Holiday Shopping

In honor of Black Friday I want to talk to you about holiday shopping and what my (best) practices are.The reason that I put so much thought and effort into holiday (and birthday) shopping is because there are lots of people on my list  to shop for which means it can be costly in terms of money but, also in terms of my time. I also take it to the "next level" (yes there is a spreadsheet) because I want to make sure that I give the people in my life that I care most about gifts that they will actually appreciate and enjoy. By making a plan about shopping in advance and implementing these practices I have been able to tackle holiday shopping without getting very stressed or maxing out my credit cards. To be honest, most of the time, I don't even participate in the craziness that is Black Friday or Cyber Monday because they are so protracted beyond what they used to be that you can find savings starting at the beginning of November (OMG, you've already missed out) and those very limited "door buster" deals are not worth the aggravation and time they would potentially cost me. While everyone might not feel the same way, I have found that with planning I am able to tackle holiday shopping without going crazy.

• Budget - Take a look at how many people you feel obligated to need/want to buy gifts for. There might be some people who pop up closer to the holiday but, for the most part, you know who your main beneficiaries are and you can ballpark how much money you want to dedicate towards their gifts. I'm not saying that you need to stick with this to the last penny for everyone but, having an idea of what you can spend overall helps from overspending on your favorite person or cheaping out on someone that you wanted to get a swell gift.  
• Shop all year - This is not for every person on your list (ahem, children) but, sometimes when you are out you might see something that would be perfect for your Mom, BFF, gardener, etc. that you know they will love to matter what time of year you give it to them. This helps in terms of limiting the amount of time you will spend shopping during the holiday season and hopefully ensure that you will avoid shopping at crunch time (Ex: Christmas Eve) completely. 

A photo posted by Iris (@260daysnorepeats) on Dec 20, 2012 at 9:36am PST

• Save all year - Take a look at your budget and see what the total is, then divide that by 52 which would equal how much money you have to save each week. This is the most rudimentary budget but, it totally works for Hubby and I. We take money each pay period and set it aside for holiday and other gifts and when December November comes we don't have to think twice about where the money is coming from. It goes into a separate gift specific checking account so we don't mix that money with funds for everyday purchases... next level maneuvers. 
• Re-Gift - Not everyone does this, or thinks it is acceptable to do but, I do, under the right circumstances. I am a difficult person to shop for an often find myself with lovely things that I am never going to use and have no option of returning for credit to purchase something else that I might like better. I also get things for free sometimes (event life, yay) or as part of monthly subscription boxes that are not a good fit for me. In those situations, I would rather give those nice things, that are not my speed, to someone else who would enjoy them. 

A photo posted by Iris (@260daysnorepeats) on Dec 13, 2014 at 11:30am PST

• Get Crafty - If you are the type of person who is able to use paper maché and popsicle sticks to make cool things you should totally do that for your family and then open an Etsy shop. In all seriousness, sometimes the best  gifts are heartfelt and personal so if can make something as opposed to buying it that might be the way to go in terms of making someone smile and possibly keeping yourself on budget.

Purchases & Acquisitions: July 2015

Even though things were crazy last month (and continue to be so) I was still able to find time to do a little shopping... I am talented like that.

Clementine - $29.48 (gift card)

• yellow and pink t shirt, Lilly Pulitzer 

Ashby - $45.28 (secret gift from Hubby)

• black and white jumpsuit, Mossimo
• multicolor tank top, Boden

Target - $22.99

• green crepe shell blouse, Merona

Current Consignment - $39.50

• beige blazer, Nanette Lepore
• green gingham blouse, GAP

While I spent $62.49 this past month on clothes (and that's ok I guess) I am more focused on what's coming next in August. As you (should) know it's my birthday month so that means I get lots of things for my birthday and don't shop at all, shop like crazy because it's my birthday and I can, or both. We'll see how it goes. 

What was even more exciting than shopping was getting all of the items that I dropped off at the tailor back completely fitted to my new body shape. I may or may not have tried everything on and flounced around the house. I can't wait to share them with you too!  

Secondhand Star

This outfit is from last Friday, it is the last of all the off schedules errant posts that I needed to sahre with you, Success!

One of the things I have noticed recently (especially when I'm going through purchases for the month) is that I tend to shop (almost) exclusively at second hand stores. On top of that I get lots of clothes from swaps with friends/family/rando strangers of a similar size. While it is intentional (money saving and all that jazz) I like how much it benefits the environment as well. It's a small action but, hopefully it is having a wider reaching impact.

• Top: white sleeveless polo shirt, Lacoste via  Mom's closet raid
• Bottom: denim skirt, LOFT via Melissa's closet cleanout
• Shoes & Accessories: brown top-siders, Kimmie Smith for Sebago c/o Sebago/Robert Verdi's Luxe Lab; vintage silver earrings, my abuela

Purchases & Acquisitions: June 2015

There was shopping/swapping this month, so much shopping/swapping! Well maybe not so much with the shopping but, definitely with the swapping... let me explain. I have been feeling the urge to shop in the recent months but, after my extreme closet purge that increased exponentially. I sent my Mom the picture of the finished product and she took pity on me bringing over some things form her closet that no longer fit her last weekend. Then we scheduled a time to go see the local tailor by her so that I could salvage some of my favorite items because tailoring is a great option instead of heading out and buying all new clothes. 

Unfortunately/fortunately, we didn't make it to the tailor because I was raiding my Mom's closet for things that no longer worked for her. I made out like a bandit (kinda literally) with bags of sartorial goodies. Ironically, many of those items had previously been mine going as far back as high school, for serious. It's a good thing that my mother doesn't have my penchant for closet clean outs but, I digress...  Even though the tailor was closed we consoled ourselves by heading over to one of my favorite second hand stores and she bought me a few things because she's super nice. The "damage"  is as follows... 

Goodwill $20.48 Amazon Local Deal

• red dress, Taylor 
• brown striped dress, Bailey 44 

Current Consignment $15.64

• eggplant suite, Nanette Lepore
• cream pants, Vanessa Bruno
• gray tank top, Bailey 44

Unique Thrift Store $45.22 c/o Mom

• beige pinstripe capris, New York & Company
• brown plaid pants, New York & Company
• khaki green bermuda shorts, Forever 21
• black pinstripe suit, Anne Klein
• retro inspired polka dot pumps, Bakers

Mom's Closet Raid Cleanout

• red dress, eShakti.com
• blue floral lace dress, eShakti.com
• black and white houndstooth faux wrap dress, eShakti.com
• gray scoopneck t-shirt, New York & Company,
• red scoopneck t-shirt, New York & Company
• black sheath dress, Books Brothers
• black sleeveless polo shirt, Lacoste
• white sleeveless polo shirt, Lacoste
• black polo shirt, Lacoste
• black capri leggings
• black embellished t-shirt, Merona
•  khaki skirt, Ann Taylor
• white linen pants
• denim skirt, LOFT
• black lace dress, H&M
• black sweater dress, Pink Rose 
• lime green scoopneck sweater, LOFT
• ivory scoopneck sweater, LOFT
• hot pink scoopneck sweater, LOFT 
• yellow scoopneck sweater, LOFT 
• green scoopneck sweater, LOFT 
• black scoopneck sweater, LOFT 
• green cardigan sweater, New York & Company 
• purple cardigan sweater, New York & Company
• light brown plaid suit, Sweet Suit
• brown polka dot suit, Donna Sands
• purple tweed skirt, Norton
• black and gray plaid skirt, NYCC
• ivory and beige skirt, Theory
• gray pencil skirt, Emanuel by Emanuel Ungaro
• blue and gray dress, Old Navy
• gray cropped blazer, I.N.C. 
• black and brown plaid skirt, Worthington
• black t-shirt, Chanel
• blue ombre tank top, Xhilitration

You were worried, weren't you? It really wasn't that bad after all, after all of the fun new things I added or welcomed back to my wardrobe I ended up only spending $15.64 at my local consignment store. We'll see how I do next month since I will spending time visiting my favorite shopping destination my cousin and you've seen how that goes...

Purchases & Acquisitions: May 2015

While I am not in the same (extremely limited) financial position I was when I started the blog I still need to be cognizant of the money I spend, especially considering that shopping/swapping is more of a necessity (read: nothing fits.) I think it's a good idea to keep track of the items that I obtain for a few reasons. First, it will help me to keep be aware of my spending (the tens and tens of dollars.) Also, it will help you to see what I have acquired as opposed to things that are just being brought out of my wardrobe archives.

This past month I went consignment/thrift "crazy!" While I was away for the long weekend I went to some of my favorite stores in Richmond, VA and I did not leave empty handed. I also stopped by a more local store on my way home from work one night and they were having a mega clearance sale. Lucky for me there was also some gifting going on this month!

Gift(s)

• gray blouse, Free People

Clementine - $126.36

• black, red, and white polka dot maxi dress, Banana Republic
• pink patterned capri pants, LOFT
• pink ruffle embellished shift, LOFT
• NWT black and white capri pants, J Crew
• purple and white gingham shirt, J Crew 

Ashby - $40.01

• black and white printed pants, Kenar
• beige floral dress, Merona
• black and white bicycle wheel print dress, Jason Wu for Target

Current Consignment - $10.00

• blue and ivory sun dress, Calypso St. Barths

Overall, I spent $176.37 and obtained an eclectic selection of pieces to add to my wardrobe that I have already started utilizing. While I know I need clothes to fill in the wardrobe gaps, I don't think it's sustainable to shop like this every month. The amount I just spent is more than I spent on all my purchases combined in the first year of 260 Days, No Repeats! Also, I still only have tens and tens of dollars.

UPDATE: This morning I got two eshakti.com dresses... What? They were having a sale and I had a gift card/coupon. I basically got two dresses for $72.35 (customization and shipping included) AKA less than the price of one dress. I do not regret my decision. Adjusted total spending is $244.72 which is a little less than I spent on all purchases combined in year two or 260 Days, No Repeats. I am now feeling conflicted. I might need to not eat for the rest of the week... 

Purchases & Acquisitions: December 2012

Normally I try not to shop in December, the holidays are imminent and I know I'm hard enough to shop for as it is without taking potential gift options off the table. I totally broke my own rules this time around and picked up a pair of shoes that I was lusting over since the summer. If you follow me on Instagram you might remember the ones I'm talking about...

Image courtesy of polyvore.com

When I wandered into my local Aldo to see what they had going on there was a pair of these same shoes in the corner on the clearance rack and by some miracle they had them in my size. I jumped at the opportunity to snatch them up at a discount combined with an in store coupon; Original price, $69.98. Final price after discounts with tax: $45.91. It might not seem like a huge discount but, I kind of love them so, it was totally worth it. That was it for December shopping, on top of potential holiday gifts I didn't really have a large disposable income anyway... Have you gotten on the spikes/studs trend? How would you style these shoes?

Unposted Outfits: Summer 2011

Now that I have some free time on my hands, for obvious reasons, I decided to do some housekeeping. I have honestly worn a different outfit to work everyday for the last three(ish) years but, with my last position taking up an immense amount of my time it became a struggle to post everything as I had been from the beginning. But, as I said there were pictures pretty much everyday so now I am going to go through them and sort out the fab outfits that you haven't seen yet. Get ready for some throwbacks... 

You've already caught a glimpse of this outfit when I talked about my purchases and acquisitions for July 2011 but, I never put up a post. I don't remember exactly what I was doing that day but, it was definitely work related and obviously fun-tastic... can't you see that smile on my face? That dress was a great addition to my wardrobe thanks to a dear friend's closet clean out. What girl doesn't need another little black dress, especially when it's free?

• Top: second hand black dress, Mossimo for Target via Caroline with a tank top underneath for the modesty
• Shoes & Accessories: silver cutout flats, Corso Como via DSW

I really have no idea what was going on this day but, given the level of comfort happening with this outfit I'm going to guess it was a Friday. Now I appreciate the craziness effectiveness of my original method of tracking my outfits. When I get back into wearing work outfits there is going to be a revival! These polka dot shirts are some of the comfiest that I own and I have had them forever! Do you have pieces in your closet like that? Shirts? Pants? Do tell... 

• Top: blue and white polka dot shirt, Old Navy (same shirt different color here, here, here)
• Bottom: gray pants, New York & Company
• Shoes & Accessories: red Bridget Thong Sandal, LOFT/gift from mom; pearl earrings, Macys/gift from Mom; silver watch, Fossil

There are few things that struck me about this photo: Firstly, look at how short my hair is!!! I know it's not considerable shorter than in all of these other pictures but, curls definitely take some length. I think it will probably be a while before I get my hair cut that short again... While I love the idea of this outfit it doesn't work... the skirt is too tight (I probably haven't worn it since) and the shirt is just a t-shirt. Perhaps a blazer would have helped make it a little more professional... next time but, no repeats! 

• Top: green and white scroll print t-shirt, LOFT
• Bottom: beige pinstripe skirt, New York & Company
• Shoes & Accessories: silver Stella wedge pumps, Seychelles via DSW; gray head band, scuunci; mixed metal earrings, Modcloth/gift from Natalia; silver watch, Fossil

There must have been a noise in the hallway or something... or I was bored with picture taking; Either is a strong possibility. This outfit just screams 'warm weather' to me with the combination of one of my favorite summer colors, the picnic table cloth plaid skirt, and the fab sandals. While it was definitely a work outfit I would wear it to hang out with friends or run errands. What work outfits do double duty for you?

• Top: orange crochet neck blouse, LOFT (same shirt different color here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here) with a tank top underneath for the modesty
• Bottom: orange, beige, and brown plaid skirt, LOFT 
• Shoes & Accessories: gladiator sandals, Christian Siriano for Payless

I'm glad that I had at least made it outside during the day for one picture!  I'm obvi exaggerating but, hopefully in whatever my next job role is I will have time to keep doing the things that I enjoy like blogging and laundry groceries cleaning spending time with friends etc. In terms of the outfit, this is another one my favorite color combos. You can't go wrong with red, black, and white it's so classic! Also, seeing this outfit is a nice reminder of a great shirt which no longer has real estate in my closet AKA I donated it. After lots and lots of outfits (and washes) it shrunk quite a bit and wasn't flattering anymore. I hope it's found a nice new home in someone else's wardrobe.

• Top: red embellished t-shirt, Van Heusen outlet (same shirt different color here)
• Bottom:  black, gray, and white skirt (with pockets), Target
• Shoes & Accessories: silver Genero Sandal, SE Boutique via DSW; coin pearl earrings, borrowed from Mom then altered; silver watch, Fossil

Stay tuned for more unposted outfits as I go through the innumerable amount of photos on my computer. Up next... Fall 2011? Wow, we are really going WAY back. 

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: August 2012

This time last year I kept it together and didn't shop at all during my birthday month. I try to look at birthdays the same way I view Christmas; People are going to buy you things so you don't necessarily need to buy anything for yourself. It didn't work out so well this year... I wanted to get fancy for the my weekend birthday celebration and couldn't very well wear that same dress as I did on my actual birthday. While wandering around in I ended up getting this fab color block maxi dress for my party. It was spot on in terms of summer trends, comfort, and all around fabulous-ness AKA totally worth the $29.99.

In terms of other things I got as gifts there were a few fun things that you might have already seen if you are stalking following me on Instagram like a gorgeous Maggy London dress from BF's parents, some lovely dresses from eShakti that my parents bought me, a box of goodies from my cousin including a shirt that I am dying to wear, and some basics (white tank tops, yoga pants) from my parents, as well as, the trendy dress I wore on my actual birthday from BF. I am so thankful for everything! I feel so lucky to be so loved and by such stylish people to boot.

Purchases & Acquisitions: July 2012

Last month while I was running around like a chicken without a head I was also able to get some shopping done... Yeah, that sounded weird to me too especially given my ability to avoid shopping. My main motivator was a gift certificate from eShakti.com that was burning a proverbial hole in my inbox and was about to expire. It would have been a shame to let that happen if there was something in their collection that I liked.

After searching my options and hemming/hawing over how much I was willing to pay out of my own pocket I picked this shirt. After everything it came out to $23.96. I think it's going to be perfect for the rest of summer and fall. To be really honest, I'll probably just rock it all year long because that is how I am despite "seasonal limitations" and then it will be worth it even more.

Bella Swan Blouson - eshakti.com

In addition, while out shopping at Target for a various gifts I was drawn into the shoe department by the siren song of some stylin' ballet flats. Even since I wore my old purple ballet flats to death I have been on the search for a replacement pair that wasn't going to break that bank. When I saw these I immediately tried them on and they were a good fit, So much so, that I picked up another pair of the Merona Madge Ballet Flat in Orange. If they had had the mustard yellow color in the store I might have picked those up as well.

Merona Madge Ballet Flat - Target

I did also notice these cute navy blue ballet flats and since they were a good fit as well I threw them on the pile. I really can't go wrong with ballet flats in my office and having different colors gives me the opportunity to spice things up a little. I'm sure navy and purple ballet flats will go over swimmingly, I'm not so sure about the orange ones but, I am willing to give it a try. Ballet flats are also a great way for me to transition back to "real shoes" after getting used to peep toes. Sigh... I wish summer was longer but, I digress.

Mossimo Ona Ballet Flat - Target

Going shoe crazy might have broken the bank if it wasn't for that fab Target gift card my parent's gave me for my birthday last year that keeps coming to the rescue. Seriously: Best. Gift. Ever.

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 & Aquisitions: May 2012

You might have gathered that I am going to a wedding at the end of the month. While I was hopeful that eShakti.com would send me a dress I might still be able to make it work with this last minute wedding guest dress it is still not the most flattering ensemble. Combing through my closet again for an alternative so I could avoid shopping was fruitless and I knew I had to hit the stores; Begrudgingly so because, as I've mentioned, shopping in general is becoming less fun and more frustrating.

I decided I was going to hit the discount retailers like Nordstrom Rack, TJ Maxx, and Marshall (to name a few) but, after combing through racks and racks of dresses to no avail I knew it was time to head somewhere else. My shopping buddy and I hoofed it over to Macy's hoping to find something acceptable and end the shopping madness. Thankfully after combing though even more racks and racks of dresses I found an Adrianna Papell dress hiding on a clearance rack. One of my favorite fancy dress designers ever since I wore this dress to a different wedding Maybe it was meant to be...

After trying the dress on and finding it to be a(n almost) perfect fit I knew this was the one. There is some weird business going on with the zipper but, I'm sure my Mom will be able to tame it with her mad sewing skills. With the $140.00 price tag whittled down to $83.00(ish) and a coupon in hand I headed to the register to end my odyssey. To my pleasant surprise the dress was even cheaper than the tag read and with my coupon it came out to $38.36! Totally worth it for my cousin's big day!! Did you have any great shopping experiences last month?

Don't forget to enter the giveaway for a $100 Shopbop giftcard!

Don't forget to enter the giveaway for a free dress from eShakti.com!!

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…

           

April 30, 2012: Change Of Heart

So despite various awkward conversations I was still very dedicated to my goal of no purchases unless they were entirely necessary. However, after the most recent conversation I started to doubt my original decision that I didn’t need to stock up on suits for this new job. My mother was kind enough to hit the thrift store for me and pick up a few things. But, after much contemplation and checking in the status of my (paltry) disposable income I decided to bite the bullet and go shopping to get some more suits.

While I will spare you the details of my shopping trip (for now) I will let you know that I did pick up a few really appropriate things for work like, this suit. YAY? While I wasn’t so keen on the pressure I felt to go shopping and purchases more suits this definitely fits the bill for what I would want: cute muted pattern, interesting details, high stance… overall success! What do you think?

• Top: red floral print blouse, Old Navy with a tank top underneath for the modesty; beige blazer, Tahari via Loehmanns
• Bottom: beige skirt with side pleat details, Tahari via Loehmanns
• Shoes & Accessories: gray pumps, Steve Madden; coin pearl earrings, borrowed from Mom then altered by me; Neverfull GM, Louis Vuitton/gift from BF

Items from this outfit are previously seen and remixed here, here, here, here, and here.

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: December 2011

I went CRAZY this month shopping for myself which is the opposite of most Decembers; let me explain... After all the great eShakti.com picks that I made for the holidays I couldn't help but, pick somethings up for myself. I got two dresses and a really awesome shirt that is no longer available online.

The Birds Who Gossip Dress

Ruffle Front Cotton Knit Dress

The reason that I went a little crazy was because I had gift codes that were about to expire. I figured no one would be buying me anything from eShakti.com for the holidays so, I went for it! The grand total for the three items with shipping would have been close to $200.00 but, with the coupon code it only ended up costing me $20.85! Totally worth it in my opinion, I can't wait for you to see these dresses.

eShakti New Years Picks

I know we've talked about this a few times already but, that awesome eShakti.com coupon code and the deals are still going strong! You can get $20 off of a purchases of $20 or more with code: 260DAYS0811 until 12/31/11! They just keep adding new dresses to their catalog and the constant rotating stock includes a plethora of lovely dresses for any social engagments that you have left on your plate AKA New Years!

Beaded Tulle Dress

Dandelions Dress

Bow Tied Waist Cotton Dress

Don't forget to enter the giveaway for the complete Mirrors Collection from Zoya!