Hello, I'm María and I'm a compulsive shopper. To be fair, I should speak in the past tense because for about a year now I have not only stopped buying without thinking, I have gone straight to not getting anything new if I have not sold (or donated) two items from my closet first.
I have always liked clothes; So much so that I made shopping my profession, I am the Shopping Coordinator in this beloved magazine of ours, Trendencias, and now I spend the day recommending to others what to spend their euros on. I have bought a lot, to an almost addictive level (filling my Zara basket when I was having a bad day became an automatic gesture).
If we add to this the fact that my weight fluctuates continuously and that I change sizes every now and then, I am an expert in using second-hand sales platforms to get rid of what has not been worth it for years. I got to the point where I was so upset when I disappeared Chicfy (yes, chic for me, chic for you) that my followers numbered in the thousands, that's what it's like to sell practically new clothes. Things got out of hand and I even signed up for Micolet (a website they call Vinted for lazy people because you only have to take care of putting the clothes you want to sell in a box and ask them to pick them up) because I was too lazy to take photos and upload them.
A personal promise with which I gained peace of mind
This Dolores Promesas dress hasn't fit me for years and has been on my Vinted for months
I'm not new to taking advantage of second-hand platforms and getting a few euros every time I change my wardrobe, but for about a year, Vinted has become a kind of personal milestone. Just as a few years ago I decided to read only to women for a while and it went so well that I haven't stopped doing it, on December 31, 2024 I made a promise to myself: not to buy anything new if I didn't first sell (or donate) two items from my closet.
My wedding shoes with a heel above my means, on Vinted
What's more, I feel better about myself. Buying for the sake of buying and trying to follow each microtrend made me feel good in the first minute after the purchase, then it generated guilt in me that affected me beyond the economic. Making this promise to myself and keeping it has somehow improved my confidence. Maybe that's why I have followed her to the letter and I have only failed on one occasion: I had an important wedding and I needed to take advantage of Black Friday to get the perfect dress for much less. The savings were so important that I allowed myself to break the rules; Yes, as a penalty I increased my “punishment” for two more months, but I have gotten used to it in such a way that I no longer feel it as a sacrifice.
A dress that I kept for its sentimental value but that has not been worth it for a decade
I suppose that when you start emptying the closet and limiting what you buy, you don't go without a thread: you choose wisely, what you buy you know you really like and by having fewer things you play it safe, the dreaded “I have nothing to wear” moment is greatly reduced, although it may seem contradictory. I confess that before I bought clothes to constantly feel that rush of new life (a new life?). Now I need a lot less to feel good about myself and my closet is less cluttered, but it definitely represents me more.
