How my ‘Sod It’ purchases have worked out.
In my 20’s I worked for one of the UK’s largest glossy magazine publishers and for the first time in many years I had some disposable income to indulge in my favourite thing. Clothes.
Our offices were in Soho, so I had access to all-the-brands and myself and my friends spent many a lunch break scouring the shops, looking for our next must-have purchases.
Every so often I’d find something that I really, really wanted but couldn’t quite justify. More often than not, I’d say ‘sod it’ and snap it up.
Back then, I didn’t know my style. I just went with what I liked or what I saw others wearing well.
And that meant that at least half the time, those sod it pieces turned out to be a huge waste of money.
Roll on to 2009 and I was a different person. Married, two small children and a career change. I’d decided to train to become an image consultant. I won’t bore you with the details of how I ended up here in this blog, but you can find out here if you’d like to know.
Anyway, something fundamental changed following my training. Not only did I launch my fabulous Image Consultancy which I still absolutely adore 16 years on, I also had much more success with my purchasing!
Over the years I still find myself looking at clothes, bags, accessories and footwear that I really, really want and although my available budget is bigger these days, I still have to justify to myself any new purchases.
So, although I still sometimes say ‘Sod it, I’m having it!’, my success rate is now 100%.
And that’s because I know my style. I know my outfit formulas. I understand my lifestyle and therefore where, when and how I’m going to wear any new purchases.
And I have to say these pieces bring me so much joy. I wear them for years and years and they make me feel fabulous.
So, if like me, you are a fan of clothes and sometimes do a bit more shopping than you probably really need, I recommend you take the time to learn your style. I have multiple online and in-person ways to help you with this. You can check out all my services by clicking here.
Failing that, at least check in with yourself before you buy anything else. Know exactly where, when and how you’ll wear any new items before they are allowed to come in.
The minute you realise you are fiddling with something too much to make it sit right, or you are telling yourself it’ll fit right when you’ve lost 5 pounds or realise you need to buy three other things to make it work, my advice is to put it back and walk away.
You won’t regret not buying it, but you may regret having it sitting in your wardrobe, taking up space for the next few years.
