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day one hundred seven

i received some more donations today! this time, it was some accessories sent all the way from the yukon. thank you so much! it's definitely fun receiving packages from others, and i am very happy to get some use out of items that people no longer have a use for.

this whole project has got me thinking about if/how my spending habits will change at the end of these six months. while i haven't come up with a definitive answer just yet, it's been interesting to think about the possibilities. will i crave new items after all of this time of reuse and no shopping, or will i be happy to continue on my path of less consumerism and continue to enjoy secondhand items?

from early on, i have always enjoyed secondhand shopping. there's something fun about sifting through mostly one-of-a-kind items and seeing if i'll find something that catches my eye. it's fun to think about the history of the objects and how they made their way from the original wearer onto my back. but as much as i like the thrill of the hunting for preloved items, i also really like the idea of supporting independent artists. the only negative is that these items tend to be significantly more expensive, though i believe the originality and the care and thought put into these garments usually merits the higher price.

what i do know is that i have found myself in shopping malls on just a couple of occasions since january and they just don't hold the same appeal they used to. and even if something did catch my eye, the want factor disappeared within a couple of days. this makes me wonder if i had really had the cash at the time, would i have bought these things and would i have really appreciated them as much as a one-off found in either a secondhand shop or an independent retailer?

what i do know is that if i had decided i was going to commit to this project more than two weeks before i actually started it, i might have prepared myself a bit better. but it's also been fun to just use what i already own and rely on the kindness of donations. i still have time to decide about my future shopping habits, but it can't hurt to sit back for a few months and think about who will ultimately receive my hard-earned money when i'm back in the shops.

in the meantime, i'm just enjoying the window shopping.

*****

today's look while compiling a wishlist:

purple t-shirt worn over dress: secondhand, dyed by me (free)
purple turtleneck: jacob connexion, about three years old ($15)
native beaded brooch worn on t-shirt: donated by anne williams for this project - thanks! (free)
purple dress under dress: liquidation world, about nine months old ($7)
purple tights: zellers ($10)
black platform shoes: aldo, two years old ($125)

grand total:
about $157.08

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