Shop Your Closet/SYBudget - midway through week 5 - YouLookFab Forum

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Shop Your Closet/SYBudget - midway through week 5

Mo

(website)

Veteran

Ha, I almost forgot! Must be because I was bad this last week. As most of you know, I took a nosedive straight into a pair of Frye Julia lace up boots. The upside is that they were under $250, as opposed to the regular (gulp) $400. But it's still the most I've ever spent on one thing. I aim to get those babies down to $1 cost per wear someday! They will be with me a long time
The good is that of the blue dresses I ordered, I'm sending both back. One is just too darned big, and too dressy, the other has a kind of dropped waist that does not jibe with my shortwaistedness at all.
I also have paypal credits building up through eBay sales and I got $18 from an Old Navy refund and $9 from a local consignment shop. I have used $14 of my credits for a belt and hope to use the remainder towards all matching hangers for my closet back home.
Now that I finally have a move date (2 weeks!!) I can relax on the summer things that still swirl in my mind while I'm here in the 80 degrees. Those can wait until May now. And I can get in and really wear the jackets and boots I bought over the year. Now to just get through these last 2 hot weeks (yes - 83 for tomorrow, I kid you not). So I think my SYC is secure from here on out. Whew.

How is your SYC/SYB going? Staying the course? Making deliberate, well thought out purchases? Just completely drowning in packages? lol

Shopping

25 replies

Latest reply was from Tina

ironkurtin

Veteran

Fail fail fail fail

Since I was SUPPOSED to be on SYC, I sold a TON (and more are up!) on ebay, returned at least 3 other purchases (two trenches, a vest), and thus I purchased... an embarrassing boatload of goodies.

For those of you following my other threads, #7 is a Helmut Lang blazer purchased for less than $20 total. But I swear this one is different! This one is velveteen! And #14 is a fake fur sweater in a size P which has triumphantly been turned into a vest.

Oh, and you saw #4 earlier this week.

Man, no wonder the boy thinks I'm nuts.

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rae

(website)

Veteran

I'm very tempted to turn my faux-tiered Target dress into a tank, which would be against my SYCC plans. Plus I cringe at spending $20 on a tank. But I'm still tempted and looking for loopholes...

Otherwise I did well and resisted some shearling UWP boots that pulled hard at my heartstrings. I am watching only work clothes on Ebay, and I still have a BR giftcard to use somehow, whether it be on more pants, a good spring skirt, or what have you. The trick will be to know when to *stop* my victory job clothes splurge... o_0

goldenpig

(website)

Veteran

My DH has put his foot down and asked me to stop buying any more clothes. I told him I was done as of Jan 1, but I have been buying a few things to finish out the last few things on my list (red cardigan, etc). He is fed up with the packages still arriving even though I was supposed to be "done". I don't know how long he expects me to not buy anything (ever?) but I am (a little unwillingly) back on SYC...wahhh....

Jewell

Veteran

I'm happy to announce that I'm doing GREAT...even surprised myself!

My budget plan for this season is to shop from a list of six items (3 for spring & 3 for summer). This has forced me to be really picky, and I've only bought one thing so far. I had hoped to have my perfect navy handbag by now (#1 on my list), but I haven't found "the bag" yet. I did luck out by returning almost a hundred dollars worth of December purchases. I used the return credit to get this fuschia blazer (waiting for delivery) and a top for the skirt. I also cashed in my VISA rewards points for a gift card which I intend to use to get these oversized glass pearls. I'm really loving this color blocked dress, so I'm trying to decide if it deserves a spot on my list.

1. floral printed silk skirt (purchased in January)
2. fuschia blazer
3. oversized glass pearls
4. colorblock dress

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Queen Mum

Veteran

February has arrived, so I can allow myself another purchase! Yay! I am torn between snatching up one of the Gap blazers and filling my need for a pair of black dress boots. It seems that when I look for boots early in the season, I'm left coming up dry, and now I have about 7 pair that look promising in my Endless cart.
Part of me says, go for the jacket... bring on spring! The other part of me says that I should fill the need for the boots first, plus I have almost 2 months left that they can be worn. I do have my black booties that I wear with tights, but sometimes a nice tall boot just fits the bill..... Not sure I want to begin next Fall having to do the boot hunt.

Thoughts?

Anonymous

I am holding strong, girlfriends. (Even I am surprised!)

Queen Mum

Veteran

good for you Alicat!

rae

(website)

Veteran

QM, I say try out the boots! Maybe I am overly projecting, but boots are so expensive and hard to fit... it's a great time to try promising ones while they are discounting and liquidating this season's stock. And then if you strike out, you can still buy a bright blazer and then restart the boot search in the Fall.

Anonymous

Thanks, QM!

Queen Mum

Veteran

Rae- thanks, that's the voice of reason I needed.

Jewell

Veteran

Queen Mum,

I vote boots. At least if you find the perfect pair, you can wear them a while now and hit the fall season running months from now without the boot search all over again. Besides, if the ones you try don't work out, that blazer will be waiting.

celia

Veteran

Only week 5?
Oh boy....
Well, i have behaved so far but.....am obsessing about a pink blaze and....just saw that GAP has bootcut pants in red.
Taking deep breaths.
QM I say go for the boots.I always tell myself next year and end up never buying a decent pair of winter boots.

Mo

(website)

Veteran

I vote boots, as well. Remember my cognac foldovers? I bought them last February, almost a full year ago. Didn't get to wear them until last month! Did I love them any less? Heck no! They still feel new to me and I get to look forward to a few months of them still back in CA

Sarah A

Veteran

I don't think I was on the original sign up for this group, but nonetheless I am doing the SYC full on. So far so good! I was just gifted an old trench from a friend who hadn't worn it in years so one thing checked off my "think I need it list"... Now if I could just find the time to get my ebay sales going...

Anonymous

BOOTS, Kim. Even if none of them work, at least you know you've tried. Then you can send them all back and still get the blazer.

Queen Mum

Veteran

okay then, the boots have been ordered!
stay tuned....

Elly

Veteran

GP--- did you ever work out what his particular issue with the shopping was? Men-- they just don't understand. Even with a "done" closet, unless one has duplicates there still is a bit of shopping needed throughout the year-- things come up! things wear out!

Jewell--- beautiful picks! Have you thought about how these things fit into the direction you want your style to go and what you already have? That might help make the dress decision easier!

Lisa

Veteran

I am a big fat FAIL. I made it through January without a single purchase. But I was smitten with the kelly green Angie wrote about recently and I picked up this sweater in green tonight. I intended to do Queen Mum's only one item a month idea but then I also picked up a this printed t-shirt. I am a huge impulse shopper which is part of why I always try the SYC attempts when hosted on the forum.

So now to defend myself, I find a printed t-shirt that I like hard to find and when I saw the one at JCrew I remembered how hard I searched last summer for one that I liked. There were lots of other pretties in the store but I was able to pass on them. Typically I would have left with a LARGE bag full of clothes so I consider walking out with only 2 items a small victory.

February is not going to be a good month for me but I will keep trying SYC. I expect to crack twice more during the month: probably during the YLF gathering in NYC in a few weeks and again to purchase a pair of black shoes. Although I am rebuilding my shoe wardrobe so I consider any shoe purchases essentials at this point. My black booties are not working for me so I've been back in sneakers on most days which is driving me batty!

Lisa

Veteran

Chiming back in to say go for the boots Queen Mum. I am struggling a LOT with footwear and if you can find boots that fit and are comfy they are worth the blazer sacrifice.

kellygirl

Veteran

So glad you went for the boots, Kim. They are so hard to find and fit. They are probably the biggest work horses in my closet!

About the SYC, mark me down for a big, fat FAIL, too. I didn't spend much but I did purchase (hangs head in shame.) I have no will power.

Queen Mum

Veteran

Glad to have all the affirmation on the boots. I was feeling silly about buying black boots when everyone else is gearing up for spring. But it makes sense to take care of that need.

It was the right thing to do

Jewell

Veteran

@Elly- Good questions! Yes, I've thought about how these things will work with my current style (MCP- modern classic princess per Helen's reply to my WIW thread last week). The dress is modern and feminine and the yellow gels with my resolution to wear more color this year.

I think you just helped me decide to add this to my list : )

modgrl

(website)

Veteran

Finally found a white blazer. I had to BBQ because the season for white blazers is so short. Also couldn't resist the 80's skirt at express. I want everything on Angie's list from last week but I am holding back so far.

cciele

Veteran

Oh, good Kim -- glad you went for the boots! Good boots are hard to come by.

And alicat, sarah, celia -- Good for you guys for holding strong! And the rest of us don't seem to have gone too crazy... at least some of you are good at working the return/gift card/etc. angle

I have one more thing coming (GAP dotted denim shirt Angie posted about) and then I swear no more for February. Except (there's always an except) I need to fill one gap in my wardrobe: a lime green cropped jacket

Tina

Veteran

And remember QM, February is a short month. March will be here before you know it and by then the Gap blazer will be on sale I'm sure.