My post-Christmas spending hiatus crashed and burned today.

[nicholascrawford]

In a spectacular manner, at least.


I kept saying I was taking a break in an effort to make it true, but when I put the LEC Outlet store on my to-do list today, I was silently murdering that resolution. Anyone else keeping it alive? Kudos to you! Hold out! I'll just be on the sidelines here, cheering you on.





$63. And I sized down to a SMALL for all this. I'm 6'1", wearing a small. I can't wait for my metabolism to slow down. Here's hoping that happens when I turn 30 this year.

[jason_carreira]

Hahaha... $63 is not crashing and burning. That's a minor slip.

[JAB]

January was a bust for me as well but I'm vowing to take February off from all clothes related spending. We'll see how long it lasts.

[hornsup84]

At 27 and having my metabolism already have slowed (as well as my gym regimen), saying 'I can't wait for my metabolism to slow down' is heresy. That being said, I probably haven't fit a small in anything since high school.

[alan]

Hey, I haven't even told my wife about the AE Bagleys I found on Ebay. I figure I'll just slip them into the closet and see if she doesn't notice. :-P (They come in today.)


But at least I didn't pick up the J. Crew Red Wings! So that's something... right? :-)

[CJJ]

I to had put off purchasing anything until at least March... Well I have a wedding this month and J Crew has 40% off sale items, HELLO CHINO SUIT!


Hello my name is Carlos and I have a problem -maybe-

[jason_carreira]

It's only a problem if it's affecting the rest of your life, otherwise it's just a habit

[CJJ]

@ Jason, that's why I put "maybe" because I knew someone here would put it in perspective. Habit, I like how that sounds, vs problem.

[jason_carreira]

Careful though, because junkies also have habits

[Weng]

nicholascrawford, welcome to my pain. Once every 2 weeks work or the honey-do list puts me near a Sears LEC with constant 50% off sales, an H&M, Marshalls, or J.Crew. So just "checking it out" leads to a purchase.


The online LEC clearance and J.Crew 40% off sale also leads to me violating a combo of 15 & 7 on this list during downtime at work


http://dappered.com/2011/10/when-not-to-buy-it/


Finally, #14 is a given...and doesn't stop anything.


I've got to stop, seriously; I even sprang for Bonobos Balls of Christmas $50 and the 2 woolrich old man plaid pants for $90 each when they went on post-XMas "sale " justifying them as my fun holiday pants for the next 1-2 decades.


Challenge: make a list of the only things you NEED in 2012 - for me, its one item: Bonobos Tryptopants. (Ok, NEED is relative).

[nicholascrawford]

Things have changed for the better for us financially in the last 5 years, and it's been weird to recalibrate. Just cuz I CAN buy this and this and this and this doesn't mean I SHOULD.


My old yardstick of whether or not I had the cash is a moot point (although that was probably a bad metric to begin with). Now, I'm trying to determine what's going to be timeless, high quality, a well-fitting. Still tough to swerve around the sale-priced low-hanging fruit.

[alan]

@NC: I can always find a way to justify the sale-priced low-hanging fruit as accent pieces to a more expensive solid collection. I haven't yet turned away a $15 tie that I really liked (and even a couple I was on the fence about). Or that $12 denim jacket from LEC when they had their 40% off sale. Yeah, I might wear it 5 or 10 times ever, but it's pretty much paid for itself at that point.

[nicholascrawford]

I need to focus on making some big purchases. The two MTM suits were a good step in that direction. Yesterday, I almost spent enough for a Ratio shirt. Or a cheap sportcoat. It's just easier for me to think that I got 3 or 4 items instead of one. I need to reverse that thinking!

[alan]

I know what you mean because I'm in the same boat... except with shoes. I've stopped buying 50% off casual shoes for a particular, casual look and am saving up for a pair of AE cap toe balmorals.


I also want to eventually get a third suit. I expect that will be a major purchase.

[Zack Malibu]

Nice to know I'm not in the same boat. I too keep putting myself on a break or a hiatus, and then another sale comes along and lures me in. I typically offset frivolous spending by ebaying things off, but the plan was to start 2012 by saving more of that money and spending less of it. Of course, after a close inspection of what's in my closet, I realized the time had come for a great wardrobe purge, and more focus to be put on some essentials that needed replacing, or buying in general. It's a good time to do it with so many sales going on, at least.


Kudos to Weng for mentioning the "make a list of what you need", because I've done just that. A few odd purchases here and there to spice things up, but for the most part I'm limiting myself to only the necessities.