No Shop November: Status Report

You may be thinking to yourself that you don’t remember me ever saying anything about No Shop November. Well, that’s because I was pretty sure I’d fail as soon as I decided to do it. However, I had just bought myself a few things on my New York City trip (on 10/31) and felt like maybe I should back off the spending for a few weeks.

I did pretty well, for the first half of the month. Then, I was pinning some items for an upcoming Trunk (you can read about Trunk Club here if you’re curious) and decided that since one dress was on sale for $70 I should order it before it sells out. It was this one, the Ellen Tracy Belted Fit & Flare dress:

Source: Nordstrom.com
Source: Nordstrom.com

 

It arrived at my house a few days later and went right back in the free return box. The dress was super pretty and the fabric was gorgeous… however the top was cut really large. And this is coming from someone who is on the more well-endowed side too. It was a close call, but I feel like No Shop November made me even pickier than usual and the dress wasn’t worth the time or effort to tailor it.

A few more days went by and I remembered that I needed new black knee-boots. The ones I wore last year (and for two years before that) were starting to look a bit worn and when I went to find a replacement last year all the reasonably priced ones sold out super early. So, my fingers did a little walking over to the Nordstrom Rack website and I found a pair in my preferred brand… so I ordered them. BUT, to get free shipping you have to order $100 worth of stuff. So, OBVIOUSLY I also had to order a hoodie.

Oops.

So that order was for these wide-calf Naturalizer boots and this UGG fleece hoodie.

Source: NordstromRack.com
Source: NordstromRack.com

 

This order came last Friday (technically it was December… does that count?) and I ripped that baby open as soon as it arrived at my door. I didn’t really know what to expect with the sweatshirt, but it is lined with incredibly soft fleece though out the whole body (and hood) AND even has the fleece inside the pockets. I’m going to say that it’s totally worth the Rack price of $46.97 and it is going to keep me warm and cozy all winter long. As for the boots, they fit consistent with my other wide-calf cut boots but there is some slight bagging around the ankle that bothers me. I decided to return them and just keep wearing the heck out of my old pair.

So, yeah… I was doing pretty well with the No Shop November thing with just one slip-up. And then. BOOM. I fell off the wagon.

I got into a ‘the holidays are coming up and I need something new and sparkly’ frenzy. I ordered a skirt of eBay and TWO dresses from Nordstrom. Black Friday sales stalked me on instagram by showing a pair of boots I’ve been lusting over that were on sale for 30% off. I admit it. I clicked and clicked and ordered everything.

I ordered the Tahari Burnout Velvet dress and the Tahari Jacquard dress from Nordstrom.

Source: Nordstrom.com
Source: Nordstrom.com

 

I ordered the Mimi boots in Cheetah from Sole Society.

no-shop-november-6
Source: SoleSociety.com

 

And I ordered the Lauren Conrad Ombre Sequin skirt off eBay. You can see it here on pinterest.

I knew when I ordered the two dresses that I’d probably just keep one. With the free shipping/free returns and lack of free time, it made sense to have them delivered to my house so I could try them on. As luck would have it, neither of them worked out. The red dress has a ton of metallic glitter thread in the design (which I couldn’t see online) which made it super itchy around the neckline. However, the fit was perfect on that one so I almost kept it anyways. The blue dress was super pretty — and could be work-appropriate with a blazer — but the bust was cut small and I had a case of squished knockers. Not cute.

The boots though. All the swooning was happening the moment I tried them on. They even kind of worked with my sweatpants…

Just kidding. But MAN they are cool and I can’t wait to wear them to work tomorrow.

As for the skirt, well that was a bit of a mistake. I like the idea of the sequin skirt but when it comes to wearing it in real life it just doesn’t seem like it’s going to work for me. I also ordered a too-large size because that was what was available on eBay and surprise-surprise, it’s too big. So, I’ll probably list it back up on eBay to get my money back. Or, if anyone is in the market for a XL sequin skirt let me know!

If you’ve been keeping track at home, here is how I did on my No Shop November:

Keeping:
UGG Fleece Hoodie – $47
Mimi Cheetah Boots – $84

Selling:
Lauren Conrad XL Sequin Skirt – $40

Returning:
Everything else

So yeah, my No Shop November wasn’t really a “no shop” month, but I kind of expected it. I spent $131 and ended up with two items that I really love though, so I’m going to call that a win!

 

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4 thoughts on “No Shop November: Status Report”

  1. I’m not sure if you were serious, but I LOVE that skirt and would totally be willing to take it off your hands in an XL 😉

    I also love those boots and might have to find a pair of my own…

  2. I think you did incredibly well for a no shop November. I think I spent more than that just this past weekend. Okay, I may still return some stuff, but that’s not a given….Oh my click finger is itchy again……

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