Tag Archives: Shopping Plan

Shopping Plan: December

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*December edition of My Great Shopping Plan of 2010, where I attempt to stay on a budget and fill out my wardrobe*

At the end of November, I had $63.50 to add on to my $125 for December.  Here’s what I bought:

Green Cashmere J Crew Sweater, $20 on eBay

Awesome deal? Oh heck yeah.  The sweater’s slightly shorter than what I prefer, but for $20, I’m willing to layer.

Printed Boden Dress, $60 (with shipping)

Striped Boden Cardigan, $38 (with shipping)

When Boden had it’s awesome 50% off winter sale, I finally caved and bought some stuff directly from them.  I’d been drooling over that cardigan since I first saw it in the catalog months ago, and I absolutely love the print on the dress.  I’m planning on getting the dress tailored, since it’s a bit loose in the chest and waist.

Bateau Turquoise Cardigan, Nordstom Rack

White August Silk Cardigan, Nordstrom Rack

Not Pictured: Grey Tank Top, Hue Knee Socks, Nordstrom Rack

$35.86 total for Nordstrom Rack purchases

This purchase was due to the awesomeness of Groupon.  They had a deal going on where you could purchase a Groupon that would allow you to get $50 worth of clothes from Nordstrom Rack for only $25.  I ended up going over the $50 mark, which was why my total came out to $35.86.  Still a pretty insane deal.

That makes $153.86 spent.  So even with some awesome Boden sale purchases, I still didn’t go over budget.

I’m not going to reflect on my Great Shopping Plan of 2010 at this time.  Honestly, the past few months, I just wasn’t feeling it.  I feel like I’ve gotten the hang of keeping to a budget with my clothes shopping, and documenting it just feels boring to me now.  But I have a new project lined up for 2011, which I’ll talk about on Friday.  I’m super excited about this one:  it will be called 11 in 2011.  Stay tuned :)

Shopping Plan: October

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*October edition of My Great Shopping Plan of 2010, where I attempt to stay on a budget and fill out my wardrobe*

Green top, Boden, $15 on eBay
White top, Sandra Ingrish, $25? at Nordstom Rack
Magenta Tank, Splendid, $16? at Nordstrom Rack

Yep, this is what happens when you only blog your purchases once a month.  You misplace receipts and then can’t remember how much things cost.  From what I remember, those are the best approximations.

I’m seriously stoked that a Nordstrom Rack finally opened in Tampa.  I love shopping at Nordstrom, but I can’t afford most of their prices.  The items at the Rack have lower prices, but still the same quality (and the customer service is still fantastic as well).  I think I’ll be shopping there a lot.

Read-cycle, Literary Threads, $15

Yes,  I’m a book nerd, who likes recycling.  But how exactly do those two go together?  I’m not exactly sure.  But I was feeling really nerdy, and in need of a t-shirt, and this one was my favorite of the colors they had.  In the future, I would probably go for a different saying, but with the same color.

Dansko Serena, $30 on eBay

Will my obsession with Dansko sandals ever end?  I don’t think so.  I love these, and I’ve already worn them a ton.  Of course, soon it might be too cold to wear them regularly, but hey, this is Florida.  They can wait in my closet til March, when it starts to get regularly warm again.  And of course, it can easily be in the 70s in December, so I might get to wear them sooner.

I had $164.50 left in my budget, and I spent $101, so I have $63.50 left, plus the November budget money of $125.  I have to confess, I’m really not into this anymore.  I feel like the shopping plan has served it’s purpose of helping me to be more conscientious about how much I spend on clothing.  I filled a good portion of my original gaps list.  I’m not sure what will be next for me after December.  We’ll have to wait and see.

Shopping Plan update

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Because of my schedule, writing weekly shopping plan posts is starting to turn into a chore rather than something that I enjoy.  Because of this, I’m going to only post about my shopping plan once a month for the remainder of 2010.  As always, I want blogging to be something that I enjoy, not something that gives me anxiety or stresses me out.  Look for the next shopping plan post on October 24.

Shopping Plan: Week 36

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*Week 36 of My Great Shopping Plan of 2010, where I attempt to stay on a budget and fill out my wardrobe*

Rummage Sale Clothes, $15

Usually, I never get much in the way of rummage sales, because there’s always too much digging to do, and the clothes are generally *ahem* not in the best condition, or not exactly attractive.  But last weekend, when I went to a local women’s club rummage sale, I hit the jackpot.  I manage to find quite a few lovely tops, in my size, without polyester, in styles that are current.  All this, for a mere $15.  Heck yeah.

I had $179.50 left in my shopping budget, so now I have $164.50.

Blue 3/4 sleeve: Kim Rogers,
Magenta silk button-down: Andrew Sport
Flannel and floral button-downs: Old Navy

Lime stripey 3/4 sleeve: Kim Rogers
Blue and white 3/4 sleeve tops: Rafaella
Stripey Tee: Old Navy

Shopping Plan: Week 35

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*Week 35 of My Great Shopping Plan of 2010, where I attempt to stay on a budget and fill out my wardrobe*

Gap Curvy Pants, $59.50

Last week, I finally did what I’ve been saying I would do for months, and I actually bought a pair of grey work slacks that fit.  At full price.   In polyester blend.  Which is something I pretty much never do.  Why, you may ask?

  • The two pairs of cotton/spandex work slacks I own have become too tight.  Until I lose some weight, I’m stuffing them in my hall closet with my winter coats.  I desperately needed something that I could wear to work now, at my current weight, that wouldn’t make me feel like I was suffocating.
  • I’ve been attempting unsuccessfully to thrift a pair of flattering, fitting work slacks for the past several months (really, since the beginning of the year).  For some reason, it’s been next to impossible to find non-polyester curvy slacks in a 12/14 at my local thrift/consignment stores.
  • I know that Gap Curvy works well for me, because my Gap Curvy jeans are pretty much my most comfortable and flattering jeans ever.  I knew that these slacks would work.
  • And the polyester.  You may know that I generally can’t stand polyester.  But as I said, I had no slacks that fit.  I went back to work full time a month and a half ago.  I desperately needed some professional slacks.  I could not find any in cotton/spandex.  The polyester content of these Gap slacks is 63%.  While that’s not ideal for me, it is acceptable given the circumstances.

Eventually, I’ll probably replace these slacks with some cotton blend ones and take them to a consignment shop.  Hopefully, the Gap will learn that some people don’t like polyester, and start offering some alternatives.  But until then, I at least have a decent pair of work slacks.

I had $114 left in my September (rolled over) budget.  Another $125 was added with the start of October.  So I started the week with $239.  The slacks were $59.50, so I now have $179.50 left.  I really need to get around to going on that shopping spree :)

Shopping Plan: Week 34

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*Week 34 of My Great Shopping Plan of 2010, where I attempt to stay on a budget and fill out my wardrobe*

After last week, I had $142 left in my September shopping budget.  It was another busy week, without a lot of shopping, but I did manage to make it to one of my favorite consignment shops and a garage sale.

525 America Blouse, $25 at My Mosh Posh

Liz and Co necklace, $3 at garage sale

Two lovely deals.  That 525 blouse is utterly gorgeous.  It still has its original tags on it, and I got it at half the original price.  It drapes beautifully, and I think it will work well for both casual and work outfits.

So that was all I got this week, leaving me with $114 left for this month.  Today, I’m off to the mall, because for some reason, I have the hardest time finding work slacks second-hand.  Maybe today I’ll finally buy some.

Shopping Plan: Week 33

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*Week 33 of My Great Shopping Plan of 2010, where I attempt to stay on a budget and fill out my wardrobe*

Wendy Brandes Little Woolf Necklace, $50

Many of you may know about Wendy Brandes from her fabulous blog and jewelry designs.   A few weeks ago, I read about how she was funding a new set of rings through Kickstarter.  I’m not really much of a ring person and couldn’t really afford the price tag for the OMG rings, but I wanted to support the project.  I decided that the $50 Little Woolf necklace was perfectly in my budget and suits me well.  First, it’s named after Virginia Woolf, which is cool.  Second, I work at a middle school, and even though I’m not a huge fan of Twilight, I do consider myself a member of Team Jacob.  Third, Wendy B. makes awesome jewelry, and I’ve wanted to get one of her pieces for awhile.  So, I’m eagerly looking forward to getting this cute little woolf necklace in the mail.

I had $192 left in my budget last week, so this brings it down to $142.  I swear, one of these days I’ll actually buy some slacks for work.

Shopping Plan: Week 32

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*Week 32 of My Great Shopping Plan of 2010, where I attempt to stay on a budget and fill out my wardrobe*

With a budget of $192 remaining for the month of September, I had hinted at some upcoming Fluevogery last week.  Unfortunately, this was not to be.  I had found a pair of cream Fluevog Viardots on eBay for the measly buy-it-now price of $80.  I was stoked.  I’ve been craving these shoes for almost as long as I’ve been aware of Fluevogs.  So I was super disappointed when they arrived and turned out to be a different size than the listing, thus not fitting.  I’m returning them, and the seller has apologized and is refunding me, but I’m still a bit bummed.  And left with a craving for a new pair of ‘vogs.  I didn’t actually buy anything this week, so instead, here’s a few pairs of Fluevogs (within my current budget) that I’m starting to lust after.

Fluevog Napo in Rose, $119 (on sale)

Fluevog Bonnie in Butter, $99 (on sale)

Shopping Plan: Week 31

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*Week 31 of My Great Shopping Plan of 2010, where I attempt to stay on a budget and fill out my wardrobe*

I had $104 left in my August budget last week.  And this week began September’s budget, giving me another $125.  It’s weird how your budget builds up when have no money to spend.  As you can see from the image above, I went on a nice little thrifting spree this week, which cost me all of $25.

a.n.a. tunic
Design history tank
Old Navy Tank

Ann Taylor Tank
Ann Taylor LOFT button down

I’m really happy with these tops.  They’ll give me a lot of new things to wear for work and play.  But quite honestly, my favorite finds are the least glamourous – those two pairs of lounge pants.  Before this week, I only owned two pairs of yoga pants and three pairs of pajama pants.  While I like all of them, I was beginning to get sick of them, and craved more variety.  These two pairs that I thrifted fit fantastically, they’re 100% cotton, and they’re super soft (the green ones are organic cotton, which is doubly awesome).  I’ve been wearing them all weekend, except for when I went out in public, of course.

Watch – $12

I also somewhat impulsively bought this watch.  At an antique shop.  Which is weird, because the watch isn’t antique.  I’ve been wanting a watch to wear to work, because mine needs a new battery and needs to have the band shortened, and I’ve been too lazy (and broke) to get it done.  Not the best reason to buy a new watch, but whatever.  It’s good to have some variety.

So I had $229 in my budget, and I spent $37, so now I have $192.  There will probably be more thrifting and consignment trips this week, and maybe I’ll actually look at my wardrobe gaps list for real.  There will also be *cough, cough* a new pair of used shoes to check out next week.  I’ll give you a hint: they start with “flue” and end with “vog” :)

Shopping Plan: Weeks 29 and 30

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*Weeks 29 and 30 of My Great Shopping Plan of 2010, where I attempt to stay on a budget and fill out my wardrobe*

Ann Taylor LOFT capris, $18 on eBay
So, life’s been busy since I started back at work, and I missed posting last week.  These capris were the only thing I bought that week, because I was still waiting for my first paycheck.  They’re cute and comfortable, but I’m going to be altering them a bit.  I don’t like capris to have wide legs, so I’m going to taper them.
Blue raincoat: $5
Grey Sheath: $5
After finally getting paid, I went to a fantastic vintage sale at one of my favorite local shops: Sherry’s Yesterdaze. I bought a $10 ticket to go to the early bird sale, and I’m glad I did.  It was less crowded, which made me feel more comfortable shopping, and it gave me first dibs.  I found these two gems above: the funky, pale blue raincoat looks awesome with my grey and purple wellies, and it’s got a really interesting construction.  The grey sheath is absolutely amazing – I feel like I’m in Mad Men when I wear it.  And it goes to show that sometimes, it’s okay to break your own rules.  I generally never buy polyester, but I decided to make an exception with this dress  It looks so amazing on, and it was only $5.  I would prefer to find something similar made of wool or another natural fabric, but I still love it.
They also had $5 jewelry grab bags at the sale, so I got all this jewelry:
Vintage jewelry: $5
I probably won’t keep all of it, but there’s a couple items in there that I really love.
Now that I’ve gone back to work, I’ve come to the realization that I really need to come back to my original focus of filling gaps in my wardrobe.  The past few months, I’ve ignored my gaps list, and basically just bought whatever I happened to find.  Now I’m back at work and realizing that I have no slacks that fit me, and only so many blouses and dresses that are work appropriate.  It’s about time for some back to school shopping for me!
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