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What I bought in September and October - and for how little

I've been slowly revamping my wardrobe, moving from a professional one to a more casual wardrobe. I got through the hot summer months here in Phoenix, then it was time to plan ahead for cooler weather. 

In a previous post, Curate Your Fall Wardrobe in Three Steps, I set up a shopping list of things I wanted to purchase for my fall wardrobe:

  • A nice jean jacket - $15 - $20
  • Dark-wash (nice) skinny blue jeans - $10 - $15 (I might need to purchase new)
  • Two to three heavier-weight long-sleeve tops - $5 to $8 each
  • Mid-weight jacket, sweater or poncho for colder days - $15 - $20
  • Leggings to go under black t-shirt dress (I'll likely purchase these new): $15
I figured I would spend between $70 and $94 over the course of the two months. Reality diverged a bit from plan (as it always does), and I had a few fails, discussed below, but here's what I purchased and for how much:

Midweight jacket purchased half price at Goodwill for $4.45


Two heavier-weight long-sleeved tops purchased at Goodwill for $4.99 and $3.99, respectively

Jean Jacket, purchased at Goodwill for $15.

Two nice T-shirts, not on my list,* for $4.29 (white) and $8.29 (rose), purchased at Goodwill

Athleta White T-shirt, not on my list, purchased at Goodwill for $4.29

Earrings purchased at a consignment store for $8.00 and $4.00, respectively.
The necklace, also purchased at a consignment store, cost $8.00.

Total cost: $65.32, or $32.66 per month. Not included here (since I didn't consider it a wardrobe purchase) are my Stella McCartney Addidas, which I discussed in this blog post, and which cost $36.00. My total expenditures for the two months, including the shoes, totaled $101.32, or $50.66 per month.

Fails: The jewelry was the biggest fail. The necklace is too long, and it's not obvious to me how I can fix that (although I'll try). The stone earrings on the top left are nice, but I discovered once home that they are similar to a pair of earrings that I already own. The other earrings look both too fancy and too chintzy when worn - in my mind, this was $20.00 that was wasted.

The Athleta white T-shirt, shown as the final article of clothing, has a lot to recommend it, and I still may be able to make it work, but it's just too see-through for me to wear in public. 

Also:  I never found a pair of dark jeans that I liked. Goodwill is not allowing customers to try on clothing right now due to Covid-19 concerns, so I tried to find some jeans at my favorite consignment store, but no luck. Maybe in November.

Surprise Successes: The biggest surprise were the white and pink T-shirts. In my post about wardrobe "must haves", I discussed how white T-shirts have been making the cut for years, and I thought it might be worth trying one for myself. I ended up so pleased with the white T-shirt that I decided to look for a pink one and found a perfect candidate, pictured above. These were not originally on my list, but I figured the cost of the experiment was relatively small. 

Another success was the coat. I wasn't surprised to see a pink coat languishing at my local Goodwill; not many women could make that work. However, I already own a pink sweater that goes with everything I wear, and this was almost the same color as that sweater. It looks surprisingly neutral on, and it pairs nicely with my blue jeans and my gray denim pants.

Please feel free to share your own great find in the Comments section below.

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