August - November Purchases: An Analysis

I stopped writing these types of posts in August because I had really slowed down in buying clothes. Some of these, I've mentioned in prior posts, but I figured I'd just recap a full 4 month's worth of purchases. I categorized them into whether they were planned or not. NOTE: Prices listed are what I paid for them likely on sale - they may be different now!

Planned ($787 or 86% of Total)

Jessica Simpson Black Booties ($85)

Lo & Sons Black Crossbody ($173)

Nike Roshes ($79)

Ted Baker Leather Jacket ($450)

Impulse ($69 or 8% of Total)

Uniqlo Plaid Flannel ($20)

Uniqlo Rayon Blouse ($20)

Uniqlo Legging Denim Pants ($20)

Forever 21 Grey Sweater ($9)

Fear ($57 or 6% of Total)

Old Navy Pixie Pant - Black ($15)

Old Navy Sweater x2 (black and blush) ($15x2 = $30)

Old Navy Polka Dot Blouse ($12)

TOTAL: $913 since August, which comes in at around $228 per month for 4 months. I have to be honest, as I was writing all of this out, it was a scary amount of money that I was seeing myself retroactively spend. But after dividing it out over the amount of time, it doesn't actually seem that bad, and actually fell under what used to be my monthly clothing budget.

In the past 4 months, I've worked at two different jobs with vastly different dress codes and client interaction AND gone through 3 different seasons (summer, fall, and winter). I've gone from super casual, jeans + top + sneakers at the start up - to business casual/business professional depending on if I'm meeting with a client or not. I've been at my new job for a full 5 days now, and went through some panic after the first couple, realizing I didn't have enough clothing to last me through the week... or through the winter. But it's interesting in that my impulse/fear driven purchases only take up 14% of the total budget in this time period. Most of the money that I spent, was planned for (86%). However, because they were planned for, I was a lot less price sensitive, more willing to pay a higher $ for something I knew I wanted. 

I've noticed that my impulse/fear purchases all fall below a certain price point - $20. I never realized that until I wrote this out now. Next time I am out shopping, I'll need to mentally signal to myself that if an item is $20 or less, it's most likely that I'm deviating away from the plan. But at the same time, my impulse purchases have been very well loved. My fear purchases are now the workhorses of my work wardrobe when combined with the more expensive items that I had planned to purchase, or already own. They've all been largely successful, and there's not one that I regret since they're all basic items. 

The Old Navy Pixie Pant are a great dupe for my go-to, Banana Republic Sloan trousers, at a MUCH lower price point AND they're wash and wear. No dry cleaning needed. The Uniqlo blouse and the Old Navy one are great drape-y rayon blouses that can be dressed up at work, or down on the weekend. The Uniqlo Legging Pants are my go-to comfy pair of jeans that don't show a panty line even though they're technically leggings. I think through careful inspection of the impulse purchases before they're purchased (seams, fabric content, wearability), I can avoid any buyer's remorse. 

Anyway, this was a very long post, mainly useful for me since I've learned a lot about my spending habits. Note to self: don't go shopping when driven by fear or boredom. And stay away from anything $20!