#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?

Linking up with Friday Faves, Mummy Mondays, Modest Monday, Hello Monday, Bloggers Linkup.

Follow Away From the Blue on:
Bloglovin : Twitter : Instagram : Youtube : Facebook : Google Plus : LikeToKnow.It 

Wearing Havaianas In Multiple Seasons

Thanks to a knee injury a few years ago, flats are my most worn shoes.  Out of all the flats I have, I'm sure that my Havaianas are the most frequently worn.


While I do tend to swap them out for my ankle boots in the middle of winter, like the majority of Queenslanders I love my thongs (a.k.a flip-flops for the non-Aussies). The mild Brisbane weather means I can wear them for most of the year, and often do. I'm not as dedicated as some of my friends or Gold-Coast-living-sister who wear them constantly year round, but I have worn them in winter a handful of times despite how much it makes people like Beth in chilly South Adelaide shiver at the thought!


They are so incredibly easy to wear and I'm sure most people have a pair somewhere, even if they only break them out in summer. Despite their popularity, I doubt you'll see Havaianas announced as one of the latest fashion trends (I hold out hope as it was only recently that slides were 'in'!). There's no denying that they are a very common choice here in the sunshine state of Queensland. I wasn't able to find a better shoe to wear through all trimesters of pregnancy, especially in those final days when my feet were so swollen nothing else would fit!


Here's some different ways you can wear Havaianas away from the pool or beach. And yes, some of these outfits were worn in winter!

Havaianas and Maxi Skirts

One of my favourite ways to wear maxi skirts is with a pair of my Havaianas. You can layer with things like a denim jacket when it's cooler. The outfits below were what I wore for a bunch of different activities: working from home, a coffee date with a friend, visiting the zoo, and a day shopping at the outlets. Not a beach in sight.

Havaianas and Jeans

This is a good way to keep your legs warm if the weather is cooler but not yet cold enough to wear boots. I wear this often in autumn. You can add cosy scarves and cardigans if it's cooler, or wear my spring favourite outfit topper: a pretty printed kimono. Havaianas are so easy to slip on to run errands, go to playgroup, or even a casual BBQ which are some of the activities I wore the outfits below for.

Havaianas in Summer

They really are a great summer shoe! You don't have to just wear them with a bikini, you can try denim shorts, skirts, dresses....you really can wear Havaianas with so many different outfits and to so many different places.

You can see why they are a favourite. Do you have any Havaianas or similar shoes? Do you only wear them for summer?


This post was created in partnership with Flarecom. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely my own.

Follow Away From the Blue on:
Bloglovin : Twitter : Instagram : Youtube : Facebook : Google Plus : LikeToKnow.It 

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!


Linking up with What I Wore, Oh Hey Girl, Style On The Daily, Budget Bloggers, Thursday Moda, Fashion Files, Fun Fashion, Fabulous Friday, Passion for Fashion, Flashback Friday, Weekend Wear, Friday Favourites, Style Sessions, The Ultimate Rabbit Hole.

Follow Away From the Blue on:
Bloglovin : Twitter : Instagram : Youtube : Facebook : Google Plus : LikeToKnow.It