what I wore no. 8

my no-buy month successes and failures

Two goals for my April No-Buy Challenge:

1. Begin wearing my way through every article of clothing I own and decide whether to keep, save, sell, or donate.

2. Refrain from shopping for 30 days.

I decided to pursue a no-buy April because I went a little off the rails rebuilding my postpartum closet. Some things I bought a few months ago no longer fit (thankfully easily resold or passed on to friends!), and as I am still in flux, it just makes sense to slow down a little bit now that I have some pieces to work with. There’s also something to be said about the influx of packages, which Ari absolutely reads me to filth over every time we come home from preschool. “Why do you always get packages?? I NEVER GET ANYTHING EVER!!” Fair observation!

The last time I gave myself a sort of no-buy framework was 2024, when I pledged to shop only in person from January through March. I think that is a more realistic guideline for me than a strict, longer term anti-consumer challenge, but it’s also really hard. Most stores, for a litany of reasons, have limited inventory. I also have much less time to shop in person — it’s much easier to just scroll here and there and click on everyone’s endless link roundups. Obviously, the friction is the point.

Closet clean-out by the numbers:

This is just a plug to try and find consignment shops before jumping straight to Poshmark or Depop! I think the payout could be a little more online, but when factoring in time + shipping, it’s a better deal for me to sell my stuff in real life. PLUS I like to think I am positively contributing to our local economy.

$170 from Give & Take
$221 from Deep Lake

Other great secondhand Portland stores: Artifact, Rodeo, Circle Round, Pacific Holiday.

My lingering tabs:

• White canvas Keds

  My mom has been wearing Keds for as long as I’ve known her. I’ve had a taupe pair and am currently on my second red pair (my first red pair finally wore a hole in the toe after about eight years!). I’ve never had a white pair, but I think they would be more comfortable than my Converse in the summer time. Also, they are a reasonable price for a shoe I know fits comfortably. Likely to purchase: yes.
  

  

  Of course the Keds are cropped out (click through to see)! Or just trust that I have been an OG Ked head for years.

• Bun Bun Bakery t-shirt
  Every year I buy something I dub the “summer shirt” and it is my (you guessed it, lol) go-to shirt in the summer. This is a strong contender for 2026 summer shirt.

  I used to call Ari ‘Bun Bun’ because when he was a baby, the top of his head smelled like a fresh loaf of bread. I love the colors and font of this t-shirt. I’ve never been to this bakery, but that’s neither here nor there. This shirt will scratch the itch of getting a bunny eating bread tattoo. Likely to purchase: yes.
  

  

  

  old summer shirts in no particular order: Kusama merch, red stripe, vintage (stolen from my sister), Forestbound

• The Petite Drop Cord + Citrine
  I think this was a link from Sogole Kane (she has great taste and knowledge of jewelry)! My birth stone is citrine/topaz and I love the juxtaposition of the red with the orange stone, but the red cord not having a proper fastener makes me nervous I’d lose it. Also, it’s spendy! Like to purchase: no. Accept as a gift? Yes. 😉

• Sabrina curved utility pant from Pistola
  I think it’s interesting how we have seemingly moved to a comfortable in-between with regards to the soft vs. hard pant conversation of 2020-2021. These look nice, but after pregnancy and postpartum dressing, I’m craving more structure in the next pants I invest in. Likely to purchase: no.

• Lowen striped midi skirt from Free People
  I am absolutely obsessed with these color combos and am actively looking to add 1-2 skirts to my summer wardrobe (skirt + top more breastfeeding friendly than my favorite dress). Due to my height and torso, this will not look good on me. But I can dream! Likely to purchase: no.

• Linen-blend boatneck top from Gap
  I LOVE the brown polka dots, and I don’t mind the rayon blend here — I think it helps with wrinkles and improves the feel of the fabric (sorry to say, Gap isn’t using the higher quality, less scratchy linen!), but I think this is a little long for my short torso. Likely to purchase: no.

• Agolde Parker long shorts

  These are my favorite shorts, and while I can button them (hooray!), I’m going to sell mine and go up at least one size for ease. Now I just have to decide if I want cut-offs again or if I want to hold off for a proper hem. Likely to purchase: yes.

  My one failure:

  A Gem alert got me — I should have turned it off for the month, but I take heart knowing it was something I was actually looking for and not just mindless clicking on. I bought the Alex Mill Lili overalls in white for $44 (original retail $215) off Poshmark and already wore them on Wednesday (iykyk).

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