2015 Year of Thrift Challenge: That's a Wrap!

The last year absolutely flew by! I hope you all had lovely ends to your 2015, full holiday seasons, and wonderful celebrations to ring in the new year!

With the end of a year wherein you took on a year-long challenge comes the inevitable year-end reflection and summary. My Year of Thrift was one of the best challenges I've taken on (and actually stuck with) and I am incredibly happy with how the year went!

My year of thrift Manifesto began with this:

"In the year 2015 I will think sustainably and purchase all my clothing, accessories, and any other goods through thrifted means. [...] What can't be purchase through thrift I will find alternatives that are handmade, environmentally friendly, and small business; things like jewellery, beauty products, bath and body products, hair products, etc."

I had some exceptions to the rule and feel as though I approached the challenge reasonably. Here are my thoughts on the exceptions now:

1. One good pair of jeans: I bought myself a black pair right before 2015 started. I didn't buy any new pants this year, except for a Halloween costume (which I thrifted!) Check!

2. Underwear: I think I was all set in the underwear department this year, but I'm almost at the point where I need to re-stock now. Check!

3. Socks: I bought some. Mostly got some funny ones as gifts though! Check!

4. Functional shoes: I bought myself two pairs of functional shoes this year and they were great investments. Shoes for my backpacking trip, and black boots for winter because the ones I had since highschool died this year! Check!

5. Beauty/Bath/Body Products: This was actually a huge focus by the end of my Year of Thrift. I have now moved on to almost entirely natural products for my face hair and body. I have a few makeup items that I am hoping to find better alternatives for still, but for the most part I'm all natural. Deodorant was the HARDEST thing to find. I have found one that works right now. It's got a few quirks, but it is the only one that hasn't stained my clothes or left me stinky every few hours. I will review it on the blog soon! Check!

6. Leggings/work out clothes: This is an extra exception I didn't anticipate. It is really hard to find tight-fitting things second hand.

7. Sunglasses: It is REALLY hard to find second hand sunglasses that fit my face. I ended up buying a new pair.

8. Hats: Hats aren't really the kind of thing that I wear, except toques in winter time. There's something just a little bit odd about buying a secondhand toque, and they are often stretched out. So new ones are something I am OK with buying. Though I will try to go for handmade hats in the future!

So I added only a few exceptions by the end of this challenge and I'm really proud of how well I did at only thrifting all year. I DID screw up though....

Late November I went to a small local shop after a morning of only going to secondhand stores and I didn't get out of my "I can shop here" headspace. So I bought a beautiful sweater on sale, and only realized after I got home that I had just broken my rule and couldn't return it as it was on sale. My solution was to not wear it until 2016. It sounds a little silly, but I just felt really badly that I had broken my rule, so that made me feel better about having bought it. Woo!

The hardest time of year was the change in seasons, when all sorts of new patterns and textures pop up in the storefronts. But even then, I would thrift. 


What now?
My perspective on shopping has changed so much. I feel so comfortable in my wardrobe, more so than I have in the past, and I am still feeling fabulous and stylish (as much as I want to be, anyway) in the clothing that I have collected from thrift stores. I have a new appreciation for clothing of good quality and with unique traits. I am almost grossed out by big box stores now and don't often feel a pull to go in and buy things.

I don't think that my year of thrift challenge is going to change much in the new year. The only difference is that if I am absolutely smitten with an item, I will buy it, even if it may be from a store I don't want to support. But that is a rarity in big stores for me. I am much more smitten with the big fringe-covered cow-patterned sweater I snatched at Value Village the other weak and have practically lived in since. Yes, that sweater might make an appearance on the blog soon... ;)

So, thank you for following along on my year of thrift. Thank you for following this blog's other posts as well. I'm looking forward to a plentiful, productive, and fun 2016.

XO

ps. do you like my little "party party" collage? I thought it was New Years appropriate... sparkles!