I Went Clothes Shopping

I did it. I went clothes shopping. That's right, I added 21 new clothing items to my closet. You're probably thinking, she broke down and went a bit crazy.

Good news – I still stayed within the parameters of my resolution “rules.” Six weeks into the new year and still no new clothing has been purchased.

When I say I went clothes shopping, I really went clothes shopping. My first excursion was on an incredible website called ThredUp.  It’s all secondhand clothing, beautifully displayed online, and arrives in a gorgeous package. There are designer brands, such as DFV and Gucci, premium brands like J. Crew to Madwell, and less expensive brands such as American Eagle and H&M. You can even narrow your profile down to sizes and styles you're specifically looking for.

Some of my ThredUp.com finds!

I had a wedding to attend last week and wanted something “new” to wear. I found 9, yes NINE, name-brand dresses (BCBG, Loft, Free People, Rebecca Minkoff, some still with original tags) on ThredUp.com that could possibly work. I placed my order for all 9 items (the total came to only $112!), and crossed my fingers they’d arrive in time (and that at least one could be worn for the event).

Cute packing from ReThread.com.

Unfortunately, they didn’t arrive in time, but I did manage to find something in my own closet to wear — black lace dress from Lulu’s (purchased about 3 years ago) paired with thrift store cheetah print cardigan and black heels. Extra points to me for not rushing out to buy something last minute! Normally that’s what I would’ve done.

The dresses came a few days after I needed them (it took about a week from order to delivery, so keep that in mind). I tried them on and was extremely happy with 6 of the 9 (3 of them didn't fit quite right). Luckily they have an easy return policy, so I dropped the 3 discarded dresses in the mail and got a full refund (minus $1.99 restocking fee per item returned).

I forgot to get a full-length pic of my outfit, so here we are looking cute instead.

So now that I’m set with dresses for the rest of the 2020 wedding season, it’s nice to know that I won’t have to scramble again in a few months when I need to find something "new" to wear. I have 6 beautiful dresses to use as needed!

My next shopping adventure was at Goodwill in Green Bay. I was waiting for a prescription, so I decided to stop in for a quick browse. An hour and $75 later, I found some incredible stuff — 15 items total! Sweaters, tops, a jacket, sunglasses, a Packer sweatshirt, jeans, and dresses were included in that haul. I’m talking high end, like-new quality clothing, too. I was really thoughtful about the pieces I chose and even put several back that I didn’t feel I needed.

Pile o'clothes from Goodwill.

I read an article recently about how Jane Fonda vowed to stop purchasing new clothing for the rest of her lifetime (she's 82, so it seems somewhat reasonable). "I grew up when consumerism didn't have such a stranglehold over us," she said. "So when I talk to people about how we don't really need to keep shopping, we shouldn't look to shopping for our identity. We just don't need more stuff." She even wore a "recycled" gown to last nights Oscars – the red beaded Elie Saab gown was previously worn by her at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival.

After several realizations about my spending habits during these last 6 weeks, I’ve really started to become more conscious about my shopping choices in general. I’ve stayed off Wayfair.com, I haven’t stepped foot in Target, and I only stick to the basics when it comes to Amazon (sunscreen and a new book for my upcoming trip to Florida, probiotics and vitamins, and some new blue-light glasses for when I’m at my computer all day at work). Consumerism IS a disease – it is for me anyway – and I'm happy that this little resolution is opening my eyes to it.

Resolutions are there to help us be better, continue good practices, change an undesired behavior, accomplish a goal, or improve our life. I feel that this resolution has really encouraged me to view spending/consumerism in a different way, to be grateful for what I already own, and to realize that stuff is just stuff. Less really is more! 

And when less is not enough, there’s always thrift store therapy. 

41 days down, 324 to go. 

xo Laurel