Teddy Sherpa Shacket (similar here and here) // Crossbody Bag // Black T-shirt // Faux Leather Pants (I’m wearing the petite length) // Ankle Boots // Gold Hoop Earrings
What started out as a joke has now turned into a full blown challenge—a year without buying new clothes!
If you know me—or have ready anything on this blog—you’ll know I love fashion. I really enjoy the journey of building a style that is uniquely my own, yet still try to keep trending styles and products in my back pocket (I can’t be entirely stuck in my ways and not open to new things).
I jokingly said to a friend a few months ago that I couldn’t go a year without buying clothes, but after that conversation I began to think about why that statement was actually true. For me, a lot of it had to do with the fact that I feel like there is an immense pressure for fashion content creators to continue buying new things and outfits in order for followers to buy. Think about it: when was the last time you say your favorite fashion influencer wear the same outfit twice? The answer: Close to never. In many of these cases, these are full-time fashion/beauty/lifestyle content creators who are able to use their platforms as a method for earning their income.
I’ve always viewed my blog as a passion project since I have a full-time career that I don’t plan on leaving, so I have always viewed monetizing my blog as an added perk of creating engaging posts. Is it awesome that I can make money through blogging? Hell yes! And I’ll gladly work with brands that I feel passionate about! But the money aspect isn’t the main focus of my blog. It will always be to create fun and engaging content that inspires you to develop your own unique style. I’m a content creator by nature—hence my degree and career in public relations—so that isn’t something that will ever change. Still, I’ve felt this made-up pressure to try and compete with others…even outside my niche or audience…to buy the newest, trendiest pieces only to wear it once and donate it. That is not the content creator I strive to be any longer, which is where this new challenge comes in!
The details
It’s pretty plain and simple: I will be going a full year without buying new clothes, shoes, or accessories. I’ll admit, I did go a little crazy over there last two weeks buying things as a last hoorah knowing I won’t be getting anything new anytime soon. All of that said, I’m already one day into this crazy journey and haven’t failed yet lol.
I decided to fully-commit to this idea for a few reasons:
- It’s going to be an actual challenge for me. In most cases, if I see an outfit or thing I like, I buy it (with the exception of luxury handbags and some shoes… one day when I get that promotion lol). Getting out this mindset is a great way for me to test my self control, which isn’t something that I really think about often…is that bad?
- Debt-free lifestyle goal. No, blogging and clothes hasn’t put me into debt, but reallocating my disposable income to things like paying off what’s left of my student loans and car payment early can help me achieve my goal of living debt-free faster. I’ve also been interested in learning more about investing money, so this could open up some additional funds to support this goal.
On this note, please for the love of God DO NOT get yourself into debt for clothes and material things. Don’t get me wrong, I love fashion, but I’m not going to go into debt trying to look cool. I can’t be the only one who gets anxiety thinking about not paying off a credit card in full each month… - I’m on a weight loss journey. The pandemic hit me hard in terms of eating and exercise habits. When gyms were forced to close in early 2020, I told myself “it’ll only be short time. You can let loose for a month or so and you’ll be fine.” That mentality continued through 2020 and 2021, causing a spiral in my fitness and weight. Quite frankly, I feel so self conscious of the way I look right now (even in the photos included in this post) but I want to use 2022 to rectify my actions and develop new and better habits to suit my life now.
Exceptions
Just like any good contract, there will be a few conditions to this resolution, but they aren’t too crazy:
- This doesn’t include pieces received from brands or as gifts. This challenge is strictly about not using my disposable income on clothing, shoes, and accessories. Full transparency: I don’t get clothings gifts from brands, friends, or family very often, so it’s not like I’ll have tons of things coming in.
- I know of two events happening in 2022 where I will need attire that I do not currently have (i.e. weddings and ceremonies). I don’t have a huge friend group that wears the same size as I do, so I’ll likely need to purchase something in this case, but will try to borrow something if I can. There’s also the option to utilize Rent the Runway or even thrift something once it gets closer.
- I don’t have anything on the calendar yet, but if I attend a concert during the year, I will be buying a t-shirt to commemorate the event. Most other concert merch I find useless lol.
What does that mean for this blog?
In terms of this website, you really shouldn’t see much change! I plan to continue posting outfit and beauty content as usual. As I currently do, I’ll continue to include links to similar items so you can snag something if you choose!
Phew! We made it through the whole post! Now that you’ve got an idea of what I’m doing, do you think you could make it a full year without buying clothes? Do you think I’ll make it?
Shop the Post
