Another Spin on Spending
I know “Teen Style Tuesday” is supposed to be Tuesday, but I’m trying to put less publishing pressure on myself these days. 
Generally speaking, I have issues spending “real money” (translated = anything over about $15) on clothes. Shoes, as you may have noticed, are a different story.
But, sometimes it just makes more sense to go out and buy what you need. As in the case of staples, like jeans. Or for my hero, twill pants for work. I just bought him two pairs of identical brown cotton trousers, and paid $100!, but it was worth it. He wears business casual everyday, and he wears a difficult-to-find size, and he has been looking for brown for a few years now. (And now if he wears a green shirt, he can look like a tree.)
But it was jeans I really wanted to talk about. Last week, my daughter and I were walking past the one store whose jeans she has consistently been able to wear (Express) and they were having a sale. She did more or less the same thing I did for her dad: bought two pairs, although hers were not identical, spending $100. And considers it money well spent. (For the record: she buys her own clothes, so it was her hard-earned $100. How we handled teaching our girls to budget for their clothing: Crazy Budgeting Mama.)
Incidentally, when we were there, I mentioned to the young lady helping us my most recent visit to that particular shop, which I describe back here. Her response - to the idea that a salesperson would not bring me skinny jeans to try on - hilarious laughter! That relieved the tension! LOL (Paranthetically: what brought it up was dd buying a pair of bootcuts and a pair of skinnies. I am convinced skinnies are more slimming and flattering.)
BTW, there was no possible way I could shop for myself. Am I the only one who has to spend all their energy to keep from break-dancing in those stores?
Related Posts:
Friday Fashion Lab: In the Fitting Room
This post is sort of a part two to a previous post picturing some items I purchased for $4.97 each at JCPenney earlier in the week. Today, when I went to return the skirt and the jacket (to a different JCPenney store), the final clearance was all priced at $3.97!
The top was not clearance. However, it was still a contender. In the end, I decided to go for the dark green pictured further down (they were each on sale for $12.99) and wait for this one to be reduced further.
The skirt is several inches longer than the previous one, but it is all cotton. Should I keep it?
Purely for your amusement, I threw in thepictures of these two skirts: the magenta wouldn’t have been bad without the zoomy zipper up the bu** and the long one … well, what do you think I’d look like wearing it? (Have you ever heard the term “bun head”? And must it always be disrespectful?)
This third set of pictures illustrates my new personal rule: pants, for me, must stop at or above the knee or continue at least to the ankle. The reason? While my legs in total are short, from the knee down, they are actually (proportionally) an inch long.
Now, about these last two pictures:
- I am elated! Ever since the early ’90s, when I was shopping Lane Bryant for pregnancy clothes, I have been waiting for this green to reappear on the scene.
- Yes, I really did wear Great Northwest outdoor gear to the mall. Sssshhh! Don’t tell Angie.
Related Posts:
This Week’s Bargains
Since y’all asked so nicely, here are the three items I picked up on my trip to the mall the other day. Each was $5.
- Extra long, extra wide, white linen pants. LOL. When my hero first saw me in them, he asked me if I was “that old”. (He somehow got the idea that white linen pants = old lady.) I was undaunted. When my daughter first saw me in them, she smiled. Her natural smile. This excursion solidified my inclination toward wider, flowy trousers WITH HEELS (with flats I prefer tapered pants). Since Imogen said my pants should not be the hero, I will need to wear these with an exciting top.
- As long as I’m rambling on about my own personal preferences (aka style idiom), I may as well address skirts too. Here you see that I am a sucker for a groovy print. And sick to death of above the knee skirts. But this one has at least two fatal flaws: one, it’s polyester, and two, full skirts make me feel like a hippo. If I’m going to wear a skirt that makes me feel like a hippo, I might as well save my $5 and borrow one from my lovely daughter (who gets most of hers for $1 at the thrift store and at least half of them I picked out for her when she wasn’t even there).
- The most astonishing thing about this metallic and linen blend jacket was the response of the woman working the counter at the store when I bought it to my question about whether or not I should wear the color. The trouble is it’s very neutral for my complexion, but fabulously flattering to my hair. She was almost shocked that I would even ask; “for $4.97?” she asked incredulously. As if! My new theory about why some people let themselves go is the utter incompetence of the help in stores these days!
Anyway, what are your thoughts? Should I keep any of these items?
Related Posts:
Teen Style Tuesday: Charlotte Russe
Every now and again, I feel guilty because my thoughts are so self-centered. Like on Tuesdays, when I’m supposed to be thinking of teen clothing. Says who? Well, says me. I like routine.
And my routine for Mondays is to hit Value Village first thing in the morning, usually accompanied by one or more teens. This week I tried on a jacket by Charlotte Russe. (Although it was a nice cotton/spandex fabric, great fit, and super cute styling, I didn’t buy it because is wasn’t one of my colors.)
Anyway, because we agree that online shopping is a frugal move these days (did I tell you I figured out a round trip to Walmart costs me $5 in gas?), I wanted to link you to Charlotte Russe.
Because now not only is online shopping frugal, it’s social with Charlotte Russe’s Shop Together application. Plus, if you buy something through my link, they’ll pay me for it!
Make your next visit interactive. Visit the Fashion Lounge at Charlotte Russe and check out what’s new. (And play with their outfit builder, which is where I got the picture of the safari dress over the bermuda shorts.)
Related Posts:
Splendid Weekend Reading for August 2 & 3
From the Splendicity community, comes this week best in beauty, fashion and shopping.
BEAUTY
NY Spender remembers all of her past anti-frizz products and raves about her newest one.
Beauty and Fashion Tech looks at everything you need for a perfect brow from Anastasia Beverly Hills
Viva Woman finds out the types of Vitamin C in skincare products and what works for our skin.
Beauty Bento Box offers her first impressions on the OLAY White Radiance Foaming Cleanser.
My Women Stuff discusses what are chemical sunscreens and physical sunscreens.
Beauty Blogging Junkie shows you how you can channel a Mad Men character at various price points.
Cinnamon Kitten forsakes her M.A.C. brushes for a few weeks to try out a couple of eco-friendly ecoTools.
Beauty Match has a video review: Should you buy Cover Girl Lash Blast or Maybelline Collosal Mascara?
Beauty Secrets Revealed is Giving Away AminoGenesis Anti-aging Skin Care Products Worth $119
Makeup and Beauty Blog gives you details on how to attend a free Chanel master makeup class.
SHOPPING
Shopalicious wants to share the wonderful jewelry concoctions of Amy of the B-Line, chemistry teacher by day, jewelry designer for fun!
ShopDiary loves the scent of Hermèssence Vétiver Tonka.
Laya’s EYE has fallen in love with the prettiest cupcake wrappers she has ever seen.
Shoe Blitz talks about the hottest shoe trends for fall.
Glamour Gift Guide loves the look of Lori Bonn jewelry, including coordinating necklaces, bracelets and more.
FASHION
Style…a work in progress is looking forward to a Gothic-Victorian-cowgirl style Fall and tells us about it when she says “Real cowboys never run, they just ride away”
Style Manila invites all to support the Style Manila Page on Facebook!
Tops 2 Bottoms shares some shirred and bubble style ideas for your work wear.
Just A Formality talks about trends in bridal shoes.
And of course we here at The Space Between My Peers are wondering if long floral dresses are hopelessly dated.
Related Posts:
What I’ve Been Buying
Allow me to dispel the rumor that I haven’t been shopping. It’s not that. Somehow it’s just easier said than done to keep my annual spending page updated.
My pile of accumulated receipts:
- $3.26 - Walmart. Solid brown, sarong front, one piece swimsuit. Size 16W. He hee. Not sure what possessed me to try it on, but it actually fits as well as my old suit (size 12).
- $13.00 - Grocery Outlet. Smooth tanks, one each: black, heather gray, white. As Grocery Outlet, aka Food Rainbow, has no fitting rooms, I ended up having to exchange for another size. Something else to watch out for: hang-tag “bones” stuck through the fabric of the shirt rather than the tag. Not sure I will buy clothes there again.
- $5.40 - Value Village. Purple velvet blazer (Gap brand) which will make a suit with a purple wool pencil skirt I have. Pink and tan corduroy paisley skirt. Purple floral print half-sleeve blouse (that’s a bit challenging to describe).
- $4.61 - Macy’s clearance. Short, black, half-sleeve, cotton cardigan.
Aside from these few clothing bargains, allow me to share what I’m currently really excited about: Fresh Abundance! Fresh Abundance, in Spokane, is an organic and whole foods grocery with local products and free delivery. Free delivery, an idea whose time has come. Certainly it makes sense to have one truck driving to the multitudes of houses, rather than each family driving their own car to the store.
I got into it for the raw milk. But in order to get the delivery, one must spend $35 per week and the $35 produce box has nothing in it my family won’t eat.
Last week I got my first box; everything in it was wonderful! I weighed the box full and then weighed it empty and figured out the average price per pound for local, organic produce, delivered to my home, was $2.79/lb. Not frugal, but not bad given today’s fruit prices. They even gave me the gallon price for the milk when they had to sub two half gallons.
If you live in Spokane and decide to sign up with Fresh Abundance, there is a fee for membership. And if you join, please put my name (Rebecca Mielke) in the box asking where you heard about it. I can get a freebie!
Related Posts:
Retro Dresses from Lulus
Lulus.com has generously offered us a coupon code: betweenmypeers (code is case sensitive). This will give 15% off of a purchase at checkout (no minimum purchase required) from today until August 1rst of this year. Affordably priced, Lulus sells unique stuff, and they have a TON of dresses which would make super darling tops!
So, we had our first annual family reunion (on my side of the family) last month and I came home with treasures. One, a gorgeous pair of long, black, leather gloves, and two, a dress which reminds me very much of these:
Should I wear it?
Related Posts:
Zappo’s Clothing and My Shopping List
Are you ready, like I am, to take another look at internet shopping? Consider the following factors:
- unparalleled time pressures
- rising gas prices
- improving shipping practices, such as Free Shipping BOTH ways on Shoes at Zappos.com!
And, on top of all that, you can now get Women’s Apparel at Zappos.com.
Anything I would consider spending real money on , which for me is pretty much only shoes, I wouldn’t hesitate to buy from Zappo’s, since the cost of shipping isn’t an issue and they offer free returns for 365 days. Frankly, I’m tired of running all over town to find things.
But then I’m tired of running all over the internet too.
Believe it or not, I’m still shopping for spring/fall items, or perhaps I’m shopping ahead:
- a pair of jeans I love
- “running around” shoes with better support (full shoes, like walking shoes or sneakers)
- chocolate brown removeable layer (zip sweatshirt or velvet blazer)
- cotton or linen trousers
- scoop or square neck tees in the pink to coral range
- sleeveless white crewneck tees and modest tanks
What’s on your current shopping list?
Related Posts:
The Demise of Retail as Therapy
If you’ve been around since the beginning of the blog, this post will seem familiar. I’m trying a new blogging concept: throwing a re-run in every week or so. Perhaps it will force me to do a little (blog) “house-cleaning”.
Retail therapy. Supposedly that’s when people go shopping to make themselves feel better. In the real world, where most of us live, shopping just can’t do that anymore. It’s confusing, depressing, exhausting and, as often as not, futile. Who hasn’t spent hours looking for something that should be easy to find, only to find rack after rack of the same old not-gonna-do-it garbage?
Which brings up an important question: Where would you shop if money were no object?
(Consider that question now, and find out when to expect the lowest prices in those stores. Maybe the first week of February you can afford to shop there.)
More and more women say they seriously hate shopping for clothes. What about you? Is retail therapy or does it make you need it?
Related Posts:
Before You Go Shopping
Occasionally I still get fooled into thinking that shopping is a leisure activity. Let’s face it: shopping is hard work! To improve the likelihood of success, try these tips:
Dressing for clothes shopping includes wearing a simple top which you can try things on over and slip-on shoes, if possible.
Choose your destination carefully. Before you even get to the store consider:
- Does this store stock a good selection in my size? This one gets me all the time. For example, the Eddie Bauer outlet doesn’t even offer their outlet label in XS. If less than half the offerings are in my size, do I even want to expend the energy to drive out there, get out of the car, pick through everything, and so on? No. If possible, concentrate on stores where your size is in the middle of the options, rather than at one end.
- When thrifting, look for stores that organize the racks by item and size. Hopefully, in your area, as in mine, this is becoming common practice. My favorite thrift store even puts things on the rack in color order.
- More thoughts on where to go: Choosing Where to Shop.
Is shopping therapy for you? Or does it make you need it? Share your best tips!
