How to save up for an investment piece

I’ll be honest with you. I wrote this blog post standing in my work’s bathroom, half-dressed after an evening workout. I’d had a day of feeling like I couldn’t keep up with responding to my own friends, let alone responding to all the amazing new ethical brands that have been reaching out this spring. Long story short: my brain was feeling as tired as my body after leg day!

The good news about taking the time to do some fitness and self-care was that it made me reflect on a conversation I had with a coworker earlier today, who’s starting a conscious travel blog. Her excitement reminded me of how excited I was when I first started this blog – and I went back on my old posts and realized – why not just write some more casual posts in between the super robust guides I’ve been working away on in the background?

So that’s how this came about! Me, thinking about rekindling the excitement of writing more casually, having genuine conversations with you guys.

Today’s thought? 

How do we ACTUALLY buy ethical when pricing seems so inaccessible?

I’ve pulled together some the tips I’ve gathered over the past year and a half! Some are easy, some are hard, some are pure fun 🙂
Hope you find these helpful!

1. First step: decide how much per paycheque you think you can save. $5? $10? Foregoing your daily latte and opting for a black coffee or homemade one instead?
2. Recognize your own habits. When do you normally like buying clothes? The beginning of every season? What’s a manageable timeframe for you?
3. See how much you’ll be able to save up for those “purchasing dates”.
4. Get familiar with when brands have sales 😉 usually during Black Friday, or in January, or end of the season.
5. Sign up for emails to get your first-timer discount code!
6. Instead of being tempted to buy at any time, start a pin board of items you think you love! Just keep ’em on there so you can note any trends, or if something’s just frivolous.
7. When it gets nearer to buying time, take note of what’s ACTUALLY missing in your wardrobe. Take the approach of filling a hole.
8. If you have no holes to fill and you just want to treat yourself? All the power to ya! You saved it, you hardworking friend! Pick something that you know will extend the wear of all the other pieces in your wardrobe for its creative capabilities, like a pair of jeans that’ll give you a ton more variety and allow you to style pieces in a new way.

Not the best at saving?

Don’t sweat. I’m pretty horrible at saving, too. But ethical brands are starting to offer ways to buy their clothes without having to empty your bank account in one go. Brands like Tradlands, Only Child and Sotela Co offer Afterpay, a method of online payment that breaks up the total cost of a garment into 4 manageable instalments over a longer period of time. If you ask me, that’s an amazing evolution. Just be careful not to rack up too many Afterpay items 😉

Even some local shops are getting in on the instalment game. White Elephant Shop in Hamilton offers the option to pay over 6 weeks with customizable increments (for their in-store customers only). They hold the item, you come in and make payments. Once you’re done, you get your item! I made my first payment on a linen tank this weekend, and plan to have it paid off by the time spring rolls around so I can build it into my warm weather capsule.

What are your thoughts? You into saving, or Afterpay? Let’s chat in the comments section below!

xo

PetraAlexandra

This post contains affiliate links. Items shown in this post are from Brass Clothing, a PetraAlexandra partner.