I was certain that I wouldn't buy any clothing this month, but when my trusty black jumper moved from being 'smart enough to dress up' and into the realms of 'has seen better days', I decided to buy another one.

This is the kind of thing I look out for when rummaging in the charity shops but I find simple black jumpers in really good condition hard to come by, so, on this occasion, I decided to bypass the second hand option and go straight for new.



I don't know exactly how long I've had the old one, but I know it was purchased before 2016, before I started my Buyer's Archives. It's lasted well and will continue to be worn, just not for anything requiring me to look smart.

My old one came from Next so that was my first port of call to find a replacement, and of course they had something to fit the bill.



Then I nipped into a local charity shop with a friend, she wanted to peruse the rails, I had no intention of buying anything, but I picked up a blue long sleeved t-shirt to wear as a pyjama top (£2.00), having just demoted a few to the rag bag.

Then my friend picked up a jumper, handed it to me and said 'you have to get this, it couldn't be more you'. I looked at the soft green jumper (£3.75) and knew I wouldn't be leaving it behind.

As I stood at the counter to pay I wondered how I would manage my Just One shopping challenge next year...


LAST YEAR



Everything I bought last year was secondhand.

The pink scarf was picked up for £1.00, but didn't stay in my wardrobe as it made my neck itch. However the large and incredibly soft spotty scarf (£3.00) remains and has been worn a lot.

My bargain find of the month was a brand new ASOS coat, with the original tags still on for a mere £6.50. I'd been looking for something like this for a while, and it's been worn many times.

The next item was an H&M knitted top for £3.50. I sold this on ebay in the summer as it turned out to be a little on the snug side, but I did make a few quid.

My final purchase of 2018 was a mink bolero, originally from Nougat, for £3.00. It's been worn once or twice. It's the sort of thing that sits in the wardrobe untouched but every so often turns out to be just the thing I need.


Total for December: £20.75

Total for 2019: £400.10

Total at this time last year: £559.18

Left of £500.00 budget: £99.90

Items purchased: 66 (pre-loved: 58 / new: 8)
Buying three items this month does take me over my lowest number of items purchased in a year, but as my shopping challenge for next year will drastically reduce the number of items I buy, I'm not worried too much about these 'extra items', I see them as my last hurrah before my spending challenge starts next month.


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