For the third year running I'm taking part in A Buyer's Archive inspired by Elise, to keep track of my spending on clothes and accessories.

THIS YEAR


Floral maxi dress  |  £13.00
This dress is something I've been looking for for a while. Long, floaty, floral, buttons. It could only really be improved with the addition of pockets. It'll be a while before it's warm enough to wear it but I'm looking forward to that day.

Black flip flops  |  90p
Of everything I bought this month, these are the only purchase I really needed, to replace those of last year.

Navy flip flops  |  90p
Because sometimes navy works better than black (this is certainly true of my wardrobe anyway), and these have already been worn quite a lot.

Pre-loved  Chatham pink brogues  |  £9.75
Spied on the shelf in my local charity shop, I think I did a little happy dance when I discovered that they were my size.

Pre-loved H&M grey jumper  |  £4.75
Because you can't have too many grey jumpers. This one is a loose fit so I think it'll sit over the top of dresses nicely.

ASOS green dress  |  £15.00 (£20.00 in the sale, originally £40.00, but I had a £5.00 voucher)
The website didn't show the colour of this dress accurately, but luckily I liked it even more in the flesh. The sleeves were an odd length so I shortened them, and I've removed the polyester lining from the bodice (I don't know why it was there, the fabric isn't at all sheer). And now I think it's set to become one of my favourites.

Then I went on a charity shop jaunt with Sophie.

Pre-loved Phase Eight cardigan  |  £2.49
I like a cardy and this one felt really warm, it's heavy, but feels thin to the touch. It has nice long sleeves (nice to keep your hands warm on a cold day), and a nice shape. I'm going to pop it away for autumn.

Pre-loved Monsoon dress  |  £8.00
I have a feeling I saw this at the same time as another shopper, but I got my hands on it first! I love the pattern, the colour, the length, and it has pockets! A perfect summer dress if ever there was.


LAST YEAR


I had a spendy month in April last year.

The two stripe tops, three vests, grey socks, silver bag, sunglasses and case, red scarf, and hello gorgeous tote bag have all been used a lot.

The black flip flops were worn all summer until they fell apart in late autumn, which doesn't sound like a lot but they were worn almost everyday.

The white pumps, tan sandals, and necktie were only worn a handful of times.

The black ra-ra dress was only worn once, to Latitude. But it's not going anywhere, I love it too much to part with it.

The white dress and Laura Ashley skirt were never worn and were popped into the charity bag. The dress was from a tall range and didn't fit well, and the skirt was too snug around the waist.

The earrings have yet to be worn but will remain, and the coral top was purchased to replace an identical one that had holes I couldn't repair. It hadn't been worn until recently when I put it in my spring capsule, I wore it for the first time when the sun came out (remember when the sun come out, wasn't it lovely?).


At the end of March I'd leveled the new vs pre-loved count and it's still equal at 12 pieces each. Jotting down why I bought an item (i.e. I wanted it or I needed it) has really highlighted how much I buy because I simply wanted it. It's not a surprise, I've always known I buy too much, but I didn't realise until now, how much fell into the 'I want it' category. Will that change? I doubt the change will be obvious, but who knows? Maybe.

Total for April £54.79

Total so far for 2018: £147.02

Total at this time last year: £229.26

Left of £600.00 budget: £452.98

What have you been buying this month?

Look out for the #buyersarchive hashtag to see others taking part.