4 Shopping Rules I Live By

 

Wearing:

From the top, my hat is from Workshop Vintage as well as my boots and patchwork vest, the skirt and cobalt blue top, Liz Claiborne vintage belt is from a thrift store, Goodwill, to be honest, lastly, my black purse is from another vintage shop called Most Everything Vintage in Vancouver, WA.

Photos were taken by the talented Shauna Dullanty aka (Little Photo Fox)

Hey Loves!

I'm back, sorry it has been a minute but at the same time, I'm not that sorry because I've been focusing on other areas to grow in the social media atmosphere. Have you seen my IGTV videos recently??? Have you seen my YouTube videos??? I've been a busy lady lately and dam proud of it! This year I've accomplished soooooo much for being 29 years young and it's getting close to celebrating all that I've accomplished like being interviewed for a podcast which will be released later this month and much much more... 

On the other hand, as I sit here and begin to reflect on this year I can't help but start thinking about the IMPORTANT habits I've implemented into my everyday lifestyle like that fact that I set the intention at the beginning of the year to 

 ONLY SHOP BY THESE 4 RULES:

1. Secondhand First

I only buy secondhand when it comes to my home decor and personal style. This means that I vow to STOP shopping at big box stores like Target, Zara, Wallmart, Ikea, Free People, & so on...

2. Vintage & Small Local Shops

I only buy vintage and from my local stores in the community in which I live. It's been more crucial to me to be an advocate more than ever to practice what I preach by shopping small and supporting the small businesses around me in my little North Portland community. I do this because yes, selfishly it makes me feel good about myself because knowing that buying in my community keeps money and funds within the neighborhood in which I thrive. From restaurants and local plant stores to even small local farmer's markets and natural grocery stores I only spend money where I want to support the brands and locals, I love and appreciate. There's no better vibe going into a store where I'm friends with the owner and can literally ask them how their day is going and actually mean it. Some wonderful personal relationships have come from this midset like the fact that I started to consign my vintage clothing at my local vintage shop, Shipwreck Vintage where the owner Macy and I meet monthly so I can shop her vintage store and the items of mine that sell in her shop I get store credit for or cash. It's a win-win for both of us, and I ABSOLUTELY LOVE doing it.

3. Thrift Thrift Thrift!!! 

I've always been an AIVID THRIFTER and so this year I've only allowed myself to splurge at my local thrift stores like the Goodwill,  or Savers and have found some amazing gems because of this. I realized that my many year's thrifting I've become PRO being able to select a vintage blazer from the '70s in next to mint condition next to an old Nike sweatshirt and an H&M oversized coat, SCORE!!! I have learned so much over the years from spending countless hours in these thrift stores hunting my next treasure. I can honestly say that I live for the "Thrill Of The Hunt" it gives me life! I personally love the items I've picked up from the thrift store more than items I bought new in regular department stores, so I simply decided to just STOP buying from them altogether.

4. Buying from Sustainable Brands

Now you might be wondering how does one who shops this way buy things like underwear or socks when your old ones just simply get too worn out??? Well, in comes my love for eco-sustainable brands like Everlane, Organic Basics, Mata Traders, Liz Algij and many more. Guys! There's such a HUGE culture behind buying quality sustainable products, I'm amazed. For those of you that have been following me for a while now especially this past year, you've probably seen a lot more brands and collaborations on here now that are solely eco-friendly brands. This goes for beauty products too guys, I'm not joking. I used to be obsessed with MAC makeup and since I've learned what actually goes into the products and what crud your putting on your face I've made the conscious green switch to only green beauty products like Mad Hippie, De Mure Cosmetics, Jason and much much more.

If you can't tell by this giant rant of a blog post how passionate I am about all this then I'm doing something wrong. I wanted to share this with you all to show you it's possible and YES you can do it if you want to change in the way we consume. Buying things that are made well, stand for something and that is good for the environment says something! 

I told myself I was going to implement these mindful consumer habits at the beginning of the year of 2019 and I have honestly followed through to the best of my abilities. I'm not perfect and so there may have been a few slip-ups here which might have been enviable. Like the time my boyfriend Grant and I went to Wallmart to buy our road trip and camping supplies for the big trip we took in the spring... However, we did try our hardest to get things second hand and there were definitely items passed down to us from our families so we didn't need to buy EVERYTHING NEW so that helped a lot too. 

All in all, I think as we head into December the last month of 2019 I will definitely keep these practices to shop smarter and be the eco-friendly suitable advocate that I've become! I challenge you to do the same love! What things do you want to change for the better in the weeks to come? I'll be sharing lots more about this inspiring journey of mine on my Instagram account on the daily and on YOUTUBE for weekly videos as well as my IGTV. Can ya keep up? lol, I hope so!

Have a wonderful holiday season my loves!

Till next time!

XOXO

Jordan