Purchase Reviews

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Learning from Our Shopping Mistakes

Since the beginning of 2013, I have purged 150 items from my wardrobe!  These pieces – garments and shoes – have either been sold on consignment or donated to a local charity.   Hopefully, other people are now enjoying the wardrobe castoffs that were gathering dust in my closet.

Shopping Mistakes - Lessons Learned

Do you ever wonder, “What was I thinking when I bought this?”

While some of my purged items were previously worn and loved but no longer fit my body, lifestyle, and personality, many others were “wardrobe benchwarmers” that should never have been purchased in the first place.  Since I’m making good progress with paring down my wardrobe and cultivating a wardrobe that better suits my needs, I want to make sure not to repeat my past mistakes. Continue reading →

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The Tried and True vs. the Shiny and New

I had a realization the other day regarding my Project 333 capsule wardrobe.  It occurred to me that many of my 33 garments for April through June have been in my closet for a number of years.  Geek that I am, I decided to do the math…  I learned that 79% of my Project 333 pieces were purchased in 2011 or earlier, and 55% were bought in or before 2010!  Here’s how it breaks down:

Project 333 Garments by Year

Curious about the two garments from 2006?  They are a chevron striped tank top and a seamed flared black skirt, bought at consignment stores for $3 and $16, respectively.  Even when I factor in the minor alteration fees for these items, their cost per wear is likely pennies!

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Sometimes Cheap is Really More Expensive

When you shop for clothes, shoes, and accessories, do you always try to find the lowest price?  Are you always on the lookout for a “good deal”?   While bargain-hunting is common for many shoppers, I’m here to tell you that “cheap” can actually be more expensive.

A Tale of Four Purses

What do I mean by this?  I’ll illustrate my point by sharing a tale of four purses.  Two of the purses were “expensive” (over $200) and the other two were “cheap” (around $50).  The expensive purses were made by Brighton and were purchased in August 2008 and December 2010, respectively.  I have carried both bags for at least 300 days, yet they are still in excellent condition and scarcely show their wear.

I bought the “cheap” bags late last year.  I carried one for approximately three months (I’m not one to change my bags all that often) and the other for only about a week.  I did not stop carrying these bags because I grew tired of them.  I stopped carrying them because they lost their shape, began to fray, and started looking terrible.  Yes, a $50 bag only lasted for a week!  I wish I could return it, but I purchased it months before I began using it and have no way of proving that it started to fall apart after such a short period of time.  So I can’t get my money back, but I can learn a powerful lesson and share it with my readers.

Continue reading →