OK, OK, I have talked about being a workaholic. I think you understand, I am trying to be a yogaholic (yogi?) I am obsessed with our cat. I mean how can you not be…look at this face…

I also like to cook and bake and watch REALLY bad TV. But I am also a shopaholic. However, for the last two decades, I have always believed for everything I buy (outfit, sweater, pair of shoes, purse, whatever) I get rid of at least one, and oftentimes, two items in my closet. The only exception is basic, comfortable black shoes. During trade show season, nothing beats a comfortable pair of black shoes that allows you to walk 10,000+ steps and not get too many blisters. It’s actually an occupational hazard to NOT have extra shoes during trade show season, but I digress…

I/we donate to Salvation Army at least three times/year since I also like to purge our bedroom every season. In fact, we have four or five bags ready to go in the next couple of weeks. (And just ask my father, I was ready to have Salvation Army back a truck up against our house the other weekend. He wasn’t having it, but he’s getting there…)

Long story short, I have a few theories when it comes to shopping and they are:

• Get rid of items that are duplicative or that you haven’t worn in at least a year (living in Boston, you have to give it at least a season or two to cycle through). And do this often.
• When you buy something, get rid of something (or two somethings).
• Support your friends who are selling online – it helps them build their small business and you typically get something unique that others do not.
• Buy sustainable goods. Sure, they may be a bit more expensive, but doesn’t that make sense if you’re wearing something that is made out of recycled materials. I have two favs that I love and they are Rothy’s (and they just launched a purse line….credit card be damned!) and Nothing New (think Chuck Taylor’s, but from recycled materials.)
• Buy recycled clothing from awesome consignment sites like ThredUp. Even better, according to a Fast Company article….”some of these tips are self-serving, of course, since ThredUp is in the business of selling secondhand clothing, and lifecycle analyses of garments have found that buying used garments instead of new reduces your carbon footprint by between 60% and 70%.” How cool is that? Buy awesome clothing AND reduce your carbon footprint.

Now, I wish I could say that we were big enough here at CPW to say these are ads and these really cool companies paid us to say these awesome things, but we’re not and these are not ads. We’re just two gals from opposite sides of the country trying to share our life with you.

As I’ve been reflecting on certain items in my life lately, I thought I’d share my shopping practices with you as well.

Thoughts on buying these types of goods? Would you wear recycled materials like me?