I posted a blog titled “How I Stopped Shopping” in July last year. It seemed to strike a chord with many of you, both at the time and at the start of the Covid-19 lockdown when online shopping became one of the few interesting ways to take a break when life consisted of “commuting” between the sofa, bed, fridge and desk. Sometimes in that order.

Nearly a year and a half after writing my post, I wanted to dive deeper into this topic and to update you on where I’m at now. It’s been over two years since I bought those two work dresses which constituted my “last purchases” and, yes, I have shopped since then but I haven’t returned to my impulse-buying ways.

The Goal

My aim as never been to buy absolutely nothing and to own only a slender rail of carefully curated clothes. I intend to be a mindful consumer, only buying things to either replace items that are old and worn out, things that I truly love, and items that I’ll actually wear. I also intend to get the most wear that I can from my purchases, I see this as being a way of really “respecting” items that you part with money for and allow in to your wardrobe, So, yes, if I still like it and if it’s still in good condition I will totally wear a dress that I purchased in 2008 to go out for dinner.

The Damage

Since I penned my original post I have bought new items: a few sets of yoga leggings and cropped tops, three summer dresses, and a pair of Puma pool slides (these were bought with birthday money from my mother). Pretty minimal damage compared to my old ways, and all items that have been worn and slipped into my weekly wardrobe rotation.

Have I still bought fast-fashion items? Well, yes. Two of the summer dresses were from Namshi (online lockdown purchases…I am not totally immune) and one from M&S girls’ range (there are some perks to being 5’2). I am not yet an ethical shopper. Having a yoga teacher’s income means that for summer dresses my priority is sticking to a lower price point and shopping ethically on a budget is sadly not always possible.

I am still in the process of learning more about how our clothes are made and a long-term goal of mine is to be more ethical in all of my purchasing, while being realistic about my budget and how feasible this is while living in Dubai. And, I am totally not making excuses for myself here, but the most ethical and sustainable way to shop? Just buy less. Buying ten “ethically produced” items per season is still using up a vast amount of resources, labour, transport costs and packaging waste.

For my yoga sets, I have slightly changed my outlook in terms of what brands I buy from and support with my money. As a yoga teacher, of course I need decent active wear but I also project an image to my students via what I wear and what brands I support. This year, rather than buy from certain brands which charge £100+ for one pair of leggings and which sometimes have questionable morals, I’ve bought two sets from MyProtein which are so much cheaper and still great quality. A yoga teacher friend recommended them to me and I’m really happy with them.

Storage Solutions

I have had a couple of clear-outs in the last year. Motivated by lockdown boredom and a friend having a flea market stall to raise money for rescue cats. I’m strict in my clear-outs – things that I know I’ll truly never wear again, items that remind me of my terrible jobs and bad bosses, things that no longer suit my style, these all go. I don’t follow a rule of “if I haven’t worn it in six months, it goes”. I think that would be especially unwise this year when most of us have lived in yoga leggings or lounge wear…

Having good storage for clothes that aren’t part of my weekly rotation is key. Personally, I use my suitcases (another item which hasn’t had much use in the last year) to store London clothes, smart outfits that I may need one day and don’t hate, coats, and a few sentimental items which I don’t want to chuck away but which I will most likely never wear.

I organise my wardrobe well to make sure I can see everything that I wear regularly, this means I don’t get tempted when I see a cute dress in H&M because I saw one just like it in my closet that morning! I bought some collapsable storage boxes and place these on the shelves in my closet. One for underwear, one for tshirts, and one for yoga sets.

Mindset

I constantly still work on my mindset and my no-shopping affirmations. Of course I get tempted when I go to the mall or see a friend wearing something cute. Repeat after me: “material goods do not bring happiness”, “there will always be nice things” and “what do I really want in this moment than an urge for more material goods is masking?”

The last one is maybe uncomfortably deep but I’d encourage you to sit with it and not push past it by way of a quick, cheap purchase.

Future Purchases

I still use the journal technique for deciding on future purchases. Each month I write a list in my journal of what items I need. These could be things that need replacing, like the pair of leggings my cat ripped, things that I’ve spotted in stores and liked (I’m really into smocked dresses at the moment, so cute) and items that I’d like for the upcoming season.

On my list currently are new running trainers as I have been wearing my current pair since before I ran the London Marathon in 2015, a new bikini as my current one was purchased in 2013 and comfortable loungewear for when I don’t want to wear tight-fitting leggings to chill at home. Will I buy everything on this list? Probably not, or at least not in the next few weeks. The is there to be constantly updated and checked to make sure that, when something is purchased, it’s still aligned to your needs, wants and budget.

I also have my eye on a set from Girlfriend Collective (an ethically made activewear brand), my best internet pals bought me a voucher for my birthday but the brand doesn’t ship to the UAE sadly so I’ll need to wait for when I’m back in the UK. A late birthday present for me!

Have you found yourself shopping more this year? I’d love to know how lockdown has affected your spending habits, and if this year has changed your attitude to fast fashion. 

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