Thank you for your perspective on creators once known for their „no buy”-ish endeavors now, with development of their channels begin to advertise more and more even if the content used to be catered towards people who also struggle with overconsumption. I feel like it’s still a topic not talked about enough

"Nobody needs leather pants!" A true statement! Need is an interesting concept! We really need very little. "Want" is a very different mind set. When our needs are met we begin to dream of added possibilities. Our eye catches something. Oooo! that looks nice! If we are smart and controlled we allow a certain level of gratification. But so many things can warp our constraint! These videos help to keep the proper balance of want and need!

I also love the creators you mentioned and can think of a couple others that I've had a hard time watching all the sponsored videos. I understand the need for sponsorships. Creators deserve pay. But I definitely struggle when every single video has become an advert.

I've been influenced by some of the same content creators and Printfresh nightwear is a big regret because of the fabric. Noisy clothing is not for me! I agree shopping is a mental process.

Ok, classic yet fun girl wardrobe, try to think basic classic top and bottom, a pop of fun color to add that artistic spice into the classic outfit. Your pink Birkenstock, you can definitely pair that with just basic white t and jean!

I really enjoyed your transparency with purchasing off of influencers / trends. Here for the realistic and relatable vibes.. good inspo and enjoyed your video! :)

I agree with you on the ads and influencer sponsorships. Also, I appreciate your honestly on everything you were influenced by.

A small wardrobe influenced me to buy a few items too, including these Tevas! I ended up decluttering everything I ever bought from her channel and learned my lesson. I love her but after being burned by all the things I bought bc of how beautiful she makes them look, I found myself watching her channel less and less. I too am easily influenced and need to stay away from certain channels

Declutterring the same stuff multiple times is the ultimate humbling moment - been there, done that. Not only you didn’t learn the first time around, you also apparently didn’t learn the second time around either 😂

Great job sifting and honing your wardrobe! Personal style (influenced purchases aside) is a moving target in life and it’s not easy-mine has changed so many times. I’m currently in a jeans and tshirt with jambu flats phase. I’m trying to get back to more polished looks, but I love being comfy and I hate returning things from online shopping. 🥰 Great job!

I also get really influenced by influencers. It takes a while but one of the best things I’ve done is look at the items I love and wear a lot and figuring out why, how I wear them in multiple situations and - most importantly- keeping all that in mind before I make a purchase decision. 😂 also I don’t think it’s the worst thing if we buy things that aren’t perfect. It may feel like a waste of money, but it’s also a learning experience.

One vote to keep the burnt orange sweater! It is a great color for you!

H&M takes textiles for recycling 😊 they give you a coupon when you do that, so I just give the coupon to a random someone that is shopping in the store.

Really good observations. I also have a duplicate problem. And I've learned I cannot buy merch from creators I like. It never looks as good on me and it's such a novelty. I end up almost never wearing it and it's impossible to resale.

Your decluttering and the reasons for it make so much sense!

HLP has been slowly but surely pushing purchases for months now I too have bought things based on her recommendation have stopped watching her sadly as she was one of my favourites 😢

I think that brown sweater looks good on you! And it seems like a timeless piece, maybe it lasts a long time and you can pass it over

Hi Alexa, great video. Thank you. Just wanted to say that the hole in your fushia pink merino top lined up with where you had your microphone clipped in your wish list video I just watched.

Oh boy we follow some of the same influencers and I’m literally wearing a HLP approved afghan type thing right now form upcycled saris and I always waffle if I should have bought it - but here I am trying to get good wear out of it!! 🎉 your journey is inspiring for me to both love what I have and get rid of what I don’t

Another vote: The cream West themed sweatshirt was NOT an error! I bet that you will wear it and love it for years to come! It proves that some wants are ok!

I loved that black dress on you with the high slit! I feel like it would be perfect for a fancy night out with your hubby or something fun like that

If that holey sweater is wool, I'd advise you to check your home for moths. The hole looked suspiciously large to have emerged from just normal wear... And thank you for making this content, I'm working on my own (luckily smaller) shopping issues and it's good to be able to watch some relatable content. I'm rarely influenced to buy anything directly, but my problem is that I see inspiration everywhere. Like, people make videos about gardening or something else non-style-related and wear cute stuff while doing so, and I find myself thinking that I'd like something similar 😅

I was influenced to buy a similar very sheer Cos merino wool turtleneck (A Small Wardrobe ) and after trying it on once I managed to stick my finger through it! I was actually kind of relieved since I wasn’t sure I wanted to wear a see- through top anyway ha ha! Luckily I got it secondhand and I definitely learned from the experience. It feels so good to know I wasn’t the only one. Your channel is an eye opener. Thanks!

I never hear folks talking about warm vs cool toned blues but - yes! We are color opposites and everything you let go based on color is one of my core colors, except hot pink ;) I’m usually not tempted to buy much based on being influenced, but I noticed that HLP gets me to buy stuff more than anyone- even though she’s clearly being careful about that, maybe even because she’s being careful. I do notice that I like and use the stuff I was influenced to get, but I can’t afford to be tempted as often as I am so I’ve had to take long HLP breaks to cool off. It’s a funny part of the ecosystem. Can I suggest Leena Norms? If you don’t already watch her you’d probably be into her stuff. She’s patreon funded and almost never (or maybe never?) does ads.

Wonderfully lucid and interesting as usual! I watch most of the creators you mention, mostly out of habit and curiosity now, because it’s kind of dismaying how they started out as ascetic gurus and now went back to being the crew-chasing fashion girlies they claimed to have renounced, though there’s still something interesting and useful to be found there. I’m absolutely pro fashion and style, I just can’t take seriously people who favor new trendy pieces that cost hundreds and only if there’s a designer name attached. That’s not style, that’s being a covert Formula 1 driver with brand names plastered all over your outfit. One of them was upset the other day because a GQ writer made fun of people who buy like that. (Oh noes, I have lost the good opinion of some guy at GQ, but also he’s right.) One good piece of advice that stayed with me from Patricia 1.0 was to go to the trouble of reselling our items as you’re doing. The time pain and tedium of that helps prevent future similarly impulse purchases. The volume stays present delaying the impression of space for new stuff. I think about that now even with thrifting. Every piece requires washing, maybe tailoring, finding room for, putting away, logging, considering when getting dressed, putting away and taking out seasonally maybe, evaluating for declutters over several years, as well as possibly eventually reselling. Every piece not purchased saves all that time. Personally I also use the store credit for any new wants, thereby converting e.g. four discards into one new, reducing overall volume and no fresh actual money going out. Please stop putting yourself down: you’re clearly so accomplished and expressive! Really enjoy your work. Wishing you continued savings and reduced hassle in future! (:

Just found your channel at the perfect time. I just bought a house (yay!) that has about a 2 foot wide closet (oh no) and we're moving soon and it has forced me to come to terms with my fashion addiction. I have decided to do a low buy for the remainder of the year after selling off most of my horde. It's going to be quite a challenge as I only have four "gaps" in my closet of things I actually need, and I am going to say no to anything else. This may be the hardest thing I have ever done as I don't have many vices except for buying clothing and boy was it a problem. My situation was much worse than yours six months ago but I've managed to get things down to only things I actually love and wear and it will now fit in our closet and our drawers. I have unfollowed many people and deleted apps and told all of my friends and family not to buy me clothing and hopefully this will make things easier. Just think of all of the money we are going to save!

Oh I can relate! Made sooooo many similar mistakes 😢

I’m the same with ads now, I try to avoid them as much as possible! I watch a lot of KZfaq and now I really can’t take someone seriously if every video is sponsored..I understand that creators deserve to be compensated but it is too much now. Especially when everyone is pushing the same five sponsors 😂 I’ve learned the same lesson about duplicates and I almost fell into that trap with a dress but stopped myself before checking out. Win! It gets easier to resist over time. I personally like doing no buy months and then the rest of the year doing a low buy. That works well for me but maybe over time I will do more and more no buy months. Your videos really motivate me to be a conscious consumer!

I was influenced to buy 3 cos sheer merino wool knit tops with the thumb holes (in black, navy and blue), I’ve gotten some wear out of them and will do in the future. For me they were a lot of money tho!!! 💸

My town has garment and textile recycling- it may be worth looking into where you live, as well! I just found your channel and I’ve really enjoyed the content I watched so far. It’s very motivating while I’m going through a similar transformation in my home.

Keep the citrus!

I was watching for a while "a small waredrobe" but I was finding her tone patronizing and she was just too beige LOL like everything in her wardrobe was beige! I personnally loose interest in a creator if they push a black/white/beige capsule waredrobe on me. 1) its not creative 2) its not construtive for the average women and 3) i'm not sure its take into account a lot of different lifestyle. I also thing they lack credibility if they push for Everlane/Sezane/Reformation as the best sustainable brand .... LOL

I would definitely wear that Beatles shirt 😅😂 you and I have very different day-to-day styles, but I love looking at your clothes (and I have an HLP problem as well, I've had to tell myself I cannot realistically justify Babaa right now, it's just not happening with my budget 😂 maybe next year!). I've been running another self-imposed challenge alongside my no-buy, which is to see how long I can go without repeating an outfit. I've been going since December and it's not even been a struggle yet 😅 which definitely suggests I own a bit too much clothing, especially as I'm six months pregnant so lots of my stuff doesn't fit at the moment 🙈

I do not think it is necessarily bad to buy things that are trendy to try, but maybe how you buy them is bad. I know you are tall which complicates things, my mother was tall, and I am petite. Stores often do not carry either of those sizes, but I find it helpful to try on things before buying. I try on everything that catches my eye in the store for the fun of it. That helps me narrow down silhouettes, patterns and colors that work for me and which ones that do not. I prefer to buy things online that I can easily return if they do not work. The hard part about shopping in store is that most stores do not sell quality natural fabrics anymore. I also think the more you try the more you narrow down your style. Sure this takes some time money and mistakes, but in a few years time you will probably be set in your style ways. The problem with that is your favorite silhouette will go out of style and it will be hard to find it used. I found The Curated Closet by Anuschka Rees to be a fun read, which has helped me narrow down my style and balance what I buy to what I need and will use.

I used to watch A Small Wardrobe a lot, i bought some organic basics stuff on her reccomendation but was pretty dissapointed with the quality.

What’s your Mercari/Poshmark?

You will be wealthy when you just say no to influencers.

I have unsubscribed from people because of ads/sponsorships as well. I really hate that so many people that I really like are sponsored by BetterHelp. Isn't it a super shitty company that was discovered to be shitty, there was a huge a scandal and now they returned, and EVERYONE is sponsored by them again??? I especially hate, that they pretty much target people with metal illnesses, people who are struggling etc. At this point when a youtuber starts talking about importance of mental health I just know that there is a 99proc. chance that they will go "...and this is why I'm excited that this video is sponsored by BH". When it comes to channels that I was meh about, I unsubscribed. When it comes to the ones that I like, I really struggle. I have no problem with people having sponsorships to earn a living, but not when it supports a trash company... Other ads that I hate are finance related. There are so many popular finance youtubers that people respect/look up to who promoted scams to their followers. I almost fell for some of those as well. Overall, I have quite a weird relationship with ads, sponsored content etc. because I'm someone who has problems with buying stuff to make myself "happy", to feed my "fantasy self" and feel less bored, so I like finding new things to buy, but I'm also super tired of people/companies trying to sell me stuff. I have bought a lot from those ""amazon travel must haves" videos with affiliate links and yet I keep watching them. I think that it's very important to be critical not only of someone's content, but also of how it affects you. So everything you said at around 26:00 makes a lot of sense!