I love fashion. I like studying trends; I like studying different fashion eras. I enjoy styling clothes, but I’m definitely guilty of having more clothes than I need.

Over the last few years, I’ve made a conscious decision to always clean out my closet. I have a post about 5 ways you can recycle your unwanted clothes which you can read here. I clean out my closet because it’s my way of slowly building a wardrobe I will love and will sustain me longterm.

As I practice that, I also made a decision to not consistently add a bunch of new items into my closet. Through slowly adapting these habits, I am slowly learning more about where my clothes come from, how they’re made, who made them, the materials used, the process used. I am in no way a zero-waste expert or a minimalist genius, but there are a few practices that I’ve adopted to help me be more responsible in the fashion department—the first practice: shop less.

Here is my guide to being more responsible in fashion—how to start shopping less.

Shop less:

I think this is the best first step. When I first started out, I would avoid going to malls or shopping centers because I knew that if I went, I’d end up buying something I don’t need. Now, I can walk through stores and consciously decide if I want to purchase something. I’m no longer tempted by sales signs or the cheap prices.

Shopping less doesn’t mean you’re missing out on the latest trend. I think it’s an opportunity to invest your money towards something else or towards something you will actually truly like.

Wear what you already have

How many of you have clothing pieces or accessories that you’ve only worn once or twice? I know I do. And yet, somehow, I still feel like I have nothing to wear sometimes. But over the years, I’ve made it a goal to wear the clothes that I own more than once. And through that, I became more creative in the way I style my clothes. There’s always more than 2 ways to style an item. To help me with this, sometimes I even create no-clothes-shopping challenges for myself to keep myself accountable.

Shop second-hand

If you want to shop, shop second-hand first. This is a great way to recycle and reuse. It helps the environment because you’re buying something that was only produced once, and your prolonging the life of that item. It’s also a great way to find vintage items. A lot of second-hand stores or thrift stores nowadays are quite curated so you’ll typically almost always find something you like.

Unsubscribe from store email lists

I am guilty of signing up for all sorts of email lists but especially clothing stores. I have found that I shop less after I unsubscribed from a bunch of retailers. I’m not constantly bombarded with sales emails in big bright numbers. After I unsubscribing, I realized that the sales emails I still get, I’m not tempted to buy just because there’s a sale going on. Plus, I’m also now only subscribed to stores that I truly support.

Set up a budget

By setting a clothing budget, you are disciplining yourself to only shop within that means. If you’re prone to shopping because of sales or you are a retail therapy person this tip might help you because now you have a limit. The one thing I would add to this budget is, don’t buy quantity buy quality. Your budget is not going to help your personal finance in general, but it’s a way for you to start being more conscious on what you actually buy.

Create a clothing shopping list

Shopping lists are not only for groceries. I’ve been creating clothing shopping lists since—I don’t know—college? I would write down the different clothing pieces that I want to buy, and they’re actually quite specific. Making the list is not just writing down everything I want to buy—no. It’s me looking at my closet and knowing what I already have, then really evaluating what I want to get that would enhance my wardrobe. I always aim to buy something that I can then style with pieces I already own. Creating a shopping list also helps my mind not to wonder when I’m in stores. It really works wonders.

One In, One Out

This was a rule I gave myself a few years ago: If I buy one new item, I have to get rid of one old item. This helps me to manage my wardrobe, helps me to see what I haven’t worn, helps me to really think about what I’m buying.

And those, my friends, are 7 tips to help you shop less. This guide is a shopping less guide that I still use everyday. In fact, these habits have become second nature to me whenever I shop. I hope you found them helpful! What are some of your tips to shopping less? Comment them below!

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Guide to Shopping Less | How to Shop Less