Update on 2021 Low Buy Year

Happy New Year everyone!  I thought I would start the year off with an update on my 2021 low buy year experiment.   I planned on purchasing the following items in 2021:

1. Cross country skis:  I really wanted to ski last winter and I realize how much it is something that I like to do.  With the pandemic and everything closed, it seemed like a good idea.
2. Black cashmere cardigan:  Nothing keeps you warmer than cashmere!  Because I am always cold, a warm sweater always seems like a good idea… or does it?
3. Striped sailor top (long sleeved):  I have a striped top but it is quite fitted and I wanted one that was looser.
4. Navy long sleeved scoop neck top:  A hole in my wardrobe.  I had several sweaters and jackets that I could wear with it.
5. Black wool blazer:  Believe it or not, I actually don”t have a classic wool blazer in my closet.  This was going to fill a hole in my wardrobe.
6. Gray or silver pumps:  I have gray pumps that are falling apart.  The shoemaker advised me that he can no longer repair them.  They need to be replaced.
7. A silk dress to dress up or dress down.  I love dresses and I am slowly replacing my polyester dresses with silk ones.
8. Bra:  My weight has changed and this is a necessity.
9. White cotton blouse:  my white blouses are more than 10 years old and are looking rather dingy and worn.  I definitely needed a new one.
10. Skinny jeans:  My skinny jeans are low waisted and are not flattering for a petite like me.  These jeans would replace the one that I have.
11. Light blue linen dress:  to replace the salmon one that I bought last summer.  Although I love the salmon dress,  the color is not flattering on me and I feel bad when I wear it.
12. A road bike.  Even though I fell and broke my wrist in October 2020,  I really loved riding my daughter’s bike in 2020 and realized how much I wanted to keep riding.  I needed my own bike. 

The outcome?   I missed my goal and bought significantly more than 12 items.  Yes, I failed.  What I actually bought was:

1. Cross country skis:  I got the last pair at the store.  So lucky that they were my size.  I did use these and have really enjoyed having them.
2. Black cashmere cardigan:  I found a beautiful two ply cashmere cardigan with a waterfall ruffle edging on Poshmark but it was a little shorter than I would have liked.  This “issue” led me to purchase number 3.
3. A long black merino wool cardigan:  Yeah.  I know, another black cardigan.  It was from Anne Klein and I found it secondhand on Poshmark.  But I actually wore it a lot because it filled a need for me that the other cardigan did not.   But really, how many black cardigans does a person need?  More than one it seems.  My daughter: “Mom!  You have a problem.”
4. Striped sailor top (long sleeved):  I found a great one second hand that fit perfectly on Poshmark.
5. Navy long sleeved scoop neck top:  My daughter found a great second hand top on Poshmark for me.  It was from the H&M conscious collection (made of sustainable cotton) and while I am against fast fashion in general, buying it second hand is OK because I know that I will wear it for a long time and I am saving it from landfill.  A reliable basic, I wore this top a ton in 2021.  
6. Long navy cashmere cardigan:  I found this cardigan also second hand on thredUp.  It is more like a coat but it is very warm.  I decided to keep it even though I could have returned it.  I have added a ribbon to allow it to be closed and I like it much better this way.
7. A road bike.  I had to pre-order this bike from Trek in March and it only arrive at the end of June.  It was not secondhand but I intend to keep riding this bike frequently during my retirement.
8. Black wool blazer:  I purchased a “black” wool blazer from Club Monaco second hand on Poshmark.  I was disappointed because it was not really black and actually more like a charcoal gray.  I was very disappointed and actually intend to resell it.  Definite fail.
9. Gray or silver pumps:  I found a pair of Nine West silver pumps in my size.  They fit perfectly.  Not sure that silver pumps are a really great idea because they are quite flashy but I actually did wear them several times in 20221
10. A silk dress:  I found not one but two beautiful silk second hand dresses on Poshmark.  The first one was a black, white and teal dress with a cap sleeve from Theory.  It was perfect and I wore it a lot.
11. Silk dress #2 :  Not on my list!  But I really couldn’t resist this silk red, white and navy print dress with long sleeves and a v neck from Veronica Beard.  It fit perfectly and I wore it a lot (with my long black cardigan).  My daughter:  “Mom!  You have a problem.”
12. Bra:  I bought a sustainable bra from Organic Basics but I won’t lie, I didn’t love it.  More on sustainable underwear in a separate blog post.
13. White cotton blouse:  I found a great second hand (but barely used) Ann Taylor blouse in like new condition on Poshmark.  It has a beautiful ruffle neckline.  I wore this a lot in the summer and fall.  Such a good staple.
14. Skinny jeans:  I found a pair at Friperie Notre Dame, across the street from my bulk store in Lachine, for a whopping $2.99.  I have been wearing them on repeat all fall.
15. Black cashmere dress:  This was not on my list.   I found a stunningly soft black cashmere scoop neck dress at the Friperie Notre Dame, across my bulk store Vrac du Canal.   It was $8.99 and I couldn’t pass it up.  It fits perfectly and can be dressed up or down.  Love it.  Was it essential? No.  Did I need it? No.  Am I happy I bought it? Yes.
16. Light blue linen dress:  I found a second hand linen Elie Tahari dress on Poshmark.  It was a bit big (even though it was a size 4) but I brought it my seamstress to be altered. It is going to replace my salmon coloured dress.
17. A burgundy cardigan:  This was not on my list.  I got rid of one of my older cardigans that was pilling (it was made of a synthetic fibre and looked awful).  I found a second hand soft and warm burgundy cardigan from Aritzia on Poshmark and I admit, I couldn’t resist it.  I know that it was a great buy because my daughter tells me that I wear it all the time…. Still, I know I have a problem with cardigans.  I need to stop buying them now!
18. A red cotton cardigan:  Not on my list.  While it was not officially on my list, when I was looking for burgundy red cardigans on Poshmark, this one from Banana Republic came up and I knew that it would be a good addition to my summer wardrobe.  This was one item I was thinking of adding to my 2022 list.
19. Not on my list but in my mind for 2022 were  high waisted flared jeans.  I was planning to replace one of my older pairs with a high waisted pair.  When I went jean shopping with my family (they were shopping but I was not), I found an amazing pair that fit me super well.  One of the few new things that I bought in 2021.  Jeans that fit well are really hard to find second hand and I decided to further break my goal with this pair.

And so I landed at 19 items instead of my target of 12.

Here are my thoughts on what happened and what I learned:

A Low Buy does make you more mindful of what you are buying.  I did start with a list of what I wanted to buy, which is always a good idea because it allows reflection about what I wanted to bring into my life and why it would add value to my life (like my cross country skis).

My much used skis

I am actually putting in place a wardrobe that suits my lifestyle.  I have finally come to terms with the fact that I am not going to be going out a lot and with retirement approaching, I don’t need fancy work clothes or going out clothes.  As a result, my (over)consumption of sweaters in 2021 is ultimately OK because I will likely be downsizing my blazer collection in the coming year or two.

Wearing my favourite black cashmere cardigan

I am still a shopaholic and even though things are secondhand, consumption is still consumption.  I did an inventory count of my clothing over the holidays and I own 250 pieces.  Believe it or not, this is a significant drop from 2020 where I counted 317 pieces of clothing.  I am far from a minimalist when it comes to my clothes.  But I was successful in getting rid of 67 pieces and my goal for 2022 is to further reduce and curate my wardrobe.

If you don’t want to shop, stay away from on line shopping apps.  Like my daughter told me, on line shopping is like window shopping.  You will find something if you look.  

For 2022, I am starting the year with a 3 month no buy as a detox.  January is almost done and I have not purchased anything!   I intend to do another low buy for 2022 of 12 items and achieve my goal this year.

Our path in life is not always what we plan, but we learn as we go.  Even though I missed my goal in 2021, I am proud of  my efforts to reduce my consumption and continue to move towards to a more minimalist and simple life.