October 2016 Month in Review

Happy Halloweeeeeeen! Spooooooooky!

So, the thing where I ask my wife before I buy anything? Has not happened. I forgot about it within a few days. And this month ended up being high again! The problem? In addition to my usual incidental purchases, and some lingering Gear purchases, I had two big Wardrobe Projects going at once!

Project #1: Halloween Costume

I decided to be Billy Idol for Halloween, finally (it's been on my short list for years and I finally have the right hair), so I got a bunch of items for the costume. I gave myself a $100 budget limit, which I just barely made.

The tragedy is that I was sick with a fever on the day of the costume party and had to cancel! But I wore some of the pieces to work today (Halloween!) in a modified "plausible deniaBillyIdol" costume.

I bought the clothes used from Thredup or Poshmark. Jewelry was handmade from Etsy.

Pleather vest	$13
Coated black skinny jeans	$9
Tank top (reusable in regular wardrobe)	$9
Dangly earrings	$8
Fingerless gloves	$10
Platinum blond temporary hair spray	$7
Chain bracelet	$7
Skull necklace (didn't come in time)	$16
Shipping/return shipping	$20
Total	$99

Project #2: Wedding Clothes

I started working on a Fancy Outfit for a wedding I'm attending in November. My capsule wardrobe lacks Fancy Clothes, especially for cooler weather.

Dress	$95
Shoes	$75
Tights	$28
Shipping/return shipping	$12
Total	$210

I still need a few accessories: warm layer (e.g. pashmina) and jewelry (I'm thinking a necklace and earrings, now that my Billy Idol costume has proved that I can still wear earrings).

Ideally, the same items will be usable at any future fancy events (weddings, parties, etc.) and I'll be able to mix the tights, shoes, and jewelry into work outfits.

Other Clothes & Gear

Now, given that I've already spent $309 on two "event" outfits, I should not have bought any other clothes, but… they just kind of happened. But I don't regret them, either, because (except for the glasses & tights which I haven't received yet), I have already used these items a lot!

New RX glasses (actually like $50 but I had store credit from a return)	$1
More Nice Tights (same order as fancy tights)	$60
Blazer (J. Crew, 100% wool - amazing thrift find)	$20
Hemp yoga pants (soooo comfy & perfect for mid-temps running)	$74
Base layer top (very warm)	$52
Infinity scarf	$19
Reflective lock laces	$20
Reflective bands	$13
"Transitional weather" work tops	$21
Underwear (tbh not needed RIGHT NOW but wife was making an order)	$52
Tailoring (bringing up hems for 2 pairs of work pants - w/ tip)	$30
Total	$362

Other Stuff

Instrument Cord	$10
Kindle books	$7
Total	$17

Conclusion

The grand total, therefore, is … $688

NOT GREAT, especially coming off another very high month. I didn't buy and return as much as I did last month, but my total is close. (After some more returns went through from last month, my total for that month ended up being about $775.)

But I also feel like a lot of these purchases were good and also well-timed! I could not have known that I'd be sick over Halloween, rendering my costume mostly useless, but I don't regret getting the items, since I can use the same costume (or a similar one) next year. I can also use some items, like the tank top and the bracelet, in my normal wardrobe.

I could have worked on the wedding in early November, but because shoes and dresses can be hard to fit, it made sense for me to start working on it now. It did take me basically the whole month to land on a pair of shoes.

And while I felt very decadent spending so much on a base layer top and a pair of yoga pants, these have proved to be wardrobe stars: the base layer is cozy and toasty, and I was real glad I had it when we had some trouble with the heat. And the pants are perfect for running in weather that's too cold for shorts but not cold enough for wool, which is the weather we've had all month! And they're so comfortable I just don't want to take them off. I know you can get yoga pants for $10 or $20, but after I tried these ones on, I just fell in love.

So! What will happen in November? I'm planning to get the finishing touches for my nice outfit. And I need to start planning for Christmas and thinking about other people for once in my liiiiife!