Following up from January's disaster (see here), I failed my 'No Buy Year' again in February (but you should know that already as I confessed it last month). Although I made improvement and that should be celebrated.
So, here's a list of things I bought in February and my unjust justifications for it...
> What I Bought:
1. Novo Shoes $79.95
See January for more on these, but they're actually comfy AF and I've worn them a lot :)
2. Scorpio Necklace $39.95
See January also for more on this. I've worn it a lot (including right now)!
*3. Target Doona $8
For no reason other than I needed a replacement. It cost $10 technically but I used $2 of my Flybuys dollars to get it just that little bit cheaper. My previous one was very old and discoloured so it was time for a new one. This is technically within my rules (see January) but still worth a mention.
4. ASOS Dress $49ish
Silly me for browsing ASOS for dresses but I miss my old favourite so I checked the website (as well as on eBay and Depop) to see if they had anytime similar. No dice. But I did find this other dress which I really liked. In black and green. Balloon sleeves. Smock style. 30% off. Perfect for a night at the theatre as well as in my everyday life. I bought it for an event, but it has versatility which I like.
5. Video Game $16.27
This is a hilarious purchase to me because I don't really play video games and I have few memories of buying them in my youth, yet here we are. See, I have a ps1 and never upgraded until my dad got gifted a used ps3 which he gave to me. It's been with me for years and I've never played it.
But recently I borrowed my sister's ps2 to play Ratchet and Clank 3 (my all-time favourite game!), so I've been feeling inspired to play especially now being summertime when I hibernate. So, I decided to splurge on the original Ratchet and Clank trilogy on ps3. It cost $79 but with a number of discounts and vouchers, I got it down to $16.27 (that's $5.40 per game!). But hey, at least it'll stop me shopping!
6. Jumper $58.75
This is technically a replacement item but I'm not going to count it as one because it was a purchase that shouldn't have been made. They presented me with 25% off and I jumped. Fool I am.
Total spent: $251.92ish (or $243.92 for items removed within the rules)
An improvement on last month but I can still do better. I did find myself less tempted than in January. It's also noteworthy that all the above items I purchased early in the month (except for #5).
Also, on the 20th, I finally tried on the jumper on my wishlist (which I spoke about in January) and didn't purchase it. And that's a good thing!
I went to the cinema twice ($30ish). The first was to see The Holdovers (it was a half price Tuesday, but it was basically to escape the heat between the RENT media call and opening night). I used my V Reward points to buy snacks. The second time was to see Kinky Boots the Musical, full priced ticket but my Mum paid for our snacks. So, in total, it was around $30ish for this month.
I also went to the theatre twice. Both tickets were gifted to me, but it cost me $30 in programmes.
Other expenses included getting my hair dyed (I actually can't remember the last time I had it done) for $120 and replacing my Australis powder ($10.17). It was 40% off and I'm running low. I won't lie; I was tempted to buy more than one, but then I'll just end up with 8 half used ones again...
> What I Learnt This Month:
Following on from last month, my temptations again are items selling out and sales. drmtlgy is a great example of this as they announced their Gold Box of seven mystery items (likely a sellout), and they also announced a BOGO sale for President's Day. I was greatly tempted by both and was adding items to my cart late into the night even though I don't currently need any replacement products. I made it through by telling myself that there will be another sale later in the year (hopefully around the time that I do need to replace my skincare items).
The thing with the Gold Box too is that it could contain products that I don't need. Not saying I wouldn't use them but as it's a mystery it's a gamble. The Gold Box cost around the same as my usual order (my routine is six products though), but at least I know it's what I need/use. Had I gotten the Gold Box, I probably would have just ended up buying the products I needed that it didn't come with anyway.
As for the BOGO, it'll still be cheaper in the long run for me to wait for a different sale. 30% off is my general rule of thumb for when I buy from drmtlgy. Speaking of... If you're in need of great skincare, you can save 30% off your first purchase via my link -- and have me live vicariously through you!
Another thing I've realised is that my perception of things running out is weird - because a bottle of say skincare I use could be around 95% full and I tell myself that I'm going to have to replace it soon, even though that is clearly not the case especially when I've only used that 5% in a mere couple of months. I suppose it's that fear of things running out as well as not being able to get that product again. I didn't purchase anything new, of course, but the mind boggles.
Something that did happen though was that I found a hair mask online that I wanted and was waiting for an eBay voucher to come through to purchase it. And when it finally came through, I realised that I didn't actually want nor need it. I could easily just use a conditioner. So, I didn't purchase it. One day I probably will but for the moment, no, I'm not going to buy it.
Another thing is that I started going through a rough patch towards the end of February and that made me want to buy things. I know now that that's one of my triggers and something I need to watch. I made it through mostly unscathed but another problem I have is that once I fail for the month, I kind of just think "well I failed, let's try again next month" which is a bad philosophy.
I also watched a really interesting video on YouTube on common reasons why people fail these challenges. It was very insightful, and I will carry on those lessons in the following months. My goal for March is to not buy anything - hopefully I come back here having reached that goal. I've had my fun fails so I'm going to follow the advice from that video and run with it. If I can find it, I will link it.
Like I realised last month, a lot of my spending comes from boredom so a goal for March too is to fill my life with so much that I'm not tempted nor have time to shop. Healing the soul.
> The Major Declutter of February 2024:
Have you noticed the YouTube trend of doing large hauls and then declutters? Please shoot me if I ever do a haul of some kind (no shade to anyone who does) but for my lifestyle it's irresponsible, unnecessary and unsustainable. I was, however, inspired to do a major clothing declutter.
See, I have a walk-in wardrobe. Modest in size. Every year I turn my coat hangers the wrong way and back the right way after I've worn it. I've been doing it for years and I love seeing what I've worn/unworn by the end of the year. (And I must say, I'm doing pretty well already in 2024).
The problem is, I have clothing in two other wardrobes. One is mostly for my coats and costumes (see here for more) and the other is made up of items that no longer fit me as well as sentimental, holiday, occasional and event type clothing.
So, why don't I just get rid of the clothing items that no longer fit me? Great question. The answer is that I know I will adopt a healthier lifestyle soon, when my situation changes, so I'm hesitant to get rid of anything I like that might one day again fit me. And when that healthy lifetime time does come, if the clothing still doesn't fit then I have no issue with getting rid of it. For now, I've decided to keep a small selection of clothing that doesn't fit me. Old favourites I'd wear again.
But back to the declutter. I left my main wardrobe untouched because I do wear everything in there.
I tried to be ruthless with my other two wardrobes. If I was in two minds about an item, I kept it. I'd rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it. I can then revisit it another time and make a better decision then. I got rid of a lot of costume pieces but made sure to keep a few of my favourites.
I really tried to focus on what my personal style is. I love everything and would keep everything, but I had to be completely honest with myself about what I will and won't wear. Liking a colour is not a good reason for keeping something if I don't like the style/cut. Just as liking a style/cut is not a good enough reason if I don't like the colour on me.
For example, I have this AMAZING burnt orange jumper. I love the colour and I think the colour really suits me, but I don't like jumpers that don't cover my butt and it clings rather than skims so it's unflattering. I love it. I want to keep it. But I know I won't wear it again for those exact reasons. So, I decided to let it go. Although it hurt, it leaves room for if I ever find the perfect burnt orange jumper.
I also don't have an issue with keeping items I've never worn/haven't worn in years if it's a special statement piece, because the odds of finding it again are slim. Then again, I often don't wear things for years and then suddenly I start and it's my most worn item, so I tend to keep things knowing that that's how I generally am. But I tried to be as ruthless as possible with the goal to one day go down to one singular wardrobe (although saying that everything could fit in my main wardrobe now, I just choose to have separate categories as to not overwhelm me and cause extra stress - as clutter causes stress.)
I ended up with one large bag to donate and two large bags of items to hopefully sell.
Obviously, I could get rid of more, but the timing isn't right yet. I'm not there yet. I have space to store some items and will revisit this again. I've found in decluttering that if you're overwhelmed then to do it in sections over time rather than all in one go. I make better judgements that way.
Being a former hoarder turned minimalist, too, I can attest to it being a journey.
Most of my spending was done in 2011 and I like to think I have done well to keep my spending to a minimal since, January aside. I'm also on a personal journey to rediscover my style since after the pandemic because I, like many people, became quite lost. Fashion should also be fun and that doesn't mean you have to be locked into a style either. It's a process as well as a constant inner battle but I'm slowly finding myself again.
On the plus side, I only found one thing new with tags, so I guess I'm doing quite well :)
I'll update you on how much money I made selling my items too.
Until next time! x
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