Cry Little Sister: Low/No Buy Year: February 2026

> What I Bought:

I've spoken about this before but with the US tariffs, it makes shopping from the US very difficult now and that affects me shopping at drmtgly - my favourite skincare brand. So, I switched last year to using instore Australian brands (although I only had to replace one product as I'm still getting through the others). I will soon run out of my Natio tinted moisturiser so I went to drmtgly to the check price of the Universal Tinted Moisturizer SPF 46 (what I previously used to use) and, with discounts, it came to $23.40 so I repurchased for everyday use.

I am currently still using the Hydra-Fader, Water Creme Moisturizer (for summer), Barrier Repair Mask (for winter and when I'm very dry), g(OAT) Cleanser and Needle-less Serum from drmtgly. I will most likely repurchase Hydra-Fader and Needle-less Serum but switch to a go-to moisturiser and cerave cleanser... maybe.

I bought a dress ($27) off Depop that I went looking for as a replacement piece. It goes against my rules to buy online but as it's a piece from the early 2000s, it's impossible to buy it instore so I did what I could.

I watched a girl on YouTube do a closet cleanout and she spoke about new year energy. Her mentality was that, even if she loved something, if it reminded her of her old self then she got rid of it because she wanted pieces that made her feel like her best new self. I love that! It inspired me to do a closet clean out of my own.

It made me think about my own style and I what I want that to be. It's tricky because not much fits me at the moment. I'm so picky about my clothes and I don't have the funds to buy a whole new wardrobe, but I know what I like and I know what I inspire to be, so I'm going to roll with that mentality moving forward. One recent weekend I looked of every website I could think of and there was nothing I liked - both a good and bad sign...

I recently went to my sister's place to pick up some things. I was wearing an oversized Käärijä jumper covered in cat fur along with my around-the-house, stained dress and a PJ t-shirt underneath. Fine for my sister's, but I decided to stop in at the supermarket afterwards and I felt awful about myself. I don't want to be the type of person who has bummy house clothes. No shade to those who do. But I didn't own any loungewear before covid so I could just leave the house right away if I had to go out. Now, I have to completely get changed which makes me not bothered to leave the house at all. My goal is to look more presentable always moving forward.

I also have a bunch of clothes that don't fit me, but I keep because I loved the person I was when I wore them and one day I will wear them again. (Now, I don't think you keep clothing that doesn't fit if it makes you feel sad that you possibly won't ever wear it again, but I know I will, so I want to keep them - at least for now).

I was able to pick up my Faramir Funko pop vinyl that I preordered last year, so it felt like I made a new purchase even though I didn't. I love him so though! Over ten years waiting and I'm not disappointed.

I also finally took the artwork I bought in 2023/2024 to get professionally framed. It's expensive but at least I know they'll do it properly, so it'll be worth it in the end, I hope. I only have to pay for it once I pick it up.

They quoted me $209 for another artwork, and I didn't think it's worth that, so I decided to get something "off the shelf" instead (which is tricky given its large size). The frame I was looking at was $85.95-$159 but I found the same one from a nearby business for $60.44 which I could pick up myself, so I went with that. It's 100x better than the $20 frame I got from Kmart previously for it that wasn't strong enough to hold the art.

Coincidentally, I sold something this month for $150 so that basically paid for everything. Including getting a pair of boots fixed for $20, as the sole had come off and the paint was peeling. I'm glad it was cheap!

Total: $110.84

I went to the theatre for Anastasia ($110 ticket/$30 programme), My Brilliant Career ($29 ticket/$25 programme) and Ride the Cyclone ($35 ticket/$6.71 print). I went to the cinema for Send Help ($25).

> Temptations:

I thought about getting another Noel Fielding/The Mighty Boosh photography print by Dave Brown via Behind The Gallery, but I don't even have both the ones I own hanging up. To be fair, I need to get a custom frame for the larger one and haven't had the funds to do so just yet. But I don't need a third work I try to convince myself.

Also, just more art in general. Funny though I knew I was tempted by some art, but it took me a little while to remember what those pieces were, which just goes to show you how much I didn't need them at all.

The musical My Brilliant Career dropped merchandise, and I love/d one of the t-shirts. I would have bought one when I first saw it in 2024 had they had merch. But I don't need another t-shirt. I may regret this decision.

I feel like I'm getting better at saying no to buying things or at least pausing and thinking about it more. I'm really proud of myself but I am aware that that 6-month itch will arrive soon enough...

I really liked a maxi dress that I saw in Dotti. It was linen with a tiger print. It just didn't feel like me when I tried it on. It also didn't look great, but I still liked it. It wasn't worth cost-per-wear for $100 for me though.

And yesterday's shared Let Spiders Live Hoodie, for reasons.

I was very tempted by the 30% off at drmtgly with free gift, after I bought my moisturizer, but I had to remind myself that I wasn't out of any other products, so I don't need to replace just yet. But I will next 30% off sale.

> What I Learned:

I've been to the theatre about once every week on average this year and I'd gotten so used to going on my own (or meeting others at the theatre) and eating at home beforehand that I'd been able to budget pretty successfully for my train ticket, show ticket and programme (or at least ballpark it).

But I've been to the theatre a lot with my sister lately and that comes with extra costs because I know she'll want to do dinner beforehand. It's not always planned where beforehand and she prefers more expensive food to me, so it makes things tricky. As such, I feel like I've spent more than I have wanted to on food because of this. While it is sometimes nice to have the company, it definitely feels like I'm paying more for it... the struggle is real!

We also took my nephew to the zoo, so I used my taste test visa giftcard for that. It still cost me around $16, I think, for food, but it was a nice day out, nonetheless. The main thing is, I know going out with my sister means extra spending, so I need to be mindful of that and budget accordingly as well as I possibly can.

I'm also getting really good at getting rid of items I no longer need. I say this a lot, but I am becoming a better minimalist. I'm not pressuring myself to live with less, but there are items I simply don't need and I'd rather they go to someone who could use it. Defining my style and what suits me best has been a great motivator too.

> So Far:

I wanted to start a new section called 'so far' to list all the items I've purchased in the year, ongoing, so I don't end up with as many items as I did last year. So, here's my list so far: