Purchases & Acquisitions: October 2012

Yeah, I'm still here but, I'm not shopping. If you follow me on Twitter (which you should because I'm awesome) you might have noticed a number of tweets with the hashtag #overdressed. They are all direct quotes from the book Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion. It was an eye-opener/page turner.

Image courtesy of  overdressedthebook.com

I'll spare you the all details (you should read the book for yourself) but, I will share that it was an excellent read to keep me on track with watching what I buy and trying to work with what I have. Who knows... November might be a month sans purchases as well! 

Purchases & Acquisitions: September 2012

September was CRAZY as I'm sure you deduced from my silence. There was so much going on with work, life, Fashion Week, etc. that I barely had time to breathe, let alone shop. However, that doesn't mean I didn't squeeze in a little bit of time at the mall. Attending Fashion Week events brings different wardrobe pressures than everyday life. Even if you don't go to every event that you are invited to you still, at times, find yourself surrounded by industry professionals and fellow fashion lovers. These fabulous people have a keen eye for sartorial hits and misses. You don't want to be rocking a miss. The other challenge for me was the combination of still warm weather and an expectation of fall trends. I wasn't ready to bust out all my fall goodies at that time, it was still summer. For the most part I was able to make it work but, I picked up a couple of things at Target to fill in my Fashion Week wardrobe gaps.

Mossimo® Women's Floral Print Asymmetrical Dress

Mossimo® Natural Envelope Clutch

This high low-hem dress from Target was an excellent find; spot on for fall while being appropriate for the tepid weather we were having. I also grabbed this over-sized snakeskin clutch. While the dress is fantastic, the clutch has already been on my arm at a few late night events. Snakeskin goes with everything, end of story! How is this still a month of no purchases if I got these two items? Two words: gift card, thanks Mom and Dad!

Purchases & Acquisitions: June 2012

Let's talk about June. Last month was probably one of the busiest months I have had in a while. With my work obligations, my other volunteer obligations, my everyday life obligations, and my cousin's wedding on the horizon I had no time to do anything let alone, go shopping. Maybe it was better that way.

Purchases and Acquisitions: April 2012

­­­­This month I went shopping with a vengeance! Also, my Mom got me some stuff but, I digress... I had a goal in mind (suits) but, tragedy stuck and in the short span of two days I was down one pair of skinny jeans and one pair of skinny pants. While neither of those items are work necessities they are some of the things I wear most on the weekends. The universe was telling me to go shopping.

I went shopping for replacement jeans with one of my close friends (who stuck with me the whole time, love ya!) the weekend after tragedy struck twice. While I wasn’t 100% on board with the idea of going shopping I knew I needed to replace my broken pants. We went to a ton of stores, trying on lots of different types/brands of jeans. Naturally, the ones that I was most comfortable in were at the last store that we went to, Forever 21. I know, I know… it isn’t where I would have thought either but, I’m glad I checked it out because I’m happy with what I got in the end. They had a great pair of dark wash skinny jeans for only $13.50! I bought two with a Visa gift card I had been holding on to. I also hit the GAP and bought another pair of pants to replace my ripped ones. Ouch, 'nuff said.

Next weekend the next stop on my shopping extravaganza was the Unique Thrift Store near my house. While I had every intention of going there to pick out more suits it ended up being a total bust on that front. I did, however, end up finding two lovely vintage dresses that fit perfectly for $4.99 each! I had no doubts or reservations in my mind as I headed to the register to check out, the shopping bug had caught me! I tried to pay for the total with some Unique Thrift Store gift cards that I had received for placing in their costume contest this past October but, they didn’t work… thanks? Fortunately I had another Visa gift card that I have been holding on to and there were no issues with that.

Then I took a short trip down the block to my local Loehmanns to check out their suit selection. I have had great success finding suits there in the past so, it was a  no brainer! After sifting through the racks of suits I found a Tahari suit that really worked for me (high stance, shorter jacket, etc.). I had a coupon so the $99.99 price tag (down from $280.00 MSRP) was whittled down a little more to $79.99 total. WIN? Either way my Mom took pity on my situation and helped me out with that one, thanks Mom!

Unfortunately, the jeans that I bought at Forever 21 ended up being too big even after I washed them. They were a little loose at the store but, I figured one go around in the washing machine and they would be perfect. Wrong, they were still falling off. So I had to go exchange/return them for a different pair. Thankfully, I ended up finding something that worked even better: jeans with an elastic waistband. Yes, they are a hop, skip, and jump away from being pajama jeans. Yes, I’m ok with that. They fit well and are super comfortable! Even better they were only $11.50!! So, I exchanged one pair of the larger jeans for two pairs of the smaller ones. In the same trip I also returned the GAP pants since I was able to patch up my broken pair, more on that later.

Since I had a coupon for Old Navy and some dresses that I had pinned on Pinterest in my mind I decided to stop by and see if I could find them. I used to shop for EVERYTHING at Old Navy but, my tastes (and their quality) have shifted so, I normally don’t give them alot of thought. They didn’t have what I wanted but, I did find a different dress that I liked on sale. When it fit I decided to go for it since the coupon and a gift card made it an easy purchase.

While at the mall I also decided to try Macy’s for a suit since they were having one of their sales and I had yet another coupon. I ended up finding another suit with a fantastic pattern that I’m sure you will be seeing soon! Don’t get too excited it’s still very work appropriate but, I digress… I had some gift cards and merchandise credits on top of the coupon so with all of the discounts combined the $69.99 suit (down from $260.00) ended up coming out to $10.27 which I paid for with the balance on one of my Visa gift cards.

Shopping Overview:

• Unique Thrift Store
• $9.98  Gift Card - $0
• Loehmanns
• $79.99 after coupon  Mom - $0
• Forever 21
• $36.50  Gift Card - $0
• Gap
• $62.10 Return
• Old Navy
• $9.75 after coupon  Gift Card - $0
• Macy’s
• $10.27 after coupon  Gift Card -$0

In the end I ended up getting a whole bunch of new needed stuff for no money out of my normal income. That was partly due to the fact that I returned the replacement skinny pants from the GAP since I was able to find away to make it work and my gift card hoarding tendencies. I don’t think I will be shopping like this again for a while. That’s not to say that I am done beefing up my suit selection, I just need to replenish my gift card reserves…

           

March 2012: Purchases & Acquisitions

March? Where did you go? Honestly I was so completely over-whelmed with birthdays/work/life/etc. that I didn't have any free time to do anything last month let alone shop. I guess it’s for the best…

Purchases & Acquisitions: February 2012

I might still be posting outfit from February but, it has come to a close... It is time to review purchases and other additions my wardrobe. I am happy to say that this is yet another month where I didn't buy anything!

But wait, what about that Navy Poplin Dress Jason Wu for Target?

Right, I didn't forget about it. I just didn't spend any money on it. For my birthday last August my parents very generously gifted me with a hefty Target gift card which I have been using to pick up odds and ends... Best. Gift. Ever.

Purchases & Acquisitions: January 2012

While things have been really crazy and I haven't had much time for blogging other things have fallen by the wayside as well like shopping. In that regard I have actually been in more of a purging mode which is good I guess... The only thing I did buy (and subsequently return) was a pair of flats from Macy's to replace these which I got rid of because there was a hole in the bottom (bummer) It was with a gift card so, it wouldn't have counted anyway... 

This is the time of the year for me where things start to feel a little tight moneywise actually. After the Christmas craziness and in preparation for a slew of birthdays in March any extra moneys that I do normally have (however minimal) gets immediately stashed for that so, shopping is even more out of the question than normal and probably will remain that way for a while.

Purchases and Acquisitions: October 2011

I did not buy anything this past month, woo hoo! While BF and I were in Chicago he did buy me some moccasins because of the cold rain. I was 100% ready for wind but, not for the wetness as much as I thought. While we were at Target picking up umbrellas and a toothbrush (I always forget something) I saw them hanging on the wall and they looked unbelievably comfy and warm. I tried them on and I was hooked! They were my go to shoes for the rest of the trip.

Purchases and Acquisitions: August 2011

I am continuing to stay on track with purchases or, the lack there of. I didn't buy anything this month!

I was, however, gifted with a few clothing items since it was my birthday and I like clothes. My mom gave me a few dresses which I'm sure you will see soon, BF's parents sent me some cardigans, and BF got me a suit so I can up the professional level of my wardrobe. My closet and I are so grateful for their generosity! 

Purchases: March 2011

Wow guys I did it again, that makes five months in a row! Given my recent dental plight I don't think I will have any problems not shopping since the bill for the the whole debacle is a pretty penny and then some...

Purchases: February 2011

Wow guys I did it again, that makes four whole months in a row! As much as I would love to attribute it to my unwavering self control I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge the fact that this was a fiscally tricky month for me. Changing jobs combined with our proximity to tax season (where I generally get a decent refund that acts as a safety net) didn't allow me enough wiggle room in my budget to even consider shopping. Thankfully Mom and BF came to the rescue to fill in the wardrobe gaps that needed plugging in this new office. 

The Roundup: 9 Months, 3 Months Left

Wow, today is a day of revelations! I just realized that I am nearing the end of my one year of wearing no repeated outfits to work, time flies... With everything that has happened in recent weeks I don't have a cool summary for you of the past nine months like I did at three months or six months but, I will say this: there were no purchases, no repeats, and February is shaping up to be a month of surprises/good things for everyone, including you!

Purchases: January 2011

Wow guys I did it again and that makes three months in a row! I don't want to talk about it anymore I might jinx this streak I have going...

Purchases: December 2010

That's right people, I did it AGAIN! Two months in a row must be some sort of record... December was full of different types of frustration in terms of shopping. The majority of the month I spent shopping like crazy for everyone that BF and I had on our list, naughty or nice. We had created a budget, been saving throughout the year, and had a snazzy spreadsheet to track everything so, there was some semblance of order. But, even with all that we still had to find great gift options that fit in with what we had ascribed monetarily for each person. That was no easy task! Thank goodness I am a coupon monger and BF and I also created some sort of shopping plan.

Let me just start off by saying that I don't like to shop for myself during the month of December. I hope that Santa (AKA friends and family) gets me the things on my list of needs and wants. But, while BF and I shopped for gifts I kept coming across lots of things (some practical, some fun) that would have been perfect for me, most of the time at some crazy discount! It could not have been more aggravating. Normally I find it less difficult to limit my spending because I am not in the mall or browsing the web but, during December procuring copious amount of things took up a large chunk of my free time. Thankfully I have survived! Were you more or less tempted to shop for yourself during the holiday season? Why or why not?