The Year of No Clothes

Got your attention?  Good.  I made a decision late in 2015, and blogging it makes it more real, by putting it out there in cyberspace, I have to stick to it!

The goal - to go twelve months without buying any new clothes.  I'm by no means a shopaholic, and am not in debt, but having said that I do love to shop!  I was inspired by this article some time ago: http://www.becomingminimalist.com/minimalist-enough/

which planted in my mind this was something I wanted to do one day.

Okay it may sound superficial and not much of a goal to have, but there are several reasons I've chosen to do this in 2016.  Not many people will know that at the end of 2015 I got made redundant.  Luckily we had early notice at work, which gave me plenty of time to find a new job, which I start in a week or so.  But still, it just goes to show you can plan your life meticulously, then be totally blindsided by something, which is so far out of your control you can't even touch it.

I am beyond relieved to have found another position with a new company - another diversion into a different industry - but the hard facts mean I'll face a significant drop in salary, and increased traval costs.  It should be manageable, but I will definitely have to adapt and budget even more closely.  Something had to give.

I have always had an interest in fashion, by no means a fashion victim!  Have definitely had some experimental pieces, the patchwork jeans, silver PVC trousers, and the Bart Simpson tracksuit to name but a few!  Luckily this was before Facebook was invented!

I find as I get older I like to take key pieces from fashions I enjoy and pair them with classic items.  I definitely agree that a good pair of jeans, smart shirt, and knee high boots are wardrobe staples and versatile too!

Of course there is the issue of saving money too, although my most recent job meant as I earned more than I needed to spend, I could save a decent amount, as well as having holidays.  I know how lucky I was to have this.  What I intend to do is every time I would have bought something e.g a new dress etc, is put the money away.  I'm sure it will all add up.

I have to confess I did plan to have one last splurge before 2016 began, which meant a trip to the Next Sale on Boxing Day!  Got some nice work tops, trousers, jewellery and a new work bag, for when the current one wears out.  I thought that was it then had a panic that I had 'nothing to wear' - not strictly true - for our work post Christmas/redundancy night out in January, so tried on some questionable checked shirts in Zara which were a no no on New Year's Eve.  Found what I was looking for in River Island, to be revealed on the night out! 

So, it should be interesting.  Going to try and discover some budget beauty products too, so far I'd recommend the Superdrug Naturally Radiant Hot cloth cleanser as a substitute for the Liz Earle one.  While I love the branded one, I just couldn't justify the price tag anymore, and I have to say it's just as good and a fraction of the cost.

I intend to blog more this year too, as I didn't blog all at all last year, have already achieved this with this post!  I'm sure once the training starts for my new job things will get intense, but writing is one of my biggest loves so here's hoping.  Here's to frugality, and making the most of existing fashion items in 2016!

Here's a picture of me wearing an 'interesting' hat - I think I tried it on for a joke!  It's from around 2008.

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