Hello from the laundromat where I am doing my most hated chore. Since I’m cleaning clothes, I thought it would be a good time to write my annual consumption accountability recap (a different recap from the blogging one). Yes, it’s time for opening my spreadsheet entitled “Clothing I Have Bought” and analyzing my spending habits of the past year.
I had three goals for 2024:
- Do a No Buy January
- Keep my clothing purchases to 20 items
- Make 50% of my purchases secondhand
I achieved one of my goals, came close to another, and failed miserably on a third. Read on for my reflections.
Pictured above: three of the items I acquired this year, including a secondhand skirt, a Quince shirt, and a Lo & Sons bag, courtesy of (reviewed here).
What I Bought in 2024
In 2024, I acquired 22 items, so I came close to my low buy goal. (My count, BTW, does not include jewelry and undergarments. It does include shoes and bags.)
Technically, 23 items came into my life. However, I’ve decided that one of them doesn’t count. As I shared in this post from the first quarter of 2024, in January the Mister bought some secondhand boots on eBay, but the seller got the size wrong. Coincidentally, the boots fit me, so suddenly I was the owner of some L.L. Bean boots. But I wouldn’t have gotten them for myself and eventually decided not to keep them. If we don’t count these boots, then I met my goal for a No Buy January.
In terms of annual count, 22 items is nearly half of the number of items I acquired in 2023. Though, I must say that 2023 was an anomaly. Since I started paying attention to my consumption in 2017, I had been trending down for the most part. So 2024, was a return to shopping less, and similar to my numbers from 2018-2021.
What did I acquire? Here’s a breakdown by category:
Shoes – 1
Tops – 8
Sweaters – 1
Dresses – 1
Skirts – 3
Pants – 2
Outerwear – 3
Bags – 3
Tops has been a top category for the past three years. The majority of what I bought were tank tops and T-shirts, though I did add two nicer shirts. I’ve been stocking up on summer basics since moving to the East Coast three years ago. I think I’m all set now.
Brands
Kotn was a new-to-me brand. Knit skirt, courtesy of – $148. Photo from this post.
Brands I bought from include Pact, Quince, and Uniqlo, which in my mind are listed in descending order of sustainability and ethical practices here.
Quince was the brand I shopped the most. While Quince has certifications for many of their clothes and uses compostable plastic bags, they get a Not Good Enough rating from Good on You for lack of transparency about labor and environmental practices. They sure keep adding to their catalog, which feels fast-fashiony. At the same time they offer the same items year after year, which I appreciate. (Full disclosure: In addition to buying things from Quince myself, the company also gave me several items, which I reviewed on the blog.)
Uniqlo is the fast fashion retailer I shop the most from (because of fit and a good quality-to-price ratio). I try to shop sparingly from them, but I did buy three items this past year. And admittedly there was some impulse shopping happening as in the case of this limited-edition Marimekko sweater.
This is the first year in many that I didn’t add any Everlane. They’ve gotten a bit too trendy for me. And while I still like some of their staples, I don’t need to replenish any right now.
Favorites
Able Leather Jacket, courtesy of – $398. Photo is from this review post.
Most Practical Purchase: Quince Revive Nylon Zip Top Tote. After seven years, my trusty Everlane totes were finally getting too beat up. This bag fits quite a lot and I appreciate its many pockets. It’s no longer on the site, which is too bad as I recommend it and planned to write a detailed review.
Unexpectedly Great: I bought this Quince boxy poplin shirt (shown at the top of this post) on a whim, and really like its relaxed modern shape. I didn’t have anything like this in my wardrobe.
Expectedly Great: I’m getting good mileage out of the Maha Leather Jacket from Able. Its petite-friendly proportions make it a great fit. (Review here).
Style Evolution: I fell in love with wide leg pants towards the end of the year and added two: a Marimekko for Uniqlo cotton-linen blend that was a secondhand find (shown here) and these denim trousers, also Uniqlo. (Mindful of shopping for my changing body, I like that they both incorporate elastic waists, which means they should continue to work if my weight changes.)
More Numbers
Only three, or 14%, of my acquisitions were secondhand. Making more of my purchases secondhand has been a goal for many years now, and I keep coming up short. I need to implement a stricter process for myself to check secondhand first.
Another indicator I look at every year is how many retail regrets I have. To me, if I’m shopping more mindfully, I should have fewer misses. Looking at my list, to be honest I’m not sure about three of them. I’ve been trying hard to only get things that feel like a resounding yes. But sometimes I just want to experiment and that means trying something I may not be sure about.
I also decluttered seven items, mostly for fit. I’ve not been doing as thorough a decluttering as I usually would these past two years due to health issues. Medication caused me to gain 20 pounds in 2023. In 2024, I shed half of it. But I’m still a bigger size than I used to be and not sure if I should hold on to my old clothes. I think I’ll hang hang on to them for now, though I have a feeling there are certain items I may not fit into again.
Welcome Objects 2024 Wardrobe Count
Additions: 22
Number of Additions That Are Secondhand: 3
Subtractions: 7
2025 Wardrobe Consumption Goals
I am mostly keeping the same goals this year, but adding a new one.
- Keep my clothing acquisitions to 20 items
- Half of them should be secondhand.
- Dress more colorfully! You know I love wearing black (as evidenced here, here, and here) but I think I should break out of that and incorporate more color as a small way to add joy in a year that I’m bracing for.
I like to keep my goals simple so that they feel achievable. Do you have any consumption or style goals for this year?
