What I Bought In February: Opshop Haul

I managed to get a lot more opshopping done in February than I usually would! The start of the school year was delayed by 2 weeks in Queensland because of high Covid cases so instead of coming back from the summer holidays in January the kids started school in February. It meant I ended up with a few kid free days while all the opshops around were open after their summer breaks. Perfect opportunity for some good, lengthy opshop browsing!

Unfortunately there was a bit of a laundry incident with my first opshopping day haul - a scarf I'd thrifted leaked colour onto everything in the wash. So I did buy a few things more than I'm sharing here. As they got damaged when the colour ran and I couldn't restore them despite trying two different colour run removers, I added them to my bag for the H&M fabric recycling project instead. I'm not including them in my fashion budget for the year as they didn't get worn, and are no longer wearable pieces after my laundry disaster!

Here's what I did buy in February and didn't destroy!

• thrifted no brand navy grid print scarf $6
• thrifted Eb&Ive black wooden bead multi strand statement necklace $5
• thrifted Ghanda midi slink skirt in green mini blossom $1
• thrifted Kmart pastel soft culotte shorts in floral print $1

A pretty modest haul given all of the opshops I visited over a few days, but while I saw a lot of pretty things I am trying to focus just on buying pieces that I can wear a lot of different ways and that will work in my wardrobe. Even if the preloved prices are so attractive! While the clothing pieces were just $1 each, the accessories were more expensive and the scarf and necklace account for more than half of the $13 I spent.

How I've Worn It:

I have a rule I set myself after doing a wardrobe clear out pre-kids and realising I had so many unworn, still with tags on pieces in my wardrobe. Everything I buy I have to wear twice in the month I buy it. The obvious piece that didn't meet this rule is the scarf - being a winter piece, I'm not going to be able to wear it in summer. I'm giving myself a pass there as I wear a lot of blue scarves and I know I will be reaching for this more when the weather cools. I still think it was a good buy even if I haven't been able to wear it yet. And thankfully this blue scarf didn't cause the colour run!

I'm pleased I manage to hit my wear twice goals with all the other things I bought though - although February was a short month it was easy to work these pieces into my current wardrobe. The shorts and necklace were sure winners, as I already have the same pieces in other colours in my wardrobe already! The midi skirt was a bit of a departure from my usual styles and I admit I struggled a little with finding ways to wear it and didn't love both outfits, but it's good to try different things and I'm hoping I can continue to get a lot of wear from it.

How I'm Tracking With My Budget:

As I didn't make any fashion purchases in January, not even in the January sales, I've only spent $13 this year so far, on the haul above. A good start to the year, especially as I don't see myself having a lot of opportunities for shopping in the near future, as I've started back at work 5 days a week for the first time in years! After I returned to work from maternity leave with my eldest I went part time and I've been part time ever since, until this year.

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Note: 

I missed the opportunity to add to the post that went up on Monday as it was pre-scheduled - but I'm adding to this post now. South East Queensland (and parts of NSW) were inundated with water over the weekend. Some areas got 80% of their annual rainfall in 2-3 days. If you can, please consider donating to the flood relief effort. https://www.redcross.org.au/floodsappeal/

We avoided flood impacts but we were flooded in. We are luckier than many of our neighbours, their homes went under, just 200 meters away from us.

Currently flooded in but thankful to be safe and dry still 💙#brisbane #qldfloods pic.twitter.com/83emVuHnDa

— Mica (@AwayFromTheBlue) February 26, 2022

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Opshop Finds! What I Bought In November (And How I've worn It)

I did a little more shopping this month! Everything aligned for me to have some time to visit my favourite local opshop, and I couldn't resist picking up a few bargains. I went for a browse, hoping to pick up some necklaces, and found some great ones. I also got super lucky to get a dress I'd had my eye on that sold out last year!

Surprisingly, despite our annual girl's Christmas shopping trip falling on the black Friday weekend, I didn't buy anything for myself in all the sales, just finished my Christmas shopping for everyone else. The thrifted pieces are all I bought for myself in November.

What I Bought:

• thrifted gold large double circle necklace
• thrifted orange bead statement necklace
• thrifted purple wooden bead statement necklace
• thrifted Kmart short sleeve godet skirt linen blend dress in fuchsia

With the dress being just $1 and the necklaces being $2 each it was a bargain of a monthly haul, at just $7 in total!

Why I Bought It:

I got pretty lucky to pick up all these pieces at one opshop one morning! As I expanded on in the video, I'd gone looking for some necklaces and they had quite a few I liked, but I picked just the 3 as I felt they filled gaps in my wardrobe.

Had a browse of the clothes too while I was there and was so thrilled to find this fuchsia Kmart dress! Kmart also made a blazer and shorts in this material and colour last year that I still see pop up on Instagram now and then. This dress was everywhere in spring/summer last year, and has even been re-released this year in a different colour, so I'm so glad I got it for just $1! The size tag was cut out and I didn't have a chance to try it on as I had my little one with me and he was getting impatient as I browsed so it was so lucky this fit when I got home and tried it on. For $1 it was worth taking the risk on. The couple of times I've worn it has confirmed how perfect it is for hot days, really happy with this dress.

How I've Worn It:

I knew I was going to wear the dress with some of these necklaces - even the volunteer checking me out at the opshop commented how nice the colours were together! The linen blend dress is a bit of a pain to iron, as expected. It's lovely to wear though and I know I'm going to get a lot more use out of these pieces in future too.

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What's In My Bag: #ItsInTheBag Donation For Share The Dignity

It's that time again! Share the Dignity is asking Australians to give back at Christmas and fill up a bag with some essentials and perhaps an extra special item or two to donate to a woman in need at Christmas time. This is the fourth year I've participated with #ItsInTheBag, it's such a fun thing to get involved with. I've shared how you can get involved below too, as you can start dropping your bags off to Bunnings this weekend!

This year I've packed a bag for a local woman in need to make her feel special at Christmas time. And I picked a nice big bag so I had room for a few extra pieces for her.

What's In My #ItsInTheBag Donation For 2021:

The past couple of years I've done a mums and bubs bag to help out a new mum in need. This year, I decided to go back to basics and just fill up a similar bag to what I did the first time I donated in 2018. This bag will be given to a local lady in need at Christmas time. Maybe she's homeless, maybe she's fleeing violence, maybe she's just having a hard time making ends meet and has reached out to a charity for help. Whoever she is I hope that this bag helps her see she's loved and worthy, and brings her a little joy at Christmas time.

This bag has all the basic essential hygiene items and a few extras. Things like tissues, a face mask, wipes, hand sanitiser, hand cream, a necklace, a journal and some pens. And I hope whoever receives this likes coconut, as you can see I ended up with a bit of a coconut theme going on! Almost everything was on sale. I stock up in advance, and don't shop all at once. Half price sales at Woolworths on beauty products are good for this, to add a little extra to the grocery shop, and the bag itself was a $8 bargain at Kmart with lots of room for everything.

What To Put In Your Bag:

Other Ways You Can Participate:

If you're in Australia:

• Don't have time to shop, or ideas for what to put in a bag? (It kicks off this weekend!) You can sponsor a bag on the Share the Dignity website.
• If you can't make it to Bunnings between the 19th and 28th November, why not see if any local charities near you are collecting anything similar? A thoughtful bag of essential hygiene items is likely to be well received. Maybe your local library is already collecting such items, or your local food bank would appreciate some donations.
• Maybe you just can't stretch to something like this at Christmas time - there's always the sanitary items donation drive later in the year.

If you're outside Australia:

I've seen this idea by other names in other countries too - blessing bags, kindness bags, etc. You can research and see if there is anything similar where you live.

More Ideas For What To Put In Your Bag:

• Mum and Bub Bag 2020
• Mum and Bub Bag 2019
• Woman in Need Bag 2018

I'm not sure how many times you need to do something each year before it becomes tradition  - but I'm glad I can do this for the fourth year in a row and that I have the avenue on this blog to share the donation drive with a wider audience. It makes me so happy when friends or family want to include things in the bag or have even put their own bag together to donate. My mum helped me with this bag, the little pouch was a great addition!

 

I plan to do this next year as well - are there any little extras you think I should include that I haven't this year? Or anything you considered a must-have when you donated something similar?

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What I Bought In October (and How I've Worn It) Preloved Finds: Nobody Denim and Chloe Bag

Despite saying last month that I was almost exceeding the amount I spent last year and I shouldn't buy anything for the rest of the year, I had a very big spending month this month, with four things purchased. A special reveal video for one, as I bought yet another handbag (that's now 5 bags this year if you're counting 😂).

Chloe Handbag Reveal:

What I Bought In October:

• Nobody Denim Piper vacation skirt in black distressed denim
• Nobody Denim Cult high rise skinny ankle jeans in charred grey
• Chloe small Paddington in 2006 blanc
• Target navy and white striped shift dress with frill sleeves

Why I Bought It:

Aside from the jeans, another month of preloved buys. While I have bought a few things this year (and have definitely exceeded my 2020 fashion spend) the jeans are my first retail buy since February which I feel pretty good about! As much as I love the Nobody Denim jeans for how they are ethically and Australian made and designed, they are also on the expensive side. $239 retail price for these jeans I couldn't justify, but on sale for $97 they are perfect! Was really thrilled to stumble across these in the David Jones sale.

Since I added a denim skirt to my wardrobe that my sister no longer wanted a few months back I've been thinking about getting another, so this black Nobody Denim one was perfect, and an absolute bargain preloved on eBay.

The dress and bag were just lucky finds! As I mentioned in the video, I'd gone to the first local Glad Rags second hand market to support the organiser, and just wanted to have a little browse. The navy dress seemed like a great basic. At only $5 I was pretty pleased with my purchase and started making my way out when I stumbled across the Chloe small Paddington bag on the edge of a stall. I was very excited to realise it was authentic and that it was only $90! What are the chances?! The prices vary a lot online as it's a 2006 bag but some are still pretty exxy! I used to have a couple mini Paddington bags back in the day, and I used to authenticate Paddingtons too so I was super pleased to confirm it was real and grab this bargain. 

I wasn't expecting to spend so much at the market, the bag was the item that pushed me over my 2020 fashion spend limit, but I knew I'd have so many regrets if I didn't snap the bag up. Didn't even haggle for the price, just wanted it to be mine! 😂

How I've Worn It:

Surprisingly, the jeans got worn more than I expected as we had a few cooler rainy spring days than we normally would in October. I was hoping to get one wear out of them before it got too hot but cooler days meant I managed to hit the "wear twice in the month I buy it" rule with these jeans, and everything else I bought. Of course the bag got worn a few more times, the neutral cream goes with everything!

How I'm tracking With My Annual Fashion Spend:

So far I'm $85 over the amount I spent in 2020, and I have two months left in the year and another Glad Rags preloved market coming up... Still under my 2019 spend at the moment though. It will be interesting to see my spend at the end of the year. It's the first time since 2018 and when I started tracking that I've increased my fashion spend from the year before. 

Since I spent so little in 2020 on fashion I think it was going to be hard to meet or spend less than that amount this year, with everything opened up and so few restrictions in Queensland. It was a good goal to aim for though!

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What I Bought In June - Chloe Ethel Bag!

Short and sweet what I bought post this month! While I made it through April and May without making any fashion purchases, June ended up much like March - I stumbled across a handbag on eBay I'd been thinking about at a price I couldn't resist, so I made another impulse buy.

What I Bought In June:

I've you've followed my blog since the early days this bag may look a little familiar to you - I had a pink version of this bag in 2012/2013 that I often regretted selling! As mentioned in the video I'd been thinking about it lately and searching a few sites for it, looking at options when I got rewarded at work with a gift card a few weeks ago, that spurred me on to buy this!

You haven't seen this pop up on the blog or even my Instagram yet. I'd been trying to find a place that could fix up the weak point on the strap around the local area, so it wasn't being worn while I was taking the strap out to the cobblers. No luck with that sadly, as I talked through in the video, but at least I have a few places in mind to go to if the strap does snap, ha!

I'm really looking forward to wearing this. I have my "wear twice in the month you buy it" rule for all new purchase that this bag hasn't met, but given the colour I know it will work with a lot of things in my wardrobe. I did get it right at the start of June but between authenticating, cleaning it up, trying to find a cobbler, the rain and our little 3 day lockdown we had in Brisbane recently there hasn't been a chance to wear it before I drafted up this post. 

In lieu of a how I wore it, these are the pics I texted to my bestie when I tried it on immediately after it arrived!

Now hopefully I can copy what I did in April and March and make it through July without buying any fashion items - for my sixth year of attempting No Buy July! While I'm not near the budget I set myself this year I am getting near the fashion spend I achieved last year and I'm curious to see if I can pull off such a low spend again this year!

I'm going to try the Slow Fashion Season #FashionDetox challenge too. Buying no new fashion from July to September. We will see how I go!

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30 Ways To Wear A Neon Pink Bag: Rebecca Minkoff Mini MAC

Happy Easter! I hope you have a fun weekend celebrating, we will be, with our 3 day lockdown lifted early.

I love putting together 30 ways to wear posts with my bags as I always have so many old outfit photos to look through to narrow it down to just 30 outfits I've worn! Each month, I look through my blog archive of daily outfit photos and find things I've worn 30 ways or more to put these posts together. Inspired by The True Cost documentary that says we should aim to wear each thing we buy 30 times or more to reduce the impact of our fashion purchases.

Today it's the turn of this beautiful little neon pink Rebecca Minkoff mini MAC bag!

30 Ways To Wear A Neon Pink Bag

This cute neon pink Rebecca Minkoff mini MAC was an impulse buy back in May 2016. I'd seen the auction relisted a few times on eBay but the bag looked pretty worn. In the end I decided to go for it, it was under $30 even including shopping, and I reasoned I could redye it if the condition was too poor. It is a very worn bag but it's also an awesome shade so I just decided to wear it anyway. I know it will eventually get to the point it's too worn to wear and will need some TLC, but right now all people see (and compliment!) is that amazing bold neon colour!

Cost Per Wear

At $29.75, and having been worn 37 times, this bag is down to just 80 cents a wear, which is pretty good! And I intend to get quite a few more wears from it before I go down the redye route. For a bright and bold hot pink bag I didn't expect it would be as versatile as it has been in my wardrobe! I've worn it with a few different outfit options but I thought today I'd focus just on the colours I've worn it with to give you some ideas and inspiration for how you can add some neon pink to your outfit. Neon seems to come back as a "trend" every couple of years!

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30 Ways To Wear: Video Style

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Neon Pink Bag With Black Outfits

This bag is a very bright neon pink and it doesn't really need any help to pop in an outfit. But it really stands out with black! It's a fun way to lighten up a black outfit and is such an easy way to wear it.

Neon Pink Mini MAC with Grey Tee Outfits

Another neutral this pink mini MAC bag works with is grey. I've worn my grey tees with the neon bag quite a few times, grey and pink is a lovely combination and this neon is a really bright way to do it.

Navy Outfits With Neon Pink Mini MAC

Just like the grey tee outfit above, blue and pink is another colour combination I wear frequently and I love the extra bold touch of navy and neon pink together. Just like I did with the other neutral outfits above, I sometimes add another little bit of pink in the outfit too but the mini MAC bag makes a great pop on its own against navy as well.

Olive Outfits With Neon Pink Bag

Pink and olive is a combo I never thought I'd try but once I gave it a wear once I was hooked and I find this really wearable! I like the contrast of the neutral olive and neon pink together. I particularly like wearing olive tops with this bag but my olive shorts work too!

Neon Pink Mini MAC With Other Shades of Pink

I don't have a lot of neon in my wardrobe and I certainly don't have a lot of neon pink! But I've found I can make my matchy-matchy outfits I so love when I try other shades of pink with the neon. Pastel pink printed jeans, a hot pink tank, even different shades of pink in a scarf all work well with this bag despite the shades being indifferent.

Purple With Neon Pink Mini MAC Bag

Pink and purple, much like pink and blue, are an easy combination and one I frequently rely on. As with the pink above I find any shade of purple, from a magenta cardigan to deep purple jeans, is such a pretty pairing.

Accessorising White Outfits With Neon Pink Bag

I don't have a lot of white in my wardrobe but I have worn this neon bag with white quite a lot! Like the black outfits I shared first, this bag really doesn't need a neutral base to pop as it does that all on its own. But it really stands out even more with a neutral base and white is another good colour choice to wear with neon pink. Perfect outfits for spring and summer.

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Similar Neon Pink Bags Under $50:

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More Outfit Ideas:

For more outfit inspiration and ideas, you can view all the 37+ ways I've worn this neon mini MAC bag in my blog archives, or browse the complete 30 wears series.

Similar Posts In The 30 Wears Series:

• 30 ways to wear red Balenciaga velo bag
• 30 ways to wear a grey Rebecca Minkoff MAM bag
• 30 ways to wear mustard yellow Rebecca Minkoff bag
• 30 ways to wear a red Rebecca Minkoff saddle bag
• 30 ways to wear Louis Vuitton Neverfull tote
• 30 ways to wear Rebecca Minkoff Love bag
• 30 ways to wear Balenciaga black Part Time bag
• 30 ways to wear Rebecca Minkoff Mini MAB Tote in plum purple
• 30 ways to wear Chloe Marcie Hobo Bag
• 30 ways to wear brown Balenciaga Day hobo bag
• 30 ways to wear purple Balenciaga Work Bag
• 30 ways to wear navy Rebecca Minkoff MAB tote bag
• 30 ways to wear a red Rebecca Minkoff micro Avery bag
• 30 ways to wear navy Rebecca Minkoff Regan bag
• 30 ways to wear Balenciaga sorbet pink city bag

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What I Bought In March And How I've Worn It: Rebecca Minkoff Love Too

Well... I bought another bag 😂 Despite saying I didn't need or want anything this year I've managed to make an impulse buy or two every month. But this one was definitely worth it!

What I Bought:

• Rebecca Minkoff Love Too in deep teal croc embossed leather

Why I Bought It:

We have an internal recognition program at work and there's a little monetary reward associated with it. Which I was lucky to get, and immediately put towards getting this bag! I hadn't used my Christmas bonus gift card yet either which covered the rest.

I'd checked out the Rebecca Minkoff sale and gotten as far as adding this bag to my cart before I realised that even with the extra % off, the shipping cost and exchange rate didn't make it that much of a bargain. It's a style I'd been wanting to try for a while but didn't want to pay the $400+ it retails for here either.

When I later browsed eBay with that work reward in mind I stumbled across the exact same bag I'd been eyeing on the Rebecca Minkoff site. At $100 cheaper than I'd seen in the Rebecca Minkoff sale! Of course I had to buy it!

As you can see in the video it didn't quite go as smoothly as I'd hoped but the handful of times I've used this bag it's been issue free and I've really enjoyed wearing it!

How I've Worn It:

The seller on eBay was super sweet and shipped this bag so quickly, it arrived much sooner than I expected. Which let me wear it for the first time on my return to the office. We had a celebratory lunch planned related to the work I mentioned above. It was so good to catch up with my colleagues and empty out all the food I'd left behind in the office before lockdown last year! It was nice being back, although throwing out all that expired food that hadn't been touched in over a year was not a nice experience!

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What I Bought In Feb (And How I've Worn It)

Just a couple of unexpected purchases in February! Even though I hadn't planned to buy anything this month I scored some shoes in the Kmart clearance and I also couldn't resist scooping up a lucky opshop find. An authentic designer bag!

What I Bought:

• thrifted Marc by Marc Jacobs Dr Q Convertible clutch in electric violet
• Kmart white chunky platform sneakers

Why I Bought It:

I'd seen some clearance shoes in Kmart earlier in the week but didn't have time to stop as we were on the hunt for things for my son's upcoming birthday party. Next time I was in Kmart I had a proper look, and although there was a much smaller selection, the shoes were reduced to $2! I wouldn't normally go for chunky platform sneakers - but since ballet flats and pretty sandals are out at the moment as my knee continues to heal, I have been wearing a lot of sneakers and for just $2 these looked like fun to try!

The bag was a bit of a splurge! It was actually out on display in the opshop and so the first thing I saw when I walked in the door before I headed off to the book section. I was sure it wouldn't be authentic but realised when I picked it up that it was. $65 is a lot of money to spend in an opshop but I wasn't going to let the chance pass me by to snag this! 

As mentioned in the video, I've once got a gift with purchase cotton Balenciaga clutch in an opshop for $2 which I was pretty pleased with, but this is the first time I've ever seen an authentic designer handbag. Once I picked it up and verified it was real (I used to have a few MbMJ bags back in the day) I wasn't going to put it back down again! I walked around the opshop with it for about 10 minutes before I decided just to get it, and I'm glad I did. If I'd left it behind it would have been long gone by the time I couldn't get it out of my head and decided to go back to grab it, and I do love a good magenta bag 😉

How I've Worn It:

Being a platform sneaker, these chunky shoes not only give my petite self an extra little height boost but are also quite comfortable on my knee! I've enjoyed wearing them so far. 

I didn't wear the bag right away as I wanted to clean and restore it first, it had a little bit of wear and needed some TLC, but I've enjoyed wearing it after giving it a bit of a clean and condition. Shoulder bags aren't my thing at the moment, being a mum I prefer crossbody bags, but my Rebecca Minkoff guitar strap is the perfect length to allow me to wear this cross body and it's super comfortable to wear. An amazing colour too, it looks great with pink!

Again, I'm not planning to buy anything next month, but as I have this month I'm not going to leave anything behind if I stumble across any more bargains or lucky finds 😂 I've only bought 7 items so far this year, these two included. It means that despite consistently buying things each month I have both spent less and bought fewer things than I did at this time last year, so still on track with my budget goals!

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What I Bought In November

Short and sweet what I bought post! Showing you two things I bought for myself last month - I did take advantage of some of the black Friday and Cyber Monday sales but that was to buy Christmas presents for others. So I wanted to share some things I picked up for myself before all the sales, just two things!

What I Bought:

• Rebecca Minkoff Jean MAC bag in fig
• Thrifted Adidas Superstar sneakers

Why I Bought It:

The shoes were such a lucky find. I have never been able to find shoes in my size at an opshop but I always glance at the shoe rack just in case. I was thrilled to realise these were in my size and just $3! Looking a little worse for wear I figured I could clean them up a bit at home, trying a few different things to get rid of the yellowing the scuff marks and stains on the leather. They certainly don't look new but $3 for a $150 pair of shoes I'm pretty happy with how they scrubbed up!

Got extremely lucky and found these Adidas Superstar sneakers in my size at the opshop for $3 😁 a bit of a clean up later and they look pretty good! ⭐#opshopfind #ilovetoopshop pic.twitter.com/ZgV40zM0iv

— Mica (@AwayFromTheBlue) December 8, 2020

The bag was an impulse buy - and while I also bought it at the start of November it was on better sale than it ended up being on Black Friday. I'd been eyeing it for a while unsure about the colour it looked on the David Jones site, but once it was further reduced I had so snap it up. As you can see in the video I didn't need to worry about the colour! It's been a firm favourite bag to wear since I bought it.

How I've Worn It:

The bag has had the most wear as I've only worn the shoes once so far as it took a while to clean them up. I was pleased with how they were looking so wore them on Monday to check out how comfortable they would be with my knee injury. Pretty happy with them! I know both pieces will get a lot more wear in future too.

I'm not planning to make any fashion related purchases in December but who knows what sales will tempt me 😂 At the moment though I'm on track to be under my 2020 fashion budget and I want to stick there!

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What's In My Bag: Share The Dignity Mum and Bub #ItsInTheBag Campaign

Sharing what's in my bag for Share The Dignity #ItsInTheBag! I've done this the past couple of years in order to support local women. The Share the Dignity charity aims to ensure all women across Australia have access to sanitary products. Each Christmas they run the It's In The Bag campaign, where you fill a new or gently used handbag with some essential products and special gifts for a woman or teen in need.

This year, the same as last year, I've decided to do a mums and bubs bag. I've filled a nappy bag with a lot of essentials and a few special treats to let a mum to be or new mum in need know she is loved at Christmas time.

My decision to do a baby bag again this year was made thanks to a special gift with purchase Priceline had on. If you spent $39 or more on participating brands in store you got a baby bag filled with samples and full size baby care products. The perfect thing to start off my donation! The video shows how I fit everything inside and what I included:

As you can see in the video, the bag is a good size and I fit quite a lot into it! I made full use of all the pockets to ensure that as well as covering off the essentials for mum and baby, I included a few extra treats. It breaks my heart to think that there are mums across Australia who due to circumstances outside their control are facing a Christmas alone with their new baby. Maybe they are homeless, maybe they are in a domestic violence refuge, maybe they are living in poverty, maybe they have fled from extreme weather and have nothing left but the clothes on their back. I hope this bag brings a little bit of joy. There are many stories that Share the Dignity have on their site and socials to demonstrate how much of an impact this small gift can make.

How You Can Help:

There are so many ways to get involved:

• This year, you can sponsor a bag if you don't have time to source all the products yourself. Your donation will be used to build a mum and bub bag, teen bag or woman's bag for Christmas.
• You can put together your own bag of essentials - the list of required and optional extra items is on the Share the Dignity site. Pay special attention to the exclusions list if you are using the Priceline deal as part of your donation this year like I did - not everything in the bag is suitable to donate, and I had to remove some items. The deal is no longer available online but there are some bags still in stores.
• If you're donating a bag, drop it off at your local Bunnings between 20th - 29th November. Following all local coronavirus precautions and restrictions of course.
• If things are a little tight this Christmas, consider participating in the Share the Dignity sanitary products drive next year instead.
• Share to raise awareness - you can follow Share the Dignity on Facebook, they have a lot of helpful tips and ideas for putting together a bag, and lots of info graphics to share. Like this one, which shows what to include in your bag:

With 2020 being a tough year for a lot of people, I really hope this bag makes a difference for one mum and bub and makes her feel special at Christmas time. If you have the ability, there are so many ways to give back this year - donate your time or money to your favourite charity, donate to It's In the Bag, or find an organisation in your country doing something similar - these are sometimes called Blessing Bags in other countries. You can see my woman's bag donation in 2018, and baby bag donation in 2019 for more ideas.

Have you participated in #ItsInTheBag or a similar donation drive before? What extra pieces did or would you include in your bag? I'll be doing this next year as well and I'm always open to new ideas for what to include!

Note: I was not paid for this post. As always all thoughts, opinions and images are my own.

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Spring Shopping Haul: What I Bought & How I've Worn It! Kmart & Opshop Finds

Sharing a rather large spring shopping haul with you today! Apart from my big January spend in the post-Christmas sales I haven't been doing a lot of shopping this year (for obvious reasons). As well as a couple Kmart impulse buys, I got extremely lucky that my fave opshop was open on a different day in September as a once off and I was able to go browse.

When the opshop (thrift store) reopened after COVID restrictions lifted they changed their opening days and hours and are now only open for a few hours in the middle of the week, when I'm working, so I haven't visited this store since January! Being able to visit on a day off was wonderful. It did mean that I bought a LOT of things though.

While I did carefully consider each purchase and didn't buy everything I saw, I didn't manage to meet my goal of wearing everything I buy twice in the month I buy it as I shopped so late in the month. I'm giving myself another pass on not meeting my goal though, as I honestly don't know when the next time I'll be able to visit this opshop would be and I wanted to grab some deals! I just ran out of days in September to wear everything twice 😂

I share a little more about the prices and why I bought each piece in the video, as well as a try on session with everything.

What I Bought:

• Kmart short sleeve textured dolman top in marigold $12 
• Kmart short sleeve tiered jersey dress in amber $15

• thrifted digital print no label kimono $1
• thrifted Kmart black and cream stripe tee $1
• thrifted Kmart white and navy long sleeve stripe tee dress $1

• thrifted blue statement beaded necklace $2
• thrifted gold and cream multi strand pearl necklace $2
• thrifted gold and marble statement necklace $2 (not pictured or in video as I just bought it this week!)

How I've Worn It:

As you can see I did hit my "wear twice in the month I buy it" goal with most of the pieces, except the white striped dress and the necklace I bought the last few days of September. I set myself this goal a few years ago after too many wardrobe clear outs where I would come across things I hadn't even worn. If I can think of two ways to wear something immediately it's got a good chance of staying in my wardrobe and being a versatile piece that will work for my lifestyle. Over time it's changed from wearing things twice in a month after buying them to wearing things twice in the month I buy it. It ensures I'm not buying things anticipating the weather or the things I'll be doing too far in advance. As we all know nothing goes according to plan, especially in 2020! Still haven't worn that blazer I bought for the office back in February that arrived just before Iso....

I'm pleased with what I got this month, great additions to my spring / summer wardrobe and all at very budget friendly prices that makes me happy.

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What's In My Bag: #ItsInTheBag2019 Nappy Bag For Share The Dignity

A special what's in my bag post today as I'm sharing what I have pulled together for Share the Dignity's It's In The Bag Christmas campaign!

Share The Dignity provides sanitary products to those in need across Australia and every year at Christmas time they have the drive to donate a little more than just pads or tampons.

You can fill a new or gently used bag with some essentials and a few (non-food) treats to make a woman, teen or new mum smile. Last year I donated a handbag for a woman in need, this year I am donating a nappy bag for a mum and baby.

What's Inside My Nappy Bag:

A little more about what's in the bag and why is in my video!




I had so much fun putting this bag together! As you can see, it had to be quite a big bag to fit all the essentials in it so I went with this pink and grey Kmart gym bag. Nothing else was big enough! I had forgotten just how many things you need as a new mum, now my youngest is 3 and a half! I ticked off all of the essentials from the list for mum (things like breast pads, maternity pads, shower gel, shampoo and conditioner) and for baby (nappies, wipes, nappy balm). With the little space I had left I added some extras for mum, like a hairbrush, lip balm, tote bag and of course a little hand written card.

I can't imagine being a new mum at Christmas time in a shelter or homeless and so I hope that this bag helps a little. While I picked up a lot on sale spreading my shopping out over time, I also picked up things we use and love at home for the boys. I've shared my review of the Mater baby products before on the blog when I collaborated with them, but this post, like last years It's In The Bag post, was not paid for in any way and I purchased the Mater products myself.

Ways You Can Help

• Share The Dignity has some great ideas about what you can put in your bag to give to a woman, mother or child in need. See what to put in a bag for a lady, teen or new mum. You can donate your bag at your local Bunnings from Friday 22nd November to Saturday 7th November.
• If you don't have a new or gently used bag to donate to the Christmas campaign, why not take part in the sanitary products drive in April or August next year?
• If you're not in Australia and still want to help women in need, have a look and see if there are any charities in your country that put together blessing bags. Similar things I found on google are blessing bags in the US and bags of kindness in the UK.

What You Can Include In Your Nappy Bag:

There are so many ways to give back at Christmas time. If your heart aches for men, women, children, mothers, animals or families in need, Christmas is a great time to give back. I loved being able to do a little something for a struggling mum this year and hope in some small way it brings a little joy at Christmas time.


I'd love to do this again next year too! Have you done something like this before? What should I include in my next bag?


Note: My posts, like this one, are usually written 2-3 weeks in advance. I had to add on this updated note though. We are safe from the bushfires, as are our family and friends. For ways to help, see here: https://www.abc.net.au/triplej/programs/hack/bushfire-donations-heres-how-you-can-help/11696418

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30 Ways To Wear: Navy Rebecca Minkoff Medium MAB Tote Bag

I really enjoy putting these 30 ways to wear posts together, it's a good way to look back at my outfits, gives me some inspiration for things to wear in future. I hope it inspires you too!

This month I'm sharing my beautiful navy blue Rebecca Minkoff medium MAB tote bag. Don't let the name fool you, this bag is quite large! (Although it does come in a smaller size that I also own, and an even larger size too!)

30 Ways To Wear: Rebecca Minkoff Medium MAB Tote Bag

I'm surprised it's taken me so long to put this post together! This bag is often worn to the office, it's a great tote for fitting anything and everything in and still looking classy when it sits on my desk. While I have tried it casually once, I much prefer keeping it as an office only bag, when the structured design works better with my outfits.

Cost Per Wear

I picked this up in the Rebecca Minkoff sale for $202.65 back in 2015. At 39 wears, it's still got a lot to go to hit the "$1 per wear" figure people aim for (currently at $5.19) but I can see myself using this for many years to come, it is such a timeless tote design. I do tend to use it for work, which is why I'm only just past 30 wears now, I had a 18 month maternity leave from 2016 to 2017 so I haven't been reaching for it all 4 years I've had it!

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30 Ways To Wear: Navy Tote Bag Video Style

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MAB Tote Bag with Monochromatic Blue Outfits

Blue is my favourite colour - I wear it to boost my mood and my confidence and also when I'm just having a great day and want to continue that happy feeling! I love a monochromatic blue outfit, and paired with this navy blue Rebecca Minkoff medium MAB bag, it creates an outfit I adore. I just need a blue pair of shoes now to go head-to-toe blue!

Navy Tote Bag with Black

If you haven't tried it, navy and black is a great colour combination! I think the two neutrals work so well together. A navy bag with a black outfit is a nice way to try the colour combination out on a smaller scale. You can go monochromatic black with a dress, a little bit of black with a pencil skirt, and even break up the colour a little with a bright scarf if you're unsure about just wearing the navy and black side by side.

Navy MAB Tote Bag With Pink

Another much loved colour combination of mine! I like pink and blue together, in any combination of shades. As you can see from these otufits, from a pastel pink blazer to a hot pink tee, the navy MAB tote bag works with every intensity of pink. If you just want to try the colour combination in a small way, and a pink dress with a navy bag like the fits outfit is too bold for you, you could always add a pink scarf to your outfit.

MAB Tote Bag Matching Other Navy Pieces In Outfit

Matchy-matchy makes it so easy to pull an outfit together! When you're not sure what bag to wear you can just pick one that matches a colour in your outfit. It's a simple tip but it really helps an outfit feel more cohesive, even if it's just as simple as a navy scarf to match your bag.

Navy MAB Tote Bag With Printed Dresses For The office

Printed dresses are an office staple, they make getting ready for work so easy as you don't have to mix and match with a one and done outfit! As you can see in the pics, no matter the print or colour of the dress, this neutral navy tote works with them all.

MAB Tote Bag with Pencil Skirts At Work

Another staple work option for me, the classic pencil skirt. A big tote bag looks nice with a pencil skirt outfit, and works more formally with a blazer to dress up a more casual cardigan and skirt outfit. You can't go wrong with a structured tote and pencil skirt in the office!

Navy MAB Tote Bag With Print Mixing Office Outfits

It's nice to have a little fun with your outfit when you're wearing a neutral bag - you can be more adventurous with colour or prints. Even if you just add a little hint of print mixing to your outfit by adding a printed scarf on top of a different print, a neutral tote is a great complimentary accessory, as you don't have to worry about the big block colour clashing with any of the prints.

Rebecca Minkoff MAB Tote Bag Accessorised with Scarves

This is quite a large tote, and sometimes it can feel a little plain being a big neutral square. As you've seen in the outfits above, a bag charm is a cute addition to the bag to break up the colour a little, and in these outfits I've accessorised the bag by tying scarves around the handles. This works well on the way to the office when it's a hot summer day but you know you will need a scarf at your desk in the cold aircon! It's also a nice way to add another colour or print to your outfit.

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Where to Buy Rebecca Minkoff MAB Tote Bag:

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More Outfit Ideas:

For more outfit inspiration and ideas, you can view all the 39+ ways I've worn this navy tote in my blog archives, or browse the complete 30 wears series.

Similar Posts In The 30 Wears Series:

• 30 ways to wear red Balenciaga velo bag
• 30 ways to wear a grey Rebecca Minkoff MAM bag
• 30 ways to wear mustard yellow Rebecca Minkoff bag
• 30 ways to wear a red Rebecca Minkoff saddle bag
• 30 ways to wear Louis Vuitton Neverfull tote
• 30 ways to wear Rebecca Minkoff Love bag
• 30 ways to wear Balenciaga black Part Time bag
• 30 ways to wear Rebecca Minkoff Mini MAB Tote in plum purple
• 30 ways to wear Chloe Marcie Hobo Bag
• 30 ways to wear brown Balenciaga Day hobo bag
• 30 ways to wear purple Balenciaga Work Bag

Linking up with What I Wore Sunday, On Mondays We Link Up.

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