January 2016 - comings and goings

I almost had a no-purchase month until I purchased the style of belt I had been looking for, for ages. Does that count? It's a very planned purchase and I got it at a great price... hm...

Comings - 4

• Lou & Grey Mix-up cardigan - bought for me by my parents <3 (I insisted to pay for it myself, but they insisted they buy it for me - gifts don't count ;))
• off-white skinny belt for my waist - been looking for one for a long time and the right one finally came along, with gold hardware, at an amazing price - $9 for leather, you really can't beat that. 
• Edit: Feb 3-16 - Forgot to add 2 pairs of shoes I got at the end of the month from The Wishbone Collection

Goings - 5

• White and navy striped blazer - it was starting to pill and look too worn. Also it was a bit shorter in length than I prefer, so I am on the look out for a longer version since it was a great outfit finisher.
• Pair of black mesh earrings - I just didn't wear it enough, if at all, and against my black hair, the details got lost anyway, defeating the purpose of adding any oomph to my outfits.
• Esprit black dress - I bought it because it has studs on the shoulders but I never got a chance to wear it since, and trying to fit it into my rotation now, is just not working.
• Gray Ugg Baileys - I love them and I will miss them very much, but they are too worn out now. I've lovingly said good-bye to them and thanked them. (That's also one pair of shoes gone, towards me owning 25 pairs... it's a loooong road)
• Esprit blue and white sundress - just didn't like the length of it any more;I got good use out of it but I think I wore it so much that it's a bit out of shape too and flares a bit too much for its length, for my liking.

March comings and goings

I vowed that I would not make any purchases in March, and I succeeded! =) I ALMOST had a slip-up when I saw a Transformers t-shirt (hubby's a huge fan) on mega-sale at Target, but I walked away from it. 

Going - 

• Adidas sneakers - I loved them when I bought them but because I wanted to keep them looking new, I rarely wore them. I tried to bring them back into my wardrobe earlier this month, only to find that they were not as comfortable as I remembered. I have been wanting to let these go for years but couldn't overcome the guilt I felt for spending money on something I barely wore - I'm over it now, and own one less pair of shoes, hurray!
• Adidas runners - I've had them since grade 8, haha, and I just love them; they were really hard to give up but my mom gave me her runnners and she told me mine needed to go. Can't argue with my mom!
• few more pieces of costume jewelry, and items I was going to use when I wanted to try my hand at making my own jewelry (what was I thinking?)
• Adidas bag - one of the vintage inspired ones from my university days.
• Indigo tote bag - given to me by my friend, but just have too many bags and had to decide to let it go.
• Not wardrobe related, but I let go of a few more glasses from our kitchen, and made the rounds in my condo and threw out as many random pieces of paper as I could.

Coming - 

• Black Hunter boots - my mom can't wear a lot of her shoes any more due to spurs =( so she gave me her knee-high Hunter boots. In Vancouver, these are a staple and I'll now have another pair of rainboots to add to the two I already have. Rainboots are an item that I plan to not buy until I need to replace them so since my existing pairs are still in great condition, I won't be buying rainboots - probably, ever.
• Nike runners - again from my mom. This is great because I have been thinking about replacing mine and I really needed a push. Free, is a good push, haha. 

Stress shopping

The last few months have been quite stressful and I have been feeling overwhelmed with anxiety and worry. I won't get into it, but I will get into 'stress shopping' - I found myself doing that a lot. In addition to the 4 pairs of shoes I purchased, I completely forgot to add the 2 pairs of pants, skirt, and dress that I bought, to my February count. Oops. Seriously, I just forgot until this morning. 

I noticed that when I'm in a good state of mind, the idea of shopping does not even occur to me. I'm pre-occupied with being productive and motivated that shopping is the last thing on my mind. When I'm upset, I have realized that I start to feel an urge to purchase things, and if I'm not careful, it can spiral out of control. Knowing this, I do stick to more affordable pieces and places during this time and I always keep the tags on and ride it out. Once I feel better, I re-evaluate what I purchased and make returns if necessary. (although right now I have a very big urge to go nuts at Louis Vuitton - but I won't, I know better than that).

Right now, the silver lining is, since I know my style a lot better than I did, I've made some good purchases even during this time. I know, not an excuse to buy, or keep, but at least it's not a total loss. All the items I've so far purchased, I have worn and love. The pants I bought, love love love - again, from the GAP (I'm really in love with the GAP right now) - I bought their Always Skinny corduroys in black and a pair of their boyfriend jeans. No hemming required for either! Hurray! I've worn them so many times since I got them that their cost per wear is almost down to nothing (it helps that they weren't even $15 each - see, how could I pass them up??). I made two purchases at H&M for date nights when my husband returns and since he loves them, I will be keeping them; I don't have any 'date night' clothing, so these are nice additions to my wardrobe and I can always use them for other occasions, with the right accessories. 

Although I stressed shop, I picked up some great pieces and I DO NOT intend to bring this habit into March. March, I vow, will be a purchase-free month!!!