It's a Classical Life

With the cost of living affecting people all around the world, the increased climate crisis, and the terrible abuse of underpaid workers in developing countries, buying second-hand can be the answer to these problems. I'm a big believer in shopping second hand, and have loved searching through op shops (thrift stores) and antique stores since I was a teenager. I loved finding something unique or knowing that I wasn't supporting fast fashion (yes, that was a thing all those years ago!) or compromising the lives of workers in developing countries who perhaps had made their products for a lower than acceptable wage.  However, there are many people who really don't like the idea of shopping second-hand or perhaps don't know where to begin. Not to worry, I'm here to help! Here's a list of some things to start looking for second hand. That can be in-store (which I highly recommend), or from online websites such as eBay , Poshmark , or  Gumtree . The joy of searching i...

  In the not too distant past I was a compulsive clothes shopper. I was never bad enough to get into debt, but the amount of money that I would allocate to myself as "spending money" inevitably got spent on clothes. Little withdrawals from my savings account here and there would be made for a new dress or pair of pants. I was of the belief that by buying that next piece of clothing, my wardrobe would finally be complete. The catch was though, it never felt complete and my eye would begin to wander again. I'd shop sales and tell myself it didn't really count when it was so heavily discounted. Then, I would be inspired to de-clutter, minimise my clothing, cut-down on everything and do a big wardrobe purge. This set the stage for another shopping spree - to replace the things I'd donated of course. Watching Youtube or following my favourite "content creators" would inspire me to create new looks, hence more shopping.  Normally I don't talk so candidly h...