THIS YEAR

I said in my last Buyer's Archive post that I wasn't going to buy anything this month, but I didn't believe that when I wrote it anymore than you did when you read it. I've been very restrained though. The only thing I purchased was this coin purse.



I did wonder if a coin purse really counts as a wardrobe purchase but as I've counted a previous coin purse I felt I should include this one too, it's an accessory of sorts.

My current one is three years old. I like fabric ones and I don't see them in charity shops very often, especially ones that haven't been used. There are plenty of vinyl or plastic ones to be found but I don't like them. And this one has a button so...


LAST YEAR

I only purchased one item last August too. A secondhand mustard yellow bag for £4.75. I used it a lot but it was plastic and it started to split and flake after a few weeks. I tried to mend it with some very basic embroidery skills but I ruined it, and that was the end of that.



It was fun while it lasted and I'm keeping my eyes open for another bag in this colour as it proved to be rather versatile.


Total for August: £2.00

Total so far for 2019: £275.23

Total at this time last year: £247.41

Left of £500.00 budget: £224.77

Items purchased: 45 (pre-loved: 40 / new: 5)


One of my new years resolutions was to spend less, and buy fewer new items. Last year I purchased 71 items (63 in 2016). I'm already up to 45 so I need to start being a little more discerning with my purchases from here on in.


For the fourth year running I'm keeping track of my spending on clothes and accessories with A Buyer's Archive.

As Slow Fashion Season marches on I'm steadily working my way through my wardrobe, wearing what the weather allows. A few more pleasantly sunny days would be nice, it doesn't feel like summer is really trying it's hardest.

I heard on the radio yesterday that the temperatures are not going to rise again this summer, but I'm sticking to my theory that it's impossible to predict the weather further than a week in advance, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I have three pairs of shorts that have yet to be worn this summer.



Above is a mix of never worn before (long navy jumper and pink jumper) and things that have been seen a lot on the blog (both skirts), and things that have been worn many, many times (jeans). You'll notice a distinct lack of truly summery outfits.



You might be wondering about my choice of footwear in the outfit above, top right? I was going to meet my husband in a field to spend the afternoon in his cab with him. The fields have heavy clay soil and we'd had some rain so I wore my I don't-care-how-muddy-they-get-boots (aka my farmer's wife boots), and the same shirt I wore the day before as I was bound to get grubby - light colours and tractors do not mix - even the bag I took with me was wipe clean!

The day I wore the pale orange t-shirt and jeans I went into town thinking that it was just about warm enough for short sleeves, only to get caught in a torrential downpour. I returned home soaked through to the skin, and shivering. And to think I so very nearly put my rain poncho in my bag...

With five weeks left of the Slow Fashion Season I have a lot of items still to be worn. I've been avoiding the temptation of charity shops as it's clear I don't need any more clothes. On the flip side this challenge has helped me to identify items I no longer want, which helps to whittle down the wardrobe, I'll take any extra space I can get.

For a while now I've been swapping products around the home for those in plastic free packaging.

One of the swaps I made was my shampoo. I'd been using a solid shampoo bar from Lush but I found it tangled my hair and sometimes left it feeling weird. The conditioner bar from Lush didn't work well for me either, I found that it was difficult to use and added tangles rather than helping to eliminate them.

My search for an alternative offered up Beauty Kubes. I chose it as it claimed conditioner wasn't needed. Having taken two bottles in to the shower for years I had my doubts but the only way to know for sure is to try it, right?

They're easy to use, you just crumble the cube in your hand and add water to make a paste. You use the paste just as you would shampoo. I leave it in while I get on with the rest of my shower, then rinse it out. I find this gives the best results. I never thought I'd be able to go without conditioner but I don't need it after using this. My ancient Tangle Teezer takes care of any tangles with ease and my hair dries soft and smooth, and feels really clean.

The box contains 27 cubes and is £9.50. I don't wash my hair everyday so these will last me a few months and when you consider that I used to spend more than that on bottles of shampoo and conditioner I think these are reasonably priced.

I purchased mine from Peace With The Wild, but Beauty Kubes have a website of their own, and I noticed they're available in Selfridges as well so there are plenty of places to buy, just pop in into Google.

To keep them dry I store them in a glass jar in my bathroom. When I travel I take a few cubes in a small tin, which is so much easier than bottles.

I'm really pleased with this product and highly recommend it.

We're almost halfway through the Slow Fashion Season. I'm yet to buy any new clothing, although I did buy a lot of secondhand items last month! This month I've challenged myself to buy nothing at all. I've worn a different outfit everyday since June 21st and I've still got many unworn items. I don't feel I need to add anything else in to the mix, so I'm staying away from the charity shops - they're just too tempting!


The items above are rarely worn (with the exception of the jeans, which always get worn a lot). The red tunic hasn't been seen on the blog (or worn) since the summer of 2013! It's well and truly on my radar now and will get the wearing it deserves. Isn't it pretty?



This lot above are items I used to wear a frequently, but not so much recently. The paisley dress was my first ever attempt at visible mending after the waistband frayed. And the yellow skirt was brought back to life with some fabric dye a few years ago. The wide leg trousers still need to be taken up as they are trip hazard long - even with heels!

The only recent purchase here is the sequin bag in the first outfit. I bought it to take to Latitude, but it was always going to be something that I used again. I read on the Barnardo's Instagram feed that this summer 7.4 million single-use outfits will be purchased for festivals by us Brits. It's utterly horrifying. How do we change this idea that clothes are disposable?

I bought rather more than I intended to this month, but, because I'm taking part in Slow Fashion Season, it's all secondhand.

THIS YEAR



Stripe crop top £2.00
I bought this to wear under my navy jumpsuit which I hadn't worn much due to the weather not being as consistently scorching as last year. It's perfect for it's intended use and will hopefully mean I wear my jumpsuit more often.

Mantaray shorts £2.00
Comfortable and a nice length, I can't pass up shorts that are my preferred length, they're not easy to come by.

Joules trainers £10.00
Purchased to wear at Latitude. When I was deciding what to pack I didn't want to take any of my footwear because it's so flippin' dusty and anything I've worn in previous years has been ruined. So I bought these. They still had the original £35 pricetag on but I decided I liked them too much to take to Latitude, so I continued my search.

FootGlove sandals 5.00
I tried these on when buying the Joules trainers because they're the sort of thing I've been looking for. They are so comfortable there was no way I was leaving them in the shop.

Bracelet 50p
It's cute and it made me smile, so why not?

Sunglasses £3.99
Bought to be back-up in case I lost my other pair, and it's a good job too because a few days later I misplaced them.

GEEK t-shirt £1.49
I like a slogan t-shirt.

Crocs £3.00
Love them or hate them, I brought them for the garden.

M&S trainers £6.00
These are the ones I ended up taking to Latitude and whilst they did get really dusty, the metallic finish meant that I could wipe them clean and they're still wearable.

Heart sundress £2.00
Worn in the garden. It's too short for public wearing but gets worn when I'm pottering about outside and no one else is around!

Sequin bag £13.00
I wanted something cute and sparkly to take to Latitude (yes I feel into that trap), but I didn't intend for it to be single use, even though I purchased this for a festival it will, and has already been, used again. It was preloved on ebay but came with it's original pricetag.

Navy bag £5.00
Another Latitude purchase, and again one that will be used again. I needed a zipped bag, not too big, wipe clean, not leather and this was perfect. It had a horrible chunky chain strap so I swapped it for a yellow fabric strap I already had - it looked so much better.

It's been my spendiest month so far this year. But I like everything I purchased and have already worn / used every item. Most importantly it's all secondhand.


LAST YEAR

Fat Face denim shorts £4.25
These are really comfortable but I've only worn them once. Writing these posts certainly draws attention to how often buy things and wear them only a few times.

Khaki cropped jeans £10.99
I've worn these a number of times but they're not something I'm drawn to, they might be on ebay soon.

Jigsaw sequin top £3.20
I was annoyed that the ebay seller didn't mention a mark on the back of this (handwash only) top, and that some of the sequins were missing, but it was still a nice top. That is until I pulled at a loose thread and unraveled a whole line of sequins. I gave up and put it in the charity bag having only worn it once.

Total for July: £53.98

Total so far for 2019: £273.23

Total at this time last year: £242.66

Left of £500.00 budget: £226.77

Items purchased: 44 (pre-loved: 39 / new: 5)

For this first time this year my total spend has crept above that of last year, but I don't intend to buy much over the next few months so I might reverse the situation, and if I don't it's hardly a huge sum of money. I do hope to stay within my budget for the year though, so I better stay away from the charity shops - they're just too tempting!


For the fourth year running I'm keeping track of my spending on clothes and accessories with A Buyer's Archive.

I return home, plug in my phone so that I can tell my husband that I’m back, I put the kettle on and say hello to the cats.

I eat two Chunky Kit Kats in the time it takes Andy to get home. He’s pleased to see me, as I am him.

He laughs when he asks to see my photos and I tell him I haven’t taken many. I hadn’t, it's most unlike me.

Andy goes back to work but only after we discuss the acts, the weather, the food, the cats, my tomato plants, and the weather again.

I make another cuppa, eat the pasta pot snack I’d taken all the way to Henham Park with me, and brought all the way home again.

My luggage stays in the hall, I don't want to unpack.

I wander around not wanting to turn on my computer just yet. I feel like I’ve been unplugged for a while and I like it.

I always return from camping feeling very calm, I love the simplicity of living with just the things I absolutely need. I look at our accumulated stuff and promise myself that I won’t add more to it, I’ll sleep under canvas more often instead.

After a few days of being surrounded by people and noise, it feels oddly quiet, there is a low ringing in my ears. There is nothing to do, nothing to see, listen too, or be entertained by. There is a distinct lack of smoke filled bubbles.

I eat my supper in the garden, listening to music. I grab my book and sip another cuppa while I acclimatise to being home again.

Normal life will can wait until tomorrow.