3 Things I Don't Buy Now That I Have a Capsule Wardrobe

A few years ago I came across the documentary Minimalism and that got me interested in learning more about capsule wardrobes. I started to research the topic and absolutely fell in love with the idea. I did a massive purge and greatly reduced the number of items in my wardrobe and over the past 3 years, I’ve continued to refine my capsule wardrobe. I’m extremely happy that I made this change and I’ve explained why in blog posts and on my YouTube channel. Today, I wanted to share 3 things I no longer buy now that I have a capsule wardrobe.

1.  Buy sale or clearance items

Before learning about minimalism and capsule wardrobes, I would always buy things simply because they were on sale. I didn’t need them or even really want them. They were just such a great price, that I didn’t want to pass on the opportunity of getting a good deal. Now I’ve realized that there will always be sales and there’s no need to buy things I don’t need or truly want. By doing so I’m only filling up my closet with a bunch of stuff that will take up space and require time and energy to manage. Even though these items were on sale, it’s still a waste of money and when you add up all of the money that was spent, you’ll see that it can add up to quite a bit. So now I avoid online shopping or going to malls for sales. I’ll only search for an item when I need something. Most of the time I’ll be able to find it on sale anyway. And if I don’t, that’s okay, I rarely shop, so I don’t mind spending some extra money when I do buy things.

2. Buy colourful or patterned clothing

Since a capsule wardrobe consists of fewer items, you want to try to stick to neutral colours, basic and classic pieces so that everything coordinates and can easily be mixed and matched. I’ve never been a huge fan of colour or patterns anyway, so this was an easy transition for me. Occasionally I would experiment with a bold colour or pattern, but I never really loved any of those pieces. Now my wardrobe consists mainly of white, grey, black and denim pieces and I love it!

In this video, I shared my spring/summer capsule wardrobe. Check it out to get some tips to help you build your own.

3. Buy multiples/backstock

Often, if something was on sale, I’d buy multiples or a ton of backstock even though I didn’t really need it. Again, I was driven by price and would fill my home with things before I even needed them. Most of the time I would eventually use these items, but not always. When I did my major purge, I did find brand new things that I had completely forgotten about and no longer wanted them. For me, this often happened with cosmetics. Now I only buy a new makeup product when I need a replacement. I no longer stock up on it, especially since cosmetics expire. Even with backstock, I rather store things at the store than in my home. With services like Amazon Prime, you can simply order when you need it, there's no need to create your own warehouse at home.

If you’re thinking about building a capsule wardrobe, download my free guide to help you get started. It takes time and effort to create one, but it’s life-changing and definitely worth it!