Tag Archives: shopping

Wardrobe Revamp: The List

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I posted a couple of weeks ago about purging my closet in order to revamp my wardrobe, and then I left you hanging! Trust me, I’ve left myself hanging, too. I get sort of tunnel vision about a project, so I’ve been thinking about clothes a LOT since I wrote that post. I just haven’t had the time to go shopping!

Here’s what I’m looking to add to my wardrobe:

  • flare/bootcut jeans for everyday wear with sneakers
  • straight, slim jeans to wear with flats
  • slim black pants to wear with flats
  • grey dress pants to wear with heels
  • lace top
  • top with fun sleeves
  • sailor shirt with button details
  • wrap or faux-wrap top
  • white t-shirt(s), white camisoles
  • black cotton cardigan
  • grey cotton cardigan
  • flowy grey open cardigan
  • bright long cardigan with pockets
  • grey sheath dress
  • navy blousy dress with polka dots
  • flowy skirt with high, wide waistband
  • black skirt
  • grey skirt

It looks like a lot when I type it all out! (I’ll likely ending up getting rid of a few more things as I purchase new stuff–some of my less favorite pairs of jeans, for example.) But what I’ve been gleaning from Audrey at Putting MeTogether is that you want to have options so that your wardrobe is “remixable.” That’s where I’m really struggling. I have a pretty good sense of what I like, what I feel comfortable in, and what works well on my body, but I’m not good at putting together “outfits.” So I’m hoping if I have some versatile pieces I’ll be able to begin playing with that.

My list is also sort of all over the place. Some of the items are really specific, and I can almost picture them in my head (which will likely make them impossible to shop for), while others are much more vague. A “lace top” could be just about anything. I also struggled with nailing down a color palette (though I lean toward the blue/green side of the spectrum for sure). I really find I just like all the colors! I am drawn to brights and it’s hard for me to envision turning down a shirt I love just because it’s not in my color scheme. So I’m not sure if I’ll stick to one or not. I did pick black and grey as my neutrals, though, which was mostly pragmatic. Audrey encourages branching out as far as what you consider a neutral, but honestly most of my nice shoes are black and just about all of my jackets, so I didn’t want to completely start over with that. I’ll likely throw some tans and nudes in the mix as well. I guess once I got down to it I was much more noncommittal than I initially intended to be! The main thing I’m trying to keep in mind is my goal of looking more polished. I think as long as that inspires my pieces I’ll be good to go.

I’m having a hard time envisioning shoes, as well. It seems like every time I picture an outfit I’m also picturing a specific style of shoe with it, but it’s just not practical to have that many pairs of shoes! Comfort is really important to me shoe-wise, so I’m a bit picky. I haven’t figured out yet how to address this situation.

I’ve tried to look online for some of these things to at least have inspiration pictures, but I honestly don’t seem to have an eye for that. If you have any suggestions based on my list I’d love to see them! And I’ll definitely try to report back with pictures as I purchase items.

Where are your favorite places to shop for good quality, versatile clothing items? Do you put much thought into what you wear?

Wardrobe Revamp: The Beginning

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I’ve been in a clothes slump lately. Some of it is the weather; I find this time of year nearly impossible to dress for, because it tends to be cool in the mornings but warm by the afternoon! And when it’s sunny, I immediately want to wear light, springy clothes, but it’s not quite time for them yet, even in Atlanta. (Similarly, I excitedly switched out from our flannel sheets this week and then found myself shivering under the cotton sheets and coverlet one night when it was in the 30s…hah.)

Normally my response to  clothes slump would be to go out thrifting and just buy some things that make me happy, but I’ve been reading a blog called Putting Me Together that’s inspired me to put a bit more thought into what I bring into my closet. I’ve never really been into fashion, and in fact am sort of turned off by most fashion magazines and blogs because the clothes are over-the-top and expensive and I could never envision myself wearing them. But Audrey at Putting Me Together shops at Target and is all about finding clothes to fit your lifestyle…amen! In fact, she’s done a series lately called “Wardrobe from Scratch” that I’m hoping to try to follow, and I’ll report back here as I go!

I started with a ruthless purge of my closet on Saturday that filled one big trash bag and several regular plastic grocery bags with clothes. If my initial reaction was that I didn’t love it, it went in the bag. I’m planning to get the bags out as soon as I can so I’m not tempted to second guess myself! Some things I’m taking straight to the thrift store, but I’m going to try to sell some at Plato’s Closet in order to help fund step 2 of my wardrobe venture. Some of the clothes are fine but I’ve just had them for so long that I decided I could let go of them.

Though my lifestyle is fairly casual, I’ve decided I want to feel more polished, so that’s the word that’s going to inspire my wardrobe revision.

My next goal is to give some thought to Audrey’s color palette and then to use her Starter Kit Shopping List to make a fairly specific list of things to shop for. I’m hoping to take a trip to one of the outlet malls near Atlanta to try and get high-quality items, because I think that really is worth it. I’m already working on reminding myself that I might go shopping and not find anything, but that not being intentional about shopping is what got me here in the first place. If it’s not on my list, I won’t be allowed to buy it! It’s a little overwhelming to think about, but I think it’ll be worth it to invest a good chunk of time and money into making sure I have great clothes in which I feel great about myself.

How do you approach shopping? Have you successfully overhauled your wardrobe at any point?

Works for Me Wednesday: Amazon Basics

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Have you heard of AmazonBasics? I hadn’t either until gadgets from it started showing up in my apartment! Often the little auxiliary bits that go along with various technologies are the most frustrating. Phone chargers are so easily left behind in hotel rooms, etc. I remember one time I stepped on my phone charger and my mom was so frustrated with me because we had to buy yet another one! Every time I’ve gotten a new phone, I’ve been left with any array of chargers and phone chargers that aren’t compatible with my new device and are worthless to anyone else unless they happen to have that precise thing.

According to their website, “AmazonBasics are high-quality electronics products that deliver the best price on reliable, state-of-the-art electronics.” So what that means is that you can find accessories for your name-brand electronics at non-name-brand prices. And they work! We bought me an AmazonBasics iPhone charging cable because my Apple-branded one was fraying near the USB plug, and it’s holding up great.

So far, the AmazonBasics items we use include:

This is totally not an ad (though the links above are my Amazon Affiliate links). I just think it’s really cool that there’s a more affordable option for things that we all need. Sometimes you really just do need the BASIC version of fill-in-the-blank, and you don’t need it to be pretty or stylish. These are all things that get a lot of wear and tear, and it’s great that by purchasing this version you can worry less about beating things up.

Have you discovered any surprising sources that make necessary objects more affordable?

I’m linking up to Works for Me Wednesday at WeAreThatFamily.com!
works for me wednesday at we are that family

Operation Christmas Child: It’s Go Time!

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After purchasing items for my shoeboxes to send out through Samaritan’s Purse all year, the time to pack and deliver the boxes has finally arrived! National collection week is November 12-19, so you still have time this weekend to collect your gifts if you’d like to participate.

I set a goal for myself this year of packing 10 boxes for $100 or less. I met my goal, but it was not a cakewalk! I literally have kept an eye out for deals pretty much since I sent off my boxes last year. As I am wont to do, I got a bit obsessive about it as a project. But I had a heart check last week when I was at Target maniacally debating over spending my last $12 on some extra little trinkets. I was looking at this as a shopping challenge, and I found it very satisfying to get great deals. I had to remind myself that the end product is not about me. It’s about the children who will receive my boxes, and who will hopefully receive joy from the items inside. It’s about sending the Christmas spirit to someone who likely has little else in the world. And so what if I didn’t get the absolute best deal on toothpaste that I could have? Once I realized that, it became fun again: I pictured the kids and wondered what country they live in. I thought about the girls putting on the stretchy plastic bracelets I bought them and the boys trading the bouncing balls. I said a little prayer for them all and tried to be mindful as I finally packed the boxes. That’s what this is all about.

But given how caught up in it all I got, I’m not sure I’ll pack boxes again next year, at least not on this level. I couldn’t afford to do 10 boxes if I didn’t find deals, so it was a great experiment to try that allowed me to potentially bless more children than I could have otherwise, but I didn’t go about it in the right mindset. I might try to find a local ministry that does something similar and perhaps volunteer with them, so that I’d get to spend time with some kids and be reminded of the bigger picture. We’ll see. But for now, the boxes!

I came in right under budget at $98.50.

I didn’t buy the plastic shoeboxes at Target this year, in order to save those $10. I found 3 shoeboxes in our closet, and then conveniently, Andy and I both got new running shoes recently, so I snagged those as well! I as able to pick up 5 pre-printed, foldable boxes at the Becoming Conference to round out my 10.

I packed 5 girl boxes and 5 boy boxes for the oldest age group, 10-14.

There’s a fair amount of overlap, though the girls got jump ropes and bracelets while the boys got slinkies and bouncy balls. Both got socks, but I found Hello Kitty socks on clearance for the girls. I tried a different tactic this year and wrapped some of the shoeboxes (which, sidenote, was HARD!), along with tying things inside with ribbon to make it more festive!

Each child will also get an Atlanta postcard with a note from me.

I love picturing the kids’ faces when they see the picture of all the big skyscrapers downtown. It was a bit difficult to know what to write. I tried to keep the language simple, imagining that they might be only fledgling English readers (if even that). I mostly just said Merry Christmas and that I hope they enjoy the gifts, but I varied it from card to card. This is something I haven’t done before but that Samaritan’s Purse recommends as a nice touch!

Here they are all ready to go:

I used the relatively new feature that Samaritan’s Purse offers of making your donation (they suggest $7 per box to cover shipping) online. Then, the labels you print have a personalized barcode so that they can track your boxes and send you an email letting you know where they go! This would be particularly cool if you have kids, because you could turn it into a mini-geography and culture lesson. (Though, not gonna lie, I find that pretty fascinating, too.) So soon enough I’ll know what country my humble little boxes end up in!

Samaritan’s Purse offers helpful guidelines for packing boxes, and you can follow along with the things I’ve bought and check out last year’s boxes in these posts:

Jenny at Southern Savers is a big supporter of this ministry, too, and she usually posts some last minute deals, so click on over to her site if you’re planning on doing some shopping this weekend!

It seems so early to be getting in the Christmas spirit, but I’m sending these boxes out into the world with a hearty dose of love and cheer.

Shop Local! Or…Not?

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In theory, I support local bookstores.

That’s right, I said in theory. In practice, I buy most of my books from Amazon or from Better World Books (or from thrift stores, but that’s a slightly different story). Kindle aside, if I want a physical book, the prices on these two sites can hardly be beat. We have Amazon Prime, so 2-day shipping is free, making the convenience factor hard-to-beat as well. (Coincidentally, Better World Books also offers free shipping, but I don’t have an account with them, so I still have to fill out some forms, unlike with Amazon.)

I realized my hypocrisy recently when I wanted to buy Gretchen Rubin’s most recent book, Happier at Home. I knew this was a book I’d want to underline in and possibly pass on to other people, so I didn’t want just the Kindle version. I decided ahead of time that when I was in Asheville before the Becoming Conference, I would pick it up at the local bookstore I planned to visit there. Well, after having to ask for help finding it, imagine my awkwardness at noticing the $26.00 price tag and going through an intense internal debate over whether or not to actually buy it. At that time, it was under $20 on Amazon (I knew because I had checked. And actually, it’s down to around $15.00 now.).

I ended up putting it back on the shelf. My frugality won out over my desire to support the local bookstore. But I felt like a fraud! How could I say I supported local bookstores when I couldn’t even bring myself to buy one measly book from one?! If I of all people, with my shop local, love books sensibilities, wasn’t buying, then how could I expect the masses to do it? And if the masses aren’t buying, how can we expect local bookstores to stay in business? I would be sad if local bookstores went out of business…so I would think that means I have a responsibility to actually shop at them!

I like the vibe of local bookstores. For all I love my Kindle, there’s still something about the feel of a book, and the beauty of the cover. I love walking around bookstores and pulling books off the shelves somewhat at randomly, checking out the artwork and touching the pages. I like the personal attention you can get at local bookstores, the knowledge of the staff, and the sense that they love books as much as you do. Local bookstores offer some great programs, too. Little Shop of Stories in Decatur, GA has camps and story times for kids, book clubs for adults, and they participate in local “Big Read” events. They’re active in promoting literacy in their area. I haven’t noticed that from, say, Barnes and Noble.

But even given all of that, I’m still torn. Frugality has come to be as much a part of my life as reading, and it feels like I’m doing a disservice to that value if I support my other value of shopping local. I don’t want to stop saying I support local bookstores, because I still do…in theory. I’m not sure if supporting them in theory matters, but I’m also not sure what would help convince me to spend more of my book money at them. So I’m at an internal impasse. I guess I’ll just have to live with myself and keep trying to figure it out.

Where do you buy most of your books? If you have a set of conflicting values, what helps dictate which one wins out in a given situation?

(Oh, and by the way, I ended up buying Happier at Home when I went to hear Gretchen Rubin speak at the Margaret Mitchell House. Yes, I paid $26 + tax. I decided it was worth it.)