The Crazy £100 Clothes Challenge

fairynuff27

Hi Lula-Hula

Can I join in please?

I made a new year's resolution to only buy secondhand this year - both for financial and ecological reasons, and because so much of the cheap stuff I buy is made in sweat shops in such horrendous conditions, my conscience couldn't take it anymore! I write a blog called Secondhand Shopper too - only seems right I should live up to the title!

I have bought two dresses in sales for the four weddings I have to attend in 2009, one from the Coast sale for £35 and one from the Laura Ashley Outlet sale for £24, BOGOF so actually £12, and I have put the BOGOF dress on Ebay so should hopefully make the money back. Does this £47 come out of my special occasion contingency? Hope so!

I have another question too. Can the £100 be boosted - for example, I cleared out my closet not long ago and put loads of stuff on Ebay. Can the money I made from selling old clothes on Ebay be used to buy new clothes? I hope so as have spent about £17 already this year out of my profits!

prudence41

Count me in too! I have too many clothes and/or not enough wardrobe space so the £100 challenge is perfect timing.

Good luck to everyone.

The_Ubiquitous_Mrs_Smith

Hello! Last year I realised how much clothing I have in my wardrobe and the amount of consumerism going on and decided not to buy anything (not even shoes!) for the whole year. It was painful at times but I did it! :j And I found some fab ways of wearing items that I wouldn't have thought about. I have had a bit on a splurge ove the last month or so (all ebay bargains and stuff that I really needed so they don't really count!) so I think I'll be up for this challange this year (as long as it starts when the things I'm watching on ebay have finished!).

Some things I've learnt over the last year are:
1) Plan your outfit the night before. When you have a limited amount of clothes it can be heard to feel inspired when you're running late in the morning. To avoid wearing the same thing all the time spend 15 minutes messing about with different things the night before. You'll be surprised what goes and what new outfits you cna create.
2) Make a list of what you wear or what you are missing eg one thing I very quickly realised I was missing in wardrobe was a pair of sensible winter boots. They were one of the first things I bought when my year was over. It'll avoid the issue of buying somethign and still having nothing to wear!
3) If you decide to spend money on an item make sure it goes with several things in your wardrobe so you can get lots of wear from it. I have a few fabolous items which I very rarely wear because they just don't go with anything. What a waste.
4) Buy well, not cheap. That bargain shirt from primark isn't such a bargain when you can only wear it three times before it falls apart.
5) Ebay out of season. Pick up bargains for your summer holidays now!
6) Keep seperate wardrobes or rotate your clothing. You don't need huge amounts of clothes to do this but if you swop your clothes every three months or so it'll seem like you have a whole new wardrobe! I keep a seperate work and home wardrobe which also helps keep work and home seperate.
7) When you do decide to buy, look over the item very carefully. If there are any faults ask for a discount. I recently bought a coat from Monsoon (again something I did need), originally £120 but discounted down to £70. The belt was slightly damaged so they sold it to me for £20. I just replaced the belt with a ribbon. Looks better than the belt anyway!

Over the year I learnt that I don't need more than one black skirt, having six doens't make me happier, if anything it made me stressed by all the stuff I have that I don't need. Without sounding too hippyish it actually made me re-evaluate what I need and helped me to identify what I wanted and why. This in turn actually challenged some long held beliefs I had. I ended up taking a large chunk of my wardrobe to the charity shop and this then went onto the rest of the house and I got rid of sooo much stuff because I relaised I felt "lighter" without it. It was definately worth doing and has given me a new outlook. That might sound seriously OTT espeically if all you're doing is wanting to save a bit of money but personally I found my year of not shopping surprisingly enlightening and very detoxing.

janey07

Hi Lula
Please add my name to the list-I love a challenge!

Lula-Hula

fedupandskint wrote: »

Lula - it was sashanut not NO BRAIN (unless they saw my post on that thread!):D

Anyway I have just updated my spending diary and realised in Jan I declared £12 on pjamas - do these count out of the £100 total? If so I will stay on my current total. If not could you add £12 onto my total left to make £71.50?

Just let me know what is right. Am off to repair a hole in a jumper underarm seam I would have thrown away previously, but not now due to wanting to make clothes last longer!:D

ohhhh sorry am so rubbish at stuff like reading posts & remembering what's in them 2 seconds later :rolleyes: .

Pyjamas definitely do not count so will update your total.

Clothes are things that you can wear on their own to go out in public ie : not underwear, footwear, accessories, coats or sleepwear
although I should add that if you choose to go out wearing a bra, boots, belt & hat & nothin else ... that is entirely up to you :eek: :rotfl:

Fairynuff - welcome & as to upping your allowance by selling old unwanted stuff, absolutely . It's money you have created rather than just spent. We discussed this in post 247 - page 13 I think & I did make a declaration... perhaps I should put that on first page. Quite agree with you regarding the ethical & environmental aspects... bothers me too

Trouble is that all the western world clothes we dump are actually killing off traditional garments & hence crafts & work in places like Africa as people there are buying up what we chuck out & selling it in markets. The world is becoming far too homogeneous & it's so sad We're doing a good thing people :A as well as saving ourselves money :rolleyes:

Lula-Hula

The ubiquitous Mrs. smith - welcome & you're a woman after my own heart re your routines

Welcome too janey -07 No more members until I've had a chance to update again please

fedupandskint

Thanks wonderful Lula!:j

Looks like the thread has an influx of new members following the 'tip of the week'!

Hard work for you at the moment managing this thread - all my heartfelt thanks sent to you for doing this!:A

kdalwayskint

Can I join this please?

Better late than never hey???!!!

My dad got me a Debenhams voucher for £50 at christmas and so far I have only spent £20 off it!

I have spent some cash on clothes this year, but its usually from tesco and only if its been reduced!!!

I am a bit thrifty, was made redundant in November, and a couple of weeks ago I went to our local thrift shop, and bought a black satin bed set for £4 bargain!!! seeing I've wanted one for ages!!!

sorry rambling!

so as I have started late, do I run for a year till this time next year or do I start with a reduced amount?

Oh and found this from the weekly newsletter I get!

sarahb123_3

Ooh Lula, looks like your fame is spreading:j

I totally agree, Ubiquitous Mrs Smith, about feeling stressed by how much stuff you have, I used to think it was great to have many clothes, but you do start to feel "crushed" by it all. well done on holding out for a year on the winter boots:D

I have a week off from work next week and am going to bag up all the things I don't need and either take them to the charity shop or to the clothes recycling bin at the supermarket. Does anyone know which one will be more beneficial ie environmentally/socially or do they end up in the same place? Not sure if the recycle bin contents just gets given to a charity shop/refuge/disposed of.

Lula-Hula

Hi kdalwayskint & welcome

hmmm will let you choose as I'm rubbish at making decisions ... Did you know that gift vouchers dont count :j .

Sarah - hello I tend to give anything that's wearable to a charity shop & anything that's a bit tatty to the textile recycling...I checked out a site & apparently it all gets broken down & remade into new stuff :j I think it's traidcraft.... As long as it doesnt get given to scurrilous people posing as a charity I dont really mind.

I actually love doing this thread fedupandskint, but thanks for the thanks anyway :A too. I love the way that it's evolving too although people who post & say they never spend that amount on clothes anyway make me feel very extragavant :rotfl:

bye for now
lula
xx