Here's my annual breakdown of spending on clothes and accessories for 2020. I've been keeping track since 2012, and I've included the figures from previous years for easy comparison. You can see every item I purchased in my previous post.

Spending total?
2012  £1,751.00
2013  £1,188.00
2014  £745.65
2015  £1,207.87
2016  £742.39
2017  £663.03
2018  £546.18
2019  £400.10
2020  £205.85
I'm delighted that I managed to reduce my spending so much this year, I think being in lockdown might've helped as I didn't step foot in a charity shops for weeks on end!

These yearly totals illustrate the journey I have been on since I started blogging. My spending habits are certainly nearer to what I'd like them to be, when I first started blogging I used to buy mostly new and didn't give much thought to how long I kept something or how many times I wore it, and I rarely purchased second hand.

How many items did I buy?
2012  138
2013  131
2014  76
2015  74
2016  63
2017  83
2018  71
2019  66
2020  20
Just 20 items in 2020, that's rather neat. I had planned on buying one item per month but I'm still happy with this total. Can I get it lower in 2021?

What percentage of items purchased were pre-loved?
2012  42%
2013  58%
2014  46%
2015  41%
2016  37%
2017  52%
2018  69%
2019  87%
2020  80%
Not my highest percentage but still good, however I would like to improve on this in 2021.

What percentage of items purchased are still owned?
(at the end of the year they were purchased)
2012  90%
2013  65%
2014  ??
2015  75%
2016  85%
2017  85%
2018  97%
2019  86%
2020  95%
Only one item has been donated back to charity, a pair of men's jeans that proved to be a little bit too snug about the hips.

Total of discarded items
2012  unknown
2013  £240
2014  £91.47
2015  unknown
2016  unknown
2017  £88.14
2018  £21.17
2019  £29.72
2020  £4.50
And if they'd been a better fit they would've stayed in my wardrobe.

What percentage of items purchased remain unworn?
2012  33.3%
2013  13%
2014  ??
2015  5%
2016  12%
2017  19%
2018  22%
2019  3%
2020  30%
A swimsuit and a preloved dress remain unworn. I had an inkling that the dress wouldn't get worn but it was so pretty and such a bargain (£9.00) I couldn't resist it. I bought the swimsuit hoping that I'd get to the beach at some point in the summer but I stayed away when we were allowed to return to avoid the crowds. Also not worn were 3 tops and a pair of shorts that were purchased at the end of the summer when the weather gave up and my opportunity to wear them vanished, but they'll be worn as soon as they can be.

What was the most expensive item?
2012  £105.00 (half price) Kurt Geiger shoes
2013  £35.00 each for a pair of Toms and Next ballet pumps
2014  £64.00 for my very first pair of Irregular Choice shoes
2015  £85.00 on an occasion dress
2016  £95.00 for a winter coat
2017  £25.60 for my green skirt
2018  £66.15 jeans (full price £105)
2019  £32.00 ASOS jumpsuit
2020  £70.00 new leather rucksack

What was most expensive pre-loved item?
2012  unknown
2013  unknown
2014  £45.00 French Connection maxi dress  
2015  £34.99 Irregular choice frog shoes
2016  £18.00 ASOS floral wiggle dress
2017  £24.99 burgundy leather knee high boots (sold in 2018 on ebay for £22.00)
2018  £12.00 black knee high boots
2019  £13.00 sequin bag
2020  £9.50  Seasalt dress
It's expensive for a second hand dress in my opinion but as they retail at around £80, and it's good quality and well made, so I was happy to part with the cash. It's still the cheapest of the most expensive items bought over the years, so I'm calling it a win.

What was the cheapest of both categories?
2012  unknown
2013  unknown
2014  New grey vest top £2.00. Pre-loved scarf £1.25
2015  New blue pants for my wedding day £4.00. Pre-loved cork purse 75p
2016  New I purchased several items for £4.00. Pre-loved bracelet £1.25
2017  New flip flops for 90p. Pre-loved maxi skirt from ebay 99p
2018  New flip flops for 90p. Pre-loved £1.00 each for a pink scarf, and red summer top
2019  New ASOS boots £9.50 (sale). Pre-loved heart print vest top £1.00 (sale)
2020  New £19.49 New Look floral midi dress. Pre-loved button down camisole top £1.50.

2020 Buyer's Archive Resolutions - how did I do?
My goal for 2020 was simple. To buy, spend, and discard less than 2019, and I succeeded on all counts!

In 2021 I want to buy only what I need. Wish me luck!

Links to previous years - 2012   |  2013  |  2014  |  2015  |  2016  |  2017  |  2018  |  2019

Here are all the clothing and accessory purchases I made in 2020, a total of just 20 items. I had planned to buy one item per month and whilst I obviously didn't stick to it, it was successful in curbing my spending more than anything else I've tried.

When I saw an item I liked I would ask myself if I liked it enough for it to be my 'one item', most of the time to answer was 'no', and it went back on the rail.

I don't doubt that being in lockdown had an impact on my spending, even when we were out of lockdown I didn't want to venture out too much, I can probably count the number of times I stepped foot in a charity shop since April on one hand. Which is no bad thing (except for the shops obviously).

My only truly nonsense purchase was a pre-loved Monsoon dress. It's not the sort of thing anyone needs during lockdown but it's just so lovely. I'm sure that at some point the perfect occasion to wear it will present itself, even if I have to wait a while.

The most expensive purchase was the leather rucksack and given that this was purchased a week before we were put in to lockdown for the first time, and the need for a bag vanished overnight, it's actually been used a decent amount. It's the only bag I've used when I've been out since I purchased it. With luck (and mass vaccinations) I'll be able to use it so much more in 2021.

I hope you're well, stay safe, stay inside, and keep smiling!
xx

With Wearing It All Summer complete, I moved onto Wearing It All Autumn. I didn't know how long I'd keep it up for as the deeper into Autumn we got the more the weather thwarted my efforts to take daily outfits shots outside, my efforts to take photos inside has always been fruitless, but I continued for as long as I could.

I don't rejoice in the arrival of autumn, I prefer the warmer months when I can go out without a coat, the first time I wear a pair of socks after the summer always elicits a sigh of resignation, no more sunshine for a while...

I like jumpers, scarves, lighting the wood burner but letting go of summer is always a bit of a trial. This year it seemed that summer vanished overnight, replaced by howling winds and lashing rain. There was no gentle transition.

By the time I'd started week four of my autumnal Wearing It All, and I'd given up on trying to wear just one layer or going sockless. I wore scarves, and three layers on some days.

I started this challenge with a haircut. I did it myself, after watching a number of YouTube tutorials I decided to give it a go. It looked OK (it now needs another trim). I've yet to find a hairdresser that cuts my hair exactly how I ask them too, so in terms of getting what I wanted it's a success. Sure, it wasn't technically brilliant, but it was good enough, and I saved myself £35 and half an hour in a chair wearing a face mask, making small talk.

So, five paragraphs into the post, here's week one of Wearing It All Autumn. The first two days saw the last of the sunshine. I actually took off the long navy cardy and pottered in the garden relishing the feeling of the sun on my skin. But the next day it started to rain, then the wind got up (see day 5) and it didn't get much better.

Day 3 and 4 I wore one of my new tops. With the Summer Wearing It All challenge I know I have to wear something different everyday otherwise I wouldn't stand a chance of wearing all of my warm weather clothes. The summer challenge caused a lot of washing, and it took me a while to work my way through the resulting ironing pile! But as I have fewer cold weather clothes I can wear them more than once. I normally rarely wear something just once and then wash it, unless I dribble my dinner down the front (which happens more often than it probably should). I'm happy to wear something 3 or 4 times before dropping it into the laundry basket, especially if it's been worn with something underneath. How many times do you wear your clothes before washing them? My Aunt will wear something a maximum of twice, but my Uncle will wear something all week - if my Aunt lets him get away with it :)

The rain continued into week 2.

Out came the thicker layers, I did try to go bare ankled on a few days but usually by midday I'd pulled on a pair of socks and some slippers. It was socks weather from this point forward.

I went out twice during week 2, you can tell by the fact I'm carrying a bag. One was a trip to the supermarket, the other a trip to the post office, charity shop, and garden centre. I filled the boot with plants, some for the garden, others for the hanging baskets. I was so focused on the plants that once I'd wandered about outside I was half way round the inside before I realised I'd forgotten to put on my face mask. I was mortified and hoped no one had noticed. There were only a few other customers, and I hadn't been in spitting distance of anyone (not that I spit, it's disgusting), but I still felt awful, I'd been so engrossed in my own thoughts that simply hadn't registered the fact that I'd passed from outside to in.

Week 3 and I grabbed all of my jumpers and cardigans out of storage, and every last item of summer clothing was stored away. The long mustard cardigan is my most recent clothing purchase. I'd popped to my local charity shop after my friend told me that they're getting loads of items donated but not much custom. I'd hate to see it close so I made a few purchases - every little helps right?

This is where I stopped photographing the Wearing It All challenge, the weather was miserable and didn't allow for daily photos so whilst I still tried to wear as much of my wardrobe as possible, I just didn't document it, and I'm sure there's only so many photos of me standing in front of a wall that you can stomach.

We're well into winter now with icy cold winds and gales, overnight frosts that last all day and the threat of snow. It's rather nice not to have anywhere to go at the moment.

I hope you're all well, take care, and keep warm!
xx

I purchased just one item in October and then nothing in the final two months of 2020. I bought a mustard yellow cardigan, £7.50 with the original tags on, from a charity shop. It took me a tiny bit over my budget but I've reduced my spending so much this year I'm still really pleased with the final total.

LAST YEAR

I purchased a lot in October, November and December in 2019.

In December my first purchase was a new black jumper from Next, £15.00, which has been worn 30 times and is still going strong. A preloved blue long sleeve tee (not pictured), £2.00, was purchased to wear as a PJ top and shows little sign of wear so far.

On the same shopping trip I bought a preloved green jumper, £3.75, which hasn't been worn as much as I thought, but it remains in my wardrobe to be worn again.

There was just one purchase in November, an orange jumper, £2.50, bought during a charity shop rummage with Sophie and Kezzie. It's been worn 15 times so far and each time the bright cheery colour has made me smile.

October bought a bumper crop of preloved items my way.

A black M&S v neck top (not pictured) £3.50. Lace top £3.00. The closest thing I will ever get to a Christmas jumper, £5.99. Also purchased for the Christmas festivities was a stripe sequin top, £6.99, but this was worn in the summer too. Grey jumper £4.75, this one is a particular favourite of mine. It's been worn 42 times so far.

The Tu Premium check coat, £12.50, hasn't been worn much (I haven't been out much this autumn / winter) and I still need to replace it's ugly button, but I think it'll be around for a while.

A black twist front t-shirt (not pictured), £1.50, turned into a forgotten purchase. I think it's somewhere in the suitcase under my bed...  and a check shirt (which can be seen below), £1.90, that was a pig to iron was relegated to the donation pile, after being worn 15 times. I later saw it in my local charity shop with a £3.99 price tag!

I wasn't sure about these coated jeans, £4.99 from ebay, but I've grown to like them.

And finally two bras (not pictured) totaling £11.00.

 

Final total for 2020: £205.85

Total at this time last year: £400.10

Left of £200.00 budget: -£5.85

Items purchased: 20 (pre-loved: 16) (new: 4)

My aim had been to buy just one item per month this year but I didn't always succeed. The final tally was 20, but given that some years I've bought over 100 items it's still a big improvement.

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

I'm not sure if I'll continue with A Buyer's Archive next year, 5 years seems like a nice number at which to draw things to a close. One of the aims was to keep track and reduce my spending and I've managed that so maybe I'll just keep a note throughout the year and write a round up post in December.

I hope you celebrate the New Year in style this evening, Happy New Year!

xx

The warm weather already seems like a dim and distant memory doesn't it? Thankfully the last few weeks of my Wearing It All Summer challenge had enough warm days for me to wear a few more items from my Summer wardrobe.

Week 10 saw two days wearing DIY clothes, but the other days I focused on items I hadn't yet worn. I'd been waiting for the weather to warm up and the week started out warm enough to wear a sleeveless shirt, and then a knee length dress. I'm keeping the dress but the shirt (kept twisting) and the jeans (just a tad too tight) have already been donated to charity.

Week 11 started with my very long wide leg trousers. Now that I'm thicker around the middle than when I purchased them they sit higher up so aren't as trip-hazard long, but they could still do with being taken up. Which I will do, along with some mending that's needed around the waistband (a result of treading on the too-long hem).

It was lovely to wear my paisley dress again, I used to wear this a lot and it always reminds me of our honeymoon. I don't like the grey tee paired with my new-to-me stripe skirt so it's an outfit that won't be repeated. The final few outfits of the week allowed me to wear my old black jumper a few more times. I keep thinking 'this will be too tatty to wear soon' but it just keeps going.

Week 12 The dresses were both birthday presents, I liked the red one paired with jeans when I wore it but now that I look at the photo I don't like it nearly as much. The final days of the week were deliciously warm and allowed me to wear a few of my summer tops - something I didn't think I'd be able to do. It was nice to be able to enjoy a few days of sunshine. I was aware that each sunny day could be the last one of the year, and spent time outside to enjoy it before autumn made it's presence felt.

The challenge got me out of my habit of wearing the same items on repeat, and it helped me slim down my wardrobe a little, which hopefully is something I can continue to do over the coming weeks. Whilst I'm not someone who rejoices in digging my jumpers out of storage, it will be nice to continue with the challenge wearing my cooler weather clothes.

I finished my Wearing It All Summer 2020 challenge yesterday. I've shared weeks 1, and 2 and 3, and weeks 4 - 6, so here are weeks 7 - 9.

These are the final few weeks of August, turning into September. Week 7 was a week of dresses. The final three were ones I had in the pile of stuff waiting to be listed on ebay, but I tried them all on first before doing so. I'm keeping the white one, it's about 5 years old and this is only the second time I've worn it! But I love it so it's staying (this could be my favourite outfit of the summer). The navy dress with what looks like a dolka dot pattern (it's actually raindrops) has a peter pan collar and a narrow band of pin tucks up the front, it's lovely. I picked it up at a clothes swap years ago but this is it's first wear. I think it's a little too short though so I won't be keeping it.

The burgundy polka dot dress hasn't been worn before either, I purchased it in 2016 and have no excuse for not wearing it, it's been saved from ebay... for now...

The only dress I'm not keen on out of these is the floral midi dress, which is a shame as I purchased this online at the beginning of lockdown, and I loved it when it arrived. I'm going to try it with different shoes, possibly add some accessories but if that doesn't work it'll go on ebay.

During Week 8 I actually went out! (you can tell by the wearing of a face mask). The first instance was just to the supermarket to pick up a few provisions. Day 5 was a photo an hour and a trip to the seaside for art galleries, and tea and cake.

Many tops worn over this week are rarely worn, the pink v neck top and black dress are items usually worn at Latitude (easy to wear and do not crease), but the blue dress is a new-to-me purchase, picked up from a charity shop on my way home from Aldeburgh the day before.

At this point I was starting to run low on clothes that hadn't been worn for the challenge that I could wear, I needed more sunny days so I could finish wearing all my summer tops and shorts but that wasn't to be...

Week 9, the weather was less than ideal and definitely not shorts weather. I took the opportunity to wear my recently purchased preloved stripe midi skirt again, which has knocked my green skirt off it's top spot, and it was lovely to wear my navy jumpsuit again.

I'm thinking the green dress is destined for ebay, it's pretty but rarely gets picked over my other dresses and I don't have the room to keep them all. The point of this challenge was to purge my wardrobe and it's worked to a certain extent, but I still have items I'm dithering about. Even though I want to wear all my clothing items as much as possible (ideally 30 times or more), if  something doesn't work I'm not going to wear it, so there is no point in keeping it.

I'll post the final update in a few days. In the meantime I've turned my attention to what to do next...

The last time I mentioned my Wearing It All Summer 2020 challenge was back in July. I've shared weeks 1, and 2 and 3, so a catch up is in order. If you have no interest in my daily outfits, look away now.

Week 4 was the last full week of July. The challenge has given me the opportunity to weed out the items in my wardrobe that I don't like, and those that aren't working. Each item is being assessed and I've already donated a number to charity and listed other items on ebay without wearing them for the challenge. Some items I picked up and simply thought a very definite 'no', and that was that. Other items I'm dithering about. 

I realised that my decision to buy only one clothing item per month this year, was partly due to not having room for any more clothes. I want to wear everything as much as I can but if I don't love something, or have a use for it, then it needs to go. A purge is long overdue.

From week 4 the green cords are going. I bought them from ebay, they're preloved and have been worn over 30 times. I dyed them last year from khaki to dark green, which I like but I just don't wear them anymore.

The other items are a mix of hardly worn, and worn a lot. The wide leg jeans, yellow maxi, and navy jumper have all been worn over 30 times. The jeans worn on day 5 and 6 are over 11 years old, and patched so many times I always wonder if they'll survive their next wash!

Week 5 took us from July into August. I decided to wear my face mask in any outfit shot taken on a day when I'd need to wear it, to keep a record of when I venture out, which as you will see isn't very often. This instance was a trip into town, my first since March. 

During this week the temperature started to rise and it finally started to feel a little more like summer again. Dresses and skirts came out of the wardrobe, and I dared to bare my arms. The khaki maxi dress has been mended, I'll tell you the story in a future post, and the skirt worn on day 6 and 7 was one of the three items I purchased in town earlier in the week.

Week 6 starts and ends with tops I bought on my trip into town in week 5. I'm not completely sure about the navy / orange vest top but I think I'll persevere. If I decide against it I have a few people in mind who might like it. 

The weather really started to heat up over the course of the week, hence the wearing of shorts on 4 consecutive days. I could've worn shorts on day 3 too, but I left early for a trip to the beach when it was still overcast, and I didn't trust it to warm up much. I wore the mask for a minute when I went inside to buy ice cream. The day before I'd been into Tesco, popped to the Post Office, and thoroughly enjoyed wandering around a garden centre for the first time in months!

The burgundy heart print shirt has been mended recently too. I sat down one Saturday and mended a number of items, which was such a satisfying way to spend an afternoon.

I'll leave this here and catch up on weeks 7 - 9 in another post. I still have items unworn (and some new-to-me items to wear!).

How are things with you?

Two items to add to the #30Wears Badge of Honour list. They're both good wardrobe staples that have plenty of wear left in them, despite being worn a lot.



This F&F jacket has been worn 44 times since I purchased it in April last year (a month in which I purchased rather a lot). I was on a charity shop rummage with Sophie and someone brought it into the shop whilst we were in there. I spied it on the counter and liked the look of it. Before the staff could even hang it up, I asked if I could have a closer look, I checked the size and enquired about the price, within a minutes of it being donated I was paying for it and happily popping it into my shopping bag.

I wore it that day. It was a day of the strangest weather. We had sun, rain, wind, hail and, I think, even a tiny flurry of snow. The extra layer was most welcome.



These pre-loved (but almost brand new) boyfriend jeans were purchased in May last year and have racked up 52 wears.

Do you ever automatically team two items together? It seems that since I found a pair of heeled burgundy boots in September last year, I haven't worn these jeans with anything else! I have a green jumper that until very recently was only ever worn with a particular pair of wide leg jeans. It seems I'm a creature of habit.

Anyway these jeans need to be worn with a heel as they're rather long in the leg, I've tried to wear them with a roll up but it just looks daft, they're too wide. These jeans and my burgundy boots go well together, why mess with a good combination?

---

The 30 Wears concept was the brainchild of Olivia Firth, founder of Ecoage, the idea is that the next time you want to buy new clothing or accessories, ask yourself if you will wear the item at least 30 times? If not, don’t buy it!

To see other items that have earned the #30Wears Badge of Honour click here. 

As my plan was to buy less this year, I decided to write my Buyer's Archive posts every three months, now I realise that it makes them a bit lengthy, so I might go back to monthly posts. Please let me know what you think (if you ever make it to the end of this!).



My challenge to buy just one item per month this year got off to an interesting start.

Because I purchased two items in January. Two items sold as a pair, I can get away with that, right?

I don't usually set out to buy something specific, but I wanted to wear my navy jumpsuit more often. I was limited by a lack of warm(ish) items that I could comfortably wear beneath it in the cooler months.

To avoid the uncomfortable and unflattering bunching up around the waist that sometimes happens with longer fitted tops, I decided I needed a crop top (not something I ever thought I'd say in my 40s), with long sleeves, in either white or blue and white stripes.

I typed 'long sleeve crop top' into the ebay search function, filtering it to UK sellers, and used items, and these tops appeared with a Buy It Now price of £4.00. Job done. I just need the sun to come out again so that I can wear them more.

I love this jumpsuit, but it lacks pockets. Pockets would've been lovely.



In February my one item was a not very interesting, but slouchy, comfy, and warm grey funnel neck sweatshirt for £4.49. It's a good throw-on-over-anything top that comes in handy at this time of year. It'll be worn with PJs just as much as daytime clothes I'm sure.



Early in March I found a pair of skinny jeans in a charity shop for £4.50. I'm always looking out for jeans so I decided that these would be my purchase for the month. You can never have too many pairs of jeans.



Having decided to buy only one item per month has obviously had an impact on my shopping. When I see something that last year I probably would've bought without too much hesitation, I've been asking myself 'do I like this enough for it to be my one purchase?'. Often the answer has been no, and the item goes back on the rail. It's a great way of identifying the items that I really like, as opposed to the ones that are just OK.



Then, after meeting friends, I took a shortcut to the car park through TK Maxx. I had no intention of browsing but a small leather rucksack caught my eye as I walked passed.

I've been looking for one for a few years, and I'd been hoping to find one second hand but had had no luck. I instantly loved this but I put it back on the shelf, only to return the next day to purchase it. I figured if I was willing to pay £70.00 for it, and willing to break my one item rule, I must really like it, and when I really like something it gets used a lot. It'll last for years and I'm not at all sorry for buying it. It's just a shame that during lockdown I have no need to carry a bag!

LAST YEAR

January 2019

I purchased just one item last January, a green cable jumper originally from Tu for just £2.00. It's been worn 18 times over the year. I love it worn over my blue shirt.



February 2019

I purchased three items last February. The yellow jumper (£3.50) has only been worn three times, but the gorgeous leather bag (£8.75) has been in near constant use. The ASOS boots cost me just £9.50 in the sale. I have to be honest and say they haven't been worn as much as I thought, but they're still in circulation, they haven't been forgotten.



March 2019

The cream jumper (£1.99) was only worn a few times before going back to the charity shop, as did a navy tote bag (£4.99, not pictured). The black jumper (£2.00), and camouflage t-shirt (£3.00) have both only been worn a few times.



Total so far for 2020: £82.99

Total at this time last year: just £35.73

As I'd planned to only buy one item a month I was hoping to spend no more than £200 on clothing, shoes and accessories this year. Obviously buying a £70 rucksack puts a bit of a dent in that budget!

But if I divide what remains by the number of remaining months, it leaves £13.00 per month, which is doable, even without being on lockdown, as I mostly buy second hand. With the non essential shops shut I won't be doing any charity shop rummaging anytime soon, I'm sure I can remain within budget.

Left of £200.00 budget: £117.01

Items purchased: 5 (pre-loved: 4) (new: 1)


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

Did you make it to the end? Is this too long?

Here's my annual breakdown of spending on clothes and accessories for 2019.

I've been keeping track since 2012, and I've included the figures from previous years for easy comparison.

Spending total?
2012  £1,751.00
2013  £1,188.00
2014  £745.65
2015  £1,207.87
2016  £742.39
2017  £663.03
2018  £546.18
2019  £400.10
Just look at the difference between this and 2012.

How many items did I buy?
2012  138
2013  131
2014  76
2015  74
2016  63
2017  83
2018  71
2019  66
Whilst I am pleased with this number being one of the lowest, it still means that I purchased more than one item per week, and when looking at it that way, it seems rather a lot!

What percentage of items purchased were pre-loved?
2012  42%
2013  58%
2014  46%
2015  41%
2016  37%
2017  52%
2018  69%
2019  87%

What percentage of items purchased are still owned?
(at the end of the year they were purchased)
2012  90%
2013  65%
2014  ??
2015  75%
2016  85%
2017  85%
2018  97%
2019  86%
At first I was a little disappointed with this figure but the items that were sold or donated weren't items that I would've gone on to wear. I'm trying not to hang on to things simply because I've bought them, better to donate or sell on to someone that might actually wear them.

Total of discarded items
2012  unknown
2013  £240
2014  £91.47
2015  unknown
2016  unknown
2017  £88.14
2018  £21.17
2019  £29.72

What percentage of items purchased remain unworn?
2012  33.3%
2013  13%
2014  ??
2015  5%
2016  12%
2017  19%
2018  22%
2019  3%
Just a swimsuit and a t-shirt remain unworn. The t-shirt will come out in the spring, and as we have a holiday already booked the swimsuit will definitely be worn next year.

What was the most expensive item?
2012  £105.00 (half price) Kurt Geiger shoes
2013  £35.00 each for a pair of Toms and Next ballet pumps
2014  £64.00 for my very first pair of Irregular Choice shoes
2015  £85.00 on a dress worn for my Mum's wedding
2016  £95.00 for a winter coat
2017  £25.60 for my green skirt
2018  £66.15 jeans (full price £105)
2019  £32.00 ASOS jumpsuit
The jumpsuit has only been worn 4 times since I purchased it in April last year, which is much less than I'd envisioned, but I'm hoping that once I've whittled down my wardrobe further I'll be able to wear my favourite items more often.

What was most expensive pre-loved item?
2012  unknown
2013  unknown
2014  £45.00 French Connection maxi dress  
2015  £34.99 Irregular choice frog shoes
2016  £18.00 ASOS floral wiggle dress
2017  £24.99 burgundy leather knee high boots (sold in 2018 on ebay for £22.00)
2018  £12.00 black knee high boots
2019  £13.00 sequin bag
I bought the sequin bag when I got caught up in festival fever but I do use it. It hangs at the front of my wardrobe so I don't forget about it. What's the point in owning something this pretty and not using it? I'm sure it'll be going back to Latitude with me this year.

What was the cheapest of both categories?
2012  unknown
2013  unknown
2014  New grey vest top £2.00. Pre-loved scarf £1.25
2015  New blue pants for my wedding day £4.00. Pre-loved cork purse 75p
2016  New I purchased several items for £4.00. Pre-loved bracelet £1.25
2017  New flip flops for 90p. Pre-loved maxi skirt from ebay 99p
2018  New flip flops for 90p. Pre-loved £1.00 each for a pink scarf, and red summer top
2019  New ASOS boots £9.50 (sale). Pre-loved heart print vest top £1.00 (sale).
The boots are a staple, not worn often but good to have for when I need black on the end of my legs. The heart print vest top was purchased in September and only worn a few times but I know it'll be a favourite when the weather warms up again.


2019 Buyer's Archive Resolutions - how did I do?

Reduce the number of clothes I buy overall.  The lowest number is 63, and this year I purchased 66, so it's not my lowest number of purchases, but fewer than last year.

I have a shopping challenge for 2020, I'm going to try and buy just one item per month because I don't need any more clothes, but I do love shopping. I have so many lovely items that deserve to be worn more often, so that's what I'm going to do.

Buy more pre-loved clothes than new. I'd hoped to be somewhere above 80% for 2019, and I'm pleased to say that 87% was the final figure. I am pleased that I shop secondhand more these days, but now I need to reduce the number of items I have overall, my wardrobe is stuffed. I probably have more clothes than I can wear in a year (which sounds like another challenge!).

Stick within a £500 budget. Yes! I spent £400.10. As you can imagine I'm really pleased with this. As I plan to buy less this year I'm wondering if I can come in under £200 for 2020?

Alter / mend all items that need it. I mended some but not as many as I ignored.

Sell or donate all the things that don't fit or I no longer wear. I sold numerous items on ebay in the summer, so many that I almost became a permanent fixture in my local post office. I donated some items too, but there is still a pile of things to list on ebay. I have a feeling it'll be a pile that I never get to the bottom of, I add to it more often than I remove something from it.


2020 Buyer's Archive Resolutions

My goal this year is simple. To buy, spend, and discard less.


Links to previous years - 2012   |  2013  |  2014  |  2015  |  2016  |  2017  |  2018

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!

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.

I've been very restrained this month. I had a charity shop rummage at the beginning of the month with Sophie and Kezzie and usually I buy rather a lot!



This time around I purchased this orange jumper for £2.50. That's it. (I say that's it. That's it on the clothes front, I did buy books, I can't go charity shopping and buy nothing at all, that's simply unheard of!)

It's originally from Tu, is soft, slouchy, and very comfy. I wore it almost immediately, and not just because it was getting chilly, but because I also was excited to wear it.

I left behind a navy polka dot shirt, a fine knit grey jumper, a skirt, and two Monsoon dresses. I hardly recognise myself.


LAST YEAR




I purchased most of these items whilst out with Sophie and Kezzie too!  Everything is second hand.

The boots were £12.00 and were exactly what I had been looking for. They were worn a lot last winter.

Striped short sleeve knitted top, £4.00, originally from Next. This sat weirdly around my hips so found itself on ebay. I wish I'd kept a record of how much it sold for...

Fatface sweatshirt, £5.00. This was always going to be a 'chuck on over anything as the evenings got cooler' kind of top. And it was, until I managed to get paint on it. Now it's a DIY top.

Tu dungarees, £10.00. These still had the tags on and ended up on ebay after I realised I had no desire to wear them.

Joules trousers, £3.00. I bought these for meetings, or occasions when I needed to be a bit smarter than usual. I haven't worn them yet, so they might go in to the ebay pile.

Oasis stripe top, £3.00. I really like this dual pattern top, it's only been worn 10 times but it'll stay in my wardrobe for a while yet.

Raglan sleeve stripe top, £2.49. This sat uncomfortably around my shoulders and ended up in the charity bag after one wear.

New Look shoes, £5.99. Only worn once so far, but lovely, comfy and a good staple to have.

Zara shirt with red detailing, £7.00. I haven't worn this, it's a bit boxy, and has been waiting to be listed on ebay for a ridiculous amount of time.

M&Co jumper, £1.87. This is a great little jumper, it has decent length sleeves (hurrah!), and has been worn a dozen times so far...

Full skirt, £3.50. Worn a few times this summer, I'm going to be layering it up so I can wear it now.


Total for November: £2.50

Total so far for 2019: £364.35

Total at this time last year: £559.18

Left of £500.00 budget: £135.65

Items purchased: 63 (pre-loved: 56 / new: 7)
I made a slight miscalculation last month and thought I'd purchased 1 item fewer than I actually had. My purchase this month means I am level with my lowest number of items purchased in a year since records began. So I need to stay away from the charity shops in December! Of course it won't really matter if I don't, but it's nice to have that magic number motivating me, and it's not as if I need anymore clothes.

Also, look at my yearly total, I'm well within budget!!


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

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.