This two month ban on shopping has got me to thinking about how I ended up with so much stuff in the first place. Most of the clothes I have, I don’t wear and I can’t even pretend they are for special occasions – I don’t need to be especially smart or dressy more than once or twice a month.
I’ve had a think about future rules to adhere to (and ones that would have saved me) when it comes to deciding whether to part with your cash.
A good aim seems to be to build a beautiful set of pieces that all go with one another and make the decision of deciding what to wear each day easy.
A few thoughts on how to decide if you really should have what you are coveting:
- Is this something you have been dreaming about or will still be thinking about in a month’s time if you don’t buy it now?
- Will it go with at least 75% of what you own already? Can you wear it without needing to buy something else to go with it?
- Is it in your colour palette? I’ve often bought items outside my normal range (grey, navy, peach, black, denim, cream and coral) to try to wean myself off these colours but it never works. Try as I might, I cannot help but come back to them – they are what I’m comfortable in.
- Is it very similar to anything you have already? Unless you are replacing a worn out favourite (that will be thrown away), do you need another version of the same thing? Will the new item fulfill the exact same function as the old one?
- Is it good quality? Will it fall apart after a few wears?
- Do you love it? Does it make you feel amazing the moment you put it on or look at it?
- Is it on trend? Are you only buying it to keep up with fashion? This ideally should be true for only a very small number of cheaper purchases.
- Finally, are you buying it to make yourself feel better on a bad day? If so, put it down!
Fashion should be fun but to follow your own style (instead of buying what is marketed to you) is even better. Be brave and step away. I’m all about seeing what happens.
