My Big Parka Sales Score & Some Thoughts about Sales

Sale shopping can be very dangerous, at least for someone like me who has a tendency to get blinded by discounts. It took me forever to learn that not every bargain is a good buy. I actually stayed away from sales for many years because I realized that I was buying unnecessary (and sometimes plain weird) stuff that I never wore. Just because it was cheap. Well, it's not cheap if it's a) crowding your closet making it hard to find the good stuff, b) creating an emotional drag if you can't make yourself get rid of it since you never wore it, and c) making you feel guilty if you ended up spending too much anyway. For a while there I was completely turned off by sales and never even wanted to look. My strategy was to only buy things that I absolutely loved and needed, despite discounts. And there was a year when I didn't shop at all (but that's another story). Anyway, I feel like this January things started to shift and I actually really enjoyed looking (and shopping) at the sales again. It's fun to get good stuff for much less than the list price. I kept my cool, and only bought stuff that is wearable, my style, and at least somewhat needed in my wardrobe (clarification, lest we, meaning I, forget that I don't really NEED anything in my wardrobe, because the truth is that I could happily live another 50 years without buying a shred of clothing, and would not have to go naked). But what I'm trying to say is that I was able to buy a few things that I liked and that update my wardrobe nicely. Case in point, this big parka from Topshop. It was originally around $300 and I paid $58. I would call that a bargain, AND a good buy. I also got the faux fur collar from Ted Baker. I'm pretty sure that both will be well used, and will become staples that I always reach for.