I went all of 2021 without buying clothes that I didn’t need. Fine, I did buy one pair of Thinx underwear, but I had a decent coupon code and it was on sale. Does underwear count as clothes?
I’ve tried in the past to buy less clothes (attempt #1, #2, #3), but none of it really lasted. I decided 2021 was going to be different. I made this my new year’s resolution because I spent $2,120 on clothing in 2020 with all of the COVID online sales.
There were definitely points where I thought I wasn’t going to make it (curse you, Black Friday), and other points where I wasn’t looking at clothes at all. I unsubscribed from all promotional emails and stopped looking at the latest trends.
In the first quarter of 2021, I didn’t even think about buying clothes at all because I was amidst a job search that took up a lot of time. When your focus is on something else, shopping out of boredom becomes secondary.
But after that I wrote about wanting an exercise dress. I texted my friends several times (thank you for putting up with me!) about wanting one and seeing good sales that were hard to resist. I sifted through Amazon, Outdoor Voices, Halara, Aerie, Sweaty Betty, Walmart, TJ Maxx. Name any offering of an exercise dress and I stared at it on my iPad. It was stupid and a waste of time because I knew I couldn’t buy one and looking at it didn’t make me feel any better. I was saving it in my head for one day.
I went to the mall twice with friends and tried some Adidas shoes on. I knew I wasn’t going to buy anything, but I wanted to see what the hype was about. I ran my hands through some racks, but luckily didn’t see anything tempting. I didn’t make any impromptu stops anywhere, which meant I had time to do other things.
I knew Black Friday would be tough. I only looked through a few things, but I didn’t have the energy to. I knew looking would make it harder for me. I went to the mall with a friend to hang out, but three was nothing interesting anyway. In a dramatic fashion, it sucked to miss out on good deals. But there will always be more, right?
I also thought about Chacos, brown Chelsea boots, thigh high boots, rings, raincoat, packable backpack for hiking. Do I need it? Of course not. What gap does it fill in my closet? Looking fashionable while hiking. Letting my feet breathe during hikes. All of my boots are black. I like the way they look. I want more variety in rings. My current raincoat is more for casual wear. I use a drawstring bag for hikes. How often am I going to wear it? Hiking, casual workouts, casual day time. Hiking. During winter and fall months. Wearing shorter dresses during the fall and winter months. When going out to see people. Hiking. Hiking. Can I get for a better price? The answer is almost always yes.
The whole year has been a lesson in self control and willpower. It’s a realization that I’m lucky that there’s nothing in my closet to replace because nothing got torn up or had holes. I don’t need anything because I have enough to wear. I didn’t have any event where I didn’t know what to wear. I still have plenty of items that have tags on them from 2020 purchases. Whoops. My lifestyle has changed since I go into the office less, so I don’t ponder the question of what am I going to wear tomorrow as much. A lot of what I wanted came from inspiration off a screen. If it’s not in front of me, then I won’t want it. For some reason, it’s not as strong if I see someone wear it in real life.
What’s next? The clock shows 2022, a new year. There’s no point of a one year no buy if I go crazy from here on out. I’ve learned to think more carefully about the items that I want and not impulsively buy. I’m more self aware about asking myself those questions about an item. My new goal for 2022 is to shop more sustainably with the goal of buying secondhand items if I do shop. There are things that I know I won’t buy secondhand, but I’m trying. Slow fashion here I come.
Check out my new project, Groceries Diaries, where I write about what I spend at the supermarket. I also write about startups and snacks at The Pantry Closet.
