On cataloging purchases

When I first started this blog in 2011, it was an experiment on cataloging my consumption habits and a lame attempt I had at just talking about random things that inspired me. Somehow or other, Assembled Hazardly evolved into a "style blog" of some sort, even though it was never really my intention. People and fellow bloggers who have met me can attest to two things: I'm probably not the most fashionable person in the world, and I have more food-related/household junk than clothing.

I talk about clothes because I like clothes. But then again, I like clothing as much as I like ceramics and pottery and artisan fish sauce and alpaca rugs and handmade planters - what I buy somehow reflects my  pretentious tastes and personality. I like clothing as much as much as I like liquor and books and music and movies but nobody really wants to hear about that. No one really wants to read about me waxing lyrical about the newest Foxygen album or the greatness of the second season of 'The West Wing' or how incredibly dull Nicholas Sparks' books are (I've only ever read one book and it made my brains bleed through my ears). No one (at least none that read my blog) is interested in my concoctions of brain-cell killing mixed-drinks or microbrews or how I meticulously plan my dog's raw food menu.

The posts that have received the most comments and traction on this blog have been the ones where I talk about personal finances, shopping habits and occasionally, ones where I launch into an existentialist diatribe. I guess I post on average once every two months because I really have nothing to say about style or fashion that hasn't already been said. I don't have any constructive advice on how one should dress because at the end of the day, I can barely dress myself and I've realized that it's tremendously obtuse to tell someone where and how they should shop based on some idiotic notion that only certain brands or labels or aesthetics are good enough. I mean, my collection of severely overpriced clothing have obviously not survived the chopping block and/or lasted any longer than things that cost half the price, so why should I think I'm authority on getting dressed? If someone wants to looks like a 90s grunge version of Pippi Longstocking, they're probably going to be able to shop more responsibly than someone who is into the whole Yohji/Sander aesthetic, minimalist or not.

I feel there is some need, after all my hoity-toity spiel about consuming more responsibly, to be held accountable to the things I buy. Someone commented recently that "minimalist blogs" such as mine tend to sweep purchases under rug and that we really still buy as much as run of the mill bloggers, which I guess to some extent is true. That being said, I've been inspired by the handful of blogs I still read on occasion to catalog my purchases as a way to reflect on my shopping habits (and I swear this is not a passive-aggressive way to address the aforementioned comment).

January - Johnstons Cashmere Sweater (sale)	February -	March -
April - Hope Stay Jeans - Hope Has Tee in Black - A.P.C. Wedge Sandals - Wood Wood Germaine Pants - Engineered Garments Field Jacket - Rancourt & Co Chukkas	May -  Hope Has Tee in Black - A.P.C. Black Sandals (on sale) - Peter Jensen Pleat Front Shorts ( sale) - Nike Free 5.0+  - Kletterwerks Backpack - Shoes Like Pottery sneakers	June - Hope Has Tee in navy (sale) - Oliver Goldsmith sunglasses - Bottega Veneta purse
July - Hope Has Tee in beige (sale) - Comme des Garcons black pouch - A.P.C. black sandals (sale) - Wood Wood Germain Pants (sale) - Jil Sander bag (sale)	August -	September - Saucony running shoes
October - Comme des Garcons sweatshirt - The North Face running jacket	November - Dries van Noten Sunglasses (on sale)

I seem to have purchased a great amount of things in April and May, but only because I was doing extensive traveling from April to July. I needed comfortable shoes, a large-ish backpack and some easily washable short-sleeve t-shirts. I'm trying to be much more responsible with the things I buy in that I want to make sure that (a) I'll use the heck out of them and (b) they're actually well-made enough to last a while. I wear those Hope t-shirts a lot because they wash and dry really well in hotel bathroom sinks and don't seem to unravel quite as fast as other cotton tees I've owned. I've tried hunting down organic, locally-made t-shirts to no avail - Archival Clothing and Organic by John Patrick makes some really good t-shirts but they don't come with the easy slouchiness that I desire.

I've also been slowly amassing a small collection of Arc'teryx and Engineered Garments clothing because the fit and construction is top notch. I know that the aesthetics of athletic workwear is not what many people who read blogs like mine aspire to, but as I've said before, I think I've finally come to a point where I really don't care anymore. I'd rather be warm and dry and comfortable enough to swallow two pints of beers than hobbling around in suede shoes that need babying.

Most of the other items listed seem to have been purchases that were warranted. I bought a tiny Bottega wallet to replace a larger CdG one that I just didn't need, the Jil Sander bag was purchased because I I'm need a small-ish sling bag and the running gear... well, I needed them because I'm trying to get back into exercising. The items bought on whim are the A.P.C. sandals and the Dries van Noten sunglasses which I just bought yesterday after a bout of online browsing. I really need to stop filling my boredom and anxiety with dicking around on the online shops - they nearly always end in some regrettable impulse buy.

Obviously, if you follow me on Instagram, you'll realize that I do buy more than just clothes - I'm thinking about cataloging monthly purchases that include A.P.C. quilts, books and random home purchases as well (like Maja and Kali). You can read here about my budget from about two years ago and it's remained pretty much the same except now I spend more on skincare and flowers. I think a good way to keep this blog going is to keep myself continuously liable and have readers tell me off if I'm being a moron or a hypocrite (hopefully very politely). It's a good way to keep me in line with being a responsible consumer.

P/S: I've started food blogging again, so hopefully that will take some edge away from spending all my time browsing the Internet!