Being Mindful Of Consumerism When You're A Blogger

Over the course of this year, I've spoken about minimalism quite a lot as it's something that I've become more and more interested in as well as being more mindful with spending habits in general. But something I've not really delved into talking about is the relationship with products that bloggers tend to have. And the beauty and fashion arena of blogging is for the most part completely built on consumerism. But now there is definitely a kick back with the rise of the anti haul and people tending to be a little more mindful about what they're purchasing and here a few thoughts on being a blogger as well as being a little more mindful.

IT'S NOT HARD TO BE MINDFUL

I think the phrase mindfulness can seem a little hippy dippy [nothing wrong with that] and a little pretentious sometimes. But to me being mindful just simply means thinking about something for longer than 5 seconds. We've all been there when you've seen something that looks amazing and rushing to the till without a second thought not really thinking about the cost, whether we really need it or not and just getting that buzz from buying something new. Taking a few minutes or even coming back to an item before you buy isn't hard and something we can all probably achieve. I've done it so many times where I've seen something, fallen completely in lust and then taken a step back really thought about it and put it back down.

DON'T SHOP OUT OF BOREDOM

Something that is super tempting when you're bored or procrastinating is to scroll through stores online. I've heard it said so many times from people online with huge hauls saying they just bought it because they were bored and that just seems so silly. Buying out boredom is so pointless because in reality you're probably not getting anything you really want when you're just shopping out of boredom. Something I used to be really terrible for when I was meant to be going to bed was scrolling aimlessly through ASOS and before I knew it I was buying something I never ended up getting more than a couple of wears out of.

ASK YOURSELF WHY YOU'RE BUYING SOMETHING

I get that asking yourself multiple questions about why you're buying something might take all the fun and buzz out of shopping but I think it's something that is very necessary. Typically when each season rolls around [although in the UK we don't have traditional seasons at all so I try not to pay too much attention to them] I write myself a list of things I would like to wear in the upcoming months and try not to stray from it. I don't typically like to buy from fast fashion stores because not only are the clothes not that well made but I don't tend to wear trend pieces. Every person is different and some people absolutely love to shop by trends and no-one has the right to say that's wrong because we're all different but personally I just think it's a race you're never going to win. The things that I like to my ask myself when it comes to buying something that I've not written on that list is;

What will this go with in my wardrobe already? And when it comes to beauty products, do I have something similar already?
Do I really want this?
What's the quality like? Is it going to wash well and last more than a couple of months?
Can it be transitioned throughout the seasons?
Why do I want this?
Where did this item come from?

YOU DON'T NEED THE LATEST THING TO BE RELEVANT

Probably more than ever right now with the rise of the luxury blogger and haul culture being more and more expensive it puts pressure on people to feel like they need to follow suit to fit in. And I've always been a huge advocate of doing your own thing when it comes to blogging but there is always that underlying pressure to fit in, just like there is in life. It's scary to step out on your own and do your own thing but in the long run, it's so much more rewarding. Trying to keep up with everyone else is exhausting and putting yourself into debt for the sake of a blog to try and keep up with other people is not ok. No-one needs the latest makeup release or five designer bags to stay relevant or have something to write about. Whilst it's always nice to see what is out and about personally I've found myself connecting to people who shop less and mention products more than once.

WAYS TO BLOG WITHOUT SPENDING ANY MONEY

Obviously, it's really easy to talk about being more mindful and not shopping constantly but how does that work when it comes to beauty & fashion blogging? So I thought I would share a few ways that you can create awesome content without spending a penny;

Your best investment pieces in your wardrobe.
The outfits you always turn to in a rut.
Style items that are easily transitioned.
Your relationship with beauty.
Ride or die products.
The items that you'll always purchase.
Beauty items that you reach for on a daily basis.
Thing that have really disappointed you, beauty or style wise.

FIGURE OUT WHAT MINDFULNESS IS TO YOU

Possibly one of the most important things when it comes to being a little more aware of what you're buying and consuming is figuring out why you want to think about it in the first place. Some people will never care about being mindful with their purchases and there isn't anything anyone can do about that because that is their choice, whether we like it or not. It doesn't have to be this huge thing where you completely change your spending habits all in one go but just giving things a little more thought than you might once have done is a great starting point. The internet is really good at making us believe that once a trend [although I don't believe being more mindful in life should be a trend] rolls around that we're all instantly going to follow suit and it just doesn't work that way.