Monday, September 13, 2010

Year of No Rubbish Purchases - Month 1

I have been sorely tempted this month, by a pouty Angelina Jolie on the cover of Vanity Fair, by a super soft caramel wrap scarf thing at Husk, by the abundance of ballet flats for spring which are on sale in every shoe store and by my desperate need for more storage baskets.

But I have refrained and remain reasonably true to my aim.

This month I have invested in:



This APC t-shirt.  I am very particular about my stripes and when I find stripes in the right width and spacing I find it hard to be disciplined.  And a stripey top is a long term classic, and therefore fits my criteria.

To demonstrate.  These stripes are wrong: 


(Sienna Miller)
These are unflattering:



(Claudia Schiffer)

But these are perfect.  Funny isn't it?



(Olivia Palermo)

Secondly I bought this plastic container which is for storing cut up onion in the fridge. It stops the onion infusing everything else with an oniony smell. I have wanted one of these for years and came across it in a shop. Of course I could always use any old plastic container but there is something so very satisfying about putting an item into a facsimile of itself.



There is an important carve out to this exercise: children's clothes.   I had to buy some of these otherwise my son would be running around with a bare tummy and ankles showing.

Hence, the purchase of these (sorry for small image) from here.   If you can't wear peacock blue skinny cords when you are 7 years old then when can you?  She has barely taken them off since she got them. 




Epilogue:  I had an incident which required the purchase of a Vanity Fair, which I regret. What happened was this: I had an early morning client meeting in the eastern end of the city and I dropped my son off at creche with half an hour to get there. I rang my husband for his view about the best way to get to my destination from Chapel Street.  We agreed Punt Road.  Bad idea. Punt Road was a car park. I inched forward, minute by minute, the appointed time for my meeting getting closer and closer. I emailed my client to let them know I would be a little late.  I patiently sat in the gridlock. I could feel myself getting slightly panicky.  I finally got into the city and instead of driving around looking for a good value car park as planned I parked at the $70 a day one.  I parked the car and grabbed my briefcase only to realise it was completely empty.  I had left all my documents at home on the kitchen bench. Not only that, but I had no paper to write on and no pen to write with.   In all my working life that has never happened to me.   I ran to the nearest newsagent, grabbed a pad and a pen, opened my wallet to pay the $5.50 and realised I had no money. At all.  No coins, no notes.  I then remembered I had let my daughter take her pocket money from my wallet that morning. I gave the purse lipped lady my card to pay by EFTPOS and she said 'sorry $10 minimum'. I said (pleadingly) 'I am having a really bad morning' and she said (unflinchingly) '$10 minimum'. So I grabbed the thing which was closest to me, which happened to be a Vanity Fair (the one with the Twilight girls on the cover).  I then went to my meeting, puffed, hot and a little bit peeved. 

20 comments:

Amanda said...

A lovely purchase - that top is a definite wardrobe keeper and I'm sure will become a favourite item long term. And I'll excuse your magazine purchase after reading your tale of such a terrible morning you poor thing!! :)

Raina Cox said...

"[T]here is something so very satisfying about putting an item into a facsimile of itself."

Best thing I've read all day.

The House That A-M Built said...

A nightmare lead up to your appointment! Hope the actual appointment went well after all that! I am also embracing thrift... it helps that I absolutely hate the shops... doing a big Spring cull this week too... gee it feels good! Very helpful stripe lesson here too.. thank you. A-M xx

Jacqueline @ HOME said...

Dear Jane,
You are quite right.....stripes are really hard to get right. You are obviously an authority on them and have made it your lifetimes work to find the right ones !! hehe.
I tend never to buy fashion magazines and read them all in the hairdressers.....interiors magazines are another matter though ....... XXXX

brismod said...

I felt anxious reading about your trip to that meeting. And I am very impressed with your restraint in the year of "no rubbish" purchases. The stripe lesson should be syndicated around the world.xxx

Jane said...

Ooh, Jane, I loved this post. I completely agree about the stripe thing and would have bought that top myself (good taste). The clincher was the epilogue. That is exactly the kind of thing which happens to me. Only I don't have a daughter raiding my purse, I have a stealthy husband who doesn't give me the heads-up. Not nice. I hope you got through your meeting okay. J x

Unknown said...

So true about the stripes! Why don't more people realize this? You got the exact APC shirt that I have been lusting after! And, now I want that onionie thingy too...too funny!

Cath @ chunkychooky said...

I have some many striped things it is embarassing....I have vowed no more... but I cannot help it.

Julie@beingRUBY said...

Well Jane you got the stripe lesson spot on.. I will remember this next time I feel the urge!!

I strangely want that onion thing too.. hahaha

Sorry about your bad morning... how annoying with the $10 min... I'm a sucker for interior magazines.. but wouldn't pay $10 for Vanity Fair...

Have a lovely day.. xxx Julie

Millie said...

Oh Jane - this is all Mr. Pear Tree House's fault. A 2 year gift subscription to VF should see him right I suspect.
Millie ^_^

natasha said...

Oh you poor thing - being stuck in traffic whilst late for a meeting is stressful enough without then having no money ... I felt tense just reading! I hope the meeting went well after all that :)

That is a beautiful top, btw. I am trying to limit my spending at the moment, too, but the only way I can do that is to avoid the shops altogether (I get a little tear in my eye every time I walk past a Cue store, heheh).

Ann said...

I really like your new no rubbish spending push - I look forward to the next monthly update. Onions, the right stripes (who knew?) and one pressure buy is not a bad tally. VF is not too rubbishy - you could have grabbed something so much worse under stress. Punt Rd - how I do not miss thee. A x

Mise said...

That was a well-deserved Vanity Fair, Jane!

Would you have a quick moment to pop over and advise me on my stripes? I have a feeling that some of mine are Borderline Wrong but it's hard to be sure without the finer nuance and there's only so much I can extrapolate from your examples.

I think I may have dropped my daughter off to Nursery this morning while wearing Potentially Bad Stripes.

The more I think about it the more worried I am.

Amanda (Small Acorns) said...

Is Vanity Fair really a rubbish purchase? As Ann said, you could have grabbed something far more trashy which you really would regret buying. And I hope your day went uphill once you got to the meeting. xx

Laura said...

Oh I've had my eye on that APC shirt for quite some time, you are so right about the stripes! Glad to hear I'm not the only one who has those kinds of mornings...but sorry it happened to you!

JMW said...

Love the stripe shirt purchase! I think besides the stripe, the shirt itself should fit well and be well proportioned to one's body. Then, the shirt will really "work" for you. :)

Genuine Lustre said...

Ahh..I love a striped top, but feel so wrong when I'm wearing one. There must be a lesson here somewhere...

Julie@beingRUBY said...

Hey jane
Thanks so much for your kind comment.. your motherly kindness and caring is felt with appreciation !!.. xxx Julie

プチ家出 said...

冬休みを利用してのプチ家出中の少女が集う家出掲示板登場!困っている彼女達を救えるのはアナタしかいません。もちろん救ってあげた貴方の好きなようにして下さい。救ってもらった負い目が有るから性奴隷も思いのまま

GlassesShop said...

I loved this post.

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