Not everything loved has to cost an arm and a leg

I am currently preparing myself to let go of two very beloved pieces from my wardrobe. They've both served me well and have helped to complete many outfits. While I generally feel OK with paying a little more for wardrobe staples in hopes they will last longer, it doesn't mean I don't appreciate the ones that I do find, at a low price point. That said, I wish these did cost more so that they would have had a chance to last me longer (I love good deals but there is some truth behind getting what you pay for).

First up, is my J. Crew tunic - I love this item because I have a  lot of trouble fitting into button-up tops. They are either too tight across the chest, too wide along the shoulder, or too loose or tight over-all. I was drawn to this because it fit throughout and because of the lack of buttons, it didn't have any parts prone to gaping open. From afar it looks OK. but upon closer inspection, you can tell that the material is slowly starting to pill and thin out, and the colors are starting to cross into each other; not to mention, at the cuffs, they have torn from the shirt - on both sides! Yes, I could sew them back in, but I'm not a master seamstress, and the cost to get it professionally done would probably cost more than the shirt itself. The cost of this shirt was USD $13.99, bought in December 2013 from the outlet store. I didn't get into a lot of detail in tracking my purchases until 2014 so I can't tell you the exact cost per wear, but I can tell you that I wore it enough times that my mom has told me that, that's all she sees me wearing. From memory, I can tell you I've worn it at least 5 times in the last couple of months, which for reference is already $2.80 per wear, and let's say I wore it a minimum of 5 times in 2014, that's already $1.40 per wear ... you see what I'm getting at.

 

Second on my list is one of my favourite dresses - my black sheath dress. I found this unexpectedly at Target in September 2014, originally CAD $29.99, on sale for CAD $14.99. It fit me perfectly and to my delight, even has pockets!! I was able to track my wear on this item and wore it 7 times in the remainder of 2014, and 12 times in 2015, to-date. My cost per wear on this is 79 cents! I love this dress but unfortunately the quality really isn't there - it is stretching out and attracting too much lint to de-lint and is pilling. I'm sad to let this go but I can't wear it to work having it look the way it does. In my opinion, with its pockets, this is the perfect style of a black sheath dress for me and doubt I will be able to find its replacement any time soon, if at all.

I love buying only favourites but it's really hard to let them go when the time comes because they were just that perfect for me. I've enjoyed wearing these pieces and will remember them fondly. Farewell.

Small regret purchase

I found these incredibly cute pouches at Winners and I couldn't resist - I bought them!

Considering I spent 20 minutes in the store pondering their pros and cons, I should have listened to my gut and walked away from them. 

While I love the pattern and material, I am not 100% behind the design - you will notice that the pouches have grommets near the top, and what makes for a cute design detail, is not practical in function. 

It cuts off the amount of space you have to open the pouch with and despite the actual size of the pouch, you can't fit anything that won't fit through the opening. To me, this is a major fail. 

So why did I buy them? The patterns, the care-free material and no-fuss lining, the sturdiness of each pouch - sadly, against my better judgement, I compromised on what a 'good purchase' meant to me and succumbed. After taking them home and trying to fit the things I want into them, I knew they had to go. I was thisclose to returning them, when I had a black-out moment and cut the tags off of them. WHY? I really cannot begin to explain .... I blame it on their cuteness and my natural love of pouches. 

So now, I'm stuck with 3 pouches that I didn't need to begin with, and find a bit annoying to use the way I want them to be used. I'm sure it's not that horribly bad, but this is definitely the first purchase in a while that I'm not 100% satisfied with. It cuts into my remaining wardrobe budget too, grrrr. 

Live and learn.