What I Bought After a No Shop Challenge: The End of 7 Months Without Shopping

There's been a lot of interest in what I'd buy after I managed to complete not just the 6 months I'd planned but 7 months without shopping.

I'd had one big splurge planned but other than that I wasn't really sure what I wanted, as I tended to overthink most things I went to buy. I ended up making a few impulse buys. I've actually had quite a lot enter my wardrobe too, mainly from my sister's wardrobe clear out.

What was added to my wardrobe during my no-shop challenge:

• A knitted dress from my Grandma's wardrobe (worn here)
• Purple high top Converse look-a-likes from my sister (worn here and here)
• Jeanswest two tone boxy oversized tee from my sister (worn here and here)
• A floral ruffle detail tank from my sister (worn here and here)
• A trio of band tees from my sister (not yet worn)
• Jeanswest Cecile dove grey skinny jeans a very generous gift from a special someone who is surprising people with their savings from the $5 money challenge (worn here and here)
• Nibbly Bits Feather pendant in peach (C/O)
• Nibbly Bits BB plum silicone teething necklace (C/O)

What I Bought in August:

• Balenciaga raisin purple 2009 giant silver G21 hardware work bag 
• Starfish Project Veronica short yellow multi strand necklace
• Starfish Project Hannah turquoise bead necklace
• thrifted SES Fashions mustard yellow cardigan
• thrifted billabong red printed maxi skirt
• Kmart Aztec print tiered little black dress 
• Jeanswest Flavia foil printed polka dot tee deep iris (gift card purchase)

As you can see, only one of the things I bought was with one of my end-of-challenge gift cards. I'd asked for gift cards for Christmas and set them aside to spend at the end of my no-shop challenge. I just haven't seen anything I had to have that looked as good as I imagined when I tried it on (with the exception of the impulse buy polka dot tee, which is SO soft). With more spring and summer stock coming into the stores as winter ends I'm sure I'll have spent them before they expire in December. Being in Brisbane, winter clothing isn't a priority for me to buy as I tend to wear my summer pieces year-round, just with a few extra layers.


I still have my 'wear it twice in the month I bought it' rule to ensure that everything I buy and add to my wardrobe will work with what I already own. While there might have been a few impulse buys, I'd mostly been thinking about adding similar pieces for a while, and I've hit two wears on everything this month.

The Kmart dress is the only thing I bought full price. I probably could have waited for a sale, but seeing it while I was on my no-shop challenge and then starting to notice the stock levels falling in my local store made me go snap it up before I missed out quite quickly in August! It was only $15 so I'm not too upset I paid full price - still a bargain! And out of stock in my size now in my local Kmart so a good purchase.


The Starfish Project necklaces were an impulse buy too, I was a few days into August and hadn't bought anything yet when I stumbled across the brand on Instagram. From their website, 'the Starfish Project restores hope to women escaping human trafficking and exploitation in Asia.' They provide shelter for women and their children, counselling and employment and education. For every piece on their website that you can buy, it tells you exactly what that money can do. The yellow Veronica necklace is equal to the cost of 5 days of room and board at the Starfish Project shelter. The turquoise Hannah necklace is is equal to the cost of 1 week of counseling for an exploited woman.

This isn't a sponsored post, I bought the necklaces with my own money - but I wanted to share as with Christmas coming up it's a lovely gift idea - especially as you get a little note with each purchase. A nice way to help someone look and feel good when they unwrap your gift on Christmas day! I may have added a gift for someone special to my order too...

How I Wore It:

Balenciaga purple work bag / Starfish Project yellow necklace / Starfish Project turquoise necklace

Balenciaga purple work bag

thrifted billabong red printed maxi skirt / Jeanswest polka dot tee

Starfish Project turquoise necklace / thrifted mustard yellow cardigan / Kmart little black dress / Jeanswest polka dot tee

What I'm Buying in September:

I'm going to try Beth's #noSpenderSeptember now! With some hand-me-downs coming into my wardrobe during my no-shop challenge, and having bought a few pieces in August, I'm pretty wardrobe content at the moment. I still have a lot of gift cards to spend though so we will see what happens...

Linking up with Weekend Wear, Friday Faves, Flashback Fashion, Passion for Fashion, Friday Favourites, Style Nudge, Mummy Monday, Mix It Monday, Hello Monday, Modest Monday.

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#30Wears: Black Ankle Boots

Another month, another #30wears post. This month I'm sharing 30 ways you can wear black ankle boots - across multiple seasons. If you're currently enjoying summer and want more sandal inspiration, I've done 30 ways to wear gladiator sandals.

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#noBuyJuly17 Results

Quickly wrapping up #noBuyJuly17 - I achieved it! Even after 6 months without shopping, I stuck to my goals this month and avoided the sales, not spending anything on fashion. I'm not going to try do 8 months without shopping, I'm open to shopping again in August.

However, I don't have the big 'wishlist' of items I was sure I'd have by the time my no-shop challenge is over, so I'm not going to be breaking the shopping drought with a huge haul or spending all those gift cards at once. I'll just see what I come across, and gradually spend the giftcards I'd set aside as a reward over the end of the year. A fairly uneventful end for a rather big achievement, no shopping for 7 months!

Despite the lack of a properly planned celebratory shop, I'm still really proud of managing to change my shopaholic ways. By buying nothing, I'm really getting more use from the things in my wardrobe that I already own, something I was trying to do but never seemed able to when I was just slowing down my shopping.

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30 Wears: RMK Black Leather Ankle Boots

I bought these boots in June, a little over two years ago. It was a month of a lot of purchases thanks to all of the sales there were on at the time and needing new winter pieces. These boots were a little more expensive than the pair they replaced, but they were on sale, in my size and with a smaller heel so they were the perfect choice for me as a mum! It's also good to see that while 30 wears in two years doesn't sound like a lot, it's more frequently than I wore the boots that these replaced so it was definitely a practical purchase, and I'm pleased I bought these.

I think black ankle boots are such a classic - definitely a must-have for me, and you can wear them many ways in different seasons.

Ankle Boots & Dresses in Warmer Weather

This is my favourite way to wear ankle boots. While I'm petite, I don't think these black ankle boots make me look shorter when paired with bare legs - they are a very flattering style. The slight dip at the front of them is one of the features that's supposed to stop them from 'cutting off' your legs and making you look shorter. While we rarely get weather that allows me to be bare legged and wear boots, wearing dresses and ankle boots with bare legs in spring and autumn is definitely a favourite.

Ankle Boots and Dresses in Winter

As much as I like the look of dresses and ankle boots with bare legs, I don't stop wearing it when winter arrives. Just add some extra layers like a cosy cardigan or jacket, a big scarf, and some fleece-lined tights (a winter essential for me!). If you're concerned about black ankle boots making you look shorter, this is a good way to wear them as the black tights and boots together elongate your legs.

Ankle Boots and Office Wear

While I don't think ankle boots would work in all offices, I have a business casual dress code at work and so ankle boots are a great choice in winter. Just like above, I wear them with dresses, although they look equally good with pencil skirts too. If it would fit in with your company dress code, there's no reason you can't rock ankle boots in the office.

Ankle Boots and Maxis

You can continue to wear your maxi skirts and dresses year-round by layering them up for winter weather. While sandals are great with maxis in the warmer weather, it's much cosier wearing them with ankle boots in winter. I've worn ankle boots with maxi dresses as well as maxi skirts.

Ankle Boots and Jeans

A really common way to wear ankle boots, because everything goes with denim! When it's a cold winter day, I'll usually tuck my skinny jeans into my ankle boots to keep my legs warm. It it's a warmer spring or autumn day, I'll usually roll my jeans up so they stop just above my ankle boots, showing the tiniest bit of skin. I've read a few times that cuffed jeans are a no-no for petites as they make you look shorter, and so I spent far too much time avoiding wearing my ankle boots this way. I really like it after giving it a try, I don't think it makes me look any shorter than I am and I love wearing it. Rolling my skinny jeans above my ankle boots is my favourite way to wear them with denim.

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Black Ankle Boots Under $100:

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How do you wear your ankle boots? Want more outfit ideas? 100+ ways to wear ankle boots in my blog archives.

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Black Ankle Boots With Extra Detail Under $100:

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30 Wears: Black Printed Moto Leather Jacket by Markus Lupfer

I've mentioned on previous posts in this 30 wears series that finding clothing I've hit more than 30 wears on has been tricky. It's certainly easy to find accessories I've worn 30 times, but I'd love to try show more variety and include some clothing options.

I was pleasantly surprised when I was writing a post and searching my blog for the last time I'd worn this black printed leather jacket and discovered it had been worn over 30 times! It's the middle of winter here in Australia, and we just had a very cold snap in Brisbane so perfect timing to share some ways to wear a leather jacket. Apologies to those in the Northern Hemisphere facing heatwaves!

#30Wears: Markus Lupfer Black Printed Moto Leather Jacket

I bought this Markus Lupfer printed leather jacket in one of the ASOS sales in Autumn of 2013, so I've had it just over 4 years. 30 wears in that timeframe is quite low, but I did try to avoid my leather jackets for the two autumns and winters when the boys were babies, so I'm actually impressed it's been worn so much when you take that into account.

When I bought it I was definitely swayed by the sale price (reduced from $385 to $150). Check out the ASOS sales for leather jackets, you can get some amazing bargains. I wasn't sure how wearable it would be with the navy and grey print but decided to try it and give it a go. It was a special 'ASOS Black' collaboration with Markus Lupfer so I figured it would be the only time I'd get to buy a designer piece of clothing. I tend to splurge on designer bags instead!


Despite being unsure about how tricky the print would be to wear when I saw the jacket online, I'm glad I took the chance and bought it anyway as I loved it the minute it arrived! It really can be worn with so much, as you can see from the 30 wears below.

Black Leather Moto Jacket and Dress in Winter

I love layering up my dresses in winter with some cosy fleece-lined tights, boots and a leather jacket. With the subtle print on the jacket, I find it works well with plain dresses, but equally well with printed ones. I like the 'tougher' printed leather moto jacket with something feminine like a dress too, it's such a nice outfit combination. My favourite dress to wear with it is my navy and black striped tee dress, the print on the jacket is the perfect accompaniment with it!

Black Leather Moto Jacket and Jeans

My stay at home mum winter uniform quickly becomes jeans, leather jacket and cosy scarf, as you can see in these pictures! I like that this jacket works well with skinny jeans and flares, and it's just as good for casual Friday as it is for weekend wear. When it gets really cold I add some leather boots. I feel like a printed leather jacket like this is an easy and cosy way to add a little bit of edge to an otherwise plain jeans outfit.

Leather Jacket and Skirts

I still like to wear skirts in winter, usually with some fleece lined tights instead of bare legs when it gets really cold. A leather jacket is a nice piece for added warmth in the cooler early morning commute too. While I have worn these outfits to work, I always swap the leather jacket out for a cardigan once I get to my desk. My office does have a relaxed dress code but I just find a leather jacket a bit much to wear in the office. It's perfect for any times I'm outside during the day though.

Leather Jacket and Maxi Lengths

I've only just started wearing this outfit formula recently so I don't have too many examples of it. But this printed leather jacket instantly makes a maxi outfit look more pulled together. A maxi skirt and knit can be a cosy winter outfit, but looks a little plain. The printed leather jacket is the perfect topper, and it keeps you cosy too! I'm planning to wear a leather jacket and maxi dress a lot more often this winter.

Printed Leather Jacket and Printed Clothes

Despite my initial fears with the print on the jacket, I have found it to be really wearable! As you can see in the photos above I like wearing it with colourful printed scarves, but I'll happily wear it with other printed pieces too like jeans and skirts. The subtle print is just enough to add interest but not so much that it clashes with other prints in my outfit.

If you're calculating cost per wear for this leather jacket, over 33 wears it's down to $4.54 a wear. Definitely something I'll continue to wear for years to come and can see it getting down to a $1 or less a wear - it still looks pristine.

I hope this has given you some inspiration for how to wear your leather jacket. If you're in the northern hemisphere you can always pin this post for later!

Leather Jackets Under $150:

There are a few fun Markus Lupfer pieces for sale at the Outnet right now too, although not as cheap as my jacket was.


Want more outfit ideas? See all the ways I've worn my leather jackets.


More posts in the 30 wears series:

• 30 ways to wear a black maxi skirt
• 30 ways to wear red Balenciaga velo bag
• 30 ways to wear gladiator sandals
• 30 different ways to wear striped maxi skirt
• 30 different ways to wear skinny jeans
• 30 ways to wear a grey Rebecca Minkoff MAM bag

Linking up with Style Sessions, Turning Heads, Oh Hey Girl, Fashion Frenzy.

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