wearing a colourful printed dress and a classic neutral bag.

Difference Between the MAB and Mini MAB Satchel Bag

I've used MAB and mini MAB (or MAM) interchangeably in this post. The bag I'm wearing is the mini MAB which I think is better for my petite self. The difference is that the mini MAB is 20% smaller than the MAB. It's the exact same style, just a tiny bit smaller. A mini MAB (or MAM) is 13" wide, 8" high and 5.75" deep. Anything bigger is the MAB. 👍

Grey Rebecca Minkoff MAB Satchel and Monochrome Outfits

A you've seen above, an outfit with prints or colours or combinations of them both can benefit from a neutral handbag. You can try different prints and colours together, or try something a little simpler and wear a monochrome outfit. Black, blue and even orange, a grey bag can compliment a monochrome outfit nicely.

Grey MAB Bag With Jeans and a Tee

Jeans and a tee will always be a go-to outfit for me. A grey tee and denim is a simple outfit, and the grey Rebecca Minkoff MAB works nicely with it too, simple and stress free dressing. I haven't had any denim transfer on the grey leather, even when the bag rubs against my jeans when I wear it cross body. I do spray all my bags with a waterproofer before I wear them though.

Anything and Rebecca Minkoff MAB Satchel

As you've seen above, a neutral grey bag with multiple ways to wear it like this one really will go with everything. You can wear it with jeans, colourful outfits, prints, dresses...it works in so many different outfits. You can wear it year-round, and to multiple activities. It's one of those wear to work, wear on weekend pieces that I wish I had more clothing equivalents of in my wardrobe with my upcoming return to work after maternity leave.

If you've been considering a Rebecca Minkoff bag and haven't been sure which one to get, I highly recommend snapping up the MAB on sale. It's on sale right now at Shopbop, in tan too. It's the first handbag Rebecca Minkoff sold back in 2005 and it really is one of those classic pieces. The video below shows just how much it can comfortably fit inside!

Where to Buy the Rebecca Minkoff MAB:

Where to Buy the Rebecca Minkoff MAB Second Hand:

(While the MAB style has recently been re-released, it was discontinued for a while. There are still a lot more colour options available second hand if you want to get one of the older bags like mine. Just remember to check sizes as mentioned above to make sure you're getting the MAB or MAM you want.)

Want more outfit inspiration? All 60+ ways I've worn the Rebecca Minkoff mini MAB on the blog.

❝ 30 ways to wear the Rebecca Minkoff MAB satchel! - Click to Tweet.

I hope you found this post useful. Don't forget to share or pin!


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Wardrobe Inventory | 6 Months Without Shopping Update 2

Another month over, another month of my #6MonthsWithoutShopping challenge completed!

Just like last month, I managed to avoid the sales and stores most of the time. The continuing heatwaves meant playdates at home in the aircon and so there was no shopping temptations from meeting up in Westfield. Unsubscribing from emails from online stores has helped keep temptation at bay as well.

The biggest help in avoiding shopping has been the boys though! Their naps have gone from sometimes lining up to never lining up so it's extremely difficult to waste time online 'just browsing' shopping sites. That has been the major factor to make this month another easy month for avoiding shopping. I feel it's made me a bad blogger too as it's so hard to read other blogs but baby routines change so much, it's only temporary.


Two years ago I did a wardrobe inventory. I wanted to do one last year but never seemed to find the time. I'd like to make it an annual thing. In 2015, I had 101 accessories and 266 items of clothing.

Since then I have had many more declutter sessions, a wardrobe detox with a personal stylist and another pregnancy. I was interested to see how the count would have changed this year. The totals below doesn't include things like pieces I only wear for layering, pyjamas and loungewear.

2017 Closet Totals

Accessories:

30 scarves

29 bags

• 3 tote bags (Mulberry Bayswater, Louis Vuitton Neverfull, Rebecca Minkoff medium MAB tote)
• 1 travel bag (Louis Vuitton Keepall)
• 4 hobo bags (Balenciaga day bags in Truffle, Magenta and Tempete. Sarah Conners python bag.)
• 7 shoulder bags (Rebecca Minkoff MAM, Marc Jacobs Fran. Balenciaga sorbet city, black part time. Mimco Button Bag, Chloe Paddington, Guess)
• 11 cross body bags (Avalina leather. Rebecca Minkoff mini MAB tote, saddle bag, micro Regan, striped mini MAC, aqua mini MAC, metallic mini MAC, neon pink mini MAC, quilted Love. Louis Vuitton Speedy Bandouliere, Mulberry metallic Lily)
• 1 vintage Chanel bag
• 2 clutches (Chloe paddington clutch, Balenciaga envelope clutch)

24 pairs of shoes

• 8 pairs flats
• 1 pair of wedges
• 3 pairs of heels
• 2 pairs of Converse
• 3 sandals 
• 2 pairs of thongs (flip flops)
• 5 pairs of boots

Clothes:

97 tops, including

• 15 fitted tanks
• 21 other tanks
• 24 nongrey tees
• 7 grey tees
• 9 long sleeve tops
• 6 shirts
• 5 camis

6 jumpers

8 cardigans

20 jackets, including

• 3 blazers
• 7 kimonos
• 3 leather jackets
• 2 trench coats

16 pairs of jeans

• 1 set of flares
• 2 printed jeans
• 13 skinny jeans

4 pairs of shorts

19 skirts

• 8 maxi skirts
• 1 a line skirt
• 10 pencil skirts

41 dresses, including

• 3 wrap dresses
• 11 maxi dresses
• 17 office dresses

Final totals:

83 accessories
211 items of clothing
294 pieces

My wardrobe had 367 items in 2015 so 294 is a step in the right direction! I do try to share my wardrobe edits on the blog when I've given something its last wear and it is leaving my wardrobe. Sometimes I never give pieces a final wear and I don't like them when I try them on or I remember I didn't like them last time I wore them and so I donate or sell them.

It's wonderful that I've managed to reduce the number of bags and scarves but I'm surprised I've increased the number of shoes I own! I'm disappointed I have so many dresses, after I got rid of a few at the end of the Frocktober challenge. It's good to see I've halved the number of grey tees though.

How Many Outfits?

Since I'm attempting the #30Wears challenge this year I thought it would be interesting to calculate how many outfits I'd have in my wardrobe if I tried to get 30 wears from everything. Keeping it simple as maths isn't my strong point, just looking at tops and dresses and not outfit combinations:

30 wears from 41 dresses is 1,230 outfits. Almost 3 and a half years of outfits. 
30 wears from 97 tops is 2,910 outfits. Almost 8 years of outfits.


And I frequently think I have nothing to wear, wow...😮

If I was to just focus on getting 30 wears out of everything I currently own, I wouldn't need to buy any new clothes for around 11 years. Somehow 6 months without shopping seems like a very short time. You can be sure I'll be looking back at these numbers when I'm tempted to buy something, to help me stick to my no-shopping challenge for the next 4 months.



I really liked looking at how my wardrobe has changed in 2 years and if you enjoyed seeing it too I'll attempt another inventory next year. If you've done a similar count please leave a link to your post in the comments, I'd love to read it.


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#30Wears: Balenciaga Red Velo Cross Body Bag

During my 6 months without shopping, I'm aiming to get 30 wears out of as many pieces in my wardrobe as possible. Every month I'll be sharing 30 ways to wear something, from my huge archive of over 5 years of daily outfit photos.

This month it is the Balenciaga coquelicot (poppy red) Velo bag.

30 Wears: Balenciaga Coquelicot Velo Bag

Sharing an accessory this time: the Balenciaga coquelicot Velo bag. I bought this in 2011 and it has been worn over 50 times. (More if you include the year I wore it pre-blog). It ages so well too, very little wear and tear after years of use. Just like the black maxi skirt I featured for last month's 30 wears, it was hard narrowing this post down to just 30 outfits. The velo fits so much inside it's a great bag for many different occasions.

10 Ways to Wear a Balenciaga Velo Bag with a Skirt

The Balenciaga Velo bag looks great with any kind of skirt. Pencil skirts for work, skater skirts or maxi skirts for casual Friday or the weekend. I like wearing it with black skirts as it really pops.

10 Ways to Wear a Red Balenciaga Velo Bag with Denim

While some people worry about denim transfer with Balenciaga bags, I water and stain proof all my bags before I use them and I've never had a problem with my jeans rubbing off onto the leather. I've worn the Balenciaga velo bag with skinny jeans and shorts, the poppy red colour is perfect with all kinds of denim. It doesn't just have to be your standard blue jeans, printed jeans and even red jeans work quite well.

10 More Ways to Wear a Balenciaga Velo Bag

The Balenciaga Velo works just as well with a casual outfit as it does an office outfit. Printed dresses or black skinny pants, it really is a versatile bag. While some people might worry the bag is too slouchy and casual for office wear, it holds so much it makes perfect sense to take to work. The bright red colour is a nice pick-me-up when you sit it on your desk too!

I love handbags, they are my favourite accessory and I have quite a lot. While Balenciaga is one of the more expensive bag brands I have I do think they are worth the money and worth saving up for. That's why I have so many! I've included a few preloved Balenciaga bags below that are a little more wallet friendly, as well as some other brands.

Similar red leather cross body bags:

If you're unsure if you should buy the Balenciaga velo or another Balenciaga style, this video answers that question for you and compares a few of the common Balenciaga moto line bags.





Want more outfit ideas with the red Balenciaga Velo bag? All 50+ wears of the Balenciaga Velo in my archives.

If you enjoyed this 30 wears post I'm always happy to hear your suggestions for what clothing item or accessory to feature next!


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#30Wears: Black Jersey Maxi Skirt and #6MonthsWithoutShopping

Introducing a new 30 Wears series on the blog and outlining my 6 months without shopping challenge.

Why 30 Wears?

This all came about after watching a documentary on netflix: 'The True Cost'. If you haven't seen it yet I recommend it. It's a really interesting look at fast fashion. While I watched the movie last year it got me thinking more about my shopping habits.

With #30wears, before you buy anything, you ask yourself "would I wear it 30 times?". I already have my "if I buy it I need to wear it twice that month" rule to ensure I wear new purchases immediately and that they will be versatile in my wardrobe. I browsed my blog archives and was surprised that even pieces I thought I'd worn frequently hadn't been worn 30 times. In 2017, I'm going to focus more on wearing and enjoying what I already own and try hit 30 wears on as much as I can. This new 30 Wears series will initially be a monthly series. I will review as I go and post more frequently if I make faster progress on my goals.

#6MonthsWithoutShopping Challenge

It's no secret that I have a lot of clothes. Probably more than average. To get anywhere near 30 wears for everything have to stop buying new things and just focus on wearing and enjoying what I already own. So I set myself the #6monthsWithoutShopping challenge.  The rules:

• No clothing or accessory purchases in the first 6 months of 2017.
• Gifts (or products provided through blog partnerships) will be allowed and disclosed.
• Attempt to achieve #30wears with as many clothing pieces as possible over the 6 months.
• Any clothing that's donated, sold or falls apart can't be replaced until the 6 months is over.
• Food, makeup, skincare, undies, kids clothes and gifts for others is allowed. The ban is only on clothes and accessories for myself.

I asked for and received a lot of gift cards for Christmas. At the end of the 6 months there will probably be a massive shopping trip celebrating the completion and using the gift cards, as I will not be spending them during the challenge. Hopefully I'll be shopping with an updated clothing wishlist and just buying what I need.

30 Wears: Black Jersey Maxi Skirt

Kicking off One Item, #30Wears is my beautiful Jeanswest black jersey maxi skirt. My sister bought this for me at the end of 2013, and I've worn it 39 times over the past 3 years. It works out to an average of at least once a month. It was actually difficult picking just 30 times I've worn this skirt to share, I really like it. I'ts starting to get quite worn now (not surprising given the number of wears) and so I picked up a replacement in the boxing day sales.

10 Ways to Wear a Black Maxi Skirt in Pregnancy

From the first trimester all the way through to 39 weeks, this comfortable elastic waist maxi skirt has seen me through two pregnancies. Elastic waist skirts are my favourite. So forgiving in the postpartum days too.

10 Ways to Wear a Black Maxi Skirt in Winter

I wear my maxi-skirts year round. Here are some outfit ideas for layering with a maxi skirt in winter weather. Scarves and leather jackets are perfect with a skirt.

10 More Ways to Wear Black  Maxi Skirt

Maxi skirts work year-round for so many different occasions, they are one of my must-have wardrobe items.

I've done No Buy July and No Spender September before, but never tried 6 months without shopping. Have you achieved it or considered it? Any advice?

If you enjoyed this 30 Wears post as well I'd love your suggestion for what clothing or accessory item to feature next!

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