I don't see you thrifting at Goodwill so much as finding consignment shops with great stuff. You can also consider consigning some of your clothes and using the credit to get new stuff (a favorite trick of mine). You have received great advice on this thread. I am sorry about the budget situation at your workplace - but hope this leads you to new exercises in creativity.

I don't think I should start sewing. I really don't have the room plus I could see myself buying a $1000 sewing machine, because I MUST have the best. For example, I spent a weekend hiking in the Olympic rainforest and needed rain paints, I bought Arc'teryx. Plus I know how much good fabric costs.
I at one point had planned to be an scientific illustrator in my life. After my mother died I changed my career plans. I still have have all my watercolor supplies. But I haven't done any serious art in 10 years. My father still bugs me to get back into it.

Wow, Anna, a creative outlet like that sounds like a great idea, financially, mentally, and emotionally. Dig out those watercolors!

I find I tend to shop when I'm feeling a bit burnt out in my art work. Maybe it's my brain trying to work in a different creative gear -- looking at colors and shapes and patterns but in a different way.

I say: Pick up a Town and Country. There are all these couture consignment stores advertised in the back...

((hugs)) What a tough break.

Lots of good advice here!

I think you're right about sewing. It is not a way to save money unless you never make mistakes or are not prone to splurging on fancy machines and fabric.

I hope you do give your painting/illustrating another shot.

You're always welcome to come over for knitting and I have plenty of yarn to share...

AG, painting is a great idea! Life drawing, sculpture... get into it again!

Tons of great advice here, Anna. I'm just chiming in to say good luck and I hope you are able to find a way to still have fun with fashion.

Doing some creative work, like your painting, is a great idea. It might satisfy that fashion bug. I know that, for me, shopping sometimes acts as a substitute for my creative work. I do a LOT of online browsing/shopping on days when I have writer's block.

Sorry to hear about this Anna! You have gotten a lot of good advice. Have you analzsed your purchase behavior/expenditures over the past month or two? I did this recently and understanding first what I was doing and how much I was spending gave me the information I needed to come up with a budget and a plan. Rather than just randomly coming up with a figure or going cold turkey.

Oh I hope that you pick up your watercolors !

Yes, go get those brushes and start getting busy! It is the best antidote to clothes spending temptation. I use crafts and knitting, and when I am into a project, I can put off shopping more easily.

Wanted to put in another vote for getting back into the painting - I find that if I have some 'other' kind of outlet, then I'm not as concerned with shopping. Don't get me wrong, I still like to come up with outfits and so on, but if I have something else going on, I don't feel like I am always wanting something 'new' on the clothes/fashion front, if you know what I mean.

I think everyone's a little different - as for me, I get very creative with cooking sometimes and I probably spend way too much money on gourmet foods, but the thing is - this other 'hobby'/fascination of mine is not nearly as expensive as clothes are, so even if I go a bit nuts and buy fancy food and ingredients, it's simply not nearly as "dangerous" as veering into expensive clothes can be. If I spend $10 on some Medjool dates or $35 on a fancy bottle of olive oil, it's not quite the same (guilt-wise) as pricier clothing can be.

I suggest shifting the 'high end' luxury shopping to a different area, one that isn't as expensive (ie. in my case, I'll buy expensive food, but this doesn't cause too much stress on the bank account), and I'd suggest still being way into fashion and clothes, but that the eye for higher-end items be shifted to a less-expensive pursuit. I suggest this because there is something very satisfying about being picky and particular about quality/style in at least one area of your life. It's just that when it comes to clothes/fashion/shoes - this can get a bit expensive.

I also really liked the suggestion to get some other YLF'ers in your area to take you shopping to some stores/places that you might not have considered before. That could be a *lot* of fun. Just for the record, The Rack is a great place, and it's partly because it's kind of hard to find things in there, so you end up not buying as much - because the good things aren't as easy to get to. You have to do a lot of looking, but it's still fun - and ultimately, I find that I end up buying less than I would normally. Thing is? I still get that shopping/looking fix, even if I don't buy a single thing or only end up with one or two items that I decide to purchase.

Meanwhile, I don't know anything about painting or watercolours - is this stuff expensive to buy? If not, then this might be the place to shift that 'high end, better quality' eye.

Shift that 'eye' for the good stuff to a less-expensive area of your life.

It'll all work out, I'm sure of it