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What I’m Buying Today: More J. Crew Shit

I suck. I completely suck donkey ass.

I was doing so well! 6 weeks in and not a thing bought! GAHHHHHH, I am a truly sick individual.

You see, I had an out in this whole No Shopping Adventure. In my possession was a J. Crew gift card from Christmas that I was hoarding for the perfect opportunity. A pinch hitter, if you will. When times got tough and I was jonesing for something new, I could pull that bad boy out and hit the racks.

I knew exactly what I was going to buy today. This cardigan.

erez

(On sale for $34.99!)

You know, the cardigan wasn’t really doing much for me on the website. Gray, ruffles, tissue tee material…it’s okay. I noticed it went on sale this week, so Wito and I took a little trip to J. Crew this morning. I tried it on and well, the clouds parted and I saw the light. It’s so cute and chic and perfect for my daily life. I had about $50 left on the card – I was just going to purchase it and run.

Until I saw the exact same cardigan in the most lovely shade of pink. NOT the shade shown on the website, but a deeper, lovelier, PERFECT PINK THAT I JUST HAD TO HAVE. DAMMIT!

Then, Jay (the greatest J. Crew associate ever – damn you, Jay!) brought this top to the dressing room.

erez-1

Also, on sale! In slub cotton! I WANT TO GO ALL THE WAY WITH SLUB COTTON.

I spent 50 dollars over the amount of the gift card.

Did I mention that I’m a huge failure who sucks donkey ass?

The shirts are still in the bag. I think I might take a couple of them back. I can’t believe I actually feel this crappy about breaking my no shopping mandate. What is happening to meeeeeeeee?

What would you do? Say screw it or take two of the items back?

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66 comments
  1. Iheartgreen

    February 27, 2009 at 2:58 pm

    So, I’m trying a modified shopping ban, and this may help you in your moral/fiscal dilemma. I allow myself to shop with money I make selling stuff I don’t wear on ebay. Win-win. It’s not extra money I’m spending, just netting out. And, in theory, I will find more things I’m not wearing than things I want to buy and my closet will look leaner and cleaner as a result. In theory.

  2. Carla Hinkle

    February 27, 2009 at 3:02 pm

    Honey (and I say this with love as a somewhat-reformed Big Time Shopper), they only way you should keep those shirts is if you give away AT LEAST a garbage bag full of clothes. AT LEAST.

    I have seen the photos of your closet. That used to be my closet. Until I had 2 kids and didn’t get a bigger house and the damn kids kept needing more and more closet space, and I had to get my stuff out. Big bags and bags of stuff.

    Now I have a rule that if something is coming in, something else (and preferably 2 somethings) must go out.

    Can I tell you? You will feel SO MUCH BETTER if you clear out a bunch of clothes. And then you can keep the shirts! Everybody wins!

    I just took 3 bags of clothes to Goodwill, but I STILL FEEL GUILTY. (Although, these comments are lessening the guilt rapidly.)

  3. hillary

    February 27, 2009 at 3:03 pm

    I say keep them all but I’m a slut for J. Crew so I might be a little biased.

  4. Kerri Anne

    February 27, 2009 at 3:13 pm

    We are a bunch of enablers! I totally voted for you to keep them. Especially if you like! them and they fit you well.

    Maybe to balance the guilt, that is heavy, you could purge your closet of two items?

  5. wwcutie

    February 27, 2009 at 3:24 pm

    That’s tough.

    I’ve given up shopping for the whole year, and recently had to call my mom to ask whether I had permission to spend a $75 check on a pair of $115 boots.

    Our rationale was that the check WAS a gift, and I’m allowed to accept gifts of clothing (which was a helpful conversation, because she didn’t know I’m not shopping thus she didn’t know how much I would APPRECIATE gifts of clothing), I could spend the $75 on anything.

    But I couldn’t bring myself to buy the boots. That would have required an extra $40 of my own money. And once I compromise a little, it opens the floodgates.

    Instead I found an ADORABLE gray purse on etsy for $69 and now I have a whole $6 to buy ice cream!!

    (I’m not telling you what to do in your situation, because we are different people. Though, if I’m honest with you, I’ll be a bit envious if you get 3 JCrew shirts AND those Valentine’s gifts from your hubby.)

  6. She Likes Purple

    February 27, 2009 at 3:41 pm

    Could you keep them and just not wear them until your no-shopping mandate is over? I think that’s fair.

  7. Rebecca (Bearca)

    February 27, 2009 at 3:41 pm

    Well, I am one of your official shopping enablers. So it’s no big secret that I say KEEP THEM. You could extend the hiatus a bit beyond your original time frame, or you could say screw it, and just see the big picture, which is that you have been really really good overall.

    Love ya anyway.

  8. kate

    February 27, 2009 at 3:54 pm

    Listen, I just signed up for a ONE YEAR shopping ban (self-imposed but necessary) so I don’t want to hear it, donkey. ; ) Take them back. Do it. Go. Because once your (relatively short) time is up, you’ll feel great for having really, truly, officially stuck it out.

  9. Sarah @ BecomingSarah.com

    February 27, 2009 at 4:28 pm

    I totally thought that voting to return two of the shirts would send me to Hell, but it looks like I’m not the only evil person who reads this website. In fact, 44% of us are damned.

    Anyway, I figure it this way: if you love the shirts, you love ’em and you should enjoy them. But if you love your no-shopping mandate more – and it seems that you do, or at least you really really want to succeed at it – then you aren’t going to enjoy the shirts as much as you would if you’d spent $50 on something you really wanted, really loved, really thoughtfully considered before purchasing as an exception to your self-mandate.

    Just don’t keep them if you’re going to feel guilty, that’s all. I don’t personally think you should feel guilty, it’s only $50 after all and you’ll likely use the purchases, but if you are going to feel guilty then it isn’t worth keeping them.

  10. Backpacking Dad

    February 27, 2009 at 4:38 pm

    I would take them back.

    Slub cotton doesn’t look good on me.

  11. beanery

    February 27, 2009 at 5:21 pm

    I also vote to keep it if and only if you donate at least 2 items in their place. I can’t say return because I know I damn sure wouldn’t.

  12. Angela

    February 27, 2009 at 5:34 pm

    Return. Returnreturnreturn. You are stronger than the shirts. Your life is bigger and more meaningful than a cute wardrobe. Even in the perfect pink. I would venture to say you will have learned something very cool about yourself at the end of this ban.

  13. Angela

    February 27, 2009 at 5:39 pm

    The way I see it, you have lots of options. You can return two of them to assuade your guilt. You can keep all of them and donate two other items as beanery said. You can just say “screw it!” and keep three great shirts that you’ll probably wear often. Or, much on the same idea as being on a diet and having to occassionally treat yourself to avoid failure, you can pencil in dates on the calendar to spend $50 or less. That one’s my favorite.

  14. Kim

    February 27, 2009 at 5:56 pm

    I had to figure this out using a mathematical ratio.

    J. Crew : Whoorl = the Gap : Kim (with variable being new spring fabrics and colors), the only logical answer is to take the items out of the bag and hang them in your closet. I just did the same thing with two of those pretty new lightweight Gap cardis and I’m a better person for it.

    I guess my algebra teacher was right – I DO use math in real life!

  15. Manda

    February 27, 2009 at 5:58 pm

    Take it back!! You’ll feel so much better!!