Winter update

So it's halfway through January and I'm already 26 dollars in arrears in my 'early winter' budget. :/ That's not counting the returns I'm waiting to be processed. Could be worse, I guess... It seemed like there were a lot of mega sales this year after Christmas, not to mention all the Black Friday to Christmas deals. Next year I'm saving up my fall/winter budget to spend in December/early January, I think.

Also had a goal this year to buy less but better, and so far this season I have done the opposite. I had wanted to buy 20 or less items per season, and I'm already up to 18. And nothing cost over 50 bucks, as it turns out (see above re sales). I don't think anything was a total mistake, except for the purse I brought home from the thrift store without noticing it had a broken zipper, but it's all cheap variety around these parts, no investment purchases at all.

Sigh.

11 years ago

Shopping

7 replies

Latest reply was from Laura (rhubarbgirl)

Thistle

Veteran

What made you not stick to your resolutions?

Falling off the wagon this early makes me wonder if the goals were good.

11 years ago

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

Good question, Thistle. I mean, some of it was stress-shopping, but some of it was genuine need, or seeing an opportunity to get replacements for items nearing the end of their lifecycle at a bargain price. I'm enough of a dyed-in-the-wool bargain hunter that I have a hard time passing up items that are on mega-sale, fit and suit my style, even if I wasn't particularly planning to buy them right then. That habit certainly conflicts with the less but better goal, at least some of the time.

Budget-wise I think I'm fine, actually. 20 bucks won't kill me, it just means that I genuinely do need to stop buying anything clothes-related until March-ish. And I like to browse and shop; it's fun.

11 years ago

Caro in Oz

Veteran

Been there done that Don't be too hard on yourself - it's hard to stay focussed when you are at the wardrobe building stage & you need things.

Maybe you could spend the next couple of months working out what works & what doesn't & what you need from here. I also find keeping something I REALLY want in mind helps me walk away from the stuff I don't really need.

11 years ago

rachylou

Veteran

Investment purchases can be kind of... a pain in the patooey. I don't know about you, but I have to either drive 60+ miles or go into the city (and frankly, it's easier to drive 60 miles than go into the city). And then you have to sit still and be quiet while you're waited upon. Waiting can be so... irritating. Still haven't visited the Stella or Row shops because it's just so much work to get there.

11 years ago

kellygirl

Veteran

I hear you. I'm a big bargain shopper too. I tend to buy things on sale rather than stick to any kind of list. A $20 overage sounds pretty good to me, actually. I tend to avoid investment purchases in general but I have tried to buy better quality these days--most of the time that means on sale at Nordstrom or similar store. I think knowing your tendencies is half the battle and think you are wise to save your budget for holiday/post holiday sales next year!

11 years ago

carter

Veteran

Ugh. I feel your pain. I'm trying very hard to keep myself in check while still allowing for the ebb and flow that seems to be my nature. I bought a couple pair of jeans in December, and that's it. Last week I still had no interest in even window shopping. Suddenly i discover a huge hole in my hot weather wardrobe, and I want it to fill it entirely RIGHT NOW. Let's hope 2015 is a learning year for both of us. My goal is to figure out what my budget really needs to be to maintain my wardrobe if I make well-considered purchases. I'll be no closer to the answer if i make lousy choices (or buy too much or too little). Yeesh.

11 years ago

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

Thanks, everyone, for the commiseration and thoughts. After some reflection, I realized that I'm just an opportunistic shopper, and there's nothing about that that I need to change. I just need to stick to my budget, since I'm not made of money and I don't want my shopping to effect the rest of my life negatively, and stop worrying about it so much.

Rachylou, yeah - 'investment dressing' sounds so profound and wise, but when it comes down to it it's just clothes, and the expensive ones do take a lot more logistical effort than the cheap ones, and not necessarily for more happiness or function.

11 years ago

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