5 Lessons I learned from My Past Shopping Mistakes

May 14, 2021

Today I want to share 5 lessons I learned from my past shopping mistakes. These are the lessons I learned while going through my own simplifying journey and my tidying festival. If you’re not familiar with it, a KonMari Tidying Festival is a once in a lifetime event where you go through every item you own, working by category not by room, and determine if each item sparks joy and only keeping those items. Through this process, I was able to see my own shopping pattern, change my mindset and shopping behaviours to shop more mindfully and intentionally.

Lesson #1 - Dont buy a second color

Going through my things, I noticed a pattern of buying duplicate items. If I purchased an item and loved it, I would buy a second one in a different colour. My logic was if I wore the first one so much, the second one would allow me to enjoy and wear that item even more. However, the reality is That second one in the different colour never sparked as much joy as the first one so I hardly ever wore it. I would always choose the first one when I can. Having a second one in a different colour didn’t add nearly as much value as the first one did. For those reasons, I have learned o not purchase any more items in multiple colours.

Lesson #2 - Trust my instincts

I realized most of the item that didn’t work out for me, I knew what was wrong with it on some level while trying it on. Sometimes I’d buy things that were a little small because it was the last one. I reasoned it will fit better once I lose 5 pounds or if it’s tight around the chest ‘d think maybe a different bra would solve that issue. or I buy it even if it’s slightly too long or too short or don’t drape nicely. Sometimes it’s the comfort. Like the material is itchy or not stretchy at all. I buy it anyway thinking maybe it’ll be better after I wash it. In short, I saw evidence that against my better judgements, I buy those items thinking despite knowing it’s not perfect or that I can somehow fix the issue. but the truth is, I never do. So now even if I love the item, if something is not completely right, I don’t buy it. This has made me a much pickier shopper.

Lesson #3 - If it’s not appropriate for the majority of my life, don’t buy it.

There were items that I bought that I would be like, this would be super cute if I played golf or if my friends have a garden tea party or if I go clubbing in Vegas or if I need to dress up for a fancy event. But the reality is, I never end up using those items. that’s just not part of my life. I don’t play golf, my friends don’t throw tea parties and even if they did, I wouldn’t feel like myself wearing this so I’d likely wear something else. I don’t go clubbing in Vegas, I have never been to Vegas, and I just don’t have fancy events to go to. Once again, even if I did go clubbing in Vegas or go to a fancy event, I’d likely wear something that feels more me. I learned to not buy aspirational items or items for a very specific scenario that doesn’t happen in my real life.

Lesson #4 - If it doesnt work with my existing items, don’t buy it.

This means if it’s a top, it has to go with a bottom I already have. So If I take it home and try it on with my clothes and if it doesn’t go with anything, it has to go back. this is an important lesson for me because I had pieces that I let go of, that I couldn’t identify what was wrong with it specifically but they never looked right no matter what I paired it with. and I kept waiting to find the right top or right bottom to wear with it but nothing feels right. The reality is, maybe it’s just not a good design. I don’t require all my clothes to mix and match but they need to match at least one thing to create one outfit. So if it’s a dress, it has to go with a pair of my shoes. When it comes down to it, If it needs to create 1 outfit that I really love, and if it does that’s enough for me.

Lesson #5 - Price has nothing to do with joy.

we often hear about buy less buy better. Buy quality, not quantity. I do believe in these statements but just because something is expensive, doesn’t mean you’ll automatically love it and wear it more. Just because you save up for something, doesn’t mean that will be a quality piece that will serve you for years to come. This has really helped me to focus on the item instead of the brand or the price when I shop. I realized when I identify my favourite items, price has nothing to do with how much I love an item. Some expensive designer items didn’t make the cut - having the designer label and high price just made it harder to let go. this goes both ways too so if I bought something because it was on sale - it doesn’t mean it was a great deal and a bargain. Even if the item was $20 marked down from $100, that’s $20 wasted and not $80 saved. This teaches me when I am at a store and if the first reason in my head to buy an item is because it’s on sale, don’t buy it.

So these are 5 lessons from my past shopping mistakes that i learned while decluttering my clothes. let me know if you can relate to my past shopping behaviours and any lessons YOU learned while decluttering.