Welcome to my eighth year of publishing this annual post reflecting on my year in shopping. I started to pay more attention to how much I was consuming in 2017 (the year I started this blog) and vowed to become a more mindful shopper. At the end of 2018 I published my first shopping recap post and now it’s an annual tradition to keep myself accountable.
My consumption goals in 2025 were pretty much the same goals I’ve had since 2020:
- Keep my clothing acquisitions to 20 items.
- Make half of them secondhand.
For 2025, I also added a style goal: Dress more colorfully.
Pictured above: three of the items I acquired this year: a secondhand Mixed by Nasrin shirt, Quince loafers, and a Petite Studio wool skirt (reviewed here).
The Numbers
So, how did I do? Welp, I didn’t make either consumption goal. (Though I did dress a bit more colorfully.) I acquired 25 items. Seven were given to me by brands. For the 18 items I bought myself, I spent $765, which is more than last year, but less than most years. (My count does not include undergarments, jewelry, or clothes that have very specific purpose like athletic wear.)
And though I failed at the 50% secondhand goal, I reached 40%, which is the best I’ve ever done. (But, also, maybe I shouldn’t have bought some of those things. More on that later.)
What did I buy? Here’s a breakdown by category:
Shoes – 5
Tops – 8
Dresses/Jumpsuits – 4
Skirts – 2
Pants – 5
Outerwear – 1
Since 2022, tops has been among my largest category year after year. Mostly because I moved to NYC and found myself in need of breezy summer clothes. I proceeded to buy T-shirts and tank tops for 3 years.
But I can’t use that excuse for 2025. Most of the tops I bought in last year were in fulfillment of my style goal to dress more colorfully. I bought shirts in new colors or in prints. (Mostly. There were exceptions like this tank, which I got for texture. And then there was this T-shirt that I found in the clearance racks at J.Crew only because the Mister was trying to use up store credit.) All this buying of tops means I now own 57 — which seems over the top. (Ba dum tss).
Pants is surprising to me because I’ve worn the same few pairs of pants or jeans on repeat ever since my big weight gain in 2023. When I examined what I bought, it made more sense. One was a needed pair of warm weather pants and two were shorts. (Summer stuff, yet again.) However, two are because I wanted gray jeans (and I’m not sure about either of them).
One thing of note is what’s not on the list: sweaters. This is the first year since I started keeping this count that I didn’t buy a sweater. I also decluttered 37 items, mostly for fit, and some because they’re not my style anymore. So, at least the math leads to my having less overall.
Welcome Objects 2025 Wardrobe Count
Additions: 25
Number of Additions That Are Secondhand: 10
Subtractions: 37
Shopping Habits & Patterns
Wearing 50% secondhand. Everlane Cardigan // Theory Shirt // Everlane Skirt // Quince Boots
I started off the year strong by not buying any clothing in the first quarter of the year. Through June I had only acquired 3 items. But in the second half of the year, I veered off plan with 22 items, most of them acquired in the last 3 months of the year.
What happened? Well, by the end of the third quarter, I realized I was doing poorly with my secondhand goal, so I started to focus on it. But then, I fell back into old habits of shopping for entertainment. I’d pop into thrift stores if I was passing by. I kept tabs open on ThredUp for certain brands, which I refreshed daily. I even remembered things I’d seen in retail stores a few years back and would search for those items.
The Regret Test
One data point I look at every year is whether there are any items I bought that aren’t working out or that I regret buying. There are 5. Had I not gotten these 5 items I would have met my first goal. One was a pair of sneakers. But you just don’t know with shoes until you wear them out so I feel like that was an acceptable purchase. (I’ve already turned around and resold them).
What does it mean that most of my regrets are secondhand items?
But most of the others were items I thrifted. What does it mean that most of my regrets are secondhand items? The thing about thrifting is that most of the time I come up empty-handed. So, when I find something that’s close to what I want (for example, a pair of charcoal Everlane jeans), I feel like it’s a sign. And then I get them. There’s a scarcity mindset at play here, the belief that I won’t find something like this again at this price. And that leads me to overlook potential problems with the item.
In the case of the jeans, I was so excited about my find that I forgot to do an important fit test: the can-I-sit-down-comfortably-in-these-pants test. As it turns out, they’re too snug for that. So now they’re an aspirational pair of jeans. In another case, I found a 100% wool Pendleton blazer with sleeves that had been hemmed to my length. But I overlooked that it was too big in the shoulders.
Lessons Learned
1. Be just as picky when thrifting as you would be when considering something at full retail. And don’t fall for the scarcity mindset — even with secondhand or vintage clothing. That’s a ridiculous mindset because so much clothes exists in this world!
2. Don’t shop for emotional reasons. This I already know. But I need to remind myself again. Shopping for emotional reasons — for entertainment, to de-stress, or because I feel like I deserve a treat — is what got me into trouble in the first place in the years when I was buying way too much stuff. When I look back at my shopping at the end of 2025, I’m alarmed by how easily I fell back into this old habit.
My Goal for 2026
Even though I didn’t meet my goals, my consumption was more or less in range with recent years. But also, I think I need to challenge myself more. What if I only allowed myself 12 acquisitions next year? That’s one thing a month. This feels like it might be hard for my former shopaholic self. So, I will add 2 bonus items.
I’m making it my new goal:
- Acquire no more than 14 items in 2026.
- Half of them should be secondhand.
Are you doing any low buy challenges? What do you find helpful to stick to your goal?
