Anyone else guilty of retail therapy?
I took a week off work this past week to celebrate mine and my husband’s birthday. I try so hard when I take time off to actually take time off and not think about work, but it’s a constant challenge that I’ve yet to overcome. As I’m nearing the end of my vacation and still feeling in a bit of a rut, I decided to get out, do some shopping, and do some retail therapy to take my mind off things.
Buying a lot of things I love for not a lot of money gives me a high. I literally just got home from the mall an hour and a half ago but was so excited about my haul that I had to snap some pictures and write a blog post to share with you.
At Forever 21, I got 3 items for $15…
At the two-story Forever 21 that I go to, a quarter of the second floor is dedicated to clearance items. While I’m always tempted by clearance, Forever 21’s clearance section is one that I almost always avoid because it is a nightmare to go through. The clothing in this section is displayed extremely haphazardly, and not by size, color, style, occasion – nothing. The lack of organization makes it impossible to find anything unless you’re in serious bargain-hunting mood and have the energy to do some digging. But since it was a week day morning and it wasn’t crowded, combined with being on vacation and having time to spare, for the first time, I thoroughly scoured all the clearance racks and found 3 items that I love:
(The lighting is very dark because it’s cloudy out, so there’s a closeup picture of the first two tops further down!)
I’m so glad this sweater was the only one available of its kind, and only available in size M. I normally wear size XS at Forever 21, and were this not on clearance and available in a range of sizes, I would have opted for my usual XS. I loved the pom poms so much that I crossed my fingers and tried on the M anyway, and I actually think it probably looks better as an over-sized sweater.
You totally can’t see this top at all in this lighting (Darn clouds! Scroll down to see a closeup picture!), but it gives you an idea of the fit. Half the reason I went to the mall was to buy more colors of a ribbed turtleneck I bought from Primark a few weeks ago because it’s literally all I wear. Sadly, the display was nowhere to be found in Primark, but I found this navy blue ribbed long sleeve in Forever 21, which is almost identical to the Primark one, minus the turtleneck.
Lastly, I picked up this knee-length color-block ribbed sweater dress, that looks much like this dress that I already own, but in a different colorway. Since I know this style of dress works for me, I figured I couldn’t go wrong by adding another one to my wardrobe. I’m shoeless in this picture, but like my previous post, I would wear a dress like this with knee-high black boots.
At Primark, I got 2 items (4 if you count them as separates) for $16…
Like I said before, half the reason I went to the mall was to buy turtlenecks in bulk like a crazy woman. The other half of the reason was to buy pajamas. I’m definitely guilty of doing that thing where instead of donating or discarding clothing I don’t wear anymore, I retire it to pajama status. I’m determined to purge my sleepwear and have it consist of actual sleepwear and not retired outdoor-wear.
The fit of this might be too big for some people, but I don’t mind the baggy fit considering they’re pajamas. Also, 2XS is the smallest size they offer, so I don’t really have a choice! I love the vibrant color of the pink bottoms and the cute cherry print. One thing to note about both sets of pajamas: the drawstring is fake. I have a 23-24 inch waist, and am 4’11”, and the bottoms sit at my lower waist without feeling too loose or too much bunching at the feet.
Although you can’t order online from Primark and you have to shop in store, I mention the fit anyway because they package these pajama sets in a way that you can’t really try them on. Picture pajama gift sets around Christmas time – completely bundled, tied, and wrapped. I crossed my fingers that they would fit, but if any of you are similar in size to me, hopefully this helps!
Hope you enjoyed this budget haul!
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Thanks for reading!