2013 Shopping Guidelines
The ever-lovely Maria of Lost in a Spotless Mind blogged about her 2013 shopping guidelines the other day, and I thought I’d follow suit with a post of my own. I’m no stranger to making shopping guidelines for myself, as you will know if you read my blog back when I was doing shopping bans, and even when I’m not on a ban I usually have a few rules that I set for myself. For example: two of my rules last year was to not buy any nail polish or glossy magazines (apart from my one subscription), and I think I landed at four nail polishes and two magazines at the end of the year. Not bad at all considering how many I bought the year before, let me assure you. So, what will my guidelines be this year?
Well, this year I have a pretty good grasp on the purchases that I will need to make, at least within the first 6 months, which makes the whole thing pretty simple. “Need to have” trumps “want to have”. I need a small and versatile shoulder bag and a new pair of reading glasses. I do not need a baseball cap, but I do want a holiday, and as The Boyfriend and I have our sights set on New York I will need to save a bit of money for the trip. I will also need a new pair of everyday shoes for spring, a new pair of running shoes if I manage to wear out my current ones (as I plan to), and last but not least my underwear drawer needs some fresh blood. As you can see this won’t allow for much extravagant wiggle room, but certain things will be allowed. Here are the rules I have made:
1. Re-stocking makeup products that I use several times a week is okay. This also applies to nail polish, but only top coat and base coat. Same goes for skin care and hair care. Luckily I have a small handful of products that work well for me, so there is really no need to try anything new.
2. Still no glossy magazines, and only iPad versions if I absolutely must. No physical copies.
3. Clothing basics can be replaced, but no new ones will be added. Exception: if I stumble across a winter coat that makes my heart flutter I can have it, but only if it doesn’t come in the way of the “need” items listed above. Winter is long and cold and terribly dull, after all. A holy grail leather jacket will also be allowed, under the same conditions as the coat.
4. I am not, under any circumstances, allowed to buy clothes, accessories or knick-knacks on eBay.
5. No “meh, close enough” items. New items have to tick all my boxes, or else I won’t buy them.
6. Books will always have a free pass, as long as I actually read them. Kindle editions only.
There you have it, my six shopping rules for 2012. I am sure I will have the occasional slip-up, but seeing as I have a good overview of my future splurges I don’t think I will feel as tempted to shop as I would have otherwise. To put it simply – a spree at Zara won’t seem as tempting if I know it could come at the expense of a fun experience on my summer Holiday.
That said, I won’t beat myself up over a bad purchase. I’m not Super Frugal Savebot 3000 after all, and emotional spending happens. Just ask Tumblr-made-me-buy-it-tank-dress, super-heavy-second-hand-cape-coat, or perfume-that-makes-me-sneeze-like-a-crazy-person. I won’t put a complete ban on “new” purchases – that is, items that don’t replace something that I already own – because to me that would be too strict. People change, styles change, and lifestyles change. I might get another new pair of everyday shoes even though I already have a couple of pairs in rotation, or a handbag that for some inexplainable reason makes me smile, and that is okay. The goal for me is to think consciously about every new purchase, to avoid the pitfalls that I have identified for myself, and to spare both the environment and my bank account.
What about you, do you have any shopping resolutions for 2013?
(I love how I seem like such a stalker when I comment right after you post something. I’m not, I swear:)
“No “meh, close enough” items” would be on the top of my list if I had written one. I buy so much clothes, both online and in stores, that I end up selling/giving away/hiding in the back of my closet, because they’re not exactly what I wanted. I really don’t spend a lot of money on makeup, accessories, or any of those things, so if something great comes along I’ll allow myself to buy it (as long as I actually see myself using it regularly). And there are still holes in my closet that needs to be filled, like a great fitting pair of black skinny jeans, the perfect denim shorts, and a pair of classic pumps that I can actually walk in, but I need to stop spending money on $10 tops from Forever21, dresses I never wear, and high heels that I buy just because they’re sparkly.
Good luck on following your guidelines!:)
Hahaha! No worries Nina, my stalker-alert have not gone off on ANY of my lovely readers. Sometimes you just happen to stumble over a box fresh blog post!
I think I remember you having the same leggy troubles as me when it comes to jeans, yes? My savior has been the “tall” section on Topshop’s website, but ordering jeans online is always a gamble. Plus I have to join forces with friends abroad since Topshop won’t ship to Norway anymore. So much hassle for a pair of jeans!
I finally found a store that has a perfect mix of affordable and quality jeans in tall sizes: American Eagle Outfitters. And since they have a store only 15 minutes away from where I live, I don’t have to gamble on ordering online anymore either! Now to find a long-enough maxi dress..
Great resolutions – I really need to make up some of my own. I’m still in need of a few basics, like a white singlet and some summer sandals, but am quite happy to put them on the back burner for now. For me, a lot of it is trying to buy less and be more aware about how much I am shopping, get rid of things that I don’t wear (not a hard task!), and I suppose like you, not buy something unless I’m 100% happy. Already succeeded on the last point, so here’s hoping that my 2013 shopping isn’t so excessive! x
Thanks Jamie-Lee! I think just being aware of one’s shopping habits is half the battle. My shopping has definitely been a bit excessive in 2012, so if I manage to reel it in even more I will be a very happy camper indeed :)
Gøy å lese! Jeg har ingen regler, for har ikke penger til å kjøpe meg ting uansett, hehe. Sånne svarte sko har jeg. Skal du kjøpe deg det? Veldig classy da. Kan brukes til alt.
Vi får se hva jeg snubler over, men jeg har definitvt lyst til å prøve noe innen den stilen der. Jeg tror det hadde passet veldig godt inn med resten av garderoben min :)
I don’t know if I’m just in denial, but I really don’t but that many clothes. Actually I find shopping (for clothes) quite hard, so I either end up buying nothing or doing a couple of cheap meh-purchases (since leaving empty-handed after spending hours in stores feels like failure). The problem is that I really don’t have an eye for clothes – I feel “meh” towards almost everything – I hardly ever get excited over anything. (And often I don’t understand what people see in things.) I think it’s a combination of being insecure (“this looks silly on me” – when it actually doesn’t), the fact that I hate spending money on things that aren’t completely necessary and … the lighting in the dressing rooms. So my shopping goal for 2013 is to be more relaxed and comfortable while shopping and allowing myself to fall for items if they actually suit me well – without giving myself a hard time afterwards. Also I need more sports bras, to replace my favorite black cardigan, to buy new underwear and a 2013-planner.
I think your shopping resolution sounds wonderful! Dressing rooms can indeed be harsh. There’s a reason why I only go underwear shopping a couple of times a year, and don’t even get me started on bikini hunting. UGH! Planners, however, are one of my favorite things in the whole world. Have you had a look at Moleskine’s planners? If I weren’t such a Filofax fangirl those would certainly be my planners of choice :)
Hi – I’ve been reading on the quiet for a while but your resolution on the glossies meant I had to say something. The no glossies is a real big toughie for me. I’ve been subscribing to mags since I was about eleven when I was old enough to go to the newsagents and ask them to reserve me my weekly/fortnightly comics (Mandy and Bunty). Thirty years on, little has changed except I read slightly more grown up mags and my subscriptions are now arranged online. My hubs bought me a Kindle Fire for Christmas with the intention of buying me a magazine subscription but it costs more to to have this on the Kindle Fire than it does to have it coming through the letter box … so I am currently playing free games on my Kindle Fire instead of reading my beloved glossies in Kindle form. However … I did take around 50 mags to the tip today for recycling. It’s my first step of my mag cleanse. I should also set myself up a new rule on nail varnish – not to bother buying any more – I wear the same 2-3 colours constantly and the other 30 or so I have don’t really get a look in. I’m looking to inspiration from yours and similar minded blogs on “cutting down” my excesses. I don’t expect to succeed but I love to read about other people who are “good” at this practice.
Hi Sue! What a coincidence, I am quite certain I have visited your blog a good handful of times too! Welcome to the comments :)
Are Kindle subscriptions really more expensive than buying a copy from the newsagents? That’s crazy! Magazines are super expensive in Norway – an issue of Elle is around 10£ and Elle Collections is around 20£ if I remember correctly, so a digital copy is about 1/3 the price for me. I do love physical copies of my favorites though, and I currently have a complete 3 year backlog of Elle UK sitting in my book shelf. They will be the hardest thing to de-clutter, and to be honest I am not sure if I would be willing to get rid of them at all!
A more feel-good alternative when you’re getting rid of magazines would be to donate them to doctor’s offices, hair dressers and fashion-related schools. I think that will be my course of action if I ever have to bite that bullet :)
Very interesting post as usual! I totally agree with the number 5. In the past, these turned out to be mostly purchase mistakes for me. Because the one box it doesn’t tick becomes a problem, because I find the perfect item a few months later and get conflicted about buying it…
I also agree that shopping guidelines should help avoiding the usual pitfalls and not be extremely strict. For someone who puts a lot of time editing wardrobes and blogging about it, acquiring new things is a pleasure too, and there is no shame in that.
Exactly. Doing a year of no shopping seems to be a burgeoning (albeit small) trend over here, and as admirable as it is I know that for me personally I would be setting myself up for failure. Also I am currently the queen of breaking rule #5, so sticking to that rule will probably be my biggest challenge. In a comment on somebody else’s blog I jokingly stated that I should get myself an AA-style sponsor that I could phone up whenever I found myself in a dressing room, but I am starting to think that this would actually be a good idea ;)
Love this! I’m new to your blog so I just thought I’d say hello and say this is a great and inspiring new year’s post. Sometimes I think we make such strict guidelines and resolutions that it’s just setting ourselves up for failure, and I almost wonder if we do it to take the pressure off – if it’s impossible to pull off we don’t even really have to try, right? But these seem very logical, reasonable and sensible. I think I may borrow a rule or two…
Hi Nomadic D, and welcome to the comments! Borrow as many as you’d like, I don’t mind at all. I love to read other people’s thoughts on shopping and consumption, as it is always interesting and very often inspirational as well :)
I’ve given myself a ban this year on shoes and clothes, with a couple of exceptions like yours. Underwear and a pair of dressy flats for the summer. Normally my only guidelines are that anything I buy must match at least 3 other items I already have, and for each item that is added to my wardrobe, one must go. I was in NY last summer and shopped a storm, which is partly why I’m not buying anything this year. I’m actually quite amazed already at what a relief it is to not even need to walk into clothes or shoe shops ‘just to have a look’… Liberating! Glossies is another weakness. I’ll wean myself off them slowly I think. :-)
See, that’s what I’m afraid NY will do to me! But like you I avoid stores (both IRL and online) like the plague. If I don’t know it exists I can’t want it! ;)
I love your resolutions. They’re smart and sensible. I totally agree about winter coats- it’s cold for a long time here and if I find one that’s perfect I scoop it up. I give myself a free pass when it comes to fashion/art books that I refer to all the time.
I haven’t made any shopping resolutions. I feel like my wardrobe’s in a really great place and I don’t do that much shopping. It’s really more about adding special pieces/ soul stirrers here and there.
From what I’ve seen you have a stunning wardrobe. I can very much see why you’re happy with it!
I’d love to get to where you are, but I don’t think I’ve quite cracked the whole style/body type/quality/wearability formula just yet. There’s still a lot of trial and error going on, but I’m working on it :)
I used to buy A LOT of glossy magazines too before I started reading blogs…I’ve learned more about fashion, style and what suits me through the Internet that I ever did in all the years spent religiously reading magazines. I don’t want to think about how much money I spent…
As for my shopping rules for 2013…
-Don’t buy anything unless I’ve tried it on. So no online shopping. I’m somewhat between sizes and I can’t never predict how an item will fit.
-Don’t spend so much time looking at clothes on online stores located on the other side of the world, most of the times I can find what I need right in my city.
There’re quite obvious, I guess but I definitely need to keep them in mind :)
I totally agree, blogs and the Internet in general has been so much more helpful than my magazine collection ever was! Magazines are more visual eye candy collected in a handy (and tactile) format. I especially love the seasonal fashion week roundup magazines such as Elle Collections, I’d never want to stop buying those. As much as I love style.com, they’re pure gold :)
I only ever buy dresses online these days, because I’m usually very good at judging the fit by fabric and cut/style, but I really do prefer to try things on. Returning things is such a hassle!
Uuuh, har du tenkt til å kjøpe en MAC? Hvilken størrelse har du tenkt på? Jeg begynte med en mini, og ehm, nå har jeg den, en vanlig og en daddy.
Jepp, en Mini MAC! Jeg falt for utseendet og størrelsen, og etter å ha surret rundt på diverse veskeforumer er jeg overbevist om at det ville vært en bra ting å investere i. Jeg vil ha en i svart skinn (ikke patent) med hardware i sølv, men ikke søren om jeg greier å finne en noen steder. Jeg finner bare svart med gull, evt rose gold eller gunmetal som jeg snublet over på eBay, men det vil jeg jo ikke ha. Hadde håpet å bestille en i januar, men det ser stygt ut så lenge ingen selger varianten som jeg vil ha :)
Så gøy at du er fornøyd med MACene dine! Hvilke farger har du?
Moro! Jeg har en sennepsgul mini med sølv, en kongeblå vånlig med sølv og en daddy i grå med gunmetal. Akkurat nå er det den grå som brukes mest, det er plass til så utrolig mye i den, og den har lomme for ipad! Så kjedelig at du ikke finner en i sort med sølv, jeg er enig i at det høres finest ut.
Vet du Ina, jeg fant en til slutt! Den offisielle nettsiden la den ut for meg, jeg ble så glad. Nå venter jeg bare på at den skal dukke opp på døren! Jeg ser defintivt hvorfor man vil ha flere – selv har jeg begynt å smådrømme om en Mini i fresia eller turkis…
Så flink du er! Jeg greier å styre unna stæsj, men kjøper stadig klær fordi det er på salg eller som du sier – “meh, close enough” – Men det slutter i 2013! Har sååå mye klær som må bli brukt, så nå prøver jeg shoppingpause ut året……. Selvfølgelig med et par unntak ;)
Da er vi i samme båt! Dette greier vi fint, bare vent og se ;)
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