If you’ll remember from What I Bought in May, “I came to the decision that in June, I won’t buy any new clothing. Instead, I’ll take the money I save by not buying clothes and donate it instead to groups supporting black people and causes.”  It’s hard to say what I didn’t spend as I don’t actually have a clothing budget…I just sort of use what’s leftover after bills/savings/investment/life and anything I can eke out of the grocery budget.

So, the good news is, I did not buy any new clothing for the entire month EXCEPT two new bras just yesterday when my last functional everyday bra snapped an underwire. I replaced the one exactly, as I always do, and then I bought an underwireless bra for work-from-home days to not tax the wired one anymore than necessary and hopefully it will keep me more comfortable, too.

So here’s what I DID buy, and we’ll get to the donation part at the end. The first three items were purchased on Juneteenth, also known as Black Friday (not THAT Black Friday, a different one), when it’s encouraged to support black businesses by purchasing from them – just like on Small Business Saturday it’s encouraged to purchase from, uhm, small businesses 🙂

BADASS BLACK ICON MATTE LIPSTICK by uoma

diana

I was influenced by @WhatKateFinds, who had purchased and was loving this lipstick in the shade Sade. That was sold out by the time I got there (damn you, WhatKateFinds!) but Diana looks just a tinch deeper…and I’ve been looking for a real red red lipstick like I saw in those pictures of my mother from the 50s. I feel like I’m talking about my mother a lot lately, hmm. Anyway, everything was 30% off that weekend…so while I felt kinda like I was cheat shopping, I’m still supporting a black-owned business, so…I’m going to let it slide. So, this lipstick is supposed to have the long-lastingness of a matte all-day lipstick, but feel creamy and like it “moves,” unlike a lot of those long-lasting lipsticks. It should be here any day now. I don’t normally post my purchases until they actually get here, but…there’d be practically nothing to post of I waited this time! I’ll definitely give you an update when I get it.

THE VANISHING HALF: A NOVEL

The Vanishing Half: A Novel by Britt Bennett. I also don’t usually put books in my “what I bought” posts, but this and the one below were more Juneteenth purchases, supporting black authors. I’ll give a review after I’ve read it.

Between the World and Me

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates, I just realized I bought an English and French edition, ha ha. It seemed to be sold out everywhere when I was looking for it and I was so excited to find a copy I guess I missed that detail! Another black author. From his biography, “Ta-Nehisi Coates is a national correspondent for The Atlantic and the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Between the World and Me, a finalist for the National Book Award. A MacArthur “Genius Grant” fellow, Coates has received the National Magazine Award, the Hillman Prize for Opinion and Analysis Journalism, and the George Polk Award for his Atlantic cover story “The Case for Reparations.”

Vanity Fair Women’s Beauty Back Full-Figure Underwire Bra

Yup. It’s a bra. The same one I always buy. Slightly different color this time cuz my normal color was out of stock.

Hanes Women’s Cozy Seamless Wire-Free Bra

This item is a wild card for me. No wires?? HA HA HA HA HA like that’s gonna work! I’m not planning on wearing it Out in the World really, just home and local. I’m already thinking that 2″ish band area below the cups are gonna roll right up BUT I’m trying to keep an open mind and we’ll see what happens when it gets here.

DONATIONS

So in the end, the only clothing items I really thought about wanting to buy this month were a pair of sturdier (and cleaner!) Keds (I returned the d’orsay ones from May) and Birkenstock sandals  and they would come to about $150 so that was the donation amount I had in mind.

I gave a lot of thought to what to donate to – there are so many areas that need support. And to be totally transparent, I’ve only made the first three donations so far; the next three have to wait til payday on Friday.

  • $10 to Petition Signing and Promotion for Adams County District Attorney: Justice for Elijah McClain through Change.org 
  • $10 to Nicole Cardoza/Anti-Racism Daily Newsletter. It’s a free daily newsletter but if it helps you have a better understanding of racism and how to dismantle it, donations are accepted.
  • $10 Monique Melton is an anti-racism educator who offers insight/podcasts on steps to take towards anti-racism. I have been listening and made a small donation in appreciation.
  • $25 NAACP Legal & Education Fund fights to win landmark legal battles, protect voters across the nation, and advance the cause of racial justice, equality, and an inclusive society.
  • $25 NAACP Empowerment Programs engage primarily in training, education, and advocacy at the national and local levels. They are working toward ensuring the political, educational, social and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate racial hatred and racial discrimination.
  • $75 Black Lives Matter, an over-arching organization fighting to end state-sanctioned violence, liberate Black people, and end white supremacy forever.

Alrighty then. I will report back on all my new purchases when they get here.

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