Enough

Firstly I'd like to say thanks to everyone who reached out to message or leave me a comment after my last post. It was one from the heart and I didn't realise what a sense of relief I'd feel when I shared it. It came as a bit of a surprise to me that so many people seem to be longing for change. Unfortunately our relationship with stuff is a hard habit to break. I wasn't quite sure how to follow that post but I feel the need to carry on this conversation.

Source BeMoreWithLess

What have I learnt from all the amazing feedback though? That I am enough. And I most certainly have enough. But I'm not doing enough. A couple of articles have been shared with me that are really quite disturbing (I will link at the end of the post). And the good old algorithm served up this gem on YouTube when I started to research our problems with stuff a bit more thoroughly. The video on YouTube mentioned a book called The Story of More and I took it as a sign to read it as it was the 2nd time I'd seen it mentioned in the past week. You see I'm curious to better understand my need to keep on buying things. I'm keen to examine this subject further as what I've learnt so far has spurred me into action. The goal posts have changed again for me. I've pledged to myself not to bring any more new clothes into my life until I've properly taken stock of what I've already got. I think I will find that I already have enough.

It occurred to me after writing my 'stuff' post and looking back over my 6/7 years on Instagram that the outfits I felt comfiest and happiest in actually stand out a mile to me. Most of the pieces I'm wearing in those photos are still in my possession. So, a plan has begun to formulate. I think it's such a great tool to have that back catalogue to reflect upon that I've embarked on the arduous task of photographing every item of clothing I own. I can't think of a better way to shock myself into shopping submission than by being confronted by my entire wardrobe on a Pinterest board! My low buy goal of adding 33 items this year is about to be slashed. Shopping my wardrobe is now my number one priority. For me the beauty of a seasonal capsule is consistently being reunited with my favourites pieces. Rotating my clothes keeps my most beloved items feeling fresh. I've got to get out of the mindset that my next purchase will complete me. Doing the research for that last post made me realise I already have everything I could possibly need. It's hard to know where to start when you decide it's time for change but I hope I'm giving you a couple of practical tips.

As you can probably imagine I'm feeling pretty inspired.......so I have been busy! I've created a new Pinterest board - a vision board for my next capsule. The new board is a mixture of outfit inspiration from a couple of sources, some via Pinterest - pins that I've found where I have similar pieces. I've also added some of my own photos of my favourite Instagram ensembles...... those evergreen outfits that I wear over and over again. There are some clear themes amongst that information!

                               See my vision board here                               

I've also started to use the pictures that I'm taking of each piece of my clothing to begin to plan my spring transitional wardrobe. As you may have learned about me by now I do enjoy keeping a record of these things! If you are interested in joining me on this crusade I would encourage you to find a way to track what you are wearing....whether it be a spreadsheet, diary or taking a daily mirror selfie. You can upload your pics to a secret Pinterest board so nobody can see them apart from you. I'm just working myself up to taking a daily outfit photo again so that I can start doing a weekly round-up of my outfits here on the blog. I'm feeling a little more motivated to do that now there is some better weather on the horizon! 🤞🤞🤞

                                               

See the board here (It's still a work in progress!)

Sorry it's only a short post this week. Hope it has been useful though if you are considering curtailing your clothing consumption!

Back again soon, Michelle x

Articles

The Guardian - The Rise of Emotional Spending

George Monbiot - The Gift of Death

Grazia Magazine Article - How To Fall Back In Love With Your Clothes

Ted Talks via YouTube

Think Twice Before Buying

Ted Talk - My No Spend Year

Ted Talk - I Broke Up With Fast Fashion And You Should Too