Shopping! Sigh. It can be fun but also so exhausting. I tried to steer clear of social media for most part of this four-day weekend to dodge the unlimited Sale updates and social media posts. My today's post is in continuation to my last post - Buy Nothing Day - as I got some feedback which gave me the idea to put this post together. So my fundamental principle around all kinds of shopping (clothes, home decor, electronics, beauty) is to differentiate between need and want. Do I 'need' it to make my life better and efficient OR do I 'want' it for one of the following reasons:
- it is being shoved in my face on all media outlets
- retail therapy feels easier than to deal with my emotions
- want to buy it for the sake of buying something new
This is not an easy exercise to do, especially as someone who is active on social media but it does help to keep me in check. How we choose to spend out money is our greatest power. We can steamroll any change, any policy, any law in to action by collectively changing our spending behavior. Contrary to what marketing would have us all believe my (and your!) money is not there to 'support' businesses (big or small) neither is it there to fix any emotional problems. It is earned by hard work, and is there to allow me to live my life in relative comfort and provide for basic necessities. However, I do love good things in life (bags, jewelry, shoes), but having this tough conversation with myself regularly, about my spending habits keeps me in check about how much of pampering and 'treating myself' is justified. I realize that this is subjective to each human and there is not set formula. I am committed to intentional purchases and not let things I acquire define my worth. With that being said, one thing that has made my sartorial life stylish yet sustainable is the time I took to curate it.How To Curate Your ClosetOver the past decade I have written about my self-imposed shopping ban several times.
Shopping Ban - Why? What? How?
Yes, I am a a sartorial blogger. And you can rarely shop my exact outfit.
Why You Can't Buy What I Wear?
I have not shopped at a Fast Fashion outlet for as long as I can remember. If you find me wearing a high street brand, rest assured that those pieces are ages old when I didn't know better or are hand-me-downs or bought from a second-hand store.
Where I Don't Shop And Why?
If you still have more questions about fashion, styling and/or maintaining the quality of clothes here is a post I did back in summer 2020
All Fashion Related Questions Answered & More
Sweater c/o | Jeans | Shoes