April 25, 2013 by Debbie Roes

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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April 10, 2013 by Debbie Roes

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.

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March 25, 2013 by Debbie Roes

The Enemy of the Best is the Good

You have to decide what your highest priorities are and have the courage—pleasantly, smilingly, non-apologetically, to say “no” to other things. And the way you do that is by having a bigger “yes” burning inside. The enemy of the “best” is often the “good.” ― Stephen R. Covey

The late, great Stephen Covey has long been one of my favorite authors. His “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” is widely regarded as one of the best self-help books ever written and offers a wealth of helpful advice for business and life. The quote above refers to priorities and goals, but I believe it also applies to our wardrobes and shopping.

The Plusses and Minuses of Trying to Wear Everything

As I embarked upon my “Wardrobe Benchwarmer Project” in January, my intention was to evaluate all of the items I hadn’t been wearing to either start wearing them regularly or let them go. Now that the first quarter of the year is almost behind us, I have learned a few things. I have pushed myself to wear close to half of my benchwarmer pieces by this point, as I want to complete the project sooner rather than later. This push to wear all of my previously unloved items has had both good and bad consequences.

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March 18, 2013 by Debbie Roes

The Serial Return Phenomenon

I probably return half of the clothes, shoes, and accessories that I buy. In some ways, this isn’t a bad thing. When one tends toward impulse buying, some of the purchase decisions made are not good ones. Thus, it can be good to realize buying mistakes and remedy them through the return process. Better to make returns than to have clothes hanging in your closet with their tags still attached.

Returning to Shop More

However, I have to admit that a large portion of my returns are done with an alternate aim. I often return unworn items to shop more or to do damage control for over-shopping. When I’ve exceeded my shopping budget, returns can certainly mitigate the financial damage done, but wouldn’t it be better to stick to my budget in the first place?

This past weekend, I returned close to $800 worth of items bought in recent months. I had reviewed my budget on Friday to learn the cold, hard truth of my overspending. By mid-March, I’d already exceeded my 2013 budget by close to $600 and I needed to right this wrong.

Are you a “serial returner”?

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March 14, 2013 by Debbie Roes

Challenge – Shopping with a Friend

Last Friday, I had lunch with a friend. I get together with this friend every couple of months and we always meet at a restaurant next to the local mall. After we spend an hour or two eating and talking, we always end up shopping together. This activity may be benign for many people, but for a shopaholic, it can have disastrous results.

To add insult to injury, my friend is also a compulsive shopper, although I’m not sure to what degree she’s acknowledged her problem. I have yet to tell her (or many others in my life) about this blog, so she isn’t even aware that I’m making a concerted effort to curtail my shopping habit.