The Conscious Consumption 'CC' Edit Series v. 01
I’m starting a new series on CHY which will be shorthand titled The CC Edit. Over the last 5 years I would say I have become hyperaware of the amount of things I “consume” and how much waste I produce.
I’ve always had a thing for fashion and growing up I was very fortunate to have a spending budget each month for clothes/shoes/accessories of the sorts. I was also very fortunate to have a large enough bedroom to fit all these things. Even when I went away for college, I was also lucky enough to have my own room and a massive closet (which I quickly and surely filled). While I did move things up from my home room to my college room, I did leave a lot behind. Which meant I acquired quite a bit of things in my few years away at school when I filled up my college room closet. I think it took about 4 car loads worth of things to get everything home (bed/furniture included) - eeeek. When I moved home I probably had boxes of things sitting in my room for months and my dad kind of lost his patience with it. He very kindly offered to buy me an IKEA wardrobe to fit all my belongings and my fiancé (then boyfriend) was kind enough to help me build it. Even when we realized we bought the wrong doors and had to hike it all the way back to IKEA to exchange it 🙃. We finally built it and I do miss it a lot (sometimes I debate getting it again when we eventually buy a house). I ended up using the wardrobe for all my daily musings and shoved everything I didn’t really reach for in my actual room’s closet. When I moved out with T, we moved into a 1 bedroom which meant I had to be very selective about what I brought with me. I brought a few things at once and slowly continued to move things over. Although our apartment had a walk in closet, it was actually less space than I had growing up at my parent’s house in my own room (#spoiled). There was a period of time when I’d have to go home to grab a dress, special occasion shoes, a bag, etc. Eventually that stopped and everything I have now is pretty much everything I need / want.
Having so much left behind that I don’t think twice about really made me re-evaluate what I wanted to spend money on. Part of me kept feeling a weight on my shoulders with the idea of so much clothing/shoes/accessories left behind at my parents’ house. Weekends are quite precious and there aren’t enough long holidays to dedicate enough time to clearing things out. A few weekends back, we stopped by to pick things up and while T and my dad were talking, I snuck upstairs to tidy a bit and got very carried away. I also knew I wanted to pack up some ThredUp bags/boxes as I really just wanted things gone and out of my way. I also snagged up a box or two in collaboration with Reformation - and your girl is hoping they’ll go through fast enough that I can get credits towards buying a dress for my engagement photo shoot and beyond 👀. I went through boxes of clothes that I haven’t thought about or touched in probably 2-3+ years. Honestly your body is constantly changing and you really need to re-evaluate what your clothing choices are and whether or not they’ll suit your body now. Yes, you may have spent a pretty penny on that nice jacket but if it doesn’t flatter you and you don’t actually want to reach for it, just let it go. Trust me - the regret of seeing it everyday and not using it probably looms more over you. Just let it go, be free, and let that weight gently lift off your shoulders - one. piece. at. a. time. I honestly tossed so many things so quickly into my giveaway piles because they were ones I hadn't thought about and I didn’t hesitate to let a lot of it go.
Now I wouldn’t say that I’m going full blown minimalist (or ever will), but I want to love every piece that I have and challenge myself to be more well rounded with my wardrobe. I’ve gotten so bored of fashion over the last few years - partially because I went full beauty/skincare crazy and spent most of my time/energy/money on growing those aspects for this space. Now that I’m quite settled where I am with things beauty wise, I do want to go back to other areas of my life that I love - fashion! I feel like I have a lot of beauty-spending damage to recover from and I have a lottt of clothing essentials that I need to invest in. I want to be mindful about the pieces I have and invest in quality pieces.
I thought I would start logging my journey with a more conscious consumption type lifestyle and I hope you guys are excited for it! Feel free to share your thoughts on the subject with me and maybe any tips that you have for it as well!