Shopping Haul

Hi, my name is Gladys, and I started shopping for clothes again.

It sort of does feel like I've relapsed into an addiction. I haven't shopped for clothes in a long time ... over six months, wow! (I JUST realized this.) So my recent trip to Old Navy during a 40%-off-everything-in-store sale was quite exciting. Yeah, I'm living the high life over here.

At the end of last summer, after binge-shopping during their sales events for FOUR STRAIGHT MONTHS, I realized that much of Old Navy's offerings were pretty bland and I even gave away some items that I barely wore once because they didn't look that great on me to begin with. Have you seen a lot of Old Navy in my outfit posts? No, despite the fact that I bought so much there last summer. So I promised myself that I would shop very sparingly there from now on. I don't think I've bought anything from them since August 2011. (It has definitely helped not to look at the clothes online.) Good for me. But I thought I would check out this last sale when I read the subscriber email they sent out.

I guess it was just time. I had a list of items to get for my son, and I wanted to go to the store to make sure I could try on everything I would be getting for myself. My plan was to get only (or mostly) what I needed, to be ruthless about how much I was willing to spend on any item, and to stick to sale/clearance items unless something spectacular caught my eye (didn't happen, although the white-and-black polka dot cardigan was pretty sweet).

The end result? I was really happy with the super deals that I got.

For me: Cute flip-flops, a striped beach coverup, terry shorts, a thin summery top for sleeping in, some basic camisoles, comfortable boot-cut stretch jeans ($12!), and a pair of mauve linen (sorta-cigarette) pants (this last, at $6.60, was a "splurge" that I might end up regretting since I'm iffy about the style).

For the kid: A couple of much-needed rash guard swimming tops and new socks for his growing feet. Unexpectedly, all of these items were among the most expensive in the cart, so it was good to get them 40% off.

For the hubby: To make up for expensive child gear, I scored a couple of VERY CHEAP ($1.78 and $1.48) striped knit-cotton polo shirts that may be too large for my husband (it was slim pickings in his regular size). In that case, I could use the fabric and button plackets for a refashioning project. I've been meaning to make my son a Flashback Skinny Tee, for example. And actually, I could make myself a striped pencil skirt with some of that fabric as well (thanks Pinterest!).

Although this shopping trip was kind of like going to the thrift store because of the great prices, I need to be careful not to slide down the slippery slope ... because the following day, I went to Target and, without needing to, bought myself two new pairs of flats. They were adorable AND on clearance ($6 each pair). But still. My goal was to stop buying so much fast fashion, since I don't want to give away clothes after a season and I want the items in my wardrobe to actually last.... But the shoes ARE cute and comfy (since they're basically Blowfish knockoffs), they fit me just right, and I could see myself running around in them to all my errands. I'll have to share a photo later. :-)

xo, Gladys