Lessons From a No Buy

(I did impulse buy one lip liner)

If you read this letter from a few weeks ago, you know that I did a no-buy in February. The goal was no unnecessary purchases for a month, which mostly meant taking a break from buying new clothes and accessories. This included inventory for my vintage shop! I successfully made it through the month, with the exception of a single drugstore lip liner that I’m not sure counts against my no-buy. Overall, I’m considering it a win.

The easiest thing to avoid was shopping in person. I didn’t schedule any buys with private clients, I didn’t go to any thrift stores, I didn’t look at estate sale listings. Avoiding online shopping was harder. I did search a few pieces here and there, but overall I did a pretty good job staying off shopping apps and auction sites.

My biggest takeaway: shopping is my most time consuming hobby.

And I’d like it not to be. Don’t get me wrong - I think shopping definitely has a place in my life, and I want it to continue to be something that I enjoy. However, I spend entirely too much time “browsing,” particularly online. Throughout the month, I found myself wanting to open up auction sites or shopping platforms whenever I had down time. Since I started my vintage brand, I’ve definitely allowed sourcing product to replace other activities that I used to dedicate a lot more time to. While all of that time spent has definitely brought me to some very special pieces, I’m okay missing out on the occasional vintage find if it means more time dedicated to reading, making art, seeing friends, visiting museums, and learning new skills.

As I’m sure many of you can relate to, I’m definitely addicted to scrolling. I’m working on cutting down my screen time, but I know it won’t happen overnight. This month, every time I felt tempted to open up one of my usual shopping apps, I swiped through Pinterest instead. While there are still product links there, the structure of the platform definitely feels less like shopping. While this is obviously still just staring into my phone, it’s been a good way for me to shift my concentration from “things to buy” to “things I can draw inspiration from.” Seeing outfits with no product tags or other details offers up ideas instead of tempting purchases, and non-fashion-related imagery like vintage cookbook pages or old paintings helps me consider broader ideas like color palettes, themes, and aesthetics that I like. Even coming across items for sale on Pinterest feels more aspirational. It also helps that most of the items I like are completely out of my budget, so it’s easy to save pieces for reference without feeling tempted to buy anything.

A few favorite looks I've recently saved

Forcing myself to wait also forces me to be smarter.

The more time I spend considering a purchase, the more information I have to make my choice. Obvious, but true. I came across several items throughout the month that I saved, adding them to a digital list to consider for after my no-buy was over. After several weeks on the shelf, I’m no longer considering a single one of those pieces. Part of it was undoubtedly the new-ness: after looking at the same item for weeks, even just in photos, the shiny freshness of it inevitably wears off a bit. But more than that, just mulling it over gave me to consider what it was about the piece that I felt so drawn to. Oftentimes, it’s just vintage FOMO. Sometimes it’s as simple as just really liking chartreuse. Other times it took more thought - I kept a pair of heels open in a browser window for almost three weeks. I still really like the shoes, but I realized that these aren't necessarily the right pair for me. But the fixation on this pair led to me think more about heels, and I realized that they are actually a gap in my wardrobe. I don’t own very many pairs of heels because I don’t wear them often, but I do think it’s worth investing in more nice shoes for the occasions that I do need them. I’ve added this to my list of things to look out for. 

I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect pair of knee-high boots for years now. I bought a pair of fast fashion boots three years ago that I regret. The quality is surprisingly good, but they aren’t a color or shape that I find myself reaching for. Two weeks ago, I thought I had finally found the boots. They checked off all of my boxes: color, toe shape, heel height, price. They were 30% off for President’s Day weekend, and if I wasn’t doing a no-buy, I’m pretty positive that the website’s sale countdown clock would have convinced me to order them right away.

THE boots. Or so I thought...

I’ve been obsessed with this Malia Obama outfit for months. Her boots are a bit chunkier than what I want, but the burgundy is exactly what I’m looking for.

Buying them the and there wasn’t an option, so I decided to do the unthinkable: I willingly went to the Macy’s in Herald Square to see them in person.