Good for the planet, good for the purse

It seems that new season stock is sloooooowwwwwllllyyyyy making its way to the shops of Melbourne, for which I am extremely grateful. For too long now there has been nothing, NOTHING, to buy.

I am doing very well with one New Year Resolution- not to buy junk. I have only bought three cheap tops this year, and I returned one to Myer. As soon as I walked out of the store I realised I would never wear it and it was $40 wasted. Thank heavens for Myers returns policy! The other two were a stripy tshirt that I saw on my way out of the change room at Target- didnt have a tag, didnt have a price, didnt try it on- got to checkout- SEVEN DOLLARS. Fits perfectly. Wear it at least twice a week. The other one- slightly more expensive at $14.95, is black and drapy and sequinned, something I've been looking for for a long time. So totally justified.

Other than that, one black skirt, one pair of jeans on sale, and a couple of dresses, I've bought nothing. And I cannot think of anything I want, let alone FIND anything I want. I've been inundated with mags lately through a couple of flights/airport newsagencies and then a glut of subscriptions arriving all at once, and theres a lot of great stuff out there that I like the look of, but where is the actual stock???!! Since I stopped buying things on impulse ("its only $29.95!") I find I shop with things in mind already, not just to see what I can find. This works better for my wardrobe overall, and seeing as how I cant find anything I want, its better for my purse.

Shops I am trying out these days (perhaps slightly out of budget but hopefully inspirational):

Order and Progress, Curtin House,
Marais, 1/134 Little Collins St
Christine, 181 Flinders Lane

As well as current favourites, Husk and Cactus Jam. This whole not-buying-junk thing has led in another direction too- that of environmentally friendly shopping. Maudrey and I discussed this the other night and she pointed out that not only is that cheapo top going to wash badly and lose shape and you will hate it and regret spending the $25, its also going to be thrown away after no time at all, after being made from nasty materials probably by a poor child slaving away in a sweat shop. Not only is buying good quality things rarely better for your day-to-day budget its also better for the environment- less waste, less energy used to create it (well, at least you;re not contributing to this problem) and a wardrobe that lasts longer, gets worn more and is appreciated 100%.

We will start investigating some environmentally friendly labels and shops soon so we can pass them on..... Any ideas we could follow up, or stores we may have missed would be lovely!