Shopping is Hard

Over the weekend, I spent some time working on a crochet project (that should have been finished weeks ago) and watching various things on my DVR (when I wasn’t watching the Olympics).  One thing that I watched was “What Not to Wear.”

For those of you who haven’t seen the show, the general premise is that people with awful fashion sense and awful wardrobes are nominated to be on the show and then ambushed by the What Not to Wear team.  They are given $5000 to spend on a new wardrobe, but have to first go through their old wardrobe, toss just about everything, and then follow the rules given to them when buying their new wardrobe.

Watching this show always makes me wish that I dressed a little bit better.  And I have to admit, I’m always picking up fashion tips about what to wear to fit certain body types.  Of course, I don’t have $5000 to spend on clothes, but they are helpful tips when I do go shopping.

One common theme throughout the show is that shopping is hard.  And I agree!  I don’t understand how anyone can find shopping theraputic or enjoyable.  Going shopping for clothing drives me nuts.  I can never find things that I like, and when I do, they never fit the way I would like them to.  And clothes are expensive!

I wish that I had the patience to spend more time in discount stores or department stores to really take the time to go through the sale racks and find things that will look great on me for a great price.  I just can’t do it.  I find it so stressful.  I am the shopper that the merchandisers love.  I walk into a store and see what’s hanging on display.  Those are the things I aim for.  If I have to sort through racks of clothing to find something, I’m probably not going to do it.  I find that I prefer the types of racks that have one item in varying sizes, not many different items in one size.

I don’t buy clothes often, though I am aware that my wardrobe could use work.  I have certain items that I wear all the time, and I should branch out a bit.  On one hand, my current method of just not going shopping and buying anything until I feel like I truly need something is great for my budget.  But I do think that I should learn to take the time and make the effort so I can put together a great wardrobe that still won’t break the budget.