How much do you spend on clothes? | September Clothing Budget

Hi Ladies,
This was a really, really bad shopping month for me. Eew! Retailers make it so hard to behave in September. First, when the seasons change, all your summer clothes suddenly suck. Second, they put the cutest styles out at the beginning of Fall. It's like going to a carnival and not buying any cotton candy or funnel cakes. It's impossible!

On top of this, I made a slight mis-calculation regarding the eShakti skirts I bought in July. I ordered them a little snug expecting to loose a little weight and then they would fit perfectly. Well...as you can guess, these were famous last words. I didn't loose the weight and now I have a ton of skirts that don't fit me. But hey, if I ever get a tape worm, I'll be one step ahead of the game!

In addition, I needed some comfortable daily shoes. If you remember from last year, I rocked what I hope was the "cute athletic look" through the fall and winter. Being horizontal for much of the day, made this the perfect outfit. However, now that I'm a Personal Stylist, I need to look clean and respectable, therefore I had to step up the sneakers.

As you can see below, I emptied the bank this month. Therefore, I'm going to have to rethink my shopping strategy. I had originally allocated $100 a month, but now I'm going to switch to a seasonal budget. This is how I've managed my shopping budget for the last 5 years and I think it's the best way. I need the flexibility to buy things when I need them or they are on a sale, yet I have to stick to a budget. Plus, anything I buy during early fall where get much more wear than stuff I buy in late winter. I'm working on figuring out the budget and will let you know next month.

Let's see how I did:

• Old Navy Jewelry (not available online, but post coming soon!) $50 
• Old Navy Clothing (all pieces were 30-40% off) $247
• Alterations (8 pieces) $160
• Shoes (2 pairs of walking shoes) $320
• J. Crew Factory Cardigan (4 colors, 40% off) $80

TOTAL = $857  (OMG!!!)

Talking Shop w/ my Angel:

Me: Oh My Gosh! Oh My Gosh! What did I do? Who's responsible for this? Heads are gonna roll. Somebody is at fault here and it's NOT me! <heavy panting>

Annoying Angel on Shoulder: Ok, ok...get a grip. If I had hands instead of wings, I'd smack you. You are an adult. You set the budget and control the purse strings...nobody possessed you.

Me: But I didn't know! How could I have possibly spent that much in a month??

The Angel: Well, if you had kept track of your purchases instead of waiting until today to tally them up then you wouldn't be here.

Me: But I hate tallying things up. Especially clothing. It takes all the fun out of shopping!

The Angel: So, I guess we'll be having this conversation again next month?

Me: <sounding annoyed> No, don't say that! You don't know me. I'm gonna fix this. I just need to think. BTW, I didn't know Angels were allowed to be sarcastic. Isn't that frowned upon Up There?

The Angel: That's right, that's right...put the focus on me. I'm not the one with a shopping problem.

Me: <exploding> YOU wear the same thing every day!! Are you telling me that you don't get reimbursed for all those white gowns? I bet you don't even have to dry clean them. I bet Mother Nature just snaps her fingers and takes care of it. At the very least, they are tax deductible and I know you don't have pay room and board, plus it's not like you have to worry about seasons....

The Angel: Um. <loudly clearing throat> You are starting to ramble.
 
Me: <more deep breathing> That's because YOU AREN'T HELPING ME! Ok, ok...get a grip, Merrie. You can fix this. Just tune her out and focus on the problem. You haven't committed to anything; it's not a mortgage.

<Merrie then hits submit on her post, brushes off her shoulder and walks into the closet.>

Me: <While stroking her clothes> Babies, firstly Mommy wants you to know that she loves you all very much. Each of you will always have a special place in her heart, but sometimes Mommies have to make difficult choices. Sometimes, due to the falling price of the Euro, the stock pilling of oil in Saudi Arabia and wild speculation in the housing market, Mommies are put in tough positions. Sometimes Mommies have to make a choice for the greater good. <sob> What I'm trying to say is that some of you are going to have to go back to the store. <loud crying can be heard coming from closet>

The Angel: That's pathetic.

DAMAGE DONE:

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