Adventurous Announcements

I have a couple of things to tell you all today, and neither of them are particularly exciting for you (sorry!):

 Long time readers with amazing memories may remember that a while back I tried a shopping ban that pretty much fizzled out because it turns out I don't actually shop all that much during the school year. Anyways, a few days ago I started another ban. This time I have left myself absolutely no loopholes.

I will not buy a single thing until August 26.

The second thing I want to tell you about is the cause for the aforementioned shopping ban: in less than a month, I will be leaving for France. Feel free to spend a few moments being jealous (unless you live in France, in which case, this probably isn't too envy inducing.) The reason I'm telling you all this is because I sort of need your help. If you have been to Brittany/Bretagne, know someone who has been there, or know of someone; I would really super appreciate any tips on things I should see, interesting shops, any thing of that sort. You can comment here on the blog, or send me an email at rosie.unknown@gmail.com. Thanks!

Have you ever tried a shopping ban? Did it work out?

Love,
Rosie

A Shopping Ban: The End? Not totally

I'm not sure how far into my shopping ban I am. I guess I sort of lost track, but I do know that it is over. Why?

Because my parents and grandparents are amazing. Yesterday morning, I was lucky enough to find a shiny, brand new, MacBook Pro. If you are like me, and have a slightly stalkerish memory, you might remember that the initial reason for the ban was to save up for my own computer.

Quite frankly though, I can't really imagine going back to spending lots of money in big box stores. While I will definitely be shopping in "normal" (non-thrift) stores, I think I will continue my quest for amazing, cheap, environmentally friendly clothing will continue.

Thoughts? Requests?

Love, Rosie

A Shopping Ban: Week 8 and resisting temptation

This is just a quick shopping ban update. So far, I have had zero slip ups, but I have been so busy that I haven't had time to tempt myself by going to a mall. I actually haven't even been thrifting lately, I just don't have time anymore.

So let that be my "wisdom" for today: removing temptation works wonders. For any sort of problem I have encountered so far anyways.

Thoughts? Requests?

Love, Rosie

A Shopping Ban: Week 6 and a request for questions

This is not a post. This is an apology and a chance for you to ask me questions. I want to know what questions you have about thrifring, shopping bans, and the subject in general. If I can, I will answer them in a future post, and if I don't know the answer, I will figure it out.

Thanks!

Thoughts? Requests?

Love, Rosie

A Shopping Ban: Week 5 and Answering "Where did you get that?"

You thrifted the perfect dress, and decide to wear it to a friend's dinner party. You look awesome (obviously), you feel great, and are getting tons of compliments. Then someone asks where you got your dress. Oh shit! What do you say?

I prepared some questions you can ask yourself to help formulate your answer.

1. How do you feel about thrifting? Are you proud of your skills when it comes to how you shop? Are you comfortable explaining why you shop second hand? If yes, consider being honest.

2. Is the person asking a snob who is likely to be rude about your awesome find? If yes, consider telling a little white lie.

3. How well do you know the person asking the question? If you know them well and trust them, honesty is good.

4. Are they being truly sincere when they complement you? If yes, then consider honesty.

5. Are they a huge gossip who will mangle what you tell them, then tell everyone they know? If yes, consider a little white lie.

If after asking yourself these questions, they point to honesty, tell the truth. A tip though: be discreet. You never know who is eavesdropping.

If it looks like a little white lie is in order, you have two options. The first: if the item in question is from a well known brand, you could just say "Oh, it's Marc by Marc Jacobs". Or, if the brand isn't notable, just say that "You got it at some little boutique." Boutique= high end, and the vagueness leaves the questioner thinking that you shop so much you can't remember it all.

You may feel like the only person in your group that has discovered this wonderful hobby, but it is highly possible that someone else shares your interest. Remember, being economically and environmentally responsible is nothing to be ashamed of, in fact it is quite awesome. But you may have to explain it to some people, so have some points ready to back up your argument.

Thoughts? Requests?

Love, Rosie

PS: Don't forget to check the sidebar for all the different ways to follow the blog, and my twitter feed!

A Shopping Ban: Week 3 and Tank Top: Underwear or Clothing

I have been having a very intense debate with myself all week: does a tank top count as underwear?

The reason I have been having this debate is that my favorite, and only good, black tank top is starting to disintegrate. Not exactly surprising, since I have had it for over two years. But it still leaves me with the possible need to buy a new one soon, and I don't think I will be able to thrift on in good condition, in black, in the right size.

Reasons why it would be underwear:

- I do wear it under other shirts all the time.

- It comes in very close contact with my skin

- Less than a hundred years ago, a woman wouldn't be caught dead in anything less than two layers of clothing more than the equivalent of a tank top.

Reasons why it would be clothing:

- I wear it without anything on top all the time too.

- Lots of clothing comes in close contact with my skin, and it is still considered clothing.

- In a few more years, a tank top may be the equivalent of a nun's dress.

What do you think, is a tank top underwear or clothing?

Thoughts? Requests?

Love, Rosie

PS: Don't forget to check the sidebar for all the different ways to follow the blog, and my twitter feed!

A Shopping Ban: Week 2 and I have a huge success

Two weeks in, and so far no slipping. That may be partially due to my awesome thrifting run last Wednesday though. I went into the local Salvation Army to get a t-shirt for an event at school, more on that later, and turns out it was half off all clothing. What could I do?

I left with:

A sweater from Smart Set, store price around 35$-50$;

A shirt from Smart Set, store price around 20$-30$;

A skirt from Reitmans, store price around 30$-50$;

A t-shirt from Reitmans (for my school thing), store price around 20$;

A dress from Rocket Candy, store price around ???, so lets guess around 50$;

A sleeveless top from Club Monaco, store price around ???, upwards of 50$ from what I can deduce;

A men's button down shirt, store price ???, since I steal all the ones I have from my dad.

So to recap, had I bought all this in stores I would have spent between 205$ and 275$.

Wanna guess how much I ended up paying?

14.96$

I was so excited about this, I almost posted it when I got home from this expedition, last Wednesday, but decided to wait.

Thoughts? Requests?

Love, Rosie

PS: Don't forget to check the sidebar for all the different ways to follow the blog, and my twitter feed!

A Shopping Ban: Week 1 and I narrowly missed a Dilemma

It's Tuesday. And that means that it is time to discuss how my shopping ban is progressing.

So far, I have been slip free in my quest to shop for clothes only in second hand stores until I can buy a laptop. However, since my temptation has been zero, not exactly surprising.

I almost encountered a potential problem on Friday, but thankfully my mother got tired of waiting for me to get home and ran the errands without me. Thankfully because one of the stores she had to visit was having a bag sale, and at 5$ (CAD) for a large bag of clothing, I don't think I would have been able to resist. Of course there is a bit of a dilemma in this. It is dirt cheap, so I could make an exception, but it still doesn't fulfill the environmental aspect of my ban. I guess I will just hope that I don't come near this bridge again.

Thoughts? Requests?

Love, Rosie

PS: Don't forget to check the sidebar for all the different ways to follow the blog, and my twitter feed!

A Shopping Ban: The Beginning

I have been thinking about my shopping habits and the consequences they have on the planet. I have also been thinking about their impact on my savings, and I reached the conclusion that I need to control my shopping a bit.

Since I know that quitting cold turkey probably won't help, I have reached a compromise with myself: I want a laptop, so until I can afford one, I will only be shopping thrift. I have given myself a few loop holes: underclothing, tights and beauty products.

The reason I am telling all of you this is because I will try to record my progress here; I will have a post every Tuesday talking about challenges I have had, success stories, tips I pick up as I go, and I would love to share stories from any of you.

Thoughts? Requests?

Love, Rosie

PS: Don't forget to check the sidebar for all the different ways to follow the blog, and my twitter feed!