10 down... 2 to go....

I am almost done with my shopping ban...  or am I?  After everything that happened this year, I am pretty sure the shopping ban will be a permanent lifestyle change!!! But more on that at the actual end of my shopping ban.

Right now, I would like to go into details about one of the rules I had set for myself in this shopping ban... the one rule that was really difficult for me to follow...

The one about buying 2nd hand first!

Where I come from... I was, unfortunately, thought that 2nd hand clothes.... or 2nd hand anything were for poor people....  it was not really hygienic to wear second hand clothes... and that stayed in my head for the longest time!!!! I am ashamed to say it today... but as I am always honest with you guy, I must admit it...

Later, much later in life, I met this awesome, always very well dress, and quite wealthy woman who confined in me that most of her clothes were second hand... and that revelation changed the way I saw things...  she was doing it to avoid using "new resources" from the earth and THAT I loved!

At that point, I tried going into thrift stores... but I could not bring myself to buy anything...  but at least, I would walk into them....  that was a start. As I have a tendency to not give up, I continued going into them...  but always by myself with my pre-conceived notion in the back of my head...  Eventually, I moved to Moncton and this other woman I met told me that ALL her clothes (OK maybe 98% of them) came from the thrift stores or were hand-me-down... because she did not wanted to spend money on clothes... and she could not "afford" it only because her priorities were travelling! That was another eye-opener to me...

I knew I took a HUGE pay cut working in a coffee shop part-time compared to a big full time corporate job...  I also knew I was MUCH happier and at peace living this life...and I enjoy having free time maybe even more so then shopping excessively... but I LOVE clothes...  no matter how much I try telling myself that it was an addiction and everything, I realize that it is more of a passion then an addiction... I can stop whenever I want (would it be a true addiction, I could not)... as I proved over the years by several shopping bans...  BUT, I don't want to... I love buying clothes... and I love wearing them... What changed over the years it that I now know what I really love and I have refined my style. I no longer follow trends and that is a huge money savior! I am willing to save money by living in a smaller apartment, not owning too much furniture (and it is ALL second hand - except for the rocking chair I got when my son was born), I save money by not buying music or books... or expensive jewelry... or a crazy amount of foot wear... but the clothes have to stay...

Once I realized all that, and watched "The true cost" I asked my friend to bring me with her... and with all I had been thinking about... and the beginning of this shopping ban, I went into a thrift store and made my first buy...  and it felt OK... not great!  I am not going to lie... but as I was wearing my findings and people were complimenting, it helped... and the more people I met here in Moncton, the more woman I met with awesome style that were doing the thrift store thing!  So I kept on doing it...  I did make a few rookie mistakes... I bought stained pyjamas, a pair of short that thorn a few wear later...  but I am learning and now I take more time to actually examine the clothes before I buy them.  Here is what I currently own, that is second hand in my wardrobe on top of the bag at the beginning of the post.

I do wear all those clothes.... quite a lot... As you can see they are mostly skirts... 2 jackets, a big bulky men sweater and a scarf... I have only one top!  My next objective is to go beyond the fact there was "arm-pit contact" and start looking into buying more tops! Hahaha! I'll get to it...

Now I would like to know what you think about 2nd hand shopping.  Do you do it? Where do you go?  What are your tips and tricks?

Be who you are... DREAM your life... LIVE your dream...
namaste

love&peace,

chloe

xox