I like stuff. I like buying pretty clothes and wearing them. I like decorating my home with pretty things. But more and more I keep thinking about how much stuff there is out in the world… and in my house.
Don’t worry, I’m not about to start trying to sell you on some sort of minimalist lifestyle where I survive on one outfit for 60 days or anything. I’m just venting because I have a lot of feelings about this right now.
I guess it started with the annual Nordstrom sale. Every year, I feel like I’m inundated with Nordstrom sale posts on blogs and Instagram. Buy. Buy. BUY! And every year I feel so turned off by it.
Every time I go on Poshmark, it’s more and more STUFF. And yes, I know I could just avoid it… but I have items listed and don’t want to miss a random question or offer.
Every time I open Instagram, someone is posting a brand new outfit and linking through likeittoknowit to encourage me to purchase it too. Unfollow. Unfollow. Unfollow.
Every time I check into a particular Buy/Sell Facebook group, women are bragging that they just ordered 9 more pairs of shoes… spending over $1,000 ON SHOES. Mute. Mute. Mute.
Even though I unsubscribed from all store emails back in April, every time I place an order at Old Navy for my son’s clothing, I then receive 5 sale emails within a week to encourage me to buy more. UNSUBSCRIBE.
I’m not against buying things!
I like to buy things.
I’m just getting really sick of this constant MORE MORE MORE messaging.
On my end, I’ve toned down any type of ‘new stuff’ posts on the blog. I’ve gotten more into second-hand finds and purging what I’m no longer in love with. I encourage you all to try thrifting (because it’s awesome and reduces waste in the world too).
I try really hard not to say ‘you NEED this!’ because usually it’s not a necessity. I very rarely buy anything retail and if I do, 95% of the time it’s on sale. I’m trying to be more thoughtful about my purchases. I do love my Rothy’s, but I wait until I have enough referral credits before I add a new pair to my shopping cart.
I don’t have a hard and fast “one in one out” policy with my purchases… but I do continuously keep on top of items that don’t make me feel great about myself and I regularly sell or donate.
I started using Feedly to organize my blog reading so that I could avoid clicking on any blatant buy buy buy posts (including ALL of them about the Nordstrom sale). I didn’t need the temptation and honestly didn’t want to reward the bloggers with clicks on their Nordstrom sale posts.
It is fine if I go searching for something in particular to purchase, but I didn’t need the constant lure of stuff I didn’t need.
I guess that’s the point that I’m trying to get to… buying things isn’t bad. Having nice things isn’t bad. I’m just so sick of the constant advertising to buy more and more and more.
Here’s the thing. Like I said before, I like pretty things. And I am one of those people who share my outfit photos on Instagram (but I don’t link to the items to purchase).
I occasionally will include links to items in a blog post if I love them, in case you wanted to know where I got something. I’m not trying to encourage people to buy, buy, buy… but I admit, it could come off that way.
I’d love to know your thoughts on this!
I could not agree more. Keeping retail emails out is an ongoing struggle. I try to purchase any toys for my daughters on garage sale sites and use thredup and second hand stores as much as possible-especially for kids clothes.
I like fashion/style blogs for inspiration on how to maximize my style with what I have not to sell me more stuff. What I’ve always appreciated about your trunk club and other style service posts is your approach to working them into your current closet. That was a helpful tip for me in my purchases. If it doesn’t work with what I have already it doesn’t join my closet.
Thank you, so glad you find that helpful! Jack is finally at an age where he is less interested in toys and more into stuff like art supplies, Legos and video games. I occasionally find some awesome, never used craft kits at the thrift store!
That has been a big help for me, too. I had so many solo outfits, solo, because they didn’t coordinate with anything else. I know, that it is good to have a few of these stand alone things, but it makes it difficult if that’s all you have! It takes some patience to figure out what goes with what, but it is satisfying when you have something that can be worn with with almost everything. Time saver!
Thrifting has helped me with fill in pieces, purses,and good brand dresses, that would be out of my league, elsewhere.
YES! I’ve gotten much better at making sure an item can go with a few existing outfits before I buy it!
Hi Joules,
I’ve been reading so many things about ‘sustainable fashion’ and I was thinking how I could apply this in my own wardrobe and how I could contribute to my community. There was a time in my life that I was so down and thought retail therapy helped but honestly the clutter made things worst. Right now, I’m trying to not buy things and donate what I don’t need. I repeat what I wear, re-styling and re-purposing old clothes and things and I am happier 🙂
That’s great! I’ve been getting really good about purging things I no longer need too!