2020 Intentions

One of my intentions* for the year was to be more transparent about my shopping and to talk more openly about budgeting and financing. I started this on my instagram but want to have more space to expand, so I will be doing monthly updates here instead!

*I like intentions more than goals or resolutions because I think of them more as mindsets rather than specific goals to meet or fail.

Background - My experience with debt

A few years ago, I had a bit of a low moment when my credit cards were maxed out (thankfully I had low limits so it was only about $2,500 but still!) and I had no savings. I also had no family with the ability to financially support me (and neither of my parents owned a house nor supplied any college help), which I think is a key thing to mention here. 

When you are born into a family with no wealth or assets, it is quite a bit different than being of middle-class or lower middle-class. Income and wealth are different and key when talking about class issues (not to mention how race intersects here - due to slavery, black families have had an unfair and unjust access to generational wealth). I could write a whole blog post on wealth & income, but I will save that for another time! 

Anyway, I have since been able to pay off my credit cards, and save up a rainy day fund. I do still have a bit of a car loan and student loans, but they feel manageable and I am actively working to pay those down, so this year I am aiming to stick with a monthly budget and work on my savings.

2020 Wardrobe Intentions

I started the year with the intention of only purchasing 12 new items (excludes second hand) to my wardrobe this year. I did this because most of the waste and pollution from the fashion industry is driven by over consumption.

And even if we purchase from sustainable and ethical brands, we are still having impacts on the environment. I've seen data floating around that the average person buys ~64 items a year. So my major goal here is to limit buying new and focus more on secondhand shopping and making my own clothes.

Of these new purchases I want 2/3 of them to be from size inclusive brands. As a mid-sized person, I have the privilege of being able to buy tops and bottoms from most brands because they likely offer my size. However, many people do not have that privilege and I think it's important to let brands know that this is not acceptable. One of the ways we can do this is by voting with our wallet.

Another intention was to track all of my purchases, secondhand or new. I have never done this before, so honestly I do not know how much clothing I typically buy in a year and thought it would be interesting to see where I end up.

I also set a budget for $200/month to spend on clothing. I will breakdown my monthly budget here generally: 

• 31% Necessary Essentials (rent, bills, food, etc.)
• 25% Savings
• 18% Debt (car loan, student loan)
• 16% Personal (clothing, haircare, skincare, home goods)
• 5% Insurance
• 5% Cushion - Will use to balance budget if I overspend, or will be added to savings

Other 2020 Intentions

In addition to my wardrobe intentions, I also came up with some for other aspects of my life if you're curious!

Self care

• Soaking every other week at the spa
• Write gratitudes daily
• Try meditating
• Take more baths

Personal

• Travel to Europe (or at least have tickets/plans made)
• Host quarterly theme dinners or potlucks
• Make 3 more raised beds
• Make the backyard cozier
• Learn a new skill

Career

• Receive my Master's degree
• Get a full time job post-Master's that I love
• Don't let productivity define you

Hobby

• Try making self drafted patterns
• Keep sewing area organized
• Do more carpentry projects

Political

• Don't shop on Amazon
• Make quarterly donations to causes I care about
• Support people on Patreon who are doing incredible work

One of my other favorite pieces of doing intentions is that my partner and I also make a list of relationship intentions for the new year to discuss amongst ourselves things we want to prioritize.

Follow Up

I will be creating a post on my blog for each month's wardrobe purchases, which will be tagged #intentions.

Click here for the Jan/Feb purchase roundup.