Hi everyone
That was a quite a break from blogging, apologies, but isn’t it a busy time! And, honestly, isn’t every day between Christmas and New Year like a month of Sundays? Every day seems to be the same. I am so glad this is Monday 5th January and we are all back normal again!
However, we haven’t finished the Christmas jollifications as our two little grandchildren have both had chicken pox, the smallest one only a few days ago so our family Christmas get-together is still waiting to happen! Never mind, it will be great when it happens.
So, now a new year is upon us, I will do a series of blogs with an all round look at 2025 with mostly a few favourites (you’ve had the best films of 2025 – see last blog) plus the positives, and a few negatives I’ve encountered, which are inevitable in all our lives. But I will also look forward to everything I have planned and hope for in the coming year.
Well, I have to start with outfits! So let’s take stock as I have changed my buying habits a lot.
I started blogging over 12 years ago as Frugalfashionshopper, and I was frugal, but only up to a point as, yes, I was going to charity shops for pretty much 100% of my clothes, but I was buying so many items of clothing. For instance, in 2015, over ten years ago, I was buying anything up to 15 items per month. I know this as I’ve written down all my clothes purchases since 2012! Btw, I think that is a very good way to monitor expenditure over the years. For example, I see the charity shop prices were much lower compared to now.
But a couple of things have happened. The quality of charity shop clothes has deteriorated markedly from when I began the blog in 2013 to now as, obviously, so many people sell their clothes online. And then there was my tendency to buy charity shop items and then return them. That is exactly what I did in January 2025 when I bought 7 items, and then over the next couple of months returned 6 of them. This had to stop.
So, I decided I would only buy one good quality item per month. Have I kept to that? Dear reader, no, I have not! But it is rare now for me to buy in a charity shop. Instead over 11 months, I have bought 4 designer items at slightly breathtaking, pulse-raising prices. However, although there were some expensive months I have totalled up my spending over the year, and I have kept to a reasonable budget that is OK for my means – and that includes my designer items. In fact, I now aim to stop feeling guilty about my love of clothes and style and acknowledge that I am now buying good quality clothes that I will keep for years and probably/definitely will outlast me 😆 I bet you’ve been doing that for years! Also note I am buying far fewer clothes and I am buying ethically (especially the designer ones which state where and how the clothes are made). And I am far more decisive about what I buy, and that can’t be such a bad thing.
Anyway, here’s a few of my favourite things.
This is a photo taken last winter, but I am currently wearing this faux fur coat nearly every day as the UK is really quite cold at the moment, and this morning (Monday 5th) we’ve woken up to snow on the ground – in the south!
The hat and gloves were bought in Norway, I can’t remember where the scarf came from but it is a 100% wool and the coat was bought about 20 years ago at a Vintage Sale.
And below is my £5 charity shop jacket bought years ago, which I am wearing with a charity shop fedora. The top was bought new from M&S two years ago.
And here I am wearing the charity shop jacket I bought in January, and the only item out of 7 that I have kept. It goes well with skinny jeans. The hat was bought in Toulouse about 6 years ago.
The photo below was taken on my birthday in June. For me, the photo clearly shows how my eyes that were once heavy lidded are now hooded. That’s due partly to the many hot masks I have to use to keep the lids clear of blepharitis, and partly to the cataract op and the stretching of the eyelid during the op. My optician blithely said to me, when I had a moan, well, it is also something that happens as you age!
That is the lecture, that begins, ‘as you age, you…..”‘ I hear this from health professionals more and more these days!
I am wearing a plain black t-shirt and a simply lovely necklace given to me by my daughter. I did have a fancy skirt on, but you can’t see it.
British summers are often windy. This was one of those days. I bought the hat from a stall in Flam, Norway. I adore it and wear it many, many times during the summer.
Here it is again in July worn when on holiday in Suffolk, which is on the east coast of England.
And again with a crumpled orange linen dress!
This yellow dress below was bought new from Seasalt. As you know yellow is my favourite colour.
And a full length shot of the dress worn above.
Below I feature one of my rare charity shop buys. The cropped 100% wool jacket. The weather is cooling down now and although I am wearing a newly bought cotton skirt from M&S, I can see I am wearing leggings (incredibly old) and the charity shop black boots I bought 3 years ago and still going strong.
It’s properly Autumn now and here is one of my lighter weight coats bought from the Dress Agency I go to often, both to leave clothes to be sold and to look at what’s on sale. I love this coat but it isn’t warm enough for this week’s very cold (for the UK) weather.
This is my newest coat, bought from Seasalt for £90 in its current sale Sadly there are only quite large sizes left. But that was half the price it was, so quite a bargain.
And finally my Dress Agency (so they are pre-loved) Paige jeans (I can see they need to be tucked further into the boots!) teamed with a new and sparkling brown jumper from M&S which I can’t find now, so it’s probably sold-out. I love the sparkle to it, and it was just right for Christmas and indeed, will be, for other slightly dressy occasions.
I’m looking somewhat pasty in the photo above. More about my health issues in the next blog.
But do tell me, are you buying fewer items of clothing, or more? I have changed my attitude to buying clothes and am buying newer, better quality clothes, and probably about time too, although I shall continue to look in charity shops, just to see if I can find that elusive bargain. What is your attitude these days? I am so aware that the fashion industry devastates this planet and yet I don’t think my awareness of that fact changes anything. But my changed behaviour in buying clothes during 2025, is perhaps just one tiny step in the right direction. This is the very least I can do. And that’s not a New Year’s resolution or anything like that. It’s just that I have changed.
That’s nearly all for now, but just before I end this blog, I do hope your Christmas went well and I wish you all the very best for 2026. Thank you so much for reading this blog to the end and for continuing to support me by reading the blog through the year. You are all so very much appreciated. Thank you again.
With love, PennyX
Dear Penny, you look lovely in all your outfits and I love your sense of colour and style.
My (only) resolution this year is to buy no items of clothes (of any sort, including underwear), no footwear, no jewellery and no perfume whatsoever.
I know!
I don’t have a huge wardrobe of clothes by any stretch of the imagination, and many are second-hand. But I feel I have enough.
I have been inspired to do this by a wonderful essay by the (magnificent) writer, Ann Patchett. (See link below.)
I am feeling completely liberated at the thought!
https://www.vogue.co.uk/arts-and-lifestyle/article/giving-up-shopping
What a brilliant article – thank you for bringing it to our attention
Thank you, Ruth! She is one of my favourite authors and her book of essays ‘These Precious Days’ (which contains the one I refer to) is simply excellent.
Wow, Helen! First of all, what a great article and secondly, it’s amazing that you feel you can do this. I know I can’t and wouldn’t want to either. I do love my clothes and as I don’t drink or smoke or eat chocolate and cheese (the latter two excluded for health reasons) or have many vices at all, I feel that looking at my wardrobe, curating it and adding to it, is my, well, hobby and quite the boost to my morale.
However, I do think the fashion industry is ghastly and our addiction to it is as well. So with my change of buying habits I am giving myself a small pat on the back as I think I must be on the right track.
But oh my word, do let us know if you keep to this and how you feel at the end of 2026. Hats off for your gesture and, really, good on you!
Very best wishes to you and thanks again for drawing our attention to the article 😊
Thanks, Penny. I may well be tail between my legs next December having not managed it – but I will let you know!
Some years ago, Look Fabulous Forever circulated a photo of Joan Collins looking great with her completely hooded eyes made up as though the hoods did not exist. Nil desperandum ….
What I wear now that I am in my late seventies has changed so much in recent years. I used to buy clothes in shops in our prosperous Midlands town, but that is scarcely possible now. The big department store with many concessions has closed, and the Marks and Spencer has moved to a highly congested shopping park on the edge of town. Two and a half years ago, I adopted the Zoe Nutrition way of healthy eating and that has brought my weight down to normal and much improved my physical health and mental well-being. This way of eating works much the same way as the weight-loss jabs. It is much easier to find things I like and that suit me now that I am size 12/average.
I buy my everyday clothes from the clearance lines at Rohan (online, we do not have a shop in our town). They are very well-made, sturdy and have zip up pockets everywhere so that I can always keep my phone on me (this is the first thing that I think about when I am buying clothes now). I also buy base layer merino wool jumpers (when they are half-price) from Rohan, Cotswold Outdoor or Isobaa as they can be worn year round in the UK without or with layers on top. Merino jumpers never lose their freshness and can be worn many, many times without washing.
We do have an Oliver Bonas in our main street. Although it’s aimed at much younger people, it sells brightly coloured fluffy jumpers and garments in interesting designs at reasonable prices and I can’t go in there without coming out with something I like. The sizes are all up the creek, so it’s worth exploring, whatever one’s size.
Yes, I know that hooded eyes can be solved with the right techniques, but it’s not just the hooded eyes, as at the moment I have very sensitive, almost sore eyes (due to dry eye) and cannot use any eye makeup at all. I do really miss it as I’ve been putting eye makeup on since I was 15! Not at school of course! For now though I have to do without and I’m just hoping I can one day return to putting on the mascara and eye shadow etc etc.
Good for you for going on the Zoe Nutrition plan. I think about it often, but just haven’t yet made the leap to do it. There are several things I need to concentrate on first before I get to doing Zoe. But it sounds as though it was perfect for you.
Tbh I do a lot of online shopping now as the thought of trying on clothes in a shop is – too trying! But in Brighton (only a bus ride away) there is an Oliver Bonas and I too like the items there.
Thanks so much Christine, I enjoyed reading your comment 😊
Morning Penny
Yes! It’s definitely winter. Here in Oxfordshire, we had one thin dumping of snow last Friday. The temperature has been low ever since: not set to rise above -1 today and -4 overnight. Consequently, the garden is still white. I doubt I’ll be venturing out today. And, anyway, I’m on a bit of a mission – see below.
Thanks for your ‘2025 frock frolic’. A little stroll down memory lane. I remembered all the outfits from your earlier postings, and your declaration to buy fewer items – congratulations on that front.
I’m definitely buying fewer clothes. The fact is I have more than enough (too many, in reality), but as you know, it’s not just about each item: there’s feelings/emotions/memories involved. Some things I’ve had for 20+ years. Some I still wear regularly, others ‘once in a blue moon’, some I keep ‘just in case’, and some for nostalgic reasons. And then there are some – “Why-oh-why, Matron?” 😉
So, my mission is to have a thorough clear-out this year. I began on Saturday and have two bags to take to the charity shop and a ‘pending pile. I’m struggling with items I really like, but the fact is, I don’t wear. Particularly shoes and boots – one of my passions.
I looked at your lovely green coat from Seasalt – and noticed the style is called Boskerris. I smiled because it’s the name of a hotel near St Ives. Lovely coat: lovely hotel.
All the best, Mary x
Happy New Year Penny. It was so nice to see your round up of new dresses, jackets, and especially coats, with the lovely hats. I did love your frugalfashionshopper blog. As a plus point, it was a vicarious reading activity for me, so you prevented me from buying 😉 more clothes, due to the pleasure I got from seeing your eclectic outfits. I hope you get your delayed Christmas and New Year celebrations soon. We too had to delay ours, though we were the reason, as the dreaded lurgy struck us a week before Christmas and we’ve been coughing and spluttering ever since. The pattern of my shopping has changed markedly since 2015. I now make a lot of my clothes, being a petite and not that easy to fit in old age. It’s a lovely hobby and gives me more scope to choose interesting fabrics and styles, which I couldn’t given the extremely limited range of petite clothing and the weird variations in size, which I would mainly have to buy online ( and I hate online shopping). I have to buy fitflop shoes online as they are my only viable source of footwear and that is enough as their sizing is absolutely impossible! Too big, too small and occasionally just right. I love buying merino jumpers for warmth and occasional cashmere as a splurge but usually only one or two a year. My second hand clothing forays have dwindled due to my fitting woes, and the fact that most clothes are too long in the arms and legs for me, as new (Chinese) clothing is the norm here too. I did buy a lovely Seasalt Mac in the sale, much needed with all our wet weather. I haven’t had a proper Mac in years and still have one I bought second hand, good quality, in the 1980s. Thankfully my coat size hasn’t changed much. Hope this New Year brings fun, joy and good health to you and yours. Trish S
Sorry to hear about your lurgy – there are some nasty viruses around including ‘flu – hope you recover fully soon.
Sizing is absolutely daft. I find Zara has the biggest variation and I have been able to get into both an XL and a Small!! And making your clothes, how wonderful to have both that skill and indeed energy. Have you noticed that Seasalt has recently added really long dresses to its items which must be out of the question for so many people. I always wait for the Seasalt sales as otherwise I see their prices as too expensive. And yes to cashmere and merino wool, I have a very old cashmere jumper bought in a charity shop – it is just lovely.
All the very best for 2026 to you too, Trish and thanks so much for for all the comments 😊
And it’s even more winterish today – temperature gauge here in Lewes at 9.0am is still at minus 1(C)! But next week I see a lot of rain is coming our way.
The thing is Mary, while I used to buy many items of clothing I was also very good at getting rid of clothes. I look back at some of my old blog photos and not only mourn the youthful looks I had in my early 70s – I think, oh no that was a lovely hat/coat/skirt/jacket why on earth did I get rid of it!!!
Shoes and boots? No, in the winter it’s coats that I am addicted to!
Very best wishes to you too, Mary 😊
Hello, Penny, lovely to have you back!
What a shame about the chicken pox outbreak but hey, you’ll have two Christmases this year when the grandchildren are better! Not many people can say that!
You really are a coat-lady! All of your choices are very you and suit both your figure and I’m pretty sure, your personality. Hmm, I had to stop and think about that last statement after I’d written it but this is what I mean. As a tall person you incline towards long(ish) and straight clothes (especially coats) best to suit your shape – and your take on life: Straight up and down as in forthright and confident with strong views but respectful of others’ perspectives. Ha! How’s that for a character reading from Gypsy Rose Zepherine peering into her crystal ball!
Seriously though, your clothes choices really suit you and your shopping ethic is admirable. I’m kind of similar as I truly cannot remember the last time I shopped for clothes in a proper shop. For starters, I never know where’s the best place for my style – skittish crone – and I keep my clothes for years. And I do mean years. I dress as I’ve always dressed since my forties when my workwear was casual-chic, fortunately, and nowt has changed much since then., I look after my stuff and mix and match like crazy. I like to think I scrub up well enough when required but give me ‘decent slob’ every time! Charity shops can indeed be good hunting grounds although I agree with you that quality has dropped and prices have risen over the years. Even so, a good rummage can often turn up a little gem..
Please keep to your special, edgy style, Penny, it suits you. And a salute to your shopping ethic; mine is more idleness if I’m honest.
May 2026 be good to you and yours.
Zepherine x
The chicken pox was quite mild for the 5yr-old but little Lydia who is not yet 3yrs had it really badly. Apparently she was quite poorly early last week but is on the mend now thankfully. I see they have only recently introduced a vaccine for chicken pox and will give it to the youngsters early. Good news, but too late for ours.
Oh my goodness, thanks for the flattering character reading (!) and well done you for keeping your clothes for years. I have been far too enthusiastic with my clear-outs and looking back at some of my blog photos I go, ‘oh no, fancy me giving it away!’
I bet you scrub up well, Zepherine. Thanks so much for your comments and for reading the blogs – you are much appreciated. 😊
Vivienne Westwood would be very pleased to hear you’re only buying a small number of high quality garments. That was her mantra. I don’t often buy from charity shops nowadays for the reason you give (although still donate to them). I buy from ebay occasionally if a coveted item appears. I’m also trying to buy less. I don’t think we’ve seen the hat bought in Norway before? A definite winner. The Seasalt coat was an excellent buy! I’ve always loved that faux fur coat.
I love that Seasalt coat but it isn’t warm enough for the cold snap we are currently having. Hence getting out and wearing the faux fur coat. I still occasionally look in charity shops and I can see the hospice charity shops are the best bet, one in Lewes is full of very good quality clothes – but at quite high prices. Just bought a lovely Jill type skirt there. Now to find an occasion to wear it!
Thanks Gail 😊
Hi Penny, happy New Year. I too have reduced my buying although I still love going round the charity shops/consignment stores/vintage markets. I look for good-quality items such as cachmire and merinos and only buy if the sizing and colour are suitable. I too love jackets and coats (I think I’ve got about 20 coats and 30 jackets – way too many – but they’re all different and all serve a purpose – at least that’s what I tell myself😅) They’re mainly pre-loved finds bought over the years. I rarely buy new now but having said that I’ve just bought a pair of dark blue barrel leg jeans in the sale from H&M at 70% off, which I’d been thinking sbout getting for about two months now.
This is my hobby, I don’t spend a lot of money and I try to wear everything. It just makes me happy as it does you.
Do you know you’ve made my day! 20 coats and 30 jackets!!! I think that will stop me feeling guilty for having 10 coats! Same for jackets – I’ve got around 10.
And you know, same here, I don’t drink or smoke etc etc, so my only vice is clothes, and like you, it’s a pastime/hobby. Fashion and aiming to be stylish even when I know it’s just a trip to the supermarket keeps me sane in this crazy upside down world we live in. And actually one day when I’d gone to Tesco’s for a shop, and not quite as stylish as I usually am, I saw a guy with bright blue nail varnish, a very green fedora type hat and an amazing fur coat with sticky out fur, plus long DM boots – oh and eye liner. I had to talk to him and said, you are amazing. We then had a conversation at the tills. Encounters like that – these can make your day! And all due to clothes!!!
Thanks Christine – we totally think alike 😊
It is definitely tempting to buy more when thrifting which is why I have to give myself some shopping breaks here and there and make sure to wear all the things! I may start writing down my purchases, I think it would be enlightening!
http://www.chezmireillefashiontravelmom.com
Truly, if you write down your purchases, every single one of them, 10 years later you will find it so enlightening, to see how much you spent, how many things you bought, and how cheap things were. It’s also really helpful in getting you to keep track of current spending. This helps budgeting a lot.
If you go down this route you won’t regret it. Buy a nice book for it and very best of luck with it.
Thanks Mireille 😊
Happy New Year Penny! Those were some of my favorite outfits as well. Here is hoping that when you do get together with family your celebration is full of joy. It sure does feel like a month of Sundays! There have been days where I have not left the house. We had one significant snowfall and some small ones, and it has not gone above freezing for weeks. I rarely can get out to walk and I miss it. Overall the holidays have been quiet this year. I did host Christmas, after saying that at 84 it was time for the younger family members to step in my but that did not happen. Actually it was lovely and everyone helped, especially my grandchildren who did all the washing up! Tomorrow I am looking forward to a lecture with my retirement group. They have a winter intersession one day a week, each Tuesday in January. A reason to put on real clothes. I have been wondering if I could not purchase any clothing in 2026. I did not buy much last year, a jacket and a floral blouse at the end of the winter. and a classic white shirt at some point. And two bras which were on sale which I really needed. I have not been able to shop resale in years as the shops where I did are gone now. Over the last few years I did purchase a few things from Eileen Fisher Renew, their online site for resale. The truth is I do not need anything. And occasionally I get complements on what I am wearing. I have items in my wardrobe that I might wear only once or twice a year. Like a red silk blouse an old boyfriend gave me perhaps 30 years ago! He only lasted a month or so, but the quality is amazing. I wear it at Christmas and last year my granddaughter remarked on how beautiful it was.
I did take Helen’s advice and read the Anne Patchett essay. I think I have actually been buying less each year. Even this Christmas everyone got one gift. I remember the years where I bought everyone multiple gifts, especially the grandchildren when the were younger. Looking at your photos I am inspired to look at what I have and maybe add a colorful scarf or accessory and see new ways of putting myself together. So here is to good things in 2026! Love from New York, Darby
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I still feel, I think because I am retired, that this current week is still not quite back to normal as Christmas decorations are still up in the shops – ours are down though and that feels good. Your Christmas sounds wonderful and I am looking forward to seeing the whole family on Saturday. One of the reasons why I don’t think Christmas is quite over is the fact we still have a pile of presents, wrapped and ready for the family Christmas day! Little Lydia is finally on the mend as because she is so young (3 in March) she got the chicken pox really badly.
I see your cultural life continues to blossom. I too have begun mine. Going to a talk in a couple of weeks time and booked to go to an opera in April!
As for clothes – I am buying mindfully now and that is an improvement. I too read the article and like you I too remember buying multiple presents for my children and the one grandchild. Now each parent has one, and the three grandchildren just two each. And that’s very different to how it used to be.
Thanks as ever Darby, I do love hearing from you, all the best for 2026 😊
Happy New Year Penny. I hope it is a better one for all of us. Regarding the shopping, I rarely buy new clothes as I did buy good classic designer clothes (in the sales) when I was working and they last for years and I always feel comfortable in them. I still have a good collection of clothes and now I only buy the odd pair of jeans, shoes or a jumper to keep my look fresh and not dated. I do detest the fast fashion attitude to clothes that are so cheap to wear once and throw away.
When I no longer wore cherished clothes from the 80’s and 90’s that I couldn’t bear to part with I used to pack them in tissue and keep them in my “archive”. I had quite a collection and I began to wonder what would happen to them because nobody in our family would want them. I approached Bowes Museum and they were very keen to have them and in 2023 they were featured in their summer exhibition called Capsule Fashion Collections. I gifted everything to Bowes and afterwards they became part of the Bowes permanent fashion collection. I was chuffed to bits to think that my bits and pieces and their story were being saved for future generations to study.
Wow, Pamela, I’ve just googled the Bowes Museum, how amazing to have sufficiently beautiful and iconic clothing to be featured in an exhibition and then kept permanently. Says something about your style.
I too hate the fashion industry and I also think we all have far too many clothes and accessories in our wardrobe. Nevertheless I think I was part of that as my buying in the past was more about quantity than quality – I am buying mindfully and far fewer items which is progress!
But you know, I think style must have been imbedded within you to have clothes suitable for a permanent collection. Really brilliant, Pamela, hats off to you, absolutely feel chuffed – you deserve to 😊
Happy New Year, Penny. I think you look great in all your outfits; I just wish I was tall and slim like you! I’m barely five feet two inches and have a constant battle with my weight; at the moment, I’m ten pounds more than I should be, so I’m trying to curb my clothes spending until I reach my target. I mainly buy in the sales or secondhand on ebay and look for quality brands. Wishing you a lovely time with the grandchildren once they are fully recovered from their chicken pox, and all the best for 2026 xx
Thank you Penny, and you know being short has its advantages, best of luck with the weight issue. In fact we all have issues as despite being tall, my waist has gained several inches. Consequently, I have a size 12 bust and hips and a 14-16 size waist 😆
Thanks again for the good wishes and all the best to you too for 2026 😊
I buy very few clothing items now. Too frail for shopping in stores and happy with my wardrobe of sale items and “pre-loved” clothing from on line retailers. Since my diagnosis of stage IV cancer 6 years ago, I’ve mostly bought high end, unworn or nearly new cashmere, silk, linen, wool clothing from Poshmark and EBay.
Gosh, Sharon, you’ve obviously done very well with that diagnosis. Lots of hugs to you for that. And although I am not frail, I also really dislike trying on clothes in a shop – too trying for words! So I like you I do a lot of online shopping, buying only when certain (good quality) retailers have sales.
Cashmere, real wool, and linen are also my go-too fabrics.
Very best wishes and love to you Sharon 😊
I managed to write my comment but somehow your blog has disappeared from my Email. not even in the trash. have no clue what I did. Can you resent. thanks, Darby
This past weekend, I spent a wonderful day with my best friend in a small town a couple of hours from me. We went to a couple of thrift stores while there. I wasn’t impressed with anything on offer except for sneakers. There were so many pairs of barely worn sneakers in all sizes. As I’m a little queasy about the idea of wearing someone else’s shoes, I didn’t even bother. But, the clothing was all so shoddy and just plain ugly or cheap (as in quality not price). I’m not sure where people go, but around me, there aren’t any really upscale or even halfway nice thrift stores. So, yes, I buy retail, almost always on deep discount and always with the idea of wearing it for years and years. I’m lucky in that I have the space. I am glad you’ve come to the conclusion you’re going to buy quality over quantity which is what I’ve slowly grown into (though one would doubt it should they see my closet). I love that green palm print cotton skirt, and your faux fur coat is fabulous! I think you look marvelous in all of your purchases and greatly love reading your blog, Penny!
https://marshainthemiddle.com/
I think one area the UK can do better than the US is the ‘charity shop’. That’s because the majority of our shopping is done in towns with ‘High Street’s rather than malls. Consequently the charity shop of old (scruffy and worn) is gone and all our charity shops are kitted out like small boutiques. They are nice to enter and be in and the clothes are as attractively laid out as any mainstream clothing boutique would be. They are a pleasure to be in. But still, what with the online Vinted and eBays of this world the quality has declined a bit. However you can still find good clothes in certain charity shops – you have to know which ones.
Thank you so much of those kind words about the blog – wishing you all the best for 2026 😊
Happy New Year Penny.
I did enjoy a look back at your favourite outfits of 2025. I do really love your faux fur coat and in fact all your Winter outfits. I know you and I share a love of Winter dressing . We are having a bit of a heatwave here at present so it was such a joy to be reminded of the elegance of Winter.
As you know I am a great believer in buying better but less and loving and wearing them for many years.
I know all about hooded eyes as it is family trait, both my aunt and my sister had an eye lift when they had their cataracts done as its then considered medical not cosmetic.
Ah yes, the hooded eyes, which I never ever had before. Well maybe I had the beginnings of it in the R eye. But since the Cataract op both eyelids are very much covered now, but I won’t be able to get the eyelid lift on the NHS until, that is, it, obscures the eyesight. At the moment they would consider my situation as cosmetic.
Yes, like you, I do love my winter clothes, but maybe not the very cold temperatures we are currently having. Just bought a lovely black skirt from a charity shop that is very Jill type skirt. Now to find an occasion to wear it!
Thanks Jill 😊
Thanks Jill
What a great idea to write down your purchases! I think that would really help to monitor spending. Doing things like that are things I hope to have time for now that I’m retired. Thrifting is something I never felt I had the luxury of doing much before – I either ordered online or went to a store I could be reasonably sure I’d find what I needed. I’m looking forward to the “hunting expeditions “ that thrift shopping is.
Honestly, if you do that, it will be a revelation immediately, as it helps with budgeting and, secondly, if you carry on with it, you can look back at what you bought and realise either, what a bargain or you’ll say, oh no, that’s one I donated and I’d like to have it back!!
Thrifting is a fun activity – only buy quality items though. But when you do find something that is both incredibly cheap and good quality you get quite the high!
All the best for 2026 Mary 😊
Thanks Penny for your blogs – keep them coming. It’s great to have review of what we have done/bought throughout the year. I also am aware of having far more clothes than I need despite realistic regular culling. Every other year I decide to have a ‘no clothes shopping’ policy and find it quite liberating plus exciting when my buying period restarts. When I first started this, several years ago, my resolution was just not to buy anything new or full price so charity or sale clothes were allowed. However have for some time progressed to buying no clothing at all including underwear. I too throw away any brochures unopened so there’s no temptation plus unsubscribing from various retailers also helps especially at sales time. Good luck to everyone with any 2026 resolutions.
It is a good idea of yours to not buy every other year – and I wish more people including bloggers would do this. Could I do that – I don’t think I could. But, I too have unsubscribed from retailers but oh the emails that come after you’ve purchased – they too have to be deleted. I don’t get brochures either. But I do read about style and look at magazines and trends just to keep up the ‘look’ of which the latest is the very wide denims/trousers/pants. Just bought a wide pair of black cotton trousers (not denims) but they’re too drafty for this week’s weather so they’ll have to wait for summer.
Isn’t it true, despite culling a lot of my clothes to be sold or donated – I still have this large wardrobe!
Good luck and all the best to you too, Andrea 😊
I used to work in a corporate environment and had a fairly small high quality wardrobe, including weekend clothes. When I retired 3 years ago I gave all my good stuff away to charity shops and with more free time went mad on buying lots to fit my retired life. When I did a big sort last week I filled up three large bags of stuff to give to my extended family, including about 25 cheaper shoes. Lesson learnt – I am back to having a smaller but quality rotation for my daily retired life. I will now only shop for gaps.
Ah yes the wonderful jackets I used to have in my working life – all gone now. Sometimes I do regret being so good at culling my wardrobe. But I too have learnt my lesson and am buying better quality clothes. It took longer in my case than you did! It is also so much better for the planet to buy fewer items.
Thanks Janey 😊
I recently purged 47 things from my closet and want to get back in there as we move toward the end of winter to purge cold weather things I have not worn in a while. Our thrift stores don’t have nearly the nice things you have found in your stores. Just love the long faux fur coat. I imagine it is so toasty warm. Also particularly love the yellow dress on you. Shows off your terrific shape!!
I am trying not to buy as many things as I have in the past. I think my taste, sense of style has changed some and I am trying to buy more timeless pieces rather than something trendy that may be ‘out’ in a few months.
Yay – we are on the same page with this – I can see we are both buying more timeless and better items of clothing.
We do have great thrift/charity shops. These days they are like little boutiques and yet the quality has dropped mainly because of people selling on Vinted and other platforms.
Thanks so much Leslie 😊
Absolutely love the first coat Penny especially with the pink scarf. Thank you for sharing your ideas and thoughts. Yesterday I wore a favourite brown jaguar coat I bought in Swindon Outlet about 25 years ago. I still love it but keep it for special occasions now.
Happy healthy new year Penny xx
I have a very pink hat and scarf (pinker than the ones in the photo) and that colour goes so well with green coat. But if you think about it there are pink flowers with green stems, so obviously that colour combo works well.
Oh wow, a coat 25 years old and still going strong. Well done you!
Thanks Vivien and here’s wishing you too all the best for 2026 X