Hello again friends! I'm back with another chat about clothes buying. I mentioned in my blog about my year-end clothing audit that I was in need of some basics that were falling apart. And also that I wait for good sales to be able to afford higher quality and more ethical items. After Christmas is a good time to do that, because sales are often the best at this time since most people just spent a fortune over the holidays. So I withdrew some extra money from here in addition to what I needed for bills, to be able to take advantage of this to get what I need, and I'm glad I did!
In addition to snagging a brand new pair of Levi's jeans for under $20 (that's the lowest price I've ever paid for them), I bought a couple of pairs of underwear and a thermal shirt from Pact Organic.
so thick and warm!
They were having a 50% off sale (I told y'all, wait for the after xmas sales!), which makes them equivalent to "normal" prices for cheap items elsewhere, depending on where you shop, or close, anyway. Maybe not Temu cheap, but Target or something. 😄
But instead of getting sweatshop labor, plastic polyester clothing, low quality that doesn't last, you get nice, high quality, organic cotton, fair trade certified clothes!
even the packaging is certified and recyclable
On the paper bags the clothes are packed in, you see:
-"this is a responsibly made, carbon neutral, and completely recyclable bag" written at the top. The bottom has the website vela.eco which is the bag maker, so you can check them out if you want. It also has the arrow triangle with "22" inside it and "PAP" written beneath, indicating that it's recyclable paper, and the FSC label. I think the symbols on the left with a person, bag and coffee cup that says "fr" might be French or Quebecois recycling symbols.
But you also see: Global Organic Textile Standard and Fair Trade Certified Factory. Certified organic by a union. Made in India, which I think is starting to have some better protections for workers compared to some other countries (that link is about an agreement to end gender and caste discrimination for workers and how it's been successful, even at factories for generally un-ethical companies, so I hope at a fair trade factory it's even better), but let me know if I'm mistaken about that.
By buying fewer items, and timing your purchases to wait for a good deal, even my not-rich self am able to prioritize buying a few good staples that will last and are more ethical. When you shop for what you need and wait until you find a good deal, rather than impulse purchases because you're bored or wanting to be trendy, you can afford the better choices. By keeping track of your purchases, you can keep in mind what you really need so you can take advantage of the sale, and ignore it when you don't need anything so you aren't tempted to buy more than you really need or can afford.
even the tag was attached by a safety pin you can reuse rather than those plastic doodads most other companies use that you have to cut off
Basically, buying less allows you to buy better when you do need to buy something. :)
People tend to think that they have no choice but to buy the cheap stuff, because they aren't rich. But I'm a lot poorer than some of my friends who think this (I know that's all relative, but in terms of the US, I'm poor, lol). The difference is that my richer friends buy a lot. They buy quantity over quality, and they shop when they want, not when the deals are best. I would much rather go for quality over quantity, and be patient to wait until I can afford the better options.
Even thrifting has gotten expensive here, because more people are doing it since the economy is bad. Both for themselves, and to resell (people will hunt for deals and resell online for more). Thrift stores know this and have jacked up their prices because they can. So the odds of my poor butt being able to find something quality for cheap at a thrift store are low. The thrift stores are also overrun with the cheap, falling apart stuff from Shien and Walmart, so it's really a treasure hunt (the people who enjoy shopping for fun do this too). I do not enjoy shipping for fun, lol. I want to get what I need and get out!
Just some thoughts about how being more minimalist in my wardrobe helps me to be able to afford higher quality, more ethical options on a budget. It's funny because this is probably the majority of what I'll buy all year, and I'm doing it in January. 😄
Have a great week and thanks for reading!