It’s been a while since my last blog but I’ve been struggling with a confession and whether I’d write about it. Of course, I have to be honest in this blog. Otherwise, I’m not being true to myself. Besides, my friends and colleagues have been encouraging me to write about it.

I bought a new swimsuit and hat for a recent holiday and now I feel guilty about breaking my ‘purchase no clothes for 12 months’ rule. Yes, I already had two swimsuits hanging in my closet. But coming up to a beach holiday, I reviewed my current swimsuits and felt they just didn’t fit the bill anymore. Plus the swimsuit was gorgeous and I caved in.

I didn’t have a proper brimmed hat, either. So again, I found one at the same time as the swimsuit purchase and didn’t really hesitate, deeming it a ‘health’ requirement for sun protection (a fair point, I think! Are you convinced yet?).

But I’m not going to dwell on this. It happens. The interesting thing is that I really did think carefully about my purchases before I bought them rather than pursuing a thoughtless shopping spree. It also makes me human.

As I approach the end of the year, I think about how I might approach buying clothes again. Will I cave in and resort to old habits? Or will I put in place some limitations and learn from this year?

I’m almost at the end of the year (a little over two months to go) and it’s funny how already, I am starting to feel that excitement to buy something for my wardrobe. To give it a bit of a lift and change it up. To cave in and indulge 🙂 Except, I think this time, when I look at the clothing labels I love, I feel a little more discerning. When I look at something, I now consider what I have in my wardrobe. It’s been such an amazing year and I have often gone for weeks on end without thinking about purchasing clothing. Even after recently re-visiting my summer wardrobe I am starting to re-work a new style with the same clothes with just a few adjustments – I’ll show you shortly what I’m doing. A little inspiration from the current trends to change it up can do amazing things to boost confidence. It also brings a sense of satisfaction as I re-create my style from a wardrobe that hasn’t been (substantially) added to in 12 months.

I also need to be a little kinder to myself. So what if I broke my rule a little. I have done really well so far and the aim is to become more aware of my actions, not be a harsh, inflexible judge.