Welcome

As promised…. time to write a blog on nothing new for 2020! From September, I decided to challenge myself not to buy anything until January 2020 – which I just about managed! Full disclosure here!  Bob and I did have a wing-ding wedding to go to in November, which I bought a new dress for…. but apart from that I didn’t buy a thing, and it wasn’t so hard!  To that end, I thought I would try to go for the whole of 2020 without buying anything new and think more about sustainable shopping……

Some context here, I was a fully paid up member of the fast fashion club, ASOS premier member – delivery next day, Zara app scrolling, popping to Bluewater, dipping into Primark, and my ultimate guilty pleasure – 20 minutes child free in TK Maxx – I like new clothes and I like spending money.  But was it necessary?  It certainly had no positive impact on my bank balance, and the impact on my wardrobe I would say was minor.

Since having children, the spare cash is sparer than ever, priorities have changed, and those damn swimming lessons must be paid for!  With this in mind – I am going headlong into the challenge of #nothingnew2020.  In addition to this, whilst I am no Greta Thunberg, I would like to make a more conscious effort with less waste/eco friendly choices about doing what I can for the environment. 

So, I am going to focus myself on really trying not to buy much at all and what I do buy must be sustainable fashion.  I have two sets of clothes, Autumn/Winter and Spring/Summer so that’s a positive start for me I think – there will be a change up in about March/April to prevent me from getting bored.  I have had an eBay account for years, buying and selling bits and bobs, especially in recent years, the children’s outrageous selection of clothes.  

I love the buzz of eBay, researching, watching, waiting and bidding and hope that eBay will be my saviour this year.  Women like me list clothes/shoes/accessories for women like me and for the most part the transaction is always a pleasure, and the same buzz as handing over your card in a shop or getting a delivery through the post.

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/shopping/ebay-protection/

I am yet to be drawn in by charity shops…this is a difficult one for me to reconcile both in my heart and my head.  Am I being a snob? Short sighted? Lazy? I’m not sure. I have donated bags and bags of things over the last decade, clothes, shoes, children toys, but is this is a convenient and quick way of getting rid of my old stuff and feeling superficially good about myself for 10 mins?  I’ll get back you on that one….

So, who else is joining me this year? A quick scour of Instagram and twitter will bring up some amazing accounts, that I have started to follow with inspo for buying more sustainably, some people do “wear counts” and those who know will know I do love a cost per wear conversation!

This week’s Guardian had a great article which has inspired me – linked below

https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2020/jan/05/could-i-go-a-year-without-buying-any-new-clothes

Anyone else in it with me?  See you on the other side, probably darning my socks and the knitting a nightie!