Strategies for acquiring your "list"?

catgirl

All those autumn wish lists were so inspiring. So how do you go about the shopping part? Do you just go out in one big spree and pay full price on everything up front, search patiently for bargains, look for cheaper substitutes, or (like me) just wait and wait until you either no longer want it or it is out of style anyway?

I would think time is an issue with trend-sensitive items, but how do you balance that with finances? Obviously the things that cost the most are the current items, and you want them NOW.

I'm considering this as I try to compose my list. I've crossed a couple of items off because by the time I find the perfect one (military jacket) it will no longer be practical OR relevant. Sigh.

15 years ago

Shopping

13 replies

Latest reply was from Kristine

Beth

Veteran

Honestly, I'll pick up a few things here and there, try to exhibit control for the rest of the list and then end up impulsively buying them anyway:)

And then DH will give me Sad Face and I'll promise to be better the next time~

15 years ago

biscuitsmom

Veteran

BethW, sad face is waaay better than the angry face I get! lol...I always say' Im returning a lot of it'....sometimes thats true! As far as shopping goes, if I see the perect item while Im out, I will get it and try and figure out later how to make it up in the budget. not good. But thats what I do.....

15 years ago

Katja

(website)

Active Member

Waiting out a trend is a Good Thing.

15 years ago

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

Chances are, I won't find everything on my wishlist- either in my price range or in the right style/color, or sometimes at all. I pick up the items when they are perfect- right fabrication/color/style/price.

15 years ago

Kim

Veteran

I have a weekly budget (allowance?) that I like to use for my clothing purchases. I recently lost 40 pounds so that means *all* new clothing...Awwwww, poor me! LOL

I like mostly classic stuff, and that's what I've been re-doing my wardrobe in. I went out this weekend with a list of very specific things I wanted to fill in a few holes for the fall/winter and I keep a running list on my phone to look for while I'm out, thrifting, consignment shopping, at Walmart, etc.

I'll spend more money on non-trendy pieces (but still not a lot) and less on the trendier stuff that will be out next year. (Like I spent $90 dollars on two pairs of Gap jeans, on sale, bootcut and skinnies.) I wanted a black sweater coat and I know that will most likely be "out" next year, so I went to Old Navy and found one on sale for $20.00 (down from $50.00 for the weekend sale). Both things have been on my list for a little while, but I was waiting for sales. I could easily live without the sweater coat, but I would have eventually bought the jeans as I wear them every single day.

I also came home with a herringbone skirt and a leather jacket that were *not* on my list, but both are less trendy and will last me for many years. I can up the style with them when I add a trendy piece to them, but they will likely stay in my wardrobe for many years to come now.

I feel my fall/winter wardrobe is nearly complete, and anything else I buy will simply be a "want" now, so I'll be spending a lot less money on clothes now. (Sure, sure, I bet you've all heard that before..."I can stop anytime I want to..." LOL)

15 years ago

Lisa

Veteran

How fast and how much I spend on a wish list item depends on a few things.

If it's an item I really need, I will go out in search of it specifically, and not come home til I find it. If it's full price and I really need the item, so be it.

If it's a trendy item and I really like it but can do without, I may go for a cheaper version to test if I really like it. Then I may upgrade when sales start as I will like it enough to wear the next time the season rolls around.

If it's an item that is really pricey, I am willing to wait as I've learned pricey items often (not always but pretty often) last and I have to be sure I love it to have invested money into something I will be keeping for many seasons to come.

If it's a trendy item and I can't find something in my price point but really wanted to try, I accept that not all trends are going to work for me. Then that money gets moved to any of the above areas.

For wish lists, I decide a budget, then pick the top x amount to fit the budget. For example, if I have a list of 5 items but only money for 3 or one pricey one, I decide, go expensive and get the one item and wait for the rest. Or roll over the pricey item and get 3 other off the list. In any season I always have carry overs from my wish lists so I just juggle them based on money and needs.

15 years ago

Isabel

Veteran

There is a somewhat similar thread going on right now, there are some good ideas on how to budget :

http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....oats-shoes

To answer your questions more directly, if it is something that I really/want or need ( for a while ) and it fits well , can be tailored to fit well and something that is an absolute staple, I don't wait for sales. Boots and overcoats I tend to not wait on. I also don't wait for sales on jeans. For some reason, I am very picky about boots and coats and don't easily find things I will like to wear for years - so when I do, that's it. I will wait for sales on cardigans, shoes, t-shirts. I will go really inexpensive if I am not sure that I will like it or wear it - ie last year I bought a very inexpensive pair of ponte knit skinnies. I like them, so I may go for a nicer pair this year.

I will point out again that my favorite strategy is for those who get paid every two weeks. Two months out of the year, you get three paychecks instead of two. I usually take 1/2 of one of those "extra" paychecks toward clothes. You could do a whole check or both checks. Most people budget with two checks for the month, so the additional check is usually "found" money.

15 years ago

Kristen

(website)

Veteran

I tend to pick out a lot of things online and let them sit in shopping bags for a while. Then I will hit the stores, trying on what I can and mentally crossing off pieces I don't like in person from my online list. Then I start juggling sales, coupons, and increasing sense of urgency to figure out when to order and/or buy. I spread it out over a couple of months so it helps with budgeting.

This is the first season in a long time where I am being a lot more discriminating and only looking for specific pieces. It's kind of fun!

15 years ago

marianna

Veteran

I will acquire as budget allows. Definitely not in one big shopping spree, although I honestly wish I could just go crazy and buy everything I want. Not gonna happen.

15 years ago

Elly

Veteran

Ooo-- for me, this season is different than most. I had to completely start over as I have NO fall/winter clothes for my climate. A lot of my other clothes are sad as well.

This year I have saved/budgeted some money because I knew I was going to have to do a big shop. I haven't shopped since last September when I picked up a couple fall trendy pieces, but since then have been getting the most use out of my warm weather clothes, as in my new climate I get 5 months of wear out of them versus 9 or 10.

Currently I still have two pair of jeans-- but I will probably go buy new pairs as they wear out as they are the only thing I can buy locally. I don't have a taste for premium denim, so I can usually fit the 30-60 dollar cost of a new pair into my budget any month.

Most of the rest of my shopping will be prioritized on need and use and then be bought over the next month or so. Other items might be added later if I decide I need them (work clothes, and extra sweater, another pair of shoes). More than likely not all the items on my list will be purchased.

15 years ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Most of the time, I just have to bump into what's on my wish list.

15 years ago

catgirl

Veteran

Angie, you probably do a lot more "bumping" than I do! Lucky you... I have to go out of my way to find something that's not sold at our local supermarket. II saw the other thread, which was great. My issue is what to do when time is of the essence on certain current items, or whether to just avoid being sucked into trends. Fortunately, we're a year or two behind the rest of the world in fashion so I get to shop sales online!

15 years ago

Kristine

Veteran

I've been lucky to find some of the items on my wish list (tweedy skirt, corduroy jacket) at thrift stores. For others I'll make do with what I have (for example I'd like a pair of tall boots but I already have a brown and black pair). For the rest I'll prioritize and buy as I can afford from my monthly budget. And once in a while I'll splurge and buy something outside of the budget, especially if it's something that's functional like a winter coat. A wish list seems easier to fill if you leave it somewhat open ended (a top to go with most of my skirts) instead of specific (a black wrap sweater).

Human nature being what it is, I don't think it's possible to get to a point where you feel like you have a perfect wardrobe or you're "done". So I try to have fun with finding ways to fill holes without going over budget.

15 years ago

Category