End of a successful shopping hiatus after just 3 weeks.

Ok, I have a confession to make. My shopping hiatus only last about a week as far as a halt to actual shopping, but I don't feel bad about it because it was not about budget, it was about regrouping to ensure I was purchasing things that will build a good wardrobe and make me happy. I spent a lot of time reviewing my shopping activities for this year and thinking about it all. I feel I’ve made some great discoveries that will serve me well, and reminded myself of a few other things I already knew. I was feeling totally discombobulated and beating myself up about it, but it turns out I was just a little bit off track.

I’m declaring the hiatus over now after three weeks. I have a few more footwear items I may get, I’m waiting for some LOFT chinos and tops,
and do need some summer sleepwear and perhaps some shorts/ts. Otherwise I’m going to stick with a well-edited list of wants, which I may or may not choose to pursue, knowing that some may disappear from retail in another 6 weeks or so as Angie noted in her blog posting today.

I’ve got a few rules that are serving me well: “stop trying so hard to like something” and “don’t take off the tags until you actually wear it”.

I have quite a few behaviors I still need to work on. 1) I still go a bit for quantity over quality. Not sure what “rule” I can make for this, I just need to continue to be aware and force myself to make better choices. I did come up with a “magpie quicksand list” of stores and brands that I need to be very particular about or stay away from. 2) I’m still making choices that do not elevate my style, like a “cute top” instead of a top that is stylish, well made, and makes for great outfits. Or a top with a print I like but a style that is not so interesting. 3) I buy basics that I do not need, because they are on sale or I just feel like it. It’s not ruining my finances; I just hate to waste money. New rule: buy basics with the same care and thought as other items, don’t fritter away $20 here and there on items I don’t really need.

Here is one new thing I’m going to start doing…I expect to keep doing a lot of online shopping, given my preferences/sizes vs. what’s available in
stores. I almost always do my returns in a store, but I’m going to start doing more of them via UPS or USPS if they are free. This will save some time and help me reduce the random mindless shopping I do when doing returns.

I also went back and revisited my style goals for 2017. I want to make two small adjustments. For style I want to add the word “elegant” although I’m not sure how to do it especially in the realm of casual outfits. Should be fun to figure it out! I also want to adjust my color choices. I do have a few brighter colored items but I am eferring neutrals more than than I expected.. I also identified cognac as my ‘base” shoe/bag color, which was a real aha moment. It explains why I love pale grey and any grey that leans toward blue, but not brownish greys. Cooler colored items will be either supporting acts or cameo appearances. Runcarla had a fabulous outfit today that is a good example of this...white, grey, cognac, and silver https://youlookfab.com/welookf.....wand-a-hewi.

8 years ago

The Cat

Veteran

Just a tip about some (additional) blogs where you may find lots of inspiration if you want to make your casual outfits a little more elegant:
- Chicatanyage.com
- Unefemme.net
- Brendakinsel.com. (See for example her recent post "How to Make Casual Outfits More Interesting")

Summer

You've had some great insights, Chris. Too tired for a full reply, but good luck with your future (well-planned) purchases.

Jenni NZ

Well done! In my much longer fast the time spent thinking about my wardrobe and trying slightly new combos of what I had did help. Since I restarted, only one frivolous purchase and that was the extravagant boots for which I had a $170 birthday gift voucher from my sister. Otherwise it has been 5 pair pants. Still enjoying tracking the wardrobe and playing with combos.

Ledonna N.

So very through and well thought out plans Chris . I look forward to seeing your purchases and how you flex with styling and purchases.

Jenn

(website)

I love the "magpie quicksand list." Loft is that store for me. All those pretty, pretty printed tops...that fall apart in half a dozen washes.

Anonymous

Great insights. It is important to realize there is not always a need for a long term ban if you are really just wanting to change how you shop, not stop altogether. Sounds like you gained some good perspectives.

Chris987

Thanks the Cat for the tips! I'll definitely check them out.

Thanks Summer, Jenni, Ledonna,

Jenn - I agree about Loft, although for me it's their sweaters that wear out too fast. I find their quality to be somewhat inconsistent but sometimes it's find.

Lyn D.

To help with curbing the quantity over quality issue you could try setting a minimum $ spend amount per item.

Hi Chris -- I think a three week shopping hiatus is a SUCCESS. Spending those three weeks identifying shopping behaviors that are problematic for you is also a win. You have to identify the problem before you hope to solve it.

Lyn D that's an interesting idea...I'll give it some thought, thanks!

And thanks Sterling!

Chris, I loved reading this post and your hints. I need to learn to do more on-line shopping to prevent those mindless purchases while making returns.
I will be interested in how you incorporate elegant with casual as that is also one of my goals. Your neutral colors may be key. I also have decided that quantity over quality is not so bad for summer things. They get harder wear and don't last very long no matter what you spend. I guess quality on sale is ideal but not very practical when sticking to a list. That outfit of Runcarla's is one of my all time favorites. Maybe a bit of subtle metallic is the key.

You have much wisdom, Chris. I am taking these thoughts to heart.

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