Hint: it doesn’t involve buying more stuff. While shopping is wonderful and even needed at times, we will ALWAYS be left wanting more. After each and every purchase. So it’s important to strive to be content with what we do have. Shopping less is an important way to reduce our impact on the planet. It may feel like a drop in the bucket of climate problems, but I truly believe every little bit counts.
Below are a few practices and habits that can help us be more satisfied with our wardrobe. And know this for sure: I am writing these tips to myself as well!
1 >> Take stock. Write down everything you have, or put it in a spreadsheet. You will probably be surprised at how many items you actually own. This is a great way to see where you have overlap or excess in your wardrobe too. For example, I have a ton of white t-shirts. Taking the time to inventory them reminds me that I have enough and I don’t need to purchase any more!
Take it a step further and track what you wear. Each day, put a simple tally mark by the items you put on. By the end of a season, you might be surprised how little or how often you wore certain things. If you realize you only wear a blazer once per month or less, this helps you see that spending money on another blazer might not be the best allocation of your budget. My friend Paige is really good at tracking what she wears. She just keeps a little clipboard in her closet and marks it each morning.
2 >> Tackle your to-do list. Iron the shirts you never wear because they’re always wrinkly. If they’re crisp and ready to go, you’ll feel like you have more options to choose from in the morning. Sort through piles of laundry that need to be addressed. For me, it’s items I need to store for the season and items I need to take to the consignment shop or give to friends. Clearing away the visual clutter helps us see and appreciate what we actually have. Get your clothing dry cleaned or altered. Shave the pills off your sweaters. Treat your clothing with love and care, and wear your favorite items often.
3 >> Be curative about your wish list. Wait a week or two and see which items you change your mind about. Do not settle for items that only meet the criteria halfway. Be very picky and wait for the right item. Try to only buy the items on your wish list and don’t add ‘filler’ items to get free shipping. I have a secret pinterest board for my wishlist. I try to keep it minimal and I delete items after I decide I don’t want them or if I purchase them. Having a visual helps me see how the items do (or do not) work together.
4 >> Document your outfits, note in retrospect what you like. This is one of the most effective ways of identifying your style. The more you clarify your style, the better purchases you can make, and the better purchases then hopefully they are more effective at highlighting your sense of style and you can buy fewer things. I know this is a lot of ‘ifs’ but it’s worth pursuing.
5 >> Make a capsule wardrobe. I’ve done it, and I am doing it. It’s essentially a curated version of what you already own. Trust me when I say, this will help you make better outfits and better outfits always make me want to shop less.
While it is important to shop from time to time, know that buying one more thing will never feel like enough. We will always want new things. It’s a matter of learning to live with the want and giving our “wants” less attention that actually shifts us toward feeling content.
