January Shopping Reflections

At present, I don't set a monthly, quarterly, or even a yearly shopping budget for myself. Although I can anticipate the funds that I will have access to throughout the year, it is difficult for me to predict some of the large travel and interview-related expenses that might or might not emerge and reduce the amount I can spend on shopping. While I do quite obsessively track my expenditures and overall budget, I am not quite ready to commit to specific amounts when it comes to my fashion expenditures. Instead, I think it is more useful to be thoughtful about my purchases and to do my best to buy only the things that I truly need or will use. Or at least, that is the goal. 

I did not do that well in January based on the rules of my shopping fast. I might be giving myself too much freedom to buy things that "I could wear to work in the fall." That accounts for the burgundy jacket, the waterfall cardigan, and the dress (though in practice, even after getting it hemmed, I must admit that the dress is probably too much even for my future office's fairly permissive business casual dress code). 

My purchases for January were as follows:

Fashion - (TOTAL: $227.87)

• Uniqlo Heattech Gloves in Navy - $7.90 - These were a definite "need" because I needed a pair of touchscreen-compatible gloves. 
• Uniqlo Heattech Gloves in Red - $7.90 - These were a "need" once I lost the navy pair on the first day that I wore them. Oops.
• Uniqlo Knit Beanie - $12.90 - These were a "need" because I had not previously owned a winter hat that covered my ears and my down jacket has a fussy hood that won't stay up. 
• Uniqlo Heattech Socks - $9.90 - These were a "need" because I didn't own any trouser-type socks. Sadly, these might not have been the best choice as they're a bit too thick and my boots are all on the edge of not being spacious enough to accommodate.
• Uniqlo Sweatpants - $9.90 - These were a replacement of my previous pair. 
• Lou and Grey Ombre Waterfall Cardigan - $15.88 - This was neither planned nor a "need" or replacement. It doesn't fit in the rules of my shopping fast, though I quite like the cardigan and it will be a useful (if slightly redundant) part of both my casual and work wardrobes going forward.
• Loft Twill Jacket - $42.50 - Similar situation as with the Lou and Grey cardigan... 
• Anthropologie Baikal Dress - $76.00 - I even mentioned this one as a likely mistake in my shopping fast post. The one I ordered ended up being too small and too long, but when I went to make the return, I tried the dress on in my size. It is quite lovely, and I have a serious weakness for pretty prints, bright colors, and dresses that fit. Strictly speaking, this dress will end up costing more when I include the shipping costs I paid on the one I returned in addition to the tailoring costs to hem it. 
• Sam Edelman Trina Sandals - $44.99 - This was a replacement for a pair of the same style in a different color. My other pair is on its last legs.

Skincare:

• Paula's Choice 2% BHA Liquid - I decided to take advantage of a sale. It is a "need," though it is perhaps a few months before I originally planned to replace it.
• Hada Labo Lotion - I was not supposed to replace this item so soon, but I made the mistake of buying another product that broke me out and needed to replace it.
• Hada Labo Emulsion - Same situation as above. 

The only clear lesson from this month is that I should definitely not buy things online from Anthropologie anymore, at least until the point in time where they decide to offer free shipping as a general practice. From trying out that dress and that skirt, I find their sizing very unpredictable. There are other lessons too, about how I approach shopping for my work wardrobe, if at all, but I will have to give that question some more thought. Finally, I should be a bit more careful about replacing skincare products in my routine and about not losing things like gloves and hats. 

I linked with Franish's Budgeting Bloggers here. Hopefully my approach (where my shopping is constrained by the ebb and flow of my overall budget for the semester, though I don't stick a firm number on it in advance) is alright!

Shopping Fast: Clothing and Accessories

Although I had already decided to institute a shopping fast for cosmetics and skincare products this year, I had been dragging my feet on doing the same for fashion purchases. I originally thought that it would simply result in setting myself up for failure. While I have accumulated a decently-sized work wardrobe, I was not completely confident that I had everything I needed for work. I don't necessarily need to shop for office clothes until October, but I wanted to preserve the flexibility of being able to buy items when I saw them available for a good price. I also wanted to leave room for this or that perfect thing if I saw it at the store. 

My post-Christmas sale shopping has led me to reevaluate. With the spate of additional percentage off sale promotions, I ended up being tempted by a lot of pretty things that I wanted to try out, but that I don't strictly need and that don't fill an identified hole in my wardrobe. In particular I grabbed some items (the Baikal Dress and Shimmered Monarch Skirt) from Anthropologie's online 25% off of sale price promotion. Even on sale, their items tend to be a little bit outside of my price range, especially when I take into account highly probable issues with quality and fit from buying things sight unseen. Neither is final sale so I will be able to think about whether either item is worth keeping, but their shipping fees are steep. Even if I return both, I have definitely spent nearly $20 just for the privilege of trying on the items. That experience would at least be a lesson about not buying online when shipping is not free and I am not sure about what I'm getting.

While all this online shopping was going on, I was also looking at my finances for the semester and trying to draw up a budget for the months immediately before and after I start work. I have not historically been the most frugal person, and while a reasonable budget allows me to enjoy a lot of the things I like (some eating out, a gym membership, some room for shopping) while I do the things I must do (aggressively paying down student loan debt, paying my rent, etc.), I will have to cut costs in some areas quite a bit if I want to save money for more distant things like future vacations. In short, it will be good for me to reexamine my shopping habits and see if I can make some changes.

My shopping fast probably most resembles the one described here by Maja. I am planning to stick to the fast for about nine months (after work starts, my needs will probably change) and it extends to all my clothes, accessories, and beauty products. I will also try to extend the principles to other categories of shopping, but no complete guarantees in anything else. My ground rules are as follows:

• First, I can buy the things that I actually need. Of course, I need to be careful and thoughtful about what is an actual need. Before late February or early March, I plan to buy some socks. By late April or so I will probably buy another casual summer top or two at most. Sometime before September I am also considering buying a nice, but still rather modestly priced watch (perhaps a Skagen) because I don't currently own any. 
• Second, I can buy replacements for things that are truly worn-out or used up. This has a lot of overlap with things that fall under the first rule. Under this category, I am vaguely in the market for a pair of sweatpants to serve as lounge clothes. I recently purchased a pair of sandals in order to replace a current pair that is already on its last legs. At some point in the summer I will probably need another pair of flats as well, given the rapid rate at which I wear out the ones I have. 
• Third, I am still allowing myself room for a few "wants," provided that I have given it enough thought. I've been thinking for a while about getting a bracelet to round out my collection of jewelry (costume jewelry in the price range of pieces from Gorjana or J. Crew). I might also consider buying a ring (something like this, though potentially not at that price point) that would be suitable for everyday wear. I have not made a firm decision about either purchase, but I do plan to leave room for expenditures like that if I have given it a lot of thought. 

I will lay out my specific plans for cosmetics in another post. (Spoiler alert: I went a tiny bit crazy in that category last year because of stress-shopping and the like so I am cutting back significantly.) I feel some trepidation about whether I can fully stick to this plan, but I also feel that by having taken the time to think about my shopping and what I want versus what I need, I will be moving in the right direction.