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?
I never buy two the same of anything – as I would get bored wearing the same clothes all the time, I prefer to get two things that are different and expand my wardrobe further.
I love a bargain, it’s the hunter gatherer in me, but I will also look at my cost per wear to work out if it’s worth it.
The more I know about me and what I love, the better my choices have become, so even when I buy something expensive (over the $100 mark), it has to be something I know I’m going to wear and wear for years and that i absolutely LOVE that says “IMOGEN”. These pieces make me feel much better than the cheaper bland stuff that I have in my closet.
I’m with you. When I was getting my husband’s trousers, I tried to order two different colors, but it turned out that in his size they had NO other colors available (and something like 20 pairs of the brown). I knew he’d be just as happy with two brown, and he is.
I was also thinking something else about variety. I think I have a stronger need for change than I do for choice. In other words, I don’t care much if I have two pairs of shoes to choose from, as long as I have one that works, BUT I will not likely want to carry the same handbag 10 years from now (which I need to keep in mind when considering cost per wear).
And I do have some classic favorites for which I have spent real money that I’m happy with for longer. 🙂
I’m convinced the crazy loud dance music is there to distract you. I don’t like impulse buying (the results are not always good), and to stop myself from impulse buying, I need to be able to think. And I need some quiet to think. So if I’m in a store like Express (Forever 21 is my weakness!!!), and it’s really loud, and I’m distracted by this dance music, which is putting me in a more impulsive mood, and I’m trying to decide if this club outfit is a good idea or a true bargain or not… I’ve found that if I put the clothes down and walk out of the store into the general mall, 9/10 times I realize the purchase would have been unnecessary. But it’s hard to leave clothes behind because you might not find it again, or putting it on layaway can be a hassle.
Time is a resource as much as money. There’s definitely a point at which it makes sense to buy the well-fitting basic at an affordable-but-not-bargain price rather than spending another month driving around trying to find it super-cheap.
I rely on multiples and near-multiples AND wear a very limited palette; my style statement is mostly jewelry and the top layer.
Not only does bargain-hunting take time, it’s often totally futile. Most staples, or, at least, most of the things that function as staples for me, will *never* turn up in end-of-season clearance, and only very rarely do so at thrift stores, particularly in mid-range sizes.
Giving oneself permission to go retail seems to be hard for people accustomed to clearance shopping exclusively. It’s easy to form notions about frugality that are based in habit, rather than in a long view of the actual numbers. There was a point at which i started earning a bit more and actively gave my self permission to spend “real money” more often, and the fact is, I spend almost exactly the same amount as I did before, only with more satisfying results, and less time invested. And I still bargain hunt.
Certainly a case of YMMV, though – my taste runs conservative and rather specific, I’m slow to warm to new looks, and almost everything I buy would be classed as permanent wardrobe in your system. Someone operating with a different standard for what qualifies as clothing would likely find a different balance point.
Jennifer – when I read your comment to my husband, he noted that many more important decisions than what to buy are made in such an atmosphere (whether or not to drive home, who to go home with, and so on). I’m a long ways out of that lifestyle, but it’s still a creepy thought.
drwende – I have been known to spend many months finding a specific item at any price (jeans, shoes, etc), so it certainly makes sense to buy it when I find it. The more I understand my own preferences, the more likely I am to be able to choose two different colors in an item that fits well – my version, I suppose, of the near multiple.
Mella DP – good point about it being more challenging to find bargains in mid-range sizes, I am positive that is the case.
I have been working on giving myself permission to spend retail more often, although many things don’t seem perfect enough to warrant it. As time and the costs associated with transportation become more and more valuable, I expect that bargain hunting will continue to lose it’s appeal.
This morning I was out at Old Navy and I was shocked at the amount of stuff for $10 and under! Alot of stuff was 99 cents! I know they aren’t the most expensive store and they often have good sales, but this was extreme. They must have had a really bad 3rd quarter or something.
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