Confessions of a Male Shopaholic and How I Can Relate

Tags

addiction, shopaholic, Shopping, shopping addiction, the fashion industry

I wanted to do a quick post to share this amazing article written by Buzz Bissinger for GQ, a man addicted to Gucci.

A few highlights that I’d like to share:

I have an addiction. It isn’t drugs or gambling: I get to keep what I use after I use it. But there are similarities: the futile feeding of the bottomless beast and the unavoidable psychological implications, the immediate hit of the new that feels like an orgasm and the inevitable coming-down.

Hellooooo déjà vu.  I’ve never considered myself a shopping “addict,” per sé, but buying things..even the littlest, mundane, everyday things can give me that same feeling.  When I walk to the car to drive to the mall, or when I’ve just parked at the mall parking lot and I’m entering the stores, I get this strange quickening feeling.  It’s as if I need to get in FAST.  I’m just TOO EXCITED.  Nowadays, 80% of the time I come out unscathed.  Sometimes when I’m perusing the aisles of giant Forever 21 stores with their color coordinated sections, I snap myself out of my retail dreams and think, WHOA! What the heck am I doing here?  And I immediately shake it off and walk out before I am tempted to buy something.  (I swear the warehouse-sized Forever 21′s today suck you in to buy because of their sheer size… they’re so overwhelming now!)

I’d say I’m pretty good at restraining myself but WOW does it feel good to find something that:

1. Fits you
2. Is a good deal (in my eyes)
3. And heyyy lucky me it’s JUST what I needed!

*commence skipping out of the store with shopping bags in hand*

And then when I get home I’m welcomed by overstuffed drawers, piles of clothes in the laundry, and pairs of shoes that I’ve only worn twice.  Sigh.

I like turning around and seeing the poor lost souls in the gulag of the higher rows. I hope they hate me, chattering chipmunks trying to figure out who the f*** is this poseur, or however it’s said in Fashion Italian. Then again, I don’t see them dressed to kill, in an $8,000 Gucci pony-hair jacket that no one else in the U.S. has and wax-coated black jeans, shiny and sheeny and sizzling.

It really is all about appearances, isn’t it.  If nobody’s there to see your new goods, then what is the point?  Even if my real life friends/coworkers don’t see it, there’s always Instagram, Facebook, blogging…  *Guilty as charged over here.*  I just wonder if there will be a time when I’ll ever stop caring.

There’s a fine line between expressing yourself creatively and showing off.  Maybe they’re one and the same.  Is that all bad?  Is feeling awesome about yourself because of A, B and C really that bad?  Is it only okay if you’re not hurting anyone else in the process?

….

There’s also something about the change of seasons that really ramps up the advertisements and color combos at retail stores.  SPRING!  MINTCORALPASTELS!  Rainbow hologram EVERYTHING!  Lucite crossbody neons!  Floral prints on acid!

It’s so strange… I never thought I would covet floral pants, but here I am thinking about a ridiculous pair of floral pants that I saw on a YouTube haul video.

Fashion….the concept seems so harmless but this industry incredibly powerful.

♥ E&I

Shopping vs. Priorities

Tags

hobbies, personal finance, priorities, saving, Shopping

(This will most likely be a rambling post… just a forewarning)

I’m the type of person that gets REALLY hooked onto hobbies when I’m first starting out.  It happened with my Etsy store in 2009 (I’ve since put it on hiatus), extreme couponing in 2011, and now it’s happening with my YouTube channel.  I tend to get very focused (even up to a fault) on that project/hobby/interest and it feels like shopping and spending money falls to the wayside.  To keep myself sane  while working my 9-to-5 job I feel the need to regularly flex my ‘creative muscles.’  I think it helps me feel fulfilled as well.  I used to think shopping was pretty harmless but it DOES happen more when I’m bored or feeling bad about myself.

These hobbies all have one thing in common… saving money or increasing cash flow.  Now that I’m partnered up with StyleHaul I’m trying to focus creative energy towards creating YouTube videos for the next 3 months to set up an earning baseline.

…lol even when I’m not trying everything still comes down to personal finance.

I forgot where I read this, but it is true that ‘you can save as much money as possible, but it will be nowhere near as effective as earning more money.’  There is no earning ‘limit’ you can hit compared to saving money.  You can only save so much.

I feel really really lucky that my Etsy and YouTube hobbies have the potential to earn some money on the side.  When I was first starting out with YouTube I was (and I still am) happy to earn even $2/day.  Every little bit helps!  I’m still very new to the world of making YouTube videos and how the community works.

Anyway I guess the point of this post is that when I become absorbed into a new hobby, shopping sort of falls off the list of things to do.  Buddy’s getting older now too… and spending time with him is very important to me.  Spending time with Justin is also very important (obviously).  Being healthy is important.  Saving money is important.  Earning money is important because I can then support myself and my family.  As I’m getting older I’m trying to make smarter choices with my time and resources.  I know that as a teenager and an early 20-something shopping was a big time rush and something to do “as a hobby.”  But I’m trying to find more fulfilling things to do.  Buying a Chanel purse (what, two years ago?) was a very fun shopping highlight for me but doing DIY projects, working out at the gym, spending time with family are really doing much more for me.  Of course I still do love shopping but I’m (hopefully) realizing that spending time buying things that just sit around isn’t really a good use of my time.  

Who knows maybe next week I’ll turn it all around and go on a crazy shopping spree (hey I’m human)… but hopefully not. ;]

♥ E&I

Buying Thrift, then Selling to Consignment

Tags

consignment, crossroads, Fashion, Shopping, thrift, thrifting

[ my crossroads pile to sell ]

Hmm.  Shopping musings.

I recently sold a LOT of unused clothes & shoes to Crossroads the other day. I’ve been buying and selling from them for years so I have a pretty good idea of what they will take from me.

I ended up going home with $120 worth of store credit from that pile above…and they didn’t take that giant box of boots and a few other things.  Not too shabby, I think.  Normally you can get (I think) 35% in cash of the price that they’ll sell the items at, or 50% in store credit value.

The only clothes I have bought so far this year is a $100 pair of hiking pants for our upcoming Fiji & Australia trip.  After winning a Pinterest contest from Piperlime, I shaved off half of that using a $50 gift card.  I haven’t bought anything fashion-related besides that.

I’m currently on the hunt for a chambray button down shirt, but nothing has come up.  I did, however, see this cute version from Forever 21 in stores, but they didn’t have my size.  The price also turned me off.

$24.80!?!

I really think that Forever 21′s pricing has gotten higher.  Maybe not their “deals” with the yellow tags…. but it seems like they have increased their garment selection, and with that, their prices.  I *do* notice some items are of better quality than the past.  Keyword: SOME.  Not all, but some.  I really would have thought that this shirt would be $17.80.  Some of their jackets used to max out at $35 and now I’m seeing some in the $40-range.

Is this happening to H&M too?

Fast fashion doesn’t seem so inexpensive anymore.

I’m thinking.. at least for now, can I stick to thrifting for a while?  And if I do, can I resell to Crossroads in the future and get my money back?

Let’s say I get lucky and buy a designer brand shirt at the thrift store for $5.  Later on I get tired of it… I sell it for $5 in store credit to Crossroads.  Now I can buy more clothes using that credit from Crossroads.  Most times the scenario won’t be perfect, and I will definitely lose some money.  Crossroads may not take the item.  Maybe Crossroads will buy it from me, but for less value than I paid.

But at least I can turn that wasted storage space into a new item, without spending much more.  

Now I have $120 to spend at Crossroads… I’m telling myself if I have the itch to spend, I’ll head to Crossroads first.

I don’t think I can stick to buying thrift & consignment ‘forever.’  Digging through racks of clothes to find fashion gold can get tiring.  Retail makes it so easy nowadays, but it comes at a price.  But.. I’m going to try.  At least for now.

♥ E&I

Nate Berkus for Target Collection

Tags

decor, nate berkus, Shopping, target

Finally… a Target collection to get excited about!  Remember when the designer clothing collaborations made the general public go bananas?  (Missoni?  Rodarte?) I think those days are finally over, but I’m honestly very excited for the Nate Berkus decor collection that’s coming to stores on October 21st.

I have two of his lamps in the bedroom and even though time has passed I still love them very much.  He is very good at blending modern, organic, warmth and glamour together!  I am a big fan of gold and metallics.

{see more home photos here}

My favorites:

The turtle wall hanging, the ikat towels, the geometric picture frame and the faceted gold vase!  And maybe a pillow or two.

{all images via Target}

Do you see anything you like?  I’m not sure if I should buy right when the collection comes out or wait until clearance time. Hmm.

♥ E&I

Latest finds: J Brand, Hudson, Forever 21 and a Halloween Sewing project

Tags

crafting, deals, denim, etsy, Forever 21, halloween, hudson, j brand, jeans, max hat, neiman marcus, sewing, Shopping, where the wild things are

I love you, Neiman Marcus Last Call.  My love for you knows no bounds!!!

A few weeks ago I bought a pair of white Hudson skinnies for ~$35.  In the past I didn’t have much luck at this store but I’ve hit the jackpot lately~

From my instagram:

And last week I scored 2 J Brand jeans for $30.87 each! And they’re not weird, high waisted, or in strange colors either!  My local store receives merchandise from their sister store, Bergdorf Goodman, and for some reason, the BG merchandise is heavily discounted compared to the regular Neiman Marcus items.  The Hudsons and J Brands that I found were priced at a mere $49.99 each.  The whole clearance center was having a 30% off everything sale and I was lucky enough to get an additional 10% off because of their Columbus Day sale, thus bringing each pant to $30.87.

I usually perform research on most of my purchases just to see if I can find a cheaper price elsewhere or if reviewers had any problems with fit or quality.  Does this also validate my purchase? Perhaps.

I bought the J Brand Martini flare

…and the J Brand 901 Coated leggings in Smokestack.

I really thought they were regular jeans at first but they have faux front pockets.  The only bad thing about coated leggings or jeans is that they are dry clean only.  But I really like how subtle the coating is.

These are my first J Brands and I have to say that I am a big fan already!  Hudson jeans are normally my favorite but these are quite close.

The Martini inseam is very long and as such I’ll have to lose a lot of the flare shape.  When trying them on I look like I’m about to go scuba diving with flippers!  That’s okay because I prefer a more subtle flare anyhow.

I also picked up a cheap polka dot tee from Forever 21 for $2.99 in a size medium.  Sizing up means a bigger neck opening and a high probability of off-the-shoulder styling

The dots remind me of Japan and the Rei Kawakubo COMME des GARÇONS print!

I was going to put the post up earlier but I’ve been busy sewing this hat for a customer!  If you don’t recognize it, it is the Max hat from the book and movie “Where the Wild Things Are” but without the crown.

At lunch today I’m heading over to Justin’s so I can take a few more modeling pics of him for additional listings.  Then this hat will be shipped off!

I have a lot more material and I plan to go on a hat sewing rampage!  Lately I’ve been unmotivated to sew but this has really amped me up.

♥ E&I