No Spend October

Hello Everyone – haven’t managed a mid-week post in a while but today is a special day.

It’s the 4th of October and, day four of Rachel the Hat’s #nospendoctober.

If you click on the link, you’ll go through to Rachel’s fabulous blogpost, all about the pressures of keeping up with the “insta-jones” and yet, because Rachel is a style blogger, surely she should be keeping up with the latest and greatest?

I urge you to have a read of Rachel’s post: it talks about an issue which *all* of us who blog or who are simply on social media face, day to day.

And the response to this post?

Pretty overwhelming actually!

At the last count, there were over 80 ladies taking part in the #nospendoctober challenge over on Instagram: which I think is brilliant!

Why is it then… that I haven’t committed to this #nospendoctober challenge as well?

If you have followed my blog from the beginning (March 2016) you will know that I set this blog up as a reaction; to pick-myself up out a fashion rut; and in my first ever blog post I talk about ‘finding my own fashion and style path’, and critically, re-building my ‘thread bare’ wardrobe up again.

However, a fair few months down the line, when I looked at my purchases… I realised, that I hadn’t lost my style-mojo… rather it had been a case of simply not shopping.

For years.

And I do mean years.

Resulting in a threadbare wardrobe.

There are various reasons for which I wasn’t spending money on myself – the only exception being items purchased as replacements for totally worn out, holey, battered clothing.

When you only have 2 pairs of jeans and rotate wearing them, and given how often they get washed (especially with young kids / babies) you’d be surprised how fast you can wear a pair of jeans out, good and proper!

So, for a few years, my clothes shopping was functional; without joy and effectively, I lived with the bare, bare minimum of any clothing items.

And although on one hand, I should feel proud of that type of true “minimalist” living… there’s no question: it made me miserable.

It really did.

I don’t think you can ever underestimate the complete joy and happiness that clothing can bring.

Especially if like me, you’ve always loved style & fashion.

And that is why I can’t have a “no spend” label hanging over me: it takes me back to some tough times and makes me feel pretty low.

That said, month to month, I’m pretty frugal… my spending does go through peaks and troughs (like anyone, I think?)… but really, although I have been rebuilding my wardrobe these past 18 months, I have for the most part tried to live by the “buy well, buy less” mantra.

This works sometimes, but not always.

If I look back at September, I appear to have failed this mantra somewhat:

I bought this New Look Petite Navy Utility Mac with a 25% discount so it cost me £26.25

Did I really *need* this very thin, light weight Mac?

Not really… I could have lived without it; but I had been on the hunt for one for quite some time, and this one ticked all the boxes for me so will no doubt get pulled out every Spring/early autumn for quite a few years.

This HM Scarf/Hairband which cost me £1.99 after using a £5 voucher

Did I need this scarf?

NOT AT ALL.

It was a cheap and cheerful pick-me up though.

This New Look Teen sweater from the sale – cost £7.

Again, an unnecessary purchase but it was such a bargain and again a cheap little pick me up.

I bought this now ‘insta-famous’ sold-out HM Spotty dress £24.99 as well as some Invisible Socks (£8.99) but again, after recycling a bag of old clothes, I was able to use a £5 voucher, so my total spend was £28.98

This is one I am slightly regretting simply because the polyester fabric is really horrible: it didn’t feel *that* bad in the changing room, but after wearing the dress for 12 hours straight, it’s one of those fabrics which sucks up body odours… so although I will wear it again, I will make sure it’s on a day when I’m not racing around on trains & tubes for 12 hours!

These J Brand Selena Cords from The Outnet (again sold out) which cost me £42.50 (incl. postage) after using a £50 voucher I had.

Did I need these cords?

I could have managed without, but I felt that I did need them: I live in trousers in the winter and currently only have 3 pairs of non-tatty jeans (the rest have ‘knee-d’ or are so, so tatty, they are only worn for dog-walking); that said, I have a couple of pairs of culottes,  3 pairs of cropped ‘chino’ style trousers, 2 pairs of dungarees…

So in reality, the world would not have ended had I *not* purchased these cords.

But as my approximate tally of trousers above will show…  my wardrobe is still being re-built, and is ultimately pretty modest.

Total September Spend = £106.72

Is that a lot?

I don’t think it is.

And yet, the reality is that there was *no actual need* for any of the purchases.

Other than to make me happy.

And give me some greater choice & variety.

(If I were to go back further to August, I barely spent £20 although admittedly it was probably closer to £150 back in July.)

Most of my daily outfits are made up of mixing and matching existing wardrobe pieces.

Recently, I’ve even unearthed some gems from the bowels of my eBay cupboard!

So what is my current October spending status?

I am in desperate need of some plain, non-buckled, non-studded, non-metallic, simple every day ‘non-statement’ ankle boots.

However, I seem to have thrown a spanner in the works for myself on the ankle boot front because on Sunday, I ordered this Virginie Sequin Shirt from Boden (£65) with a 10% discount bringing it down to £58.50:

It hasn’t arrived yet, but I ordered the shirt with a view to wearing it this weekend as part of a wedding outfit and hoping that I’ll get quite a bit of wear out of it in the coming ‘season of sparkle’.

However, until it arrives, until I see it in the flesh, the jury’s out.

I’ll need to weigh up the value of the shirt in my wardrobe against the fact that I’m still in need of those ankle boots.

Plus, with home renovation costs mounting and my older boy’s 9th birthday fast approaching, hotel costs from the wedding: I’m having to be mindful of it being an expensive month already.

So, to all you ladies taking part in #nospendoctober: I’m cheering you on from the sidelines!

I went for a few *years* of not spending!

And I do mean y.e.a.r.s.

And if I can do that?

You *can* all manage this *one* month!

It’s just 30 days and you’re already 4 days in.

You’ve got this!

Now, a bit of homework for you all:

• make a note of anything which has caught your eye this month which you think you would normally have bought without a second thought.
• Keep this list in your diary, on your phone… wherever, just keep a list.
• Keep a running total of what would have been your ‘potential spend’.
• Or go one step further, and take the money out of your account and put it into a separate /savings account.
• By the end of the month, not only will you see how much you’ve saved…
• You may also have a nice little pot of money to do something special with, put towards Christmas etc.

And… funnily enough, if any of you are as fickle as me… when you get to November, and return to your list of items you thought you were desperate to buy… you might just find you don’t quite fancy them as much as you thought?

GOOD LUCK ladies – I’m rooting for you all: and I’ll be with you for a “mostly no spend” October!

Bx