To Buy List

I made a rule that I wasn't allowed to go clothes shopping until my credit cards were paid off...these are the only exceptions I have made since last August:

*1 pair of tights (it was December and I wanted to wear boots and a dress on New Year's Eve)

*1 bra-I decided to buy this during the semi-annual sale this month since it was on sale for $15.99. I'll buy a few more next month, but I figured it was worth breaking my rule in order to get the sale price.

*1 shirt-I bought a shirt yesterday to wear to the Dodger game. It's blue and white striped and super fun and summery. It was $9.95 at H&M. I shouldn't have bought it, but I am in love with it if that helps.

And that's it! Victoria's Secret coupons have kept me stocked in free underwear, I received a Marshall's gift card at Christmas that I used to buy a dress and a pair of dress shoes, but other than that I haven't updated my wardrobe in a year. 

Needless to say, I have a shopping list. 

In fact, here it is: 

*Black skirt-I just need a basic one, straight, plain and knee length for work.

*Black sandals-my leather flip-flops are in a sorry state. I have had them for two summers and they are on their last...legs? Toes? Heels? You get my drift. 

*Black Flats-These were on my list but I was able to get them for free thanks to Me in Millions. :)

*White tanks-I need to replace my lacy camisole that I wear under many of my shirts...it's not really white anymore. I also need a plain white tank for the same reason.

*White cardigan-I had to ditch my old one because it was yellowish under the arms (yes, I know that's charming, but it's the truth).

*2-3 bras-I need to replace some of my older ones. This is a NEED, not a want.

*Jeans-I want a pair of straight leg jeans, sorta skinny. I have a friend who works for Paige Premium Denim as a designer who said she can get me a pair for $50, which I am planning on taking her up on. AWESOME.

*A few basic jewelry pieces-a necklace, a pair of earrings or two, and sometime in the future I'd like a new watch. But that is something I'll save up for in the months to come.

*Dresses-I'd like a few new dresses that I can wear for both work and fun...this will be dependent on finding some that I like, but dresses are my favorite thing in the world.

*Lavender nail polish-I've wanted this for months, but put it off until my debt is paid off.

*Stila eye shadow-I'm almost out of my staple color that I like to swipe on my eyes when I am too lazy to really do my eye makeup. But it's shimmery and lovely and I'd like to replace it.

I am going to look for most of these items from Marshall's, Ross, and Nordstrom Rack, and should be able to get a reasonably good deal that way. I also want to start gathering coupons for The Limited, Express, and a few other stores that I might hit up in my hunt for these items.

Obviously, I will need to budget more for these items...my plan is to use my summer school money to pay off my debt and then see what's left to add to my shopping fund. Normally I'll budget between $40 and $60 per month for shopping, but I am planning to budget between four and five hundred dollars to get these items. I'll still have more summer school money coming in September, but I am hoping to use almost all of that to start paying ahead on my car payments. I feel good about this amount and the items on my list...we'll see how I do next month. The anticipation of being able to shop is making my drool.