I buy a lot of stuff - maybe too much stuff. I love having new things but I hate spending money which are two emotions that rarely work hand in hand. Since I am a student I like to keep on budget but I enjoy shopping and it's so easy to fall into the trap of 'treating yourself' every single weekend, now I have figured out how to 'treat myself' whenever I feel like it and seeing some people on my social medias worrying about spending money, I wanted to share my little hacks and tips to get yourselves them nice things.
I recently was introduced to sustainable fashion and learnt about the detrimental effects that fast fashion has on the planet and the people who make these clothes that we're all buying - I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that I had no idea the effect me buying clothes had on everything else. I want to share the ways I buy sustainably to show how easy it is, when I heard about the idea of sustainable clothing it was daunting to say the least but after reading up about this movement I realised how I could adapt and incorporate it into my shopping habits. These tips are sustainable friendly but I'm still not 100% sustainable yet, probably not even 50% - forgive me please.
CHARITY SHOPS
I live in charity shops, I absolutely love them. I put aside whole days to rummage around all the charity shops where I live and it normally pays off, sometimes you have disappointments and find nothing good but it's always an adventure and you'll see some questionable items which make you laugh. Clothes, shoes, accessories, homeware, furniture - you'll find pretty much everything. Every single handbag I own is from a charity shop and they're all such unique accessories that I've never seen on anyone else. That's my favourite part of second hand, you'll always find something that you've never seen before and may never see again - plus it's super affordable!
When shopping in charity shops you need to have an open mind, something may not look 'trendy' or you may think you won't suit the style but trying to fit pieces you find into your everyday style is part of the fun, and if you don't wear it you can just re-donate it.
Most of my furniture was found at the charity shop too, I furnished my entire flat for less than £400 which is basically unheard of. My favourite, most recent purchase from the charity shop is a cream, ribbed wrap around midi dress from TopShop which still had the tags in it and was only £10! Love it. Sustainable and ethical fashion is key, by re-purposing clothes not only will you save money and look cute but the planet and the people on it will thank you.
UPCYCLING
This little tip comes in conjunction with the charity shop 'hack'. When buying from a charity shop the price is so good that you can afford to make changes and personalise that object, even more affordable if you're up cycling your own old clothes. Wether it's cropping a t-shirt, dying the clothes a different colour, painting furniture, adding new knobs onto drawers - if you mess up there isn't too much disappointment as the original product was so cheap! Most of my tops are cropped mens shirts. It's easy to find tutorials on YouTube about how to up-cycle clothes and furniture so there's not much of an excuse to not do it.
FACEBOOK/GUMTREE/ECT..
Facebook things for sale, Shpock and Gumtree are great, I've used them to sell clothes that I had spent too much money on to justify giving it away to a charity shop. Finding designer or more high-end clothing for sale on these apps and websites is easy and people tend to drop the price after bargaining with them as they want the item gone quickly. Lots of people I've spoken to don't like the idea of buying second hand this way as the items may not be as clean as they could be but that's an easy fix especially if you're buying something for less than half the retail price.
VINTAGE SHOPS
(The Old Bakehouse Antiques Centre - Northampton)
I love vintage and antique shops, there are so many hidden gems and I just love the idea that what I've bought has a story behind it and that I'm continuing that story. I was bought up in an antique filled home and my parents own two antique shops which is dangerous for me as whenever I visit them I buy more stuff that I probably can't fit in my tiny flat. My favourite vintage purchase is a 1960's Parker Knowles arm chair in a beautiful light green velvet fabric that is just the most amazing thing ever. Antique and vintage items are also an investment, you know that you can sell whatever you buy on to someone else as antiques never loose their value. There are so many vintage shops and they're always run by such enthusiastic wonderful people, there are no chain vintage shops so you know the money that you spend is going to someone good.
Best car boot sale story I've heard is a woman finding one of the old costumes belonging to The Supremes for €70 and returning it to Millie Wilson. Insane. That would never happen if fast fashion continues to take over. I won't lie, when I think of a car Boot sale I think of hundreds of people selling their kids old toys, but sometimes you'll find those gems that you fall in love with. I now think of car boot sales more like pop up charity shops, it's a cheap day out where you can wonder through old memories and maybe find something you would've never found elsewhere. You'll find car boot sales everywhere and they happen so often, especially now its summer.
To learn more about sustainable fashion here's a couple links that helped me:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXOd4qh3JKk
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL24zxFHJX5pn2eePsCTu6-K9HrKVNopx7
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPM9lhackHw
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