After getting so many awesome clothes and accessories for Christmas, I wasn't expecting to be adding to my wardrobe so early into the year! However I came across some a few pieces I couldn't resist at the opshop. I mostly focus on books when I'm there, but also have a little browse through the clothes racks and accessories stands and often unearth some gems like I did on my last visit.
What I Bought:
thrifted cream resin bangle duo set
thrifted burgundy and cream beaded statement necklace
thrifted &Me blue linen button up midi skirt with pockets
I wear a lot of tees so I always have my eye out for them at the opshop - this green one was in perfect condition, and I have a bunch of Cotton On tees in my wardrobe already, just no green ones. I'm finding it really easy to wear so far. I used to avoid anything green, but have been embracing the colour more these past few years. I think realising "blue and green should never be seen" is a silly rule has really attracted me to the colour, I love wearing green and blue together.
The accessories are fun statement pieces I instantly noticed on the accessories stands at the opshop. The resin bangles work well with the trio of colourful resin bangles I already own, I have been enjoying wearing them.
The necklace has been trickier to wear than I thought, but even it met the "wear twice in the month I buy it" goal I set for all new things I buy. With the burgundy beads I think I'll be pulling it out more often when I start to wear a lot of darker layers for the cooler months.
In what is becoming an annual blog tradition, kicking off another year of personal style blogging by looking back on what I bought last year and confirming if I stuck to my fashion budget.
What I Bought & How Often I've Worn It
Just like last year, the majority of what I bought in 2023 was preloved. And unsurprisingly, after the year that was 2023, being somewhat of an emotional shopper, I find myself with a long list of purchases to share. I had a massive declutter and re-evaluation of my wardrobe that resulted in a lot of pieces leaving, as I searched for new pieces that fit into my lifestyle a bit better. I donated a lot and sold some things at local fashion markets too to make space for all these new buys. Last year I bought 18 things. This year, I added 54 things to my wardrobe. Mostly accessories, but still, a lot of shopping!
Of course, everything I bought has been worn at least twice. I set myself the goal of wearing everything I buy at least twice in the month I buy it, to make sure I'm buying things I'll actually wear and use and that work in my wardrobe. It's always interesting to look back on what I bought and see how much wear it actually all got over the year too.
Things Bought New:
Target animal print ruffle hem mini skirt - 8 wears
No surprises there that I focused a lot on accessories and cover ups when shopping! They are great final pieces to add to staple outfits to make them seem a little different each time.
I made the most of the special "fill a bag" sales and 50% off days at my local opshops to have a browse and quite often come away with a new purchase or two. And of course all the items I donated from my wardrobe resulted in a few more browses where I'd often pick up a necklace or accessory!
Of course I already hit over 30 wears with my thrifted Rebecca Minkoff vintage Cupid satchel in dark navy blue. It is SUCH a good sized bag and being a neutral it goes with everything, so again, no surprise it was my most worn item of everything I bought this year. Definitely a go-to bag for me. One of the volunteers came up to me in the opshop the other day to say she remembered my excitement over my bag find when I stumbled across it and wanted to see if I'd found any other awesome finds since! I was able to share with her how much I still love and enjoy wearing the bag - even if I wasn't wearing it that day she spoke to me. Benefits of a personal style blog and a daily diary of outfit photos to look back on!
Sticking to My Fashion Budget:
The best thing is that my total spend comes up to $441, which shows that while I doubled what I bought last year, I was able to be well under budget by shopping preloved more often and searching for things second hand before buying new.
Fashion Resolutions For 2024
These fashion related goals for 2024 are very similar to last year, as I feel they worked well for me then too.
Continue to not buy any more hangers. When I set up my wardrobe room of my dreams, I replaced all my hangers with velvet ones. And I refuse to buy any more hangers. If something enters my wardrobe, something has to leave to make room. This has been working well for me so far.
Shop second hand more - there is already so much stuff in the world, I don't need to add to the demand for it by buying new when there are plenty preloved pieces out there to discover.
Buy less - this was my goal last year and I didn't meet it, buying a lot of items in 2023! But I'm hoping I can meet this goal this year as I'm very content with the state of my wardrobe at the moment.
Spend no more than $1,000 on fashion - something I've been able to do consistently the past few years, thanks to frequenting opshops rather than retail stores.
Start up my 30 wears series again - something that became tricky as I worked through my wardrobe this year and sold or donated older pieces. I'd love to hit 30 wears with more of my wardrobe this year though. I still think we should aim to wear everything we buy at least 30 times. It minimises the environmental impact that went into making clothes and it's better for the budget to rewear more often.
Have you set yourself any goals or resolutions for your spending on fashion in the year ahead?
My shopping usually slows down near the end of the year as I focus on finishing off my Christmas shopping, but I got lucky at the opshop in November and picked up two cute coverups for myself while looking for some books and clothes for the kids.
What I Bought:
thrifted no label leopard print cover up with waist tie
thrifted Shein black floral print cover up
These were complete impulse buys. I'm always on the look out for more kimono jackets and cover ups to add to my wardrobe when opshopping! I have a lot of basic shorts and tees and these are the perfect topper pieces to provide a bit of sun protection without overheating. And for $1 each from my favourite opshop I didn't even hesitate to buy them.
How I've Worn It:
With only buying two pieces this month, and pieces that I know work so well in my wardrobe, it was easy to hit my goal of wearing each of these items twice in the month I bought them. I do have a few floral print cover ups, and a dark floral print cover up already, so it was maybe not the most thought out buy, but the leopard print one is super soft and a completely different print from anything else I have in my wardrobe. Happy with both of these buys!
After not buying anything in September, I was back to my opshopping habit in October, and bought a few pieces. Some impulse buys, but also some pieces I'd been thinking about for a while, so a mix of purchases!
As I mentioned above, I've been visiting the opshop a bit recently, as the declutter continues at home. I'm also heading there first rather than heading to the retail stores when the kids need things, like special dress up things for events at school. And I can never resist browsing for myself! The maxi dress was a complete impulse buy for sure, as I have so many dresses already, but the others were a bit more thought out.
Crossing Items Off My 'Maybe One Day' Wish List
It was one of those trips focusing on things for the kids after donating a few items that I stumbled across this amazing Stella McCartney Falabella bag. I could not believe that it was authentic, and just $30. Such a lucky find! Especially as I've been searching now and then for a Falabella online, always wanted to try one! I'm thrilled with this splurge, hidden away in the corner of the opshop.
I also scored a cute leopard print midi skirt that's really more of a maxi on me, that is similar to one I tried on and regretted not buying in Target a while back. Very pleased with this as I've been keeping an eye out for a similar skirt for a while!
The one thing I didn't get to see in person before buying, the Nobody Denim shorts, were an ebay purchase, such a bargain for that brand. I'd been watching the listing for a while and eventually decided to go for it. However I didn't check the measurements and they are a bit shorter than I'd normally wear. Perfect for the hot almost summer-like spring days we have been having though!
Focusing On Basics:
With the multiple visits to the opshop, there have of course been multiple purchases! I've been focusing on being selective and adding more basics to my wardrobe after my big declutter though. So I picked up a few basic tees that are perfect for the mix of life right now with a few office days, a few working from home days, and relaxed weekends.
How I've Worn It:
A last minute opshop dash for another school event that crept up on me and needed a themed outfit for the kids meant a little browse at some of the women's clothes on my way out, and I stumbled across even more tees. And just ran out of time to wear them all this month! Everything has been worn once though and I know the tees that haven't been worn twice will easily achieve that goal in the 4 weeks after buying it, as I aim for with everything I buy.
Just like back in July, I feel I have been shopping a lot in August too! I have been making more trips to the opshop, as we declutter at home and reorganise, to donate things we no longer need, and of course browsing leads to buying!
What I Bought:
thrifted black scoop neck H&M tee
thrifted peach and white floral print tiered sundress
thrifted red denim shorts
thrifted pastel pink and wooden bead necklace
thrifted chartreuse necklace
Some of these things were impulse buys - the dress and tee I thought were good basics I couldn't pass up! I definitely have a couple black tees already, and a few printed sundresses, but I could easily rationalise adding another when clothing is $1 each! I'm always on the lookout for more of these wooden statement necklaces too, I feel they work well with outfits in my wardrobe and it's nice to have lots of choice when I am picking a necklace to add to my outfit. As it's spring now in Brisbane I'll be wearing more necklaces than scarves so these will get a lot of wear.
The red shorts were actually something I'd been wanting for a while, couldn't believe when I stumbled across them in the opshop. I have a few pairs of denim shorts, but I'd like to have more than the classic blue wash so have been on a look out for red shorts for a while. I've actually been able to wear them in August too, although it's technically winter, it really started feeling like spring early in Brisbane.
How I've Worn It:
How I'm Tracking With My Spending Goals:
This month I had more success wearing all the things I bought twice, as the weather has been so warm. I set myself a goal of wearing everything I buy at least twice in the month I buy it, to make sure things really work for me and my wardrobe. And I easily achieved this this month. I think the blush necklace is the standout, being worn 4 times this month.
I have been buying a lot, although as it's mostly preloved opshop finds, I'm still well under my budget this year. I've been revamping my wardrobe a bit and selling old pieces at the markets so I'm more open to buying things and less strict when considering purchases. And also, honestly, I like browsing the racks at the opshop and once I find something it's hard to say no! More browsing time always leads to more buying for me.
There is the drop off in the 30 wears posts I used to do each month as with refreshing my wardrobe and buying so many new pieces, I haven't hit 30 wears as often. I know that things leaving my wardrobe are being put to use - on the racks at the opshop generating money for a worthy charity, or being sold to a happy customer at a market. They aren't just filling up space in landfill, just no longer pieces I reach for that are going onto new homes. I'm not giving up on my 30 wears goals! Just revaluating my wardrobe a little and making some changes that mean I have less pieces I've achieved 30 wears with, for the moment.
I feel I have been doing a lot of shopping this year! While I didn't buy anything in June, I added to my wardrobe in July, just like I did in March, April and May. And I added quite a lot this past months! With the preloved markets stalls I've had I've also cleared out a lot from my wardrobe, and I feel I've made some really wise buys to replace some of the things I've let go.
Kisschasy Hot air balloon United Paper People tour band tee
thrifted Atmos&Here white straight leg jeans
thrifted no label floral print babydoll dress
thrifted colourful geometric print maxi dress
thrifted Kmart turquoise linen shorts (no wears yet, until it warms up!)
thrifted pastel Paisley print cape (no wears yet, until it warms up!)
Why I Bought It:
Actually bought a couple pieces new this month! The majority of my purchases have been preloved through the year, but I couldn't resist picking up a tour tee from my favourite band. The Cle the Label items were on super sale so I thought I'd give the brand a try, however I don't think I'll be buying more from them in future. As good as the organic cotton is as a material, I haven't found anything about the people in their supply chain and if they have fair wages, so they were a bit of an impulse buy I was maybe too hasty on. The two pieces I got are good basics, but I really need to be more thoughtful about where my money goes when I buy retail. Kmart is good for a bargain, but despite improvement isn't yet paying a living wage either.
With the decluttering at home, of everything from books to pieces from mine and the kids wardrobes, I've been visiting the opshop more frequently, so of course I couldn't resist a couple of browses through the clothes and picked out a few things for myself. While they are impulse buys, I'll never turn down a Rebecca Minkoff opshop find, and I did try to stick to thrifting pieces I knew would work with the goals I have for my wardrobe this year. I've been focusing more on shopping preloved as I know it's more environmentally friendly. More budget friendly too!
How I've Worn It:
As you can see, I've been buying a lot of basics! And that Rebecca Minkoff Cupid bag has been a firm go-to since I practically danced out of the opshop with it. Such an amazing find. To prevent this post just being a huge wall of photos, i tried to only share times I'd worn the bag with other new pieces I bought this month.
I haven't worn some of the summer pieces I bought. While I could make the dresses work with a few layers, the cover up and shorts are going to have to wait until winter weather leaves us in Brisbane. Not too long until spring arrives though!
This is the biggest shopping month I've had this year, with 14 items purchased, which is a lot to purchase all at once. Not everything has met my goal of being worn twice in the month I bought it, as I did buy some summer pieces, and July only had so many days to wear so many new buys. I'm confident everything I bought will be a wardrobe staple though. Even with the opshop finds I was trying to be really discerning with what I added to my basket. At only $1 per item of clothing at my local opshop it can be hard to not buy everything I like!
My wardrobe has changed a lot this year, but I'm putting thought into it. With going back to work full time, and having regular days in the office each week so I'm working from home less, it's been a good year to have re-evaluated my wardrobe and to have made a few changes. Even if I have donated or sold on pieces I didn't hit 30 wears with, I'm trying to make sure everything I buy is something I'll want to wear 30 times or more.
Excited to come up with more outfits from these new additions to my wardrobe!
After not buying anything for my wardrobe in January and February, I have been impulse buying a lot these past few months! Picked up some things in March and April, and now I've tripled what I spent over both those months with my latest buys in May!
Everything except the bag was purchased at Gladrags markets. It was a cold morning so I did a few laps around the market to keep warm, instead of sitting in my stall all the time. I ended up chatting to some of the other stall holders and making a few too good to pass up buys. Still made more than I spent, so a good day, and I got some incredible bargains too!
The handbag was an impulse buy as well - I've been looking at this style when it goes on sale quite often on the Rebecca Minkoff site, but even the sale prices didn't drop enough to make me buy. When I stumbled across this on eBay, ticking off a style I wanted to try, and a fabric I wanted to try (I don't have any suede bags in my wardrobe), I knew this was a keeper!
How I've Worn It:
Gladrags Markets was at the end of May, so I haven't had as many opportunities as I'd like to wear everything I bought. Even if it takes me a few days longer to hit my goals of wearing everything I buy twice in the month I bought it though, I've managed to wear everything at least once which is awesome.
The leather jacket was a very timely buy with our record breaking cold temps at the end of autumn - it's kept me very cosy! And I've managed to wear the bag 3 times too.
I can definitely see I've been increasing my spending since the start of the year. With that stall at Gladrags markets I'm being a bit more critical with my wardrobe, so that even if I haven't reached my 30 wear goal with some pieces, I'm creating a wardrobe full of things I love to wear and letting those that don't work for me go on to new homes. And it's so much fun seeing who your pieces go home with when you have a market stall!
First haul of the year. Nearly made it 3 months without shopping, without even trying! After my December opshop haul I hadn't seen anything I had to have as I was enjoying wearing all my thrifted pieces from December, as well as the new things I got for Christmas. But then I stumbled across the Target end of summer clearance sale, and had some time at the opshops, so I bought quite a few things this month!
Quite a large haul for my first haul of the year! With the exception of the white denim skirt, which I've been thinking about getting for a while, everything was an impulse buy. That explains all the necklaces!
I had fun browsing the Target end of summer sale with my mum and sister at the start of March. I only picked up two things to try on, both of them skirts, and I decided to buy them both. I thrifted a black denim version of the white skirt from the opshop a of couple years ago and love it, so thought it was worth the splurge on the white one in the Target sale. The leopard print skirt looked really cute and when I tried it on I just had to have it! Perfect for autumn here in Brisbane, I'm also looking forward to when it will eventually cool down and I will get to layer it.
The opshop finds were lucky finds! I'd been browsing their $1 book sale for books for the kids, and while I had a little extra time I checked out the clothes and accessories for myself too. Found one of the kimonos on the scarf rail! I loved the colours and the tassels and I pulled it out to take a closer look when I realised it was a kimono. Whenever I see a kimono in an opshop I add it straight to the basket! The cardigan I couldn't pass up either, although I know it will be a while before it's cool enough to wear it.
The necklaces were a little bit of a crazy buy! To be honest I actually put quite a few back, and just ended up taking these 7 home. Still so many to buy at once.
How I've Worn It:
I have a personal goal of wearing everything I buy at least twice in the month I buy it. It didn't work to curb my purchases this time, but my inability to wear everything twice this month has made me realise that yes, maybe 7 necklaces is too many to buy in one go. At just $2 each though, I couldn't resist!
The cardigan I have not worn, as I expected, as it's just not been cool enough, it's been a hot autumn here in Brisbane. I know it will get more wear when the weather cools though, and I've been looking for a printed cardigan for a while.
The kimonos I was sure I'd get two wears from - I do love a good kimono! I have been in the office much more than expected though, and had a few special events this month I'd pre-planned outfits for I wanted to wear, so I didn't meet my wear twice goal with both kimonos, although I do have plans to hit 2 wears with them this weekend.
The white denim skirt, being worn 3 times this month, was definitely the most worn buy of March!
Yearly Fashion Spend for 2023 So Far:
Since I hadn't bought anything in January or February, the March spend is the only amount added to my yearly spend so far in 2023. The skirts from target were 50% off, and the necklaces were $2 each, so my total comes to $52 spent on fashion so far this year.
And in keeping with my fashion goals for 2023, the majority of my purchases this year have been pre-loved, thanks to that awesomely productive opshopping time!
As usual, I'd finished my Christmas present shopping before December, so was ignoring all the pre-Christmas sales. Until I got the notification that my local opshop was finishing out the closing days of the year before Christmas with a "fill a bag for $10" sale.
This time it wasn't just clothes, it was anything in the store that you could fit into a bag, and you paid $10. If it didn't fit in the bag, it was just $1. The kids and I had a great time shopping - toys, puzzles, games and books for them, and a few new items of clothing for me!
What I Thrifted In December:
thrifted Kmart black and white embellished cover up
thrifted Kmart dusty rose cami (left out of video accidentally!)
thrifted No label chambray tie strap cami
thrifted Cotton On orange and white stripe The One crew neck tee
thrifted Forever 21 wine ribbed knit jumper
thrifted Valleygirl navy jersey blazer
thrifted Kmart rust button up linen blend skirt 2020
thrifted Kmart fuchsia linen blend shorts 2020
thrifted Kmart mustard linen blend pull on shorts
This whole haul was just $10! Everything works out to less than a dollar if you consider the things the kids got as well which I didn't include in the video. Such bargains!
I always aim to wear everything I buy within the month I buy it. It's something I started doing after having too many unworn pieces in my wardrobe during a clean out. It works pretty well and slows down my impulse buying, but I definitely threw that goal out when buying these pieces - I wasn't going to have enough days left in December to wear everything I bought, but I knew they'd get a lot of wear in 2023.
The only seasonal appropriate piece I haven't worn twice yet is the dusty rose cami - but January has been a bit of an unexpected one and I'll hopefully get to wear it tomorrow. The blazer and wine knit I will be able to enjoy when the weather cools.
Here's how I've worn it all so far:
I of course got a few things added to my wardrobe as Christmas presents too, like this dress, and this bag, so I'm excited for all the new outfit combinations I'll be able to wear for 2023! It's helped me ignore all the January sales, got so many new outfits I want to try from the pieces in my own wardrobe.
Just like last year and the year before, I'm looking back at all my fashion related purchases over the past 12 months. Seeing if I came under the spending goal I set myself in 2021, and how much I've been wearing all of the things I bought.
What I Bought & How Often I Wore It
It's always my goal to wear things twice in the month I purchase them. This stops me having items taking up space in my wardrobe unworn for weeks, and ensures I'm buying practical pieces that work for my current lifestyle. I don't always achieve that goal. Once again this year I went to the pre-Christmas sale at the opshop where I filled a bag of toys, clothes, books and games for just $10. It meant I had a lot of great value clothing items added to my wardrobe at under $1 each, but also sadly no time to wear them all with just a week and a half left in December! Giving myself a pass for that though, I know I will get a lot of wear from these pieces in the new year, just as I did with the pieces I picked up last year.
Opshop and Preloved Buys:
thrifted no brand navy grid print scarf - worn 3 times
thrifted Eb&Ive black wooden bead multi strand statement necklace - worn 5 times
thrifted No label chambray tie strap cami - worn once
thrifted Cotton On orange and white stripe The One crew neck tee - worn once
Things Bought New:
Silver chain handbag strap - worn 3 times
Kmart long sleeve black tie neck dress in floral wisteria print - worn 4 times
The least worn were those late December opshop finds, naturally. Just not enough days left in December to wear them all when I bought them! I'm pleased to see I wore everything else a good number of times, and of course the Chloe Marcie bag was my most worn purchase of the year, which was fitting as it was such a big splurge!
Fashion Spend For 2022 - Under Budget!
This year was an interesting one, in terms of things I bought I don't think I've ever added so few items to my wardrobe in a year before! I only bought 18 things. All of them were preloved buys expect for 2. The floral Kmart dress I picked up in the store clearance sale, and I bought a new handbag strap as well. Everything else was an opshop (thrift store) find or a preloved find online. I'm really pleased I shopped second hand so much this year, it was one of my goals!
This year, I bought 18 items and spent $943.84. Under my $,1000 budget and 36 item goal I set last year! And if you exclude the massive over $800 splurge on the Chloe Marcie bag, it would have been a very low spend year instead. Definitely felt like treating myself though, even if that one item took up most of my budget.
Fashion Resolutions for 2023
Much like last year, I have the same goals for my fashion spend in the year ahead:
Spend Less - $1,000 limit, but always trying to see how little I need to buy, and working on reducing impulse buys.
Shop Second Hand More - it would be good to have an entire year of nothing more than preloved additions to my wardrobe, although I'm certainly not going to turn down a retail sale bargain if I see it! Just like this year, having the majority of my fashion purchases being pre-loved will achieve this goal.
Buy Less - I bought under 20 items this year, would be good not to buy more than 20 next year!
Have you set yourself any goals or resolutions for your spending on fashion in the year ahead?
Mid-October is possibly a little late for sharing what I bought in September, but dealing with school holidays and sickness at the end of September meant a little delay in putting this post together.
Since my last splurge all the way back in March, I haven't bought any fashion items at all. It has been a busy year, but I am impressed I could go without shopping for so many months - after it was such a challenge to try 6 months without shopping in 2017! Definitely made up for my lack of purchases over the past months with a couple of impulse buys!
Kmart long sleeve black tie neck dress in floral wisteria print
As you can see in the videos above, I had a lot of fun picking out a couple handbags for myself when doing some Christmas shopping!
I also bought a bag strap I could use just for my Marc by Marc Jacobs bag that I'd been using straps from other bags in my collection with. And then I stumbled across a $25 dress reduced to just $2 at Kmart and scooped that up! With the warmer spring weather I have been wearing a few more dresses lately, and it will be so easy to get a good cost per wear with a $2 dress! I've already worn it twice, so it's $1 per wear without trying hard.
How I've Worn It:
I set myself a goal of wearing everything I buy twice in the month that I buy it, which was a little trickier last month when I bought a few things close to the end of the month and then we had to stay home for a while thanks to getting sick on the last week of school. Giving myself a pass on not hitting my wear twice goals for that reason! While I have worn everything I bought at least twice, it wasn't all twice in September.
The little mini Darren bag has been worn a lot - it's been great for days I don't need to carry much other than my phone, car keys, and sanitiser.
How I'm Tracking With My Budget:
In 2021 I spent just $580.36 on clothes and accessories. I knew I was never going to spend less than that this year, so I set myself a goal of spending less than $1,000 on fashion this year. I'm still under that budget, but getting close! With the last months of the year and all the extra sales coming up I'm hoping I can stay under the $1,000 budget I set myself.
I started the year off being a very low spend year, with just a little thrift haul back in February. But then I saw something I just had to have and I made a pretty big splurge!
It's taken me a while to get this video and post together - I had the bag for a while before I did the video, as I explained. It has been a very hectic few weeks, as I bid on this all the way back in March! But better late than never. Once I fixed up that major issue it had with a lot of patience, I've been enjoying and using this bag fairly often recently and it was definitely due a post!
A few years ago I bought the Chloe Marcie hobo in this same colour, and sold it. At the time I wasn't using it much and didn't use hobo bags often for life with baby, so I figured I'd let some impractical bags go. But every now and then I regretted selling the hobo bag. I kept browsing for Marcie bags, thinking a shoulder bag would work better, and just waiting for an excuse to make the splurge! Some exciting happenings at work (I've mentioned before on the blog a few extra rewards I've earned) and a timely auction on eBay resulted in me taking the plunge and getting this bag I'd wanted for a while.
How I've Worn It:
Having owned this colour in a similar style before I knew this would work well in my wardrobe! And if I ever run out of ideas for how to wear it I can refer back to my 30 ways to wear post with the Marcie hobo style!
How I'm Tracking With My Fashion Budget:
As you heard in the video, I got caught up in a bidding war on this and did not want to lose! As well as forgetting to factor in the import charges and GST (as it was an overseas auction) and credit card conversion rates for foreign transactions... I have definitely spent more than I did last year!
I feel a little bad to have spent more in 2022 in the first half of the year than I did in the whole of 2021, but I'm also really pleased to have this bag. And at almost a third of the retail price, it wasn't overly expensive for a Chloe Marcie bag in such great condition. Plus, everyone needs to indulge now and then!
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 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.
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.
Since I had fun doing this post last year, I'm looking back on this year's fashion purchases too, seeing how I stuck to my 2021 budget, and setting some fashion goals / resolutions for the year ahead.
What I Bought & How Often I've Worn It
I was surprised to look back on what I bought in 2021 and see that I bought just 26 items, as I felt I shopped a lot! It does average out to nearly an item every 2 weeks so it's not such a low shopping year. I focused on accessories and more second hand shopping, and with continuing to work from home most of the time and dress casually, I added a lot of denim and tees to my wardrobe.
Mimco D-Vine medium wallet in balsa - countless uses!
The most expensive buy was the Chloe small Ethel bag in light khaki, which was $120 preloved, and the cheapest item I bought was $1 - a lot of the thrifted things were just $1 each, even the jeans.
There were some surprises with what I bought this year in terms of how frequently (or infrequently!) things got worn. I was on track to have everything worn at least twice, as I have the "wear things twice in the month I buy them" rule I put in place to make sure I'm actually buying things that work for my wardrobe and life right now. But then I went to the opshops in December with my son to check out their special sale and picked up a couple of things, including winter pieces! There was no chance of me wearing everything before the end of the month. I figured for $1 each though I could break my wear twice when I buy it rule. As you can see above the winter pieces I bought in the middle of summer definitely have no wears, although after Christmas I did squeeze in some wears of the more summery pieces I thrifted in December.
Surprisingly the most expensive buy, the Chloe Ethel, is only the second most worn piece I bought this year, the Rebecca Minkoff Love Too bag was worn one time more for a total of 16 wears.
December Opshop Haul:
Fashion Spend For 2021 - Over Budget!
My spend in 2020 was the lowest it has ever been in the years I started tracking, $483.59. This year despite trying to spend as close to that figure as possible, I spent more than that. It means that for the first year since I've been tracking it, it's the first time I've increased my annual fashion spend on the year before. In 2021 I spent $580.36. That's $96.77 more than last year.
This total includes $235 of gift card spend. So $345.30 minus the gift card spend, but I always include gift card spend in my total each year.
Despite spending almost $100 more this year than last year, I bought fewer items. I think that the high number of bags I bought is the reason for that! While I bought less things, I spent a bit more on the bags I did buy.
Fashion Resolutions For 2022
Spend Less
Much like last year I'm a little unsure what to set my budget for in 2022. Again I'd like to have an under $1,000 fashion spend (which I achieved in 2021) but I'm not sure if I'd be able to spend less than the $580.36 I spent in 2021. It's a good goal to aim for though!
Shop Second Hand More
I really liked the sustainable fashion balance I had this year, with fewer things bought new in retail stores and more preloved finds from eBay and the opshops. I'd like to have a similar or even better balance in 2022, and continue to shop second hand more often. Second hand fashion is the most sustainable way to shop. It's also better for my budget goals, and for the environment!
Buy Less
In terms of items to add to my wardrobe wish list, I don't really have any! I think it will be a varied 2022 with what I buy, whenever I get lucky with preloved finds and make some impulse buys. I don't have a list of things my wardrobe really needs at the moment, so it will hopefully be another year of under $1,000 spending, and a year I buy less than 26 items. I haven't bought anything in the boxing day or January sales either, when I usually buy a lot, so starting off with no spending is a great way to start the year.
What was your spend like in 2021? Do you track your fashion spend and set fashion resolutions?
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.
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.
