Wednesday, May 7, 2014

My Shopping Tally: What I've Bought in 2014 (so far)

Clothes|Shopping Freeze|Wardrobe UpdatesAs many of you know, in case it isn't already obvious, I am a total shopaholic. I love shoes, clothes, shoes, accessories, shoes, you get the idea. :)

Now that I am working toward paying off my debts, I have tried imposing a shopping freeze on myself, only allowing myself exceptions this year to replace things that wear out or get too big. I am also learning to "shop my closet" and create a more re-mixable wardrobe.

While I haven't been totally successful, I am MILES ahead of where I was last year at this time.

Just for fun, here is a list of the things I have bought so far this year:
  • Nike sandals - I had a birthday coupon for these, with the discount and free shipping they cost me only $9 (regular price $25 with shipping of $7)
  • Sparkly ring - I love sparkly things and I looked at this ring long and hard last year and didn't buy it. When I went on my weekend away, I bought it for half price! (original price $220) You might have noticed that my debt change didn't match up with the amount I said I paid in April, that is because of buying this ring. I charged it to my store card (naughty I know) with 0% interest until August. I did pay it in full when the bill came in April.
  • Replaced my cream cami - I talked about this purchase already. I replaced a worn out cami that I wear regularly. I had coupons and got a great deal. (Original price $20, price paid $6.48!)
  • Embroidered polo - I bought a new polo shirt with my company's logo on it. The office was putting a group order so I got one new shirt. (about $25)
  • Premier jewelery - as mentioned, I went on a shopping spree of sorts at the end of April. I bought 2 pieces of Premier jewelry at that time. (about $95)
  • Mint Flats - I lusted after a pair of mint colored flats that Audrey from Putting Me Together talked about and I caved and bought them. (about $30)
  • Watch - I bought a watch that I thought would go with my new Premier jewelry, but alas it doesn't match so well. This was bought at a local jeweler in my hometown. I haven't worn it and I'm going to try and return it this week. (about $63, but will be returned)
  • White capris - I've been lusting after white pants and/or capris for a couple years now. A store that I LOVE finally had some in stock. I ordered 3 pairs (which I charged on my store card with them), knowing full well that I was only going to keep the pair that fit best once they arrived. After they got here, they were all too big! I ordered the pair I liked best in a size down and they are on their way now. The original 3 I ordered will be returned next week when I go out of town for a doctor appointment (that way I don't have to pay return shipping to return them). These will be on my card statement this month, but I will be returning 3/4 of them. (Original price about $180. Price paid about $120, but after returns will be only about $30.)
Total Spent (after returns are made): $305.48

This may sound like a lot of shopping for someone who is supposedly on a shopping freeze and trying to get out of debt, and admittedly I still think it's too much shopping too, but it is DRASTICALLY less that what I bought last year in the same time frame.

Are you on a shopping freeze? How to do you defeat your shopping monster?

Note: Friday on my way home from work, my back driver's side window rolled down on it's own and wouldn't roll back up. After messing with it, I discovered that it was loose in the track. The mechanics, whom I just paid almost $90 last week to fix my turn signal, said that a piece that holds the window up is broken and it will cost $250 to fix! I decided to tape (yes you read that right, tape) my window up/in place for now. I need new tires and have to pay for tags/taxes soon on my car too and can't risk using another $250 of my EF right now. I also talked to a friend of mine who had the same piece break on her car and she left her window taped up for about 2 years before selling her car. I'm not planning on leaving it taped indefinitely, I will be getting it fixed eventually, but it'll work for now. What's next car?!

Another note: If you are interested in guest-posting at Shoeaholicnomore, email me at shoeaholicnomore[at]gmail[dot]com!

6 Comments:

At May 7, 2014 at 10:46 AM , Anonymous E.M. said...

You got a good deal on most of that stuff! Progress is progress. I was just thinking that I haven't purchased any clothing or accessories this year. It feels kind of weird, but I just keep reminding myself I don't need anything.

I'm sorry about your car. Ugh. If it makes you feel any better, my passenger window doesn't work at all. I purchased the car that way, as I'm not really one for rolling down windows anyway. I only have a 2-door, though, so the AC has to go on otherwise passengers will complain in the summer. Oops!

 
At May 7, 2014 at 11:05 AM , Blogger shoeaholicnomore said...

Thanks for the encouragement E.M. I am really trying to not spend any money on clothes, etc this month. I don't really "need" anything either, I just "want" things that are in style. I love love love summer clothes and colors so it's hard to avoid this year :(

As far as the car, crazy that the window was broken when you bought it. Did you get it from a dealership?

 
At May 7, 2014 at 6:09 PM , Blogger debt debs said...

Well that's not bad considering where you are coming from last year, but looking at your car crises you may need to reign it in a bit Missy. ;-) This made me want to look at my clothing budget which is $75 for the year and I've spent $6 of it so far for a light sweater from Target over Christmas. I probably wouldn't have even been shopping but I was with my daughter who was picking out some pieces from the sale rack. I'm really not into shopping anymore. I just stay out of the stores. Seems best way to keep temptation at bay.

 
At May 8, 2014 at 8:30 AM , Blogger shoeaholicnomore said...

You are so right Debs! These last few days I've been asking myself, do I want new clothes, out to eat, etc or do I want to fix my car so I can have reliable transportation to get to my job so I can keep earning money? I think the car wins (nearly) every time :)

 
At May 8, 2014 at 6:35 PM , Anonymous Bre @ The Weight of Debt said...

I really love the idea of keeping tally of the expenses you've spent on yourself. When I budget I usually just call it "my allowance" and keep the receipts. But I think this is a great way to keep yourself on track and evaluate your spending habits. I think I am going to add this to my goals!

 
At May 9, 2014 at 8:09 AM , Blogger shoeaholicnomore said...

Glad you like the idea and that it inspired you to add to your goals! Thanks for stopping by Bre :)

 

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