Kicking off a No Buy January

And some of the reasons why you might also consider a shopping pause

Happy New Year! I hope your January is off to a good start. I have gone through the motions this week - successfully easing back into our routine while simultaneously being confused about what day it is every morning. Sign of a good prolonged break, I guess! I’m on the precipice of starting a big new project at work, and the anticipation is killer. I’m at the point where I’m just really ready to get started so I can stop thinking and planning and actually dig in. It should come soon enough!

---

If you follow me on instagram, then you might already know that I set a goal for myself to do a no-buy January. This is something I’ve done for the past several years - starting the year off with a month of no shopping. In fact, two years ago, my first Substack, (when I was writing to myself - literally, I was the one email recipient!) was about a January shopping pause.

This year, in addition to doing a no-buy January, I am going to document the experience - why I’m doing it, what I wear, what I hope to get out of it, and what I actually learn. I’m collaborating with my friend

Claire Wiley

who has great personal style and is extremely committed to building a lifelong wardrobe of quality items that she actually wears. We’re sharing the outfits & process on Instagram & TikTok using the hashtag #newyearsamecloset24 (you should use it too if you want to follow along or join in!) I’m leaning into the cringe and capturing more of my outfits on video - and I would love to hear what you think!

In previous years, my motivation for this exercise has been financial more than anything else - after a November/December of high spending, I need to reign it in a bit in January. This year, I am glad for the financial benefits, but my main motivation is to use this as an opportunity to get clear on what I want to add to my closet in 2024.

By getting dressed every day this month, wearing old faithful outfits, and experimenting with some new ways of putting things that I already have together, I hope to develop a clearer understanding of the “state of my wardrobe” so to speak. By that, I mean, understanding what I have enough of, what I have that I’m not wearing, and what I don’t have but I wish I did.

After having my third baby last June, I am eager to continue to evolve and refine my personal style, especially now that I’m not dressing to accommodate a pregnancy or the initial postpartum period. (To be clear, I am still very much postpartum, it will probably take me a whole year to feel like I’m not, and maybe longer depending on how long I nurse. But, I am out of the early, early days!) I want to build my style muscle and get better at putting together interesting outfits that feel true to me. I want to take my own advice and wear the things that I have carefully and lovingly added to my closet because those things are meant to be worn! I also have a few investment purchases on my wishlist for 2024, and those purchases aren’t going to happen unless I make a conscious effort to save up for them!

At the end of the month, I plan to refine/update my quarterly wishlist and my “someday/maybe/splurge” purchase list, have a refreshed list of wardrobe gaps, and better sense of the things that I am never reaching for so I can decide if they still belong in my closet. I hope that all of this “strategizing” will help me get better at purchasing things that I actually want, am going to wear, and love (eg: are true to my personal style).

A look at the current state of my quarterly/seasonal wishlist. TBH it needs a lot of updating, most obviously we are not in the fall anymore, but because I knew I was going to be sharing it & working on updating it this month, I haven’t touched it in awhile. I’m curious to see how much changes by the time I’m done with this exercise.

My hypothesis is (okay, my hope is!) that with a little upfront strategic planning, it will be easier for me to stick to a plan that improves my wardrobe over the course of the year, while also leaving room for fun with my clothes, future purchases, and style overall - because this (by this, I mean getting dressed and refining my personal style, I mean) is meant to bring me joy! If it just becomes an exercise in creating a plan and then executing perfectly against it, I know the fun will disappear for me - so I am mindful of that line.

So, that’s why I’m doing it. Like any good strategic planner (if you didn’t already know I work in management consulting), I started with my vision!

Why you might consider a no-shop exercise

But, obviously, that’s not the only reason to do a no-buy challenge of any kind. This substack is about me, but it’s also about you (thanks for being here). So, why might you (or anyone), consider a no-buy exercise?

You might want to:

• Start the year off with extra $ in the bank!

• Save up for a big purchase

• Reset after shopping a lot for holiday gifts and for yourself

• Focus on what you have and practice gratitude for those things

• Have fewer things in your closet

• Practice saying no to yourself when you want something versus just immediately buying it

• Practice delayed gratification

• Understand what you like and don’t like about the things you currently have in your closet

• Figure out what you wear and are excited about versus the things you might want to donate or sell

• Identify actual gaps and needs in your wardrobe

• Hone in on your own personal style sweet spot

• Make getting dressed easier and more fun

From social media in general, my Instagram DMs, other content on Substack, and comments on previous pieces I’ve written, I know that getting dressed feels very complicated for a lot of people (Part 1 of my tips to make it easier here).

Maybe you feel like you don’t like your clothes, maybe you’re confused or unsure about what’s “in,” (FYI it doesn’t matter, all that matters is how YOU feel when you wear your clothes), maybe you are overwhelmed by the amount of stuff in your closet and have decision fatigue, or maybe you feel like the things you have don’t reflect where you are in life right now.

Whatever the reason, if you are trying to make it easier and more enjoyable to get dressed and find your personal style, the answer is probably not going to come from more stuff (at least not JUST more stuff). The answer might include a bit of a pause in consumption so that you can understand what you love, will wear, already have, and might need in the future. I’m not saying it’s going to solve everything. Just like no single purchase is going to unlock your wardrobe, not shopping probably isn’t going to solve everything either. But I do think it will help a lot!

To be clear, I’m not hating on impulse purchases. I create room for the right kind of impulse purchases in my quarterly wishlists. (You can read about it here if you’re interested - but basically – when you know what you need you can have a wishlist that includes specific items - like, I want a specific pair of shoes, and more general items  - I need a unique sweater that I could wear with jeans and with trousers or skirts. That way - when you stumble upon something that fits the bill of the sweater you are shopping for - you can snap it up instantly - without regret.) I also know that I am going to make an impulse purchase from time to time and that’s great, I’m not going to beat myself up about it. I’m also not going to create rigid rules for no reason. Like I said, this is meant to be fun!

I’m also not hating on buying things. I’m not hating on new things. I love to shop! I love to collect, curate, etc. I pretty much only make money off of what I do here & on social media write now when people purchase from the links I share (it’s a very small amount, but it’s also the only way I make money!) In other words, I’m not planning on stopping. However, I am continuing to be conscious and intentional with my shopping. And to not use buying something new as a bandaid for when I’m feeling bad, or gross, or tired, or like I just need a confidence boost. Or, at least, not the only bandaid. There is something really special about some good retail therapy every once in awhile, I just don’t want it to be the only “tool in my toolbox” so to speak.

---

So, now that I’ve drained the swamp with my reasons for doing this, and other reasons why it might make sense if you’re curious, let’s get into what I wore this week. We’re just a few days in, so this is a short outfit diary, but, here we go.

PS - If you are looking for exact or similar items to anything I’m wearing, I am documenting my outfits in my ShopMy page.

Day 1: Questioning the decision to start on January 1

Denim Shirt (Similar, $80) / Shirt ($75) / Pants ($164) / Loafers (available in black, $328)

After spending a weekend on the cape for New Years with 6 adults and 7 kids (under the age of 5), I was very, very, very tired. I’m obsessed with these Donni pants (the Rib Kick Flare, PS not an affiliate link bc they don’t have an affiliate offering through the platform I am most commonly using, but useful for me to track clicks), and they are the perfect pant for when you want or need to wear pants, but not hard ones. I put together a bunch of ways to style them here. Paired with a simple long sleeve, and oversized denim shirt, socks, and loafers. I will also wear them like this I felt like I got dressed…so I could count down the minutes until all my dependents were sleeping and I could finally be horizontal.

Day 2: Proof that Brown & Black Make Sense

Blazer ($348) / Sweater (similar, $138) / Belt ($60)/ Jeans ($98) / Boots ($250)

This is a comfort outfit for me. I love these jeans. They are the first pair I bought for myself postpartum when most of my other jeans didn’t fit. It’s a new style for me and I think they just look really great on everyone. I’m itching for another color, and maybe also the full length style. Plus, they have just the teensiest bit of stretch which is just…nice, you know?! I paired with a very comfortable grey wool sweater and a blazer to add some interest. I can’t wait to wear the blazer with a black turtleneck later this winter - the herringbone fabric has black thread woven through it, to add some additional proof that black and brown are a great pairing. And these shoes feels sophisticated and feminine, but the tiny kitten heel makes them supremely comfortable and walkable!

Day 3: Scandi-Core / WFH Uniform

Jacket ($27) / Sunnies ($140) / Sweater, old (similar, $195) / Jeans ($158) / Loafers ($175)

I’m obsessed with this Fair Isle sweater. It’s from J.Crew last year (I got my daughter a matching one and it’s really just TOO CUTE!) When I shared it a couple weeks before Christmas on Instagram I must have received over 50 DMs asking about it! Unfortunately the Fair Isle from this year is a different vibe. HOWEVER, Alex Mill made one that is very similar. Just saying! I wear this sweater with skirts, trousers, etc. In general - my winter WFH uniform is jeans and a sweater. Not the most exciting, I know, but some days you just need to put on real clothes and feel comfortable. It’s okay, not every outfit is going to be perfect! (All items + similar linked here)

Day 4: Preppy, Ladylike & Ready for the Office (even though I was working from home!)

Button Down ($37) / Sweater ($278) / Belt ($21) / Pants (old, similar ($85) / Socks ($15) / Flats (similar, $120)

I liked this one! I fell asleep on Wednesday night thinking about how I could push myself to come up with something a little bit better and a little more special, while still feeling like myself! I am wearing a white button down (I really like this one from Old Navy - it’s a thinner fabric, making it great for layering - I bought in during most recent pregnancy and wore it constantly throughout, immediately postpartum and still wear it now. I added a navy crewneck sweater over that, plus a fun pearl strand that I’ve had for a long time. The pants are “silk” pants, old from H&M. I know these silky trousers/pj pants are very “in” right now, but this is a forever style for me - I love a high-waisted, wide-er leg pull-on pant. I wear these casually, out to dinner, for work. They’re great! Added a belt, plus socks and ballet flats as my finishing touches. I think this outfit would look really cool with a pop of color sock or pantyhose socks, but I don’t have them, so we are working with what we have!

---

If you have considered or are curious about doing a no-buy challenge of some kind, I would love to hear from you! I have been inspired by a few other writers on Substack who have chronicled their learnings and experiences from doing a clothing spending freeze of some kind - including

Kelly Williams | Any Given Day

who chronicled her no buy experiment that just wrapped. I really loved her post on merchandising your closet (Which coincidentally I talked about in my TikTok on Day 3!). Kind of how you can’t manage what you can’t measure, you can’t wear what you can’t see! It’s a great suggestion, and a tip that I would eventually like to cover in my series on how to make getting dressed easier.

Thank you for reading!

Thank you for taking the time to read this post, I am so glad you are here. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy creating it. If you like what you’re reading, please consider:

📱 Screenshotting your favorite part of this newsletter and share it on Instagram. Be sure to tag @ct_shopguide and I’d love for you to follow!

💌 Forwarding this email to a friend

👩‍💻 Commenting and liking this post on Substack!

All products highlighted are chosen by me, and some may be affiliate links. Your support is appreciated!