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Laura
Hi! I'm Laura, a 23-year-old millennial girl discovering who I am by sharing my life experiences on my blog. You'll find me writing about me discovering my personal style, my growing wanderlust or giving any sort of style, uni or mental health advice.

If you ever have any questions, notes or other things that you want to know, feel free to email me

styleandsushi@outlook.com

From July 2012 all items marked with a (*) are gifted items or PR samples. Posts on this blog may contain affiliate links or sponsored content. Please read my disclaimer for more details.

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TRAVEL

HOW TO BE A CONSCIOUS AND SAVVY SHOPPER


Whether you’re a uni student on a small budget or just love picking up stuff on a deal, buying things for less money than necessary is always a plus. As much as I love shopping, preferably online, I also want to prevent myself from spending unnecessary money as possible. Over the years I have definitely learnt where to spend my money and where to save money. In today’s post I thought I would share some of my tips on how to be a conscious shopper before getting you all the autumn/winter wardrobe bits.




Go thrift shopping

If you really want to save yourself some money on new clothes, I would to go thrift store shopping. Not only is it a lot friendlier on your wallet, it also is better for the environment because you are reusing clothes instead of buying new ones. I am trying to get myself to do more often lately is to go thrift store shopping again. Back when I was in high school I absolutely loved to do so, as it was the kind of ‘look’ I wanted to go for. Over the years I definitely have fallen a bit out of love with thrift shopping as it always felt like a bit of a hassle for me to do so. I could never really find clothes that matched my identity, style or size and I always felt like I had to go all the way to Amsterdam to find the best bits. I have now come to learn that there are actually quite a few really good thrift stores in my area, so I am definitely going to be having a little look in my hometown to score some classy bits.

I am no pro at thrift shopping whatsoever, but there are a few girls in The Netherlands and the UK I follow whom encourage going thrift shopping more often as it’s more sustainable and sometimes even more affordable too.

Invest in sustainable fashion pieces

This past year I have really become more interested in ‘sustainable fashion’. I find it ignorant of myself to not be aware of the effect buying clothes have on other peoples lives and the environment. That’s why as of this year I am really trying to be a bit more conscious on what I buy and where I buy it. Sustainable fashion pieces are definitely something that are more expensive than the average tee or dress from MissGuided or Pretty Little Thing, but I honestly think the difference can be astounding. I have a post coming soon where I talk about the style investments I want to make this autumn, and in that post I will briefly touch on this too. I find it so important to fall in love with unique, smaller brands that offer sustainable pieces. If you don’t know where to buy from sustainable brands, I would recommend using the Project Cece website, which basically is a search engine for sustainable fashion brands. Sure, sustainable fashion might cost you a bit more money, but you can definitely get the cost per wear out of those pieces.



Really take time to consider purchases

Maybe this is a part of my personality as I like to weigh in on all possibilities in life, but I like to take my time to consider purchases before making them. I sleep on them for at least a week. This is going to make you a more conscious shopper and it also contributes to you wearing these items more often. Back in the day I would buy clothes on an impulse and have the clothes hanging in my wardrobe with the price tag still on it. That’s not conscious. That’s not sustainable. That’s just a waste of money. Obviously I would never throw those clothes away, I would donate them instead to shelters, but it’s not an item of clothing you are having fun of. If I want to buy something, whether that’s expensive or a little cheaper, I really like to take my time to consider my purchase instead of just adding it to my basket.

If I really want to justify whatever I am purchasing, I like to make little mood boards of what I will wear with the item I am considering. This way I make sure I will get more than one wear out of it. This brings me on to my next topic …


Make fast fashion purchases sustainable

I am still a uni student. I struggle with thrift shopping and finding clothes in my size. So naturally I end up shopping at the high street by buying clothes from Primark, H&M, Zara, Mango and all the big chains. Sometimes I even buy when the sale is on, so I can save myself a few more bucks.

As much as I love to buy clothes from independent stores or sustainable brands, my budget doesn’t always let me to do so. H&M, ZARA and all these chains provide us with so-called ‘fast-fashion’. They encourage us to buy more and more clothes. I am still guilty falling into that trap too, but try to be conscious about the purchases I make at these chain stores. You can’t always win, especially if you don’t have the luxury to spend hundreds of euros on sustainable pieces. That’s why I always encourage friends, family and myself to really consider what they are purchasing. It might seem logical to you, but what’s the point of buying a skirt if you’re only going to wear it once? Whether you paid €100 or €20 for it. You can make your fast fashion purchases by making sure to not wear them just once. And if you have worn them just once or ten times and you have fallen out of love with said item, you can always choose to donate it to women shelters or sell it via apps such as Depop. This way you make your fast fashion purchases more sustainable and you are also making a contribution to extending the longevity of your clothes.

When I shop at the high store, I also prefer to buy fabrics that are made from natural fibres. I wrote posts about my decisions for doing so earlier this summer in this post. Besides those decisions for choosing natural fibres, I also like to believe these items made from natural fibers, such as linen or organic cotton are slightly better for the environment than synthetic fibers.

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Reacties

  1. Such a great post Laura, and these are all great tips! And I definitely agree with you on the fast fashion! If you make it as sustainable as possible by not buying things just to be worn once but to wear your items again and again you shouldn't feel guilty about shopping on the high street :) xx

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    1. Thank you so much Pinja, I'm so glad you liked the post and these tips. Shopping on the high street definitely isn't a bad thing, sometimes it's all we can do. Just make sure that you make it sustainable yourself by making sure to wear your items again xx

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