Pinch Punch First Day Of The Month
I love September. It brings a new fresh start. A mini New-Year as it were. It also brings with it, cosy jumpers, cheese & red wine, nights in and pyjamas. Which quite frankly I'm a fan of.
It makes me excited for what I can achieve. For new opportunities. To tick off some of the hundreds of goals that whirl around my head daily.
As I was sat having a coffee this morning, flicking through my 30 before 30 list (that is yet to have anything ticked off). It dawned on me that I need to make quite a big change in my life.
This year's been a weird year for me. A very weird year. I know I've banged on about it enough! When I'm feeling out of sorts I find comfort in a parcel arriving at my door. Clothes are a passion of mine and they make me happy. They're my identity. However, my pot of money is slowly diminishing, whilst I'm in the midst of changing my job role and pretty much an unemployed freelancer.
I've completed No Spend November in the past and it genuinely worked really well. But this time I'm going bigger. I'm doing No Spend Last Quarter. I haven't really nailed the term yet but we can come back to it later!
I'm lucky enough to have a wardrobe bursting of beautiful clothes and I need to learn to re-style and fall in love with some of them again.
So from today, I make this my pledge that I will not be purchasing anything new for myself until the New Year. OH MY GOD I AM MAD AND MY PALMS ARE SWEATING!
The only items I'm allowing myself to buy is an outfit for a very special dinner in October and potentially a New Years party. Also, maybe an exception if my fave pair of jeans split at the crotch #chunkythighprobs.
I will continue to share my lust lists with you, I can window shop. I just can't purchase. If I'm lucky enough to be gifted clothes then that will be shared. However, I won't be purchasing anything new other than the exceptions above. I will do my best to find clothes that are virtually the same to the ones that I share.
As a fashion and lifestyle blogger this is quite a tricky task to undertake. I play a role, in which I'm hopefully relatable to you. I've taken on a role that can be seen as superficial, with a huge amount of pressure. Pressure to be ahead of the game. To be the first. This isn't an easy decision to make and could cost me an awful lot of followers. Seeing as you come to my Instagram to see what's in the shops etc for a size 16. However, I felt and wanted to be open about my financial status - I can't really keep up with the Jones' at the moment. And it's cool, this won't be forever. Just the here and now. GAH - it's mega hard admitting that the money you once had isn't there anymore. I think I need to discuss this in another post.
I hope you can appreciate that this is not only a challenge for myself - a self confessed shopaholic. It's also a mini pledge to do my bit for the planet. The amount of ASOS packets I have gone through in my time is shameful.
I'm not asking you to join me and not treat yourselves - you deserve to. I'm just hoping that it means we start focusing on quality over quantity. I definitely am slowly learning this, but fast fashion has got to me. Instant gratification.
I'm also hoping that as I've put this 'out there' I kind of have to stick to it.
So expect some outfit reinventions over the next couple of months. Hopefully I can be a modern day 'make-do and mender'. Unlikely. But who knows, maybe I'll have a capsule wardrobe by next year?!
Sophie x