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not buying regrets or not

always trying

Veteran

Foud these boots on Nordstroms rack -didn't get them as it is too hot here-upper 80's-so way to hot for boots yet. looking like it will be too hot for wearing fall anything for a while, and I am so sick of my limited hot weather wardrobe. Anyhow they do not have my size now. Found another pair I like on another site, but just keep telling myself to wait as there is lots of time and lots more out there. Do you have regrets for not buying something, then find something better-or buying too soon and then finding something better-or just be patient and something you fall in love with comes along.? Guess I am just needing to dream of wearing fall fashions of all kinds. # 1 the Ahnu from NR and the other at Off Broadway.

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Shopping

15 replies

Latest reply was from Carla

Anonymous

I used to by things in advance of the season, or at the very end for next year, or for events that aren't actually planned but might happen..then I realized that I've never really not been able to find something essential when I actually need it.

I really don't look back anymore but when I did I tried not to remember the item as better than it was or second guess my previous judgment.

CocoLion

(website)

Veteran

Both of these boots have unique features. If you were just looking for a black bootie, I'd say wait. But if you want something different (picture 1 in particular doesn't look like anything I've seen out there), I would buy them now. Rack has a 90 day return so you can always bring them back if you find something better/cheaper.

I also find that my size sells out really fast whether shoes (Euro 37/US 6 - 7) or clothes (size 4), at least at the places I like to shop.

unfrumped

Veteran

Ah yes, " the one that got away"!

I have to really watch out for that mentality, since my sizes sell out, and because I can tell I'm prone yo inflated memories of items that are no longer available.

I have to use mantras like, there will ALWAYS be something as good or better down the road. Or, " now there is more money to spend on something else !"
Also , I think if actually helps to have a few style " directions"-- rather like the capsule concept- so I can say, not much is turning up to go with these pencil skirts the way I want to look right now, so I won't " settle" just to get something that goes okay; I'll just wear these other outfits right now.

abc

Veteran

Yes I suffer from this. I see something and don't get it and then it's still bugging me later. If it bugs me then I usually know it is more than a case of the wantsies. If I forget about it that tells you how badly I needed it to begin with.

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

I used to never buy in advance of the season, because I chased sales - or maybe I should say
that I bought so late in the season that I was buying in advance of the
next year's season! In recent years I've found that some judicious buying ahead of the season works much better for me - I can wear things right away once the weather changes, rather than have to go shopping for something essential. I think that if you have a classic style, you can get away with buying out of season more easily than if you prefer being trend-driven, because things may change by the time the season comes back around.

Just one example: last winter I found a pair of black sandals at NR -
Ecco, so a good quality brand, and at least half off full price. I knew
that I needed to replace my nice black sandals by summer, so I went
ahead and bought them. I didn't wear them for four or five months but
I've been wearing them happily all summer. I guess I could have bought
something with that money that I could have been wearing sooner, but
then I might have had to spend more money on something similar when
summer came, or not been able to find something that worked for me.

I've definitely had regrets for not snapping things up that sell out in my size or go up significantly in price afterwards. It's true that sometimes they get better in your mind once you've missed out on them - the grass is always greener thing. But unlike Isabel, I've had plenty of times when I can't find what I really need, especially when I'm in a hurry. You often have to make compromises especially when you're on a budget, but when you can't find what you're looking for and settle for something you wouldn't buy under other circumstances, it's really annoying. So I've tried to get better at planning ahead so I can make decisions decisively and take advantage of the scores I do run across.

It's a balancing act, though - anything that I choose means that I've spent that amount of my budget and can't spend it on something else that may become available in the future. I track my clothing budget by quarters, and I try to focus my buying in the first half of the quarter for the current season, and shift to the next season for the second half of the season. (The biggest deals are usually way out of season, though, like winter for summer or vice versa, 6 months off, not 3.)

unfrumped

Veteran

Another thing is how to balance " the cost" (!) of paying full price. If I focus more and don't buy too many random things I don't need, and have an idea of what's a great item when it comes along, then I can afford full price if I sense it won't be available later.

That's always interstinv because thungz conf sling in series, not in parallel. You don't get to compare everything at once- likd what are all the boots you might like in a whole year, pick those and then wear them for that same year!
So yours always comparing just a relative few things, then deciding amongst them or to NOT get them ever, maybe, and see " what's next".

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

I just thought of another example, this one of something I didn't buy: this spring Macy's had some distressed/patched jeans, and I was going to buy a pair whenever they had a sale. By the time they offered a discount, my size (and a lot of others) had sold out and never came back. I haven't been able to find anything similar in a brand that fits me or my budget since. It was a fringe trend for me so it's not something I want to spend hundreds of dollars or a lot of time on, but I was interested in trying it and I was disappointed I didn't get to.

So maybe seizing the moment, or not, is all about what's essential to your everyday outfits and what's less central. For me, if it was something that I know I'd wear and that fit all my other criteria, I'd buy it out of season if I had the money.

Anonymous

This is a hard one. It has worked for me and against me. More often then not, I find something I think I love, but something prevents me from buying it. It is gone. Something much better comes along. I am actually surprised how often waiting has proven better for me.

Carole

Veteran

I think you should wait....I usually go with my gut...and it's usually telling me to BUY! But sometimes I regret not waiting for the perfect option because I think that at the time it is the best I can do and good enough. Also, if my wardrobe is in pretty good shape i find it easier to hold off until the perfect thing comes along.

plonkee

There are lots of things I see, like consider buying and don't. I've had one real regret which is a blue chiffon top with butterfly print which I didn't buy maybe three years ago. Still want it now. Other things I can barely remember let alone regret. There have been other actual purchases I've enjoyed instead.

shedev

Veteran

I don't have any not buying regrets, but I look at Ebay and other sites that sell older stuff quite a bit. I tend to see things every once in a while. If the item is right, I will buy out of season. I bought tall boots in the summer.

Summer

Veteran

I do have regrets about passing on something that I love and that would be perfect for me but which is way out of my budget. Otherwise, if I come across a piece that I know I'm going to need for the next season - and it's affordable - I don't hesitate to buy. In the past, I've experienced the disappointment of going back for something only to find it has sold out, so now I pounce straight away. After all, most stores have good returns policies, and I can always take the item back if I change my mind.

Anonymous

I try my best to anticipate what I'm going to need, and grab those items if I love them & the price is affordable. I don't regret passing up things that are over my budget or that are on sale but not what I love.

Jenny H

Veteran

I've not bought countless times however I've rarely regretted it. It it is something that makes my heart sing-- I'm usually able to track it down and buy it after the fact. Truth is, of all my not-buying regrets, there's only one that I can still remember today. Oh pretty red and white wavy print dress... But I'm a different size now and it probably wouldn't fit me anymore anyway!

Carla

Veteran

Deferred gratification. Do it ALL the time, alas. I DID pull the trigger on a wool/cashmere peacoat a couple of weeks ago during a heat wave. Happy knowing it is in the closet for when I will be needed.