Here's my complete Buyer's Archive for the year, every item of clothing, every pair of shoes, and every accessory I purchased in 2019.




There are so many purchases that I really like and enjoy wearing from this year. The burgundy boots have barely been off my feet since I bought them. The brown leather bag has been in almost constant use. Both of my check coats have been worn a number of times already, and the floral shorts I purchased in September will be the first to grace my legs next time the temperature allows.



And the jumpers, it's been a good year for jumpers! I purchased 13 in all, with the first and the last both being gorgeous shades of green.



I've found five footwear items in charity shops this year, which is a lot for me as I rarely find footwear I like. Yes, one of those was a hideous pair of Crocs, but they have their place, acting as the perfect garden shoes.

There have been a few items that didn't stay in my wardrobe, for various reasons, but I made a huge effort to list these items on ebay, and made a small profit in some cases.

It feels like a really successful year of shopping. I purchased fewer items than last year, and kept within budget. Also, for the first time ever, I quickly identified the not-so-great purchases and either sold or donated them, instead of keeping them, trying to convince myself that I'd wear them at some point. It freed up valuable space in my wardrobe, which is something I need to continue to do, starting with a wardrobe purge...

And this concludes the fourth year of keeping track of my spending on clothes and accessories with A Buyer's Archive.

It also concludes my blogging for 2019, which just leaves me to say 'Happy New Year', and to wish you all a very happy and healthy 2020!

In April this year Glamour magazine wrote that on average we wear an item of clothing just 14 times in the UK (not that they quoted the source of the findings). In France it's higher at 30 wears.

30 wears is also the number that Livia Firth, Co-founder and Creative Director of Eco-Age, puts on a purchase, saying "The biggest message is every time you buy something, always think, “Will I wear it a minimum of 30 times?”. If the answer is yes, then buy it. But you’d be surprised how many times you say no. That should tell you something about how the current model in fashion is unsustainable - and needs urgent change." (source)

I started to keep a record of how many times I wore new and new-to-me items back in October 2017, so I could see the items that were worn 30 times or more, and how long it took me to do so. It'll come as no surprise when I say that I've become fascinated by the amount of times I wear an item of clothing.

As well as keeping a tally of the number of times I wear certain items, I also keep a tally of my spending on clothes, shoes, and accessories in A Buyer's Archive. This has made me aware of how much I buy, and spend, and how much either never gets worn or is worn only a handful of times.

I've been doing this since the beginning of 2016 and as a result I've changed my spending habits. The biggest, if somewhat gradual change, is that I buy fewer new items from the high street, preferring to choose used instead.

Not only that the way I shop has changed too. I'm much more aware of what's in my wardrobe, and what I'm most likely to wear time and time again. Give me a well fitting pair of jeans and I'll wear them until they fall apart. Give me a summer dress that has fussy sleeves, that I can't put a cardy over, and it'll languish in the back of my wardrobe for most of the year.

Before I'd never question how many times I might wear something, or how long I might hang onto it. When I hadn't worn an item for a while I'd donate it to charity or, on rare occasions, sell it on ebay. And there's nothing wrong with that, but I want to reduce my consumption as much as possible.

When I started this blog nine years ago, fashion was very much disposable to me, and it's not something that I questioned. But more recently I began to feel the need to question it, to make changes to limit my contribution to the damage the fashion industry has on the environment.

I'm pleased with how my attitude and spending habits have changed over the years, but there is always room for improvement. I still feel I buy too much, and don't wear what I have nearly enough.

Having completed a Wearing it All wardrobe challenge over the summer, I was made aware of exactly how many clothes I own, carrying on that challenge into Autumn highlights this further.

So, I'm pondering a limit of buying just one item a month for 2020, switching my focus to making the most of what I currently own, and getting more of my wardrobe up to 30 wears and beyond.

You know I like a challenge, and this would be my biggest yet.

Happy New Year! I hope 2019 is treating you well so far. This post marks the start of a series of 2018 round up posts, I love putting these together and looking back over the year.

Here's my complete Buyer's Archive for 2018, every item of clothing and every accessory I purchased in the past 12 months.

This first image shows purchases up to the end of June. Almost everything here has been worn, the delicious summer we had meant that my summer clothes were worn a lot.


There are a number of items in this image that haven't been worn yet but some of them have only been in my wardrobe for a few weeks, and have yet to appear in a seasonal capsule wardrobe.

I'm really pleased with my purchases this year. I've bought more pre-loved than new and I think I've got fewer duff purchases than ever before. A breakdown post is in the pipeline.

There are so many purchases I made this year that I completely adore.


Red floral skirt. This was my only January sale purchase. I can't believe I've only had this for a year, I feel like I've been wearing it for years. This skirt never fails to make me smile.


Floral maxi dress. I did only wear this once, but I loved it. It's perfect for summer, it's light, airy and easy to wear. I loved the mustard bag too and used it a lot in the weeks after I bought it, but now it needs mending, and you know me and my mend pile...


Orange maxi skirt. I paid a fiver for this and it has pockets.


I have a bit of a soft spot for anything with a blue floral pattern, add a rara skirt into the mix and I'm smitten. This was £6.00 well spent.


Khaki cropped jeans. I had an inking that I'd quite like a pair of cropped jeans, and ebay obliged offering these up for £10.99.


Yellow jumper. Having convinced myself that I couldn't wear yellow and avoided it for years, I thought I'd give it a go. Turns out, I kinda love it.

I also love the knee high boots I purchased in November, and the long winter coat I bought in December, but these have yet to be photographed. All in all it's been a good year of shopping, I've added so many amazing items to my wardrobe this year, that I'm considering drastically reducing my clothing budget for 2019. I know that complete spending bans don't work for me, but I would like to wear the clothes I have more often, and constantly adding items to my wardrobe makes this harder.

What things have you purchased this year that make you smile?

It's that time of year when I look back and conjure up some percentages relating to this year's clothing purchases. In a previous post I shared every item I purchased in 2017, this is the annual breakdown.

Overall I spent £663.03, which is over my £600 budget but it's still eighty quid less than last year, and my lowest spend since I started a tally in 2012. I'm chalking this up as a success, especially when I think about the fact I spent £1,250.86 in 2015, and £1751.00 in 2012!

How many items did I buy?
83 items in total - 40 new and 43 pre-loved. This is my third highest number of purchases, but because I purchased more pre-loved items it's my lowest spend.

What percentage of items purchased were pre-loved?
For the first time I purchased more pre-loved than new - 52%

What percentage of items purchased are still owned?
85% which is the same as last year - the highest since records began.

Total of discarded items
£88.14 - this figure makes me all the more determined to sell the items I'll never wear, perhaps I can make a good chunk of this back?

What percentage of items purchased remain unworn?
19% - this seems a little high but some of the items in this are maternity bits that I didn't get to wear, and some are new purchases that just haven't been worn yet, but most definitely will.


What was the most expensive item?
My green skirt at £25.60, was the most expensive, and definitely my most worn item. I was really surprised by this, this seems like such a small amount, last year my most expensive item was £95.00, followed by a cardigan at £40.00.


What was most expensive pre-loved item?
My bargain £24.99 burgundy boots! This might be my most expensive pre-loved item but it's still a bargain price for leather boots in really good condition.

What was the cheapest of both categories?
New flip flops for 90p, that I wore all summer long, and 99p for a pre-loved maxi skirt from ebay.

I buy a lot of pre-loved items but discard quite a high number of them. This is because I got out of habit of trying things on in charity shops, and made too many ebay purchases that I had no option of returning, so I'm stuck with items that don't fit or I don't like. You don't get this problem with a new purchase, but it won't put me off buying pre-loved.


What were my clothes related resolutions for 2017?

For 2017 I wanted my spending to be lower than 2016, which it was.

I wanted to wear items purchased in 2016 that I hadn't worn.
This had some success. I had eight items on the 'Unworn' list. One item was donated, one still needs altering, three items were added to capsules and worn a number of times, and three items still need to be worn (or donated / sold). Although one of these items is a dress that makes me smile so I'm pretty sure that even if I don't wear it, it'll remain in my wardrobe. I will wear it, one day. Probably.

Have another ban on buying PJs.
I didn't buy any PJ bottoms but I did have the need for a few new vest tops. I bought three and put some old ones, that I'd had for years, in the rag bag.

I need to alter items in a more timely manner
I have altered / mended a few things during 2017, but there are still way too many items needing my attention. I've put 'Mend' on my winter to-do list. Although I'm doubtful that it'll have the desired effect.

Sell the things I no longer want, or that don't fit.
I didn't sell a single thing. I always say I'm going to sell things but it all ends up in a pile in the spare room and gets forgotten.


My 2018 Resolutions (at the risk of sounding like a broken record)

Reduce the number of clothes I buy overall
Buy more pre-loved clothes than new
Reduce my overall spend again, I'll try for £600 and see if I can make it this year!
Alter / mend all items that need it
Sell all the things that don't fit or I no longer wear. Anything not sold by the summer will be donated to charity.
Reduce the percentage that I buy and then donate / sell / pass on.

I think that having a seasonal capsule wardrobe and taking part in A Buyer's Archive has made me more aware of the amount I spend, and what kind of clothes I like to wear. Over the years I've stopped buying things that I like but don't fit in my wardrobe. If I can't think of three ways to wear something I don't buy it.

Now, if I can just break those other annoying habits...

Do you keep a tally of your spending?

Links to previous years - 2012   |  2013  |  2014  |  2015  |  2016

Here's every item of clothing, and accessories I purchased in 2017. It looks like a lot doesn't it? And I'm surprised to say I bought more this year than last, even though I spent less.

I haven't yet stopped buying items in charity shops without trying them on, and I've made a few ebay purchases that didn't fit, and couldn't be returned, so I still have a number of items that haven't been worn, and won't ever be. But they hang around in my wardrobe because I say I'm going to get them all on listed ebay, but it doesn't happen. This seems to be a recurring theme in these round up posts. Some habits die hard.

I did occasionally make an impulse purchase, but these are at a minimum now, when I buy something I always ask myself if it fits in with my current capsule wardrobe, if the answer is 'no', it doesn't get purchased. If I don't think I'll wear something 30 times, it doesn't get purchased. Luckily the items that I felt I simply 'had to have' (the green skirt, the California tee, the burgundy boots, the stripy jumper) fitted my capsule with ease.

I'd say that there is a pretty even split between things being worn a lot, things been worn occasionally, and things that have never being worn and are destined for ebay. Only three items have been donated so far. The rest will be donated when I get fed up of looking at the pile and realise that I'll never get them listed.

The question is - am I happy with my purchases? I am, yes. I bought some things that weren't right, for whatever reason, but for the most part I feel I bought some lovely items. Things that I feel I'll wear again and again.

For 2018, I'm wondering if I can I manage a spending ban every other month? Would this just make me spend more during the 'can spend' months? January, BTW, is already can-spend month!

You can see my all my monthly Buyer's Archive posts here.

Each year I look back at what I spent on clothes and accessories, and have been doing so for five years now. In a previous post I shared every item I purchased in 2016, and here I'm doing my annual breakdown.

The numbers
My overall spend for the year was £742.39, buying me a total of 63 items, which is the lowest number since I started keeping a tally back in 2012.

The most expensive item was a winter coat at £95.00 but then there was quite a jump in price to the next most expensive - a cream cardy from Next at £40.00, the cheapest was a pre-loved bracelet purchased in September for just £1.25.

The percentage of pre-loved items purchased overall was 37% - the lowest since records began. I'd hoped it would be higher than previous years, but of these I'm wearing a higher percentage than ever before.

By reviewing my spending of previous years I'd realised that I had a tendency to buy a lot of pre-loved items but discarded most of them without being worn. Now I'm more selective, I try things on in the shop, and generally shop less.

I still own 85% of all items bought - the best figure since 2012. Proof that I'm making more considered purchases, buying things to fit my wardrobe, and ditching my old 'I like it so I'll buy it' attitude. There were a few ebay purchases that couldn't be returned, and a few items that having bought them I dithered about whether or not to return them, I kept them and wore them once - a lesson to be learnt there.

I'm really pleased with my spending this year. Not only did I spend less,  I'm also wearing the things I purchased more often than in previous years. Both of these things can be attributed to seasonal capsule wardrobes, and taking part in A Buyer's Archive.

Favourites
 


I've purchased a number of things I really like this year but if I had to choose just one item as my favourite, it'd be a white skirt I picked up at a clothes swap early in the year.


My other favourites are Next maxi skirt, dungarees, black t-shirt, Phase Eight dress (all but the t-shirt are pre-loved).


My most expensive pre-loved item was an ASOS pencil dress for £18.00 via ebay. This is another of my favourite items of 2016, I'm not normally one for a pencil skirt but I felt great in this and am looking forward to wearing it more. Strange as it might sound coming from a 40-something, but I felt properly grown up in this outfit. And did you notice it has pockets?

Unworn
12% of purchases made in 2016 remain unworn but this statistic isn't as bad as it sounds (last year this figure was just 5%). I have two items that need altering, two that I bought for an occasion and then wore something else, two items have been put away for the summer, and two items that I haven't had a chance to wear yet as they're recent purchases.

The total of these items is £89.57 but as long as I can get items altered I should wear all of these things in the coming year, so I don't feel that this money has been wasted.


A 2015 purchase - a bird patterned dress - remains unworn as it still needs altering, if it hasn't been altered by the beginning of summer, I'll pop it on ebay.


I had a few items purchased in 2015 that I only wore for the first time in 2016. My pre-loved Kew shorts were added to my summer capsule and worn a few times over the summer, a pair of Irregular Choice shoes, also pre-loved, worn for a ball, and for a night out in Aldeburgh. And my white oversized dress was worn for the first time in April, and then again several times over spring and summer.


2016 was the year I finally wore my pre-loved Monsoon pencil skirt, purchased in 2014. I won it on ebay for £5.19 and love it. I just needed to find the right items to wear with it so I stuck it in my spring capsule and went shopping. Since wearing this I've decided that I haven't found it's perfect pairing ... yet. And it looks best when worn with heels.
 
Resolutions
For 2016 I had a total ban on scarves and PJs. Also knitwear, summer trousers, lipstick and blusher.

I totally failed on the knitwear ban buying eight knitted items over the year, and I bought one scarf, annoyingly I wore the scarf once and ruined it. The rest were successful though, I even decided to forgo my usual Christmas PJs and instead enjoyed wearing the ones I purchased the previous year. That said Andy gave me two pairs of PJs for Christmas, so whilst I didn't buy any myself I do have some new ones to enjoy. Yay for PJs (and husbands)!

For this year, I'd like my spending to be lower than 2016 (I'm thinking under £600), I want to wear anything I purchased in 2016 but have yet to wear, and have another ban on PJs. I need to alter items in a more timely manner, and sell the things I no longer want, or have no hope of ever wearing.

Do you keep a tally of your spending?

Links to previous years - 2012   |  2013  |  2014  |  2015

In 2016 I kept tabs on my spending with Elise by taking part in A Buyer's Archive.

I joined in as it seemed like a sensible way to help keep spending down. In 2015 I spent £1,250.86 (which includes £42.99 spend after issuing a spending ban) on clothes and accessories, and wanted to spend less in 2016.

I'd hoped for a total overall spend of around £400 but it became obvious that that wasn't going to happen when I passed that figure in July. So I set myself a new target - to spend under £745.00, as this would beat my lowest spend since I started keeping a tally back in 2012.

My overall spend for 2016 was £742.39. Seeing it all amassed here it looks like rather a lot, but I kept within my revised budget - by the skin of my teeth!



Do I feel like I made sensible purchases? For the most part yes, I still gave into temptation and made the odd impulse purchase, and I purchased items for occasions when I already had something suitable hanging in my wardrobe, what can I say? I love clothes, and I love shopping.

I often purchased things that I needed to complete my seasonal capsule wardrobes, so I'd say most purchases filled a gap - historically I used to buy whatever took my fancy and I'd work out how to wear it later. This often led to another purchase so I would have something to wear it with. I'd say this counts as progress.

I think that creating a capsule wardrobe every season helped me to spend less because sometimes I saw an item I really liked but I knew I didn't need it, so it stayed in the shop. This didn't always work, but it helped.

Keeping a tally of what I'd spent and on what also helped me to be more aware of my spending over the course of each month, and although some months I did buy a number of items, it did help me to curb my spending throughout the year. I remember thinking to myself 'you've spent enough' on numerous occasions.

So, I'm pleased that I joined in A Buyer's Archive (thank you Elise), and I'm pleased that I spent less than the previous four years!

You can see my yearly spending here 2012  /  2013  /  2014  / 2015. And you can see my monthly Buyer's Archive posts here.

Not to be confused with phrases such as running for my life or begging for my life, this is far less dramatic. I'm talking about creating a wardrobe to match my lifestyle.

Since leaving an office environment (nearly three years ago now!), and since we now have a less hectic social life, I came to realise that my wardrobe was full of items that no longer fit. And I don't mean fit me, I mean my life.

Recently I took a good look at the clothes I wear most often, and then had a pretty hefty sort out and donated several bags of clothes I no longer wear.

I rarely wear dresses or skirts, and yet I had so many hanging in my wardrobe. At this time of year my daily outfit consists of jeans and a jumper. I like a good pair of leather boots and a chunky scarf, a warm coat and mittens. And layers, definitely layers.

Heels and frocks just don't fit with my life of working from home in a cold farmhouse, furry cats, muddy driveways, and cosy nights in. Never-the-less I've kept my absolute favourite dresses and skirts, because I don't think I'll ever lose the urge to don a dress or strut around in fabulous shoes. I've simply made a promise to wear the remaining items at the merest hint of an appropriate occasion.


I'm going out tonight, and declared it the perfect opportunity to wear my thrifted Monsoon skirt and my not-worn-nearly-enough Louche cat jumper. I love the combination of a dressy skirt with a slightly geeky jumper.

Do you shop for the life you lead?

For the past four years I've kept a record of all the clothes and accessories I've purchased throughout the year and set myself goals for the coming year. You can read about the results here -  2012  /  2013  /  2014.

Ordinarily I'd post this in early January but I've just looked at my total for 2015 and put myself on an immediate spending ban until 2016.

Needless-to-say my total is already more than last year.

Oops.

I was really pleased to see my lowest spend last year, coming in at £745.65. I wanted to reduce it further this year but I've already spent £1207.87.

Oops.

My only saving grace here is that in 2012 I spent £1751.00.


So my final purchase of 2015 was a pair of Christmas PJs. As soon as I saw them I knew they were the ones. At £40 these are the most expensive PJs I've ever owned but thanks to a ban on buying any sleepwear this year I've still spent less on PJs overall (and hopefully at this price they'll last a good long while). Roll on Christmas Eve!

I purchased 74 items in total (less than any other year), 41% of which were pre-loved. I was surprised to find that 25% of items purchased I now no longer have. I didn't think it would be that high, 80% of these discarded items were pre-loved.


So what did I buy and why?

I lost two pairs of jeans to rips this year and replaced them at a cost of £80.00, I did look in charity shops, I always keep a look out for jeans but so far I haven't found a single pair.


My two most expensive items are dresses, my day after dress (£69), and the dress I wore for my Mum's wedding (£85), that was worn again to have afternoon tea with Sophie, and to a friend's wedding reception. They came in at £154.00. Both of which have been worn since then and will be worn again. But I wouldn't have bought them without the occasion to wear them in the first place.


I don't normally spend that much on a single item but as both dresses were for a special occasion, I gave myself permission to splurge. I love both of these dresses and think that they will be worn a lot (I'm constantly looking for excuses to wear them).

I've bought three more white dresses (here and here, with the third yet to make a blog appearance) that total £83.00, if I hadn't developed a bit of a thing for them I wouldn't have spent this.

But I can attribute most of my spending to the fact that I've been drawn to a different style of clothes. Dresses have caught my eye (white ones in particular!) and pretty summer tops too, instead of my normal t-shirts and jeans. A change in taste is always going to mean multiple purchases.

Of course I didn't need all of these clothes but the fact I am wearing them, and enjoying wearing them, makes me feel better about the overall spend.

It seems I'm still buying things in charity shops that I never wear. Either they don't fit (why didn't I try them on?!), or I don't like them once I've got them home. The overall total of these discarded items is low, but it's still a waste.


I don't think I'll ever fall out of love with charity shopping, I just need to be more sensible about it. What I do keep gets a lot of use. I satisfied my need for thick jumpers this year by searching the charity shop rails, and this saved me a small fortune!

I'm not saying that spending money on clothes is bad, I'm not saying having a lot of clothes is bad. I'd just like to wear my clothes more, use and enjoy what I have and save a bit of money in the process - and I was doing so well until this year!

There's nothing wrong with buying something new and giving old clothes to charity but I've recently donated 8 bin bags of perfectly good clothes to my favourite charity shop, which is wasteful (although good for the charity shop).

So for 2016, what are my wardrobe goals?

Out of curiousity I totted up how much I've spent, on clothes and accessories, in total since 2012... £4892.52.

That stopped me in my tracks.

Imagine the things I could've spent that money on? The adventures I could've had? If nothing else this figure makes me determined to reduce my spending on clothes.

Now that I can see the items in my drawers and wardrobe (thanks to the KonMari tidying method, I'll do a full book review soon), I hope to be more aware of what I have as the seasons change. I want to wear more of what I already own. All the clothes that remain are clothes that I like, so there's no excuse.

I'd like to try a new experiment soon too. I happened upon Un-fancy - a minimalist fashion blog and I'm so intrigued by the idea. It's about a capsule wardrobe that you update each season, it started at 37 items but the theory has evolved to allow you to settle on your own number. Any items not included in this number are then stored away.

At the start of each season you swap out items for others you already own and if you want to you can add a few new ones, but then you don't shop during the season. At all. Not even a little bit.

I've been trying different wardrobe challenges since I started this blog five years ago, and this one sounds right up my street. It's not too dissimilar to my 4-4-4 Challenge, which I really enjoyed.

I love clothes, and creating outfits but the volume of items I have often overwhelms me, even my newly thinned out wardrobe still feels cramped, I still get 'I have nothing to wear' days, so maybe this is a good way to pare it down even further, while building a workable, wearable capsule wardrobe.

Do you know how much you spend on clothes in a year?

At the beginning of August I had another rummage in the depths of my wardrobe to find some more long forgotten items. Even though I think I'm doing well in streamlining my clothes, I am constantly being reminded that I have far more than I realise.

How could I forget about the existence of this sequin T-shirt? I used to wear this All. The. Time.

I dragged it out of the bottom of a drawer and gave it a careful iron, I noticed a small hole near the bottom band of sequins. So to give it a good send off I decided to wear it as much as possible this month and then pop it in the rag bag (and by that I mean take it to be weighed for cash with a load of other old clothes, which are then either sent to countries in need or recycled).


Who says you can't wear sequins to sit in your garden and read? The slouchy style means this t-shirt is perfect for sunny days, and I'm determined to make the most of the final few warm days of summer (hopefully) coming our way.

I then plucked these sparkly stud sandals from my wardrobe and wondered why on earth I hadn't worn them more. Wearing them for an amble around town reminded me why, they're sometimes hella uncomfortable to walk in - but only sometimes!

Is it right to have shoes that you can only remain stationary in? I think probably not, no matter how pretty they are. I wore them again to a bbq (minimal movement once I found myself a comfy garden chair), and out for a meal (a short walk from car to table).


These ended up in a recycling shoe bin, but not before I wore them to the beach (I know, odd choice of footwear given the destination) where I promptly ruined them with sand and salt water.


Not wanting to be without a pair of sparkly shoes (if you ignore the two bejeweled pairs of ballet flats I already own) I treated myself to these beauts from Next and they have all the comfort. And, when worn at night they catch the light like a disco ball - that's not to love about that?!

My final August Favourite is my pink Custard Designs leather bag. Since styling it for a wardrobe revisit I haven't used anything else.


My wardrobe has obviously changed since I bought it and now I find it so much easier to co-ordinate. Which is all the proof I need to know I'm justified in hanging onto things that sometimes don't quite fit my wardrobe.

I'm kinda sad that two of my three favourites ended up being recycled, but it's better than having them take up space in my already over-stuffed wardrobe, which is one of the reasons why I started Favourite Three. I want to weed out the items that I no longer like and rediscover old favourites.

What gems do you have lurking in the back of your wardrobe? Do you ever seek out long forgotten items and fall in love with them all over again?

(Let's just gloss over the fact that I should've posted this at the beginning of February 'k? Cool.)

I often look back over blog posts and see what I was doing a year ago, two years ago... February always seems to be a month when I try to be frugal. Frugal March doesn't have quite the same ring to it does it? Being frugal while trying to plan a wedding is laughable. Necessary spending is allowed but at what point do 72 tealight holders become a necessity? I'd hazard a guess at never...

Still, I like to revisit experiments on this here blog and I see no reason why February this year shouldn't be frugal too (wedding aside).

In Feb 2012 I styled up my most recent purchases in three different ways and I really enjoyed it - see part 1 / 2 / 3 / 4.  So as well as cutting out any unnecessary spending this month, I'll also be revisiting this little wardrobe challenge.


Four of the 10 items I styled back then remain in my wardrobe - (above l - r) the Zara jeans, the Dorothy Perkins boots, the pink Custard Designs bag and the Very riding boots. I don't wear / use any of these on a regular basis anymore so I think it'll be fun to style them up again. First off I'll try to recreate these outfits and then I'll find new ways to wear them.

Do you ever look back over old blog posts?  Do they inspire or make you cringe? Make you wish you still owed an item of clothing or make you dump something in a charity bag? I'd love to know.

For the third year running I kept a tally of my spending on clothes, shoes and accessories. My goal for 2014 was to get my annual spend under £1,000, and I'm pleased to say that I did and by some margin too.


I bought 76 items in total, 46% of these where pre-loved items which is less than last year (58%) but I still have a higher percentage of these still in my wardrobe. Last year I found that a lot of the pre-loved items I bought had been discarded by the end of the year - showing that I wasn't being very selective in my choices. This year I bought 35 items second hand, last year that figure was 75, so I'm chalking that up as a win. Also, of the 41 new items purchased only three have been discarded (given to charity, given away to a friend, taken to a clothes swap).

I do still have a number of not yet worn items. Looking at why the reasons vary from having no occasion to wear them (which begs the question why did I buy them in the first place?), they need altering, I have nothing to wear them with, or I bought them for an occasion and then changed my mind.


One such outfit was for a wedding in September. I'd won a French Connection dress on ebay for £18.04. I then had to buy a lace vest top to wear underneath to protect my modesty (I find French Connection very low cut), a pair of wedges so I could wear them all day and be comfortable and a clutch bag as I had nothing else that worked with the rest of the outfit. All in all this came to £49.52, which would've been bit of a bargain for an entire outfit, if I'd worn it. But I didn't.


I tried it on a few days before the wedding and decided that I didn't like it. I loved the dress, just not on me, so in a panic I ordered four dresses from ASOS. Thankfully I found one that I loved for £42.00. It was perfect - it fitted well, was a nice length, just wedding-y enough and not only that I could accessorise with items I already had. But what a waste of nearly £50 on the first outfit! Maybe I'll get the opportunity to wear the dress another day when I'm feeling less body conscious.


My most expensive purchase at £64.00 was my very first pair of Irregular Choice shoes for a (different) wedding, I subsequently wore these when dressed as a fairy. I love these and think they're worth every last penny.


My most expensive pre-loved item was a French Connection maxi dress, £45.00, for a ball in May. When this first arrived I put it on and loved it and knew exactly what I'd be pairing it with. On the night of the ball I put it on and felt really uncomfortable. I made us late by faffing and fussing trying to make it 'work'. After a couple of glasses of wine and a G&T or two I didn't care about what I looked like and was dancing like no one was watching but boy! did I feel self conscious when I walked in. I don't know if I'll ever wear it again...


My favourite item is a top I picked up in the New Look sale for £9 and a pair of Tommy Hilfiger jeans (by far the most worn of the year) that I got from a clothes swap - I see these as free as no money exchanged hands :) Of course I have many favourites from this year but it's seems to be the ones that didn't work that stand out in my mind. I guess clothes that make you feel good are easy to wear and you can just forget about them and get on with things. Which is exactly how it should be.


For 2015 I want to reduce the overall spend again. I want to only buy things when I need them and be absolutely sure that I like it! I'm going to ban myself from buying anymore scarves or PJs and I want to end 2015 with nothing unworn in my wardrobe. If it's unworn by the end of the year, it goes.

I think I did pretty well overall. Most of the decline in spending, I think, has something to do with working from home and not feeling the need to 'dress up' everyday. I'm also chuffed that having seen how much I discarded of 2013's pre-loved items, I was more aware this year and more selective. Last year the total of items discarded was £240, this year it was £91.47 - you can't argue with those figures (although still room for improvement).

Do you keep track or have a monthly clothing budget?