Low Buy Update: Resetting My Wishlist & March Online Browsing
Taking a new approach to wishlisting + Online browsing not going quite as planned
Resetting my wishlist
After writing about how I struggled to make my wishlist work for me I got inspired by some of the comments (as well as Louise and Maureen’s approaches) and decided to reset my wishlist. For the last month or so while getting dressed I’ve been noting what activities I struggled to dress for, as well as a couple of more specific pieces I’ve wished I had in my wardrobe, or to use Maureens’s words “reached” for.
Some of the occasion I’ve had difficulties putting together an outfit for have been:
Watercolour class
Walk in the neighbourhood
Casual family event
Running errands
Walk in the forest
I’ve also been wishing I had:
Transitional jacket
Comfortable nice boots
Statement earrings
Most of these occasions are quite casual but I still want to feel put together, even though the outfit needs to be practical. A pair of dark, somewhat structured pants with an elasticated waist, but still somewhat polished would cover my needs for a lot of these occasions. I want to be able to move freely, sit down comfortably, but also be able to leave the house without feeling like I have to change. I’ve been thinking that a denim shirt or a lightweight merino sweater would be a great option for the same activities. Casual, but still polished.
This leaves me wanting:
Dark structured pant with elasticated waist
Casual lightweight sweater
Denim shirt
Comfortable nice-looking boots (sneakers)
Transitional jacket (Not urgent)
Statement earrings (more of a want than a need as I have other earrings)
We are slowly moving out of boots season, so I’ve put sneakers as an alternative to boots.
Combining this list, with what I identified I needed for my upcoming trip to Martinique, the wish list items I’m focusing on are:
Long sleeve rashguard
Lightweight hiking pants (replacement)
Lightweight rain jacket (replacement)
Brown sandals (replacement)
Dark structured pants with an elasticated waist1
Lightweight sweater (replacement)
Denim Shirt
Comfortable nice-looking boots/sneakers
If I stumble upon the perfect transitional jacket I’ll be open to get it, but it isn’t a top priority at the moment. Likewise I can easily manage without a pair of statement earrings, and might wait for my birthday in July to get them. (Although seeing that the earrings were 20% off is extremely tempting… Need to remind myself that there’s often a discount.)
This wishlist feels much more manageable and allows me to focus on what’s relevant at the moment. I’ll continue noticing what are the gaps in my wardrobe - both in practical terms and what would add a bit of spice to my outfits.
March Online Browsing
With quite a few things on my wishlist, it’s no wonder that restricting my online browsing in March didn’t go quite as planned. At the end of February after a no online shopping or browsing, I stated I would only browse once a week, be intentional with what I’m looking for and insert a pause before ordering anything.
I managed to only browse once the first week of March, but quickly realised that it wasn’t working for me. It became rather stressful to try to cram everything I wanted to look for into one browsing session. I’ve since taken a more relaxed approach to when I’m “allowed” to browse, trying to wait a couple of days when possible, but in general not being so stressed about it. I haven’t browsed every day, which I’ll take as a win. There’s still room for improvement though!
I have mostly succeeded in being specific about what I want to look for. So no aimless browsing just for things to buy, out of boredom or just to have a look. There are enough things that I actually need that I don’t get the urge to look at too many other things.
Another thing that has been working, has been implementing a pause between seeing an item and ordering it - typically a couple of days. Giving myself time to consider if I actually want an item has been helpful - although a sale or only a few left in stock still can get the best of me.
As for not ordering and returning as much… well this is an area that’s very much still a work in progress. To no one’s surprise it’s harder to do things in moderation than completely abstaining. A bit embarrassingly I didn’t do much better than in January. What I’ve ordered has been intentional, but the majority didn’t fit the way I wanted. I’ve decided to cut myself some slack in this regard right now, as not ordering the things I truly need is not serving anyone, but I will try to reduce the amount going forward. Having a clear deadline for the items I need for Martinique probably isn’t helping.
In the end I only kept two items from all that shopping (and returning), so I guess the joke is on me. I got the black cashmere v-neck sweater from Uniqlo, which I’ve mentioned in at least three different newsletters. It was a full body yes, and even though it’s a duplicate it’s a staple for me (and it was 200 DKK off ~ 30 USD), so I don’t regret it. I did also end up impulse buying this leopard scarf recently in store, but again no regrets. I really like the flair it adds to an outfit, and there has to be room for some fun as well. I also got another sweater from Uniqlo - this time a merino polo. So that’s one thing checked on my wishlist.
I must admit that sometimes it is better to shop in store. While waiting for my husband the other day I wandered into a shoe store to try some sandals. I ended up really liking two pairs that I had dismissed while looking at them online…
Low buy status:
New items: 2/12
Replacements: 3/8 (2 sweaters added)
Items not included in low buy (activewear & accessories): 32 (Scarf added)
You can find my low buy rules here:
The number of replacement items are starting to add up worryingly quickly. I’ll get more into the reasons why I need so many replacements and what it means for my low buy in next week’s post.
I’m curious: How do you handle shopping with a deadline? If you are doing a low buy, what’s your approach to adding replacements?
I’m not sure if the pants should count as a replacement or not. I used to wear jeans for most of those activities, so in some ways the pants will replace the jeans. Elasticated pants just feel quite different than jeans, so can it be considered a replacement?
I’ve decided not to include socks and underwear in the count.
I have a confession to make - I constantly check IG profiles of my 3-4 favorite consignment stores in Copenhagen :( ...and I don't know how to reset my mind to avoid aimless browsing while still allowing some flexibility—it’s such a tricky balance...
Thanks for asking this question, as it got me thinking about a purchase I just made!! I just bought my first replacement - I ordered a white tee that will replace a white tee that I thrifted. I'm including the replacement in my low buy total because there's absolutely nothing wrong with the white tee that I have, it's just not "perfect". If I were replacing an item that had worn out, I wouldn't include it.