This is probably the most boring "my purchases" post I have ever made...
... not only because I bought only three pieces in the last two months, but also because those three pieces are pretty much basics with no fancy colors and not fancy cuts.
Anyway, since these purchases posts really help me analyzing my shopping behaviour AND made me improve so much in the last 12 months, I am still going to continue with them, even though this one is boring.
Also, the fact that its boring is actually good - I did not shop a lot and thats pretty much awesome in the end. No shopping = no ressources wasted for making new clothes = good for the world :)
So what did I buy?
I took advantage of the sales in January and made some shopping at Hess Natur. I bought new bed linens for my family, a few things for my husband and a few things for my daughter. And these three things for me: a sheath dress in dark grey 100% wool, a cotton skirt and a woolen sweater in light grey and light blue.
I spent 60 Euro on the dress and 60 on the sweater (both 50% off) and I spent 25 on the skirt (also 50% off). I LOVE all three pieces. I wore the dress like a million times (whenever I do not know what to wear I wear this dress. Its awesome, it goes with everything, its comfy, its warm and yet its chic!), I wore the skirt like three times or so (I wore it on the blog here) and I wore the sweater like for one week straight (find it on the blog here)
So I spent a total of 145 euro on these three pieces and I am very happy with them. Also, I am happy that I did not buy more!
For this year I decided that I want to buy only what I am wishing for since a long time. The Winter sales have been an exception ;)
No,
honestly, I find myself often buying things because they are pretty or
on sale but there are a few things on my list since forever and still I
did not buy them yet, because I spend my money on other things. So next
I want to buy a camel coat (something I am looking for in two years or
so) and some light brown boots. Thats what I will be looking for in
March and April. I would also like to find another nice second hand high
waist jeans and maybe a black blouse.
Now lets see what my new "my purchases" post will look like and if I stick to my new rules ;)
Concerning
the "ethical only" rule; its normal now. I do not even thing about
going to H&M or Zara, its just a normal thing for me by now to buy
ethical only. Either second hand or from ethical brands.
By
the way, those of you thinking about if its good for the animals
wearing so much wool - I buy virgin wool only, so wool from sheeps that are
clipped alive and that come from organic farms. This is why I buy so much from the brand
Hess Natur; here I know they take care of what kind of wool they
choose.
I
find wool better than non-natural materials because the pieces simply
last longer. When my woolen sweaters begin to look old, I can brush them
and they look great again - try to do that with an acryl sweater. Well
it just does not really work really well. Okay, that was a very short
discussion on the topic of materials. Maybe I will make a post about it
sometime...
Now, how do think I made in these first two months of 2016? How do like my choices? And how did you do in January and February when it comes to shopping? I would love to know :)
Sending much love!
I am beginning the new year with a look back...
... back on my purchases from November and December 2015. I am very happy with my purchases from those two months since I bought almost exclusively second hand with the exception of one top from an ethical brand (Hess Natur). Hence, before the year came to an end, I managed to meet my goal not to buy from any "bad brand" but only second hand or from sustainable brands. Yes! A good end of the year :)
So here is what I bought in November and December:
A grey jeans and a grey coat both from Esprit, both second hand. I am afraid that I forgot how much exactly I paid but I think it was 30 for both pieces.
I wore both pieces A LOT. A lot means that I am wearing the coat almost every day and the jeans became one of my favorite one. I wear it around once a week. I wore both pieces on the blog here
A high waist skinny jeans from Pull and Bear. I didnt know the brand before, I got the jeans second hand for 10 euro. I wore it a lot since, but somehoe it did not yet make it on the blog - I am sure this will change soon :)
I bought loads of cardigans in November and December... like really a lot! They are all second hand and I paid between 10 and 20 euro for each of them (80 euro in total for 4 cardigans and 1 woolen sweater dress). They are all H&M except for the white and black one on the top picture to the right which is from Zara. I wore all of them a lot, am wearing one right now actually, and two of them made it on the blog: here and here
The sweater dress became one of my favorite ones too. I forgot to take a picture of it but I wore it one the blog here and I wear it a lot with leggings only when I do feel like wearing something comfy and cozy :)
This one was a sale found. I got the blue top from Hess Natur on sale for 40 euro. It is made from silk and hemp and I did not wear it yet because it obviously is a piece to be worn in Summer. I love the material and the oversized shape and I am looking forward to wear this special top when its getting warmer again.
I spent a total of 160 € which is slightly more than my average (looking back at the past 12 months). However, I think 80 euro per months is still good. For 2016 I may have to go down a little since there is quite some travelling planned which needs to be paid. And travel always goes before clothes! At least this is how I handle things ;)
When I now look back at all my purchases from 2015 I have to say that my shopping behaviour really improved throughout the year. In the beginning of the year I bought quite a few pieces that I rarely wear and that are not ethical, however later in the year this changed and I bought more and more conscious and sustainable. I am happy about these posts since they really helped me improving my behaviour as a consumer in this world where we all vote with our dollars.
Are you happy with your shopping behaviour 2015? Are you happy with everything you bought and with the amount you spent? I would love to know!
Sending much love!
Its time for my September and October Purchases...
... from September on I took the decision to change my behaviour as a consumer and to buy sustainable only - this means either sustainable organic brands or second hand. So today I will tell you a little bit about how things went so far. First of all, I want to say that I am very happy that I took this decision and I feel a lot better and a lot more in coherence with myself since!
So how did it go? All in all I am doing pretty good - I bought one skirt from Hess Natur (see below) and a few second hand clothes. However, I also bought one shirt dress from H&M and I bought some sports wear from a normal sports wear brand. I have somehow an excuse for both: I was looking for a shirt dress to wear in Iran (where I am not allowed to wear my usual clothes) and I was not able to find one so a week before we left to Iran, I just ordered one from H&M because I really needed something to wear on arrival (while I was in Iran I was wearing my friends clothes - have you seen my Iran Outfit?). I feel bad about having ordered that dress but I really did not know what else to do. About the sports wear - I really needed some rubber boots and I found these really cute ones and since I ordered them from a sportswear shop, I looked through the sales and could not resist buying a top and some socks. So these are my fails! Totally admit! I will be better in the next two months, I am sure. And I will become better and better with every month and in one year it will be the most normal thing ever to buy organic or fair trade only (hopefully) :)
Two jeans, second hand. They are H&M Boyfriend jeans. I paid 10 Euro for each of them and I wear them a lot. I wore the black one on the blog here and the blue one not yet on the blog, but I am having an outfit ready that I was wearing twice in the last two weeks and I want to put it on the blog soon :)
(here I am cheating a little because with the two jeans I also bought a second hand blazer and a second hand sweater but I sold both of them again alread since I didnt like them anyway)
My much loved pencil skirt from Hess Natur, 100% wool, 100% perfect, I love it and wear it a lot! I wore it on the blog here and I am sure it will make it on the blog again several times this Winter, next Winter and even the Winter after next Winter ;)
I paid 70 Euro (on sale!)
A running shirt and running socks. Not much to say about it, except that they are not second hand and not organic and not fair and I should not have bought them. They were on sale, I thought I need them and I paid 5 Euro for all of it.
Rubber boots! I was looking for rubber boots in years, but either I found them ugly or they were too expensive. These ones were 13 Euro, they are actually riding equipment (I bought them from a sports shop in the horseback riding section) and a friend of mine has the same and she says that they are the best rubber boots she ever owned. I just got them a few days back and since we have super duper sunshine weather, I did not get to wear them yet.
A handbag, second hand, originally from MANGO. I paid 20 euro and I use it a lot. Its really big and perfect for my own things plus the babys toys, diapers etc. ;)
The H&M shirt dress I wrote about above. Not organic, not sustainable, not fair, nothing. But I really needed it for Iran! I wore it in Iran and I am sure I will get to wear it a lot back here in Germany too. Still, I feel bad about having bought it. I paid 20 euro.
So these are my purchases. I did not do super bad nor super good. But I am okay with these two months, because I did better than ever before and thats already something! Its difficult to change habits from one day to the other and I am patient with myself - please be so too :)
I spent a total of 148 euro
(the items I bought and sold again are not included in here)
All in all I actually find it easier than I thought to consume this way! I am thinking more about what I really need and I am searching for more specific things instead of just scrolling through the H&M sales.
I installed an app for second hand sales on my phone and when I feel like scrolling through clothes, I am looking through the second hand clothes on the app and it has the same relaxing effect on me as did the H&M sales site. However, from the second hand things I bought, I sold two (out of five) pieces again because I did not like them anyway, thats a bad rate, I think. I need to get better in this second hand shopping and I will :)!
So, these were my purchases from September and October and from my first two months as a conscious consumer. What do you think about them?
Sending much love and wishing you a great start in the new week!
Here are my July and August purchases...
...as you may remember from this post, I was thinking a lot about my behaviour as a consumer in the past few weeks (also in the past few years but more intense in the past few weeks) and I decided to change my shopping behaviour. I want to shop from organic and fair shops only OR second hand. That is because everything else is not sustainable, is promoting child labor, exploitation etc etc. look at this post for more information.
ANYWAY, in July and early August I bought a few things from "bad brands"... hopefully the last ones of the year. I really hope that I will remain true to myself and adhere to my new principles and I think the blog will help me since it puts some pressure on me - imagine I will post H&M clothes again in my new "My Purchases" post... you guys will never believe in me again then (and I do not want that to happen!)
But now back to my deals:
This one is my favorite one! A really really wonderful super pretty jacket/blazer/kimono/whatever from ZARA which I got on sale for 40€
I love it! I only wore it twice so far because its still too warm to wear it more often - but Fall is around the corner and I will wear it every day as soon as it gets colder :)
This Kimono is from H&M and I got it on sale for 10€. I wore it on the blog here and I wore it a couple of times with jeans or even with my chinos. Its a great basic and I am really happy that I found it (before I decided not to buy H&M any more ;))
These yoga pants are from Amisu and I got them for 10€ I love to pair them with the shirt I was wearing here and I mainly wear them at home :)
These shorts were another H&M sale find. I got them for 5€ and I wore them here and a couple of times during my vacation :)
I spent a total of 65€ which is a lot less than I did in the previous months.
Well yes, this one has hopefully been my last "My Purchases" Post ever which included sale frinds from H&M, Zara, etc.! From now on I will show you second hand finds and new ethical brands :)
How do you like these items? And how do you like the fact that I am no longer going to support the "bad brands"? Do you think this will change my style? I am curious if it going to do so :)
Sending much love and wishing you a wonderful week ahead!
Another post for the "my purchases" series...
As you may have seen in my other my purchases posts, I am doing these posts to analyze what I shopped, how much money I actually spend on clothes, if I bought things that maybe I do not wear that much, if I buy too much in general etc. etc. its just a critical analysis of my shopping behavior.
So... in May I did not shop at all! Hurray! I was so busy with my new born baby and all the guests my baby was having that there was no stime for shopping. Hurray hurray. But then - June came and I had a lot of time, laying on the sofa with the little one and looking through online shops while she was sleeping on my chest. So this led to a little bit of exaggeration....
I made a first order at H&M (I was attracted by all these pieces on sale. Like always ;)) and I purchased my much much loved black boots, a skirt, a dress, a long sleeve blouse and two short sleeves blouses. I have been wearing the dress and the boots, the skirt, and the long sleeve blouse on the blog. I was wearing the two short sleeve blosues too, several times even, but somehow they did not make it on my blog yet. I spent 104 Euro on the entire order (40 euro for the boots on sale, 20 euro for the dress and around 10 euro for each of the other pieces)
After this H&M order I thought I better do not shop at all anymore... but then I went to the thrift shop where they had this crazy "everything for 2 euro" sale! How could I resists?
I could not! So I bought a light coat, a kind-of blazer, a blouse, a pair of jeans and a silk blouse which I forgot to capture for the picutre, but which already made it on my blog here. I was also wearing the jeans and the blazer on my blog and also off my blog (quite often actually) and the pink coat became one of my favorites too. I did not yet wear the blouse. Maybe it was a bad pick, I am not sure yet. Anyway, 5 pieces 10 euro. I guess thats what is called a good deal!
Now, I really thought that enough shopping was done. But... I am a registered member on this website where they sell stuff from different brands for less. I rarely check the site but at some point I must have checked a box saying that I want to be reminded whenever MANGO is on sale. Well, at least I received an email telling me that MANGO was on sale and that I better go and check out the offers. I had no choice, basically, I had to take a look... and I had to order two blouses, two shirts some shorts. I really needed some pink shirts, and I really wanted the pretty blouses and the awesome shorts. So yes, another 52 euro were gone for this one. The package just arrived a few days ago (the shipping always takes around a month...) so I did not get the chance to put any outfits with these pretty pieces on the blog yet. But I have been wearing one of the pink shirts yesterday and we took some pictures so it will probably be in my next post :)
Okay, so after this one, I decided that it REALLY was enough! So many new pieces already. I had to go through my closet, talk to the second hand shop and sell some old pieces of mine to make space for all the new-ins. So it really was enough. I was convinced that I will not buy more... until my husband asked me to order some new swimming shorts and light sweaters for Summer at H&M for him (I love doing shopping for him so thats why...). Well, long story short, its always better to order more (since shipping costs stay the same), so a grey pencil skirt (I was looking for one like this for soooo long!), an oversized blouse and two shorts entered my closet. I love all of these pieces so much that I do not even feel guilty about spending even more money (46 euro for these four pieces, blouse and skirt on sale!). The shorts already made it on blog. I was also wearing the skirt the other day and I wanted to take some pictures but somehow it did not work out. But I am sure it will make it on my blog soon, like the blouse which I love love love!
So the bad news is: I spent 212 euro on clothes in only one month (since I did not shop anything in May) which is above my average and which is pretty much for me.
The good news is: I really really REALLY love every single of these pieces sooooo much (with the exception of the black blouse from the second hand shop which was 2 euro only) and I cannot feel guilty of having spend so much money because the joy over the new-ins definetly predominates!
Do you also tend to shop a lot more in the beginning of Summer than in any other time of the year? I happens to me every year :)
I hope you enjoyed this post and I wanted to shout out a huge THANK YOU for all the thoughtful, understanding and confirming comments on my last post! They made me incredibly happy and I am so so grateful for you guys!
Sending much love!
In March and April a few new pieces entered my wardrobe...
... and as I shared in my last my purchases post I want to share my purchases on my blog, to be able to get a better overview of what I buy, what I really like and what I maybe should not have bought.
So here are my March and April purchases:
A floral sweater from C&A on sale - 4 Euro - I LOVE it! I wear it a looooot :) I posted one outfit with it and it may make it on my blog again...
Two shirts from the Lands End online shop - 20 Euro each - I also LOVE them I wear them a lot, also during pregnancy. Cant wait to see what they look like on me now that the belly is gone. I am sure they will make it in an outfit post very soon.
Two blouses on sale from the ONLY online shop: 15 Euro each - LOVE them! I was wearing the right one today (now it finally fits!) and I wore the left one a lot during pregnancy and will of course also wear it a lot now that the belly is gone.
A blazer and a blouse from sheinside (for free)- you can find the blazer here and the blouse here - I love both pieces! I was not yet able to wear them outside (today was the first day where I went outside the house!) but I will very soon and they will certainly be on my blog again very soon.
And then I also got a few accessoires... like these four scarfs, all on sale from C&A for 2,50 Euro each!
And these shoes for some 25 Euro - I was badly in need for a pair of black shoes! They are absolutely comfy and I wear them almost every day these days!
I also got a hand bag on sale from C&A for some 6 Euro which you can see in this post
Total: 115 Euro
I am quite happy with what I bought this month and last month - I did not spend too much money and I got only things I really really love! I actually ordered a lot more from ONLY and Lands End but I ended up sending almost everything back since I really want to learn to keep only the items I truely love. My husband had to help me a little but I managed in the end to send almost everything back ;)
Compared to my last "my purchases" post, I spent a little more in March in April but still, I think, not too much. Also, I love the things I bought in these two months much more than the ones I got in January and February (when looking back at them now...). I am really happy with my purchases and I hope the next two months will go at least as good as these two :)
How did you do this month with your shopping? Did you get a few new items for Spring into your wardrobe?
As annouced, here comes my first "my purchases" post...
... I want to make these posts to be able to analyze my purchases better, to learn more about the way I consume, to question what I consume and to figure out if I buy too much, the right pieces and those kind of things. I also want to analyze how much money I spend on clothing and shoes (and maybe on clothes I do not even wear!?)
So here we go... in Janury and February 2015 I bought (or got) the following new clothes:
1. A poncho and a coat from Sheinside (for free) - I got both pieces around a week ago and wore both of them once so far.
2. Two oversized sweaters from the thrift shop (1 euro each = 2 euros) - I got both sweaters around four weeks ago and did not yet wear them!
3. A dress and an embedded t-shirt from H&M on sale (the dress for 10 euros, the t-shirt for 7euros) - I got both pieces around five weeks ago, I wore the dress twice and the t-shirt not even once so far...
4. From an online order in the H&M sale shop I got two turtleneck sweaters, an embedded t-shirt, a pair of pants (which is for after pregnancy...), a light pink cardigan and an embedded skirt (total 50 euros). I got all of this around three weeks ago and I wore everything (except for the pants) at least once, the sweaters both twice and the cardigan like once or twice a week.
5. A flower blazer from PROMOD which I bought on sale in early January (10 euros) - I did not wear it yet since its more a Spring and Summer piece...
6. A super comfy maternity jeans and some maternity leggings from the online thrift-shop for pregnant woman (http://www.mamikreisel.de/) (12 euros for everything) - I got these some two weeks ago, I wore the jeans once and the leggings almost every day.
Total spending: 91euros
I forgot to take a picture of a maternity skirt and a blouse which I swapped on http://www.mamikreisel.de/ and, hence, did not pay for. I wore both pieces at least twice.
Now, what do I think about my first purchases overview - first of all, I was afraid that I would have spend MUCH more money and I am somehow really relieved to see that I did not spend much at all (especially when looking at the amount of new clothes in my wardrobe). Then, I have to say that I did actually wear most of the things I bought at least once so far and I think this is quite good. I seem to have some problems with the embedded t-shirts but I think I will wear them more when the weather is getting better.
It was actually a lot of fun to make this post and I like to look back at my purchases. I am happy Kate inspired me to do this :)
I wish you all a most wonderful weekend and lots of sunshine and fun! I have my cousin over for the weekend and we will be busy exploring the city and checking out all these delicious vegan places to eat (he is vegan too and there are not that many vegan places to eat where he lives).
