2019 Spending Realization

I did the unthinkable. I sat down today and actually added up what I spent on clothing in 2019. I poured through credit card statements, Target transactions (if you’re a Red Card holder, you can go on the Target app and see exactly what you’ve purchased... which is terrifying), and bank statements and came up with a number. Granted, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be (there are definitely years I spent much more!) but it’s still a decent chunk of change. And I’m not sure how accurate it is (hello cash purchases), but it’s a good number to motivate me and I’ll settle with it. 

(Target lots all your purchases if you use your Red Card.)

So far I’ve come up with $4,788 spent on clothing in 2019. The majority of this spending is in the last 6 months of the year, as I was neck-deep in hospital bills the first half of the year and wasn’t shopping much. This does not include shoes or clothes I bought for Chris, but it does include thrift shopping. As I stood in my closet trying to figure out where 5k worth of clothing was (and realizing how many beige and black clothing items I own), I noted that I donate trash bags filled with clothes every couple months, usually things I haven’t worn in a year or so. But still, I couldn’t quite figure it out where it all was. 

(A small percentage of my clothing in one of my closets. Sweaters below. Dresses on top.)

I vaguely remember buying 2 pairs of Good American jeans (worth every penny), a Ralph Lauren wool trench (still haven’t worn it), various Lulu’s wedding guest dresses, and some Patagonia nonsense, as well as plenty of workout and professional clothes. So it was starting to become a bit clearer. Then it occurred to me that I have 6 weddings to go to this year. Does this mean I have to shop for outfits out of my own closet? Find something at a thrift store? Recycle a past wedding guest outfit? I believe this is what they call “first world problems.”

To make this resolution work, the thought of saving 5k this year is a huge motivator. But just as I made my first blog post go live last night and was envisioning what I’d do with that extra 5k, I later found myself googling “rouched (ruched?) dresses” without even realizing what I was doing. It’s a disease, folks. But I will overcome this!

So here’s to saving 5K (minus what I spend at thrift stores)! Now I need to decide what I’m going to do with that extra money — home repairs? A vacation? Brazilian butt lift? We will just have wait and see. Day 2 done, 363 to go. 

xo LC