I thought I wouldn't buy anything in May, after feeling all sorts of buyer guilt last month, but after some careful consideration I did decide to make a few purchases.

THIS YEAR

Firstly, I decided that if I found a pair of sandals that I really, really liked I would buy them. Sandals don't feature highly in my shoe cupboard and I often wish I had a pair.

La Redoute offered up the most options and I ordered 4 pairs to try, with the added bonus of them all being reduced by 40%. To my surprise it was the cheapest pair (£28.00) that won my approval.

Then on a charity shop tour with a few friends I saw a pair of almost new Next jeans for £5.00. I rarely find jeans that I like in charity shops so after some thought I decided to buy them. I do have a number of pairs but I'd rather buy second hand when I see them than buy new, even if it means they sit in the wardrobe for a while before they're worn.

LAST YEAR


Last May we were experiencing consistently glorious weather which influenced my purchases.

Blue shirt  |  Next  |  £30.00
Worn 11 times so far, a good staple.

Sunglasses  |  Next  |  £12.00
A summer staple and still going strong.

Pre-loved shorts  |  Oasis  |  £5.00
I got these from an Instagram sale, I thought that the background was more grey than beige. The beige was not flattering and these are going on ebay soon.

Pre-loved vest top  |  George  |  £1.75
I picked this up as I have very few sleeveless tops, it was worn seven times last year and I'm certain it'll be worn again this year.

Pre-loved maxi skirt  |  Next  |  £5.00
Worn 10 times last year, it's not been in a capsule yet his year but it will be...

Pre-loved gingham top  |  River Island  |  £7.45
Despite thinking that this top was perfect I haven't worn it. Time for it to be added to the ebay pile.


Total for April: £33.00

Total so far for 2019: £155.25

Total at this time last year: £264.95

Left of £500.00 budget: £344.75

Items purchased: 26 (pre-loved: 24) (new: 2)


One of my new years resolutions was to spend less, and buy fewer new items. I think this month's purchases were pretty good. I know I'll get a lot of wear out of them both and hope that they'll last a good few years.

So far my total spend is pretty low but I have a few items I want to buy next month that will push up the total but with plenty still in the budget I'm confident that I can stay within my budget for the year.


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