Low Buy Year 2025 - April Summary
Buying basics & a shifting mindset
The further into the year I get, the less excited I feel about the low buy, which was similar to how I started feeling about my no buy year around the same time last year! While things felt hard at the beginning for both, after a while, it seems to just become the thing that I do, or don’t do in this case!
I remember thinking more about not buying things during the no buy year, but this time around, with a few purchases allowed, it just feels like this is how I’ve always shopped, when in fact, it’s so faaaaar removed from how I used to shop, which truly amazes me.
But I have to remind myself that I’ve been on this journey for over a decade, so it was about time that something started to “click” :)
I’m having a hard time describing how I’m currently feeling. It’s almost like I feel “disinterested” in shopping. At the same time, I feel so creatively free when it comes to my outfits - I have no idea what’s trendy and I have no idea what new items are being promoted on social media, and for what feels like the first time, there’s nothing that I really want - and as a result, I’ve been curating my wardrobe and truly enjoying the things that I already own.
I want to say that this feeling is “contentment”, but after chasing that feeling for so long, I don’t feel like I can trust it!
There are 2 things that I believe have been helping me get to this point:
I’ve drastically reduced the amount of time that I spend online looking at clothes and fashion content. It doesn’t mean that I don’t still enjoy these things, but I can see how they lead to dissatisfaction with my own wardrobe. Without these outside influences, I feel like I wear the things that truly work for my lifestyle and feel aligned with my personality.
Making the decision to start documenting my weekly outfits has been such a game-changer. These outfit diaries, along with some time spent analyzing my Q1 outfit data reveal how much I truly wear/don’t wear the items in my wardrobe, and I’ve been able to use to this data to declutter some items and set up my Q2 wardrobe, helping to create a vision for my wardrobe going forward!
Whatever it is that I’m feeling, I’m really enjoying the relaxed attitude that I currently have towards my wardrobe and I’m hoping that it continues for the rest of the year my life!
I’d love to hear your thoughts in relation to your no/low buy year so far! And if you aren’t doing either, how are you feeling about your wardrobe overall?
My April Purchases
Purchase #1 - Earrings
I’d seen these silver earrings at a local shop a few weeks prior to the start of this month. I kept thinking about them to the point that I made a deal with myself - if I went back at the beginning of April and they were still there, I could buy them - and they were, so I did!
They’re much more sculptural that anything else I own and they feel like a completion piece for my little silver earring collection.
Purchase #2 - Ivory T-shirt
This was supposed to be a white t-shirt that would act as a replacement for one that I had thrifted last fall. However, it’s not a true white and as Rach pointed out, maybe this is as white as it can be for this type of material (hemp/cotton blend).
I’d had 2 different options on my Spring/Summer Wishlist, but decided to go a different route altogether - I have a black t-shirt from this brand that I bought at a consignment shop a few years ago. When I wore it last month, I realized that it had the perfect fit and also, the neckline and sleeve length that I was after. I was able to find a “white” version on the website and so I went for it. I was a little disappointed when I saw that it was more ivory than white but now I think I might prefer it more.
So, it didn’t end up replacing the white t-shirt after all, just joining it!
I’m going to be content with my t-shirts for now, but I will keep an eye out at the consignment shop for the perfect one!
Purchase #3 - White Tank Top
Another item that I had on my s/s wishlist was a white tank top. I’ve been thinking a lot about it lately, especially when I’m wearing blue jeans, but I couldn’t really commit to either of the ones on my list, which ended up being a great thing!
On the 29th, I had to run an errand near one of my favorite consignment shops, so I popped it to have a quick look. The only thing I was looking for was a white tank top, and wouldn’t you know it, there was finally one that I liked the look of!
I’d been looking for something with a higher neckline, but this one isn’t super low and I liked the fit and the stiffness of the material (100% cotton). I don’t know if it’s my dream white tank but it’s a great placeholder and it was essentially free (I had some store credit from some items I consigned back in the winter).
Low Buy Year Total Purchases
So far, I have made 9/25 purchases of my low buy year:
Frye Moto Boots* (Jan)
Glendalough Woolen Mill Wool Sweater* (Feb)
Vintage J.G. Hook Wool Coat* (Feb)
Levi’s 90s Jeans (March)
Land’s End Jeans* (March)
English Factory Maxi Dress* (March)
Sahira silver Earrings (April)
Orejas T-shirt (April)
AMO Tank Top* (April)
* secondhand item
I’m a little ahead of where I planned to be when I started this challenge (but only by 1). My intention was to add 2 items/month but in April, I ended up adding 3 because I bought a pair of earrings, in addition to the 2 items of clothing.
I went back and forth over whether to include the earrings and decided that anything I buy that is related to an outfit, I’ll add.
For the month of May, I know I’ll be receiving a red sweater that I had on my S/S wishlist for Mother’s Day so I think I’ll get back on track again!
More Low Buy Updates
I hope that you are doing well wherever you are in the world and that you have a nice weekend.
As always, thanks so much for reading! If you enjoyed the post, please leave a 🖤 and maybe consider sharing it 🫶🏻
xx Gillian
I look forward to your updates about your low buy and I am glad it is such a success so far. It is really noticeable how intentional your purchases are. The majority are things you have discovered you needed to fill a hole in your wardrobe - impulse controlled! I think I really need to take the leap and get off instagram. Knowing all the trends and what is available in stores is holding me back!
We’re visiting our son in Oregon this week. There is a great thrift store near him that a always hit when we are here. This time I got a pair of white jeans, a pair of shorts and a pair of slippers for me, two pairs of jeans for my daughter, two pairs of denim shorts for my granddaughter, and some baby toys for my daughter’s office. All for $21! I’m going to take it all home and play in my closet and then decide if I want to go on my usual monthly thrift store/coffee run next week. Maybe just the coffee?