flea

I want a classic v-neck merino wool sweater that is not ridiculously tight or ridiculously loose, and most importantly is not incredibly cheaply made (generally in China). Few major stores make wool sweaters anymore; it's cotton or cashmere only. J Crew is sold out of their merino v-neck (besides being tight and pricey). Banana has one (for $60), but I got one just like this year's on clearance for $9 last year and that's about what it is worth - thin, pilled up after one wearing. I'd be willing to pay $60 for durable quality, but not for that. Maybe I need to go back to haunting ebay for vintage men's Pringle cashmere.

In other nonexistent things, I want 10 slim, adjustable waist, straight or bootcut pants (jeans, cords, whatever) NOT skinny, that are good quality and will last. Lands End has failed me entirely this year - skinny pants only for girls.

Basically, everything is so damn cheaply made these days. I hate it.

Lands' End has screwed up the fit of their "tugless tankini" for girls this year - the bottoms are apparently so badly cut that they are skimpy in the front and baggy in the back, no matter what size one tries. Why they messed with what must be one of their steady reliable top sellers, who knows, but thank god they enabled comments so I know not to order the suit for Casper for this summer. Maybe the flood of returns and negative reviews will allow them to do something about it.

The problem becomes, what do I order instead. Hanna Andersson's swimsuits are too little-girl print and they only make tanks and bikinis; Garnet Hill has some cute prints but everything has ruffles (excet the darling Patagonia suits, but a $55 swimsuit for my 7 year old is a no). So I guess we're going with LLL Bean, but unfortunately their basic tankini only comes as a set - I was planning to get just bottoms and order a rash-guard top. Grrr. Maybe I will brave our local sporting-goods store (which is about half guns and ammo) and see if there's anything there.

I got some cool board shorts for Casper from Lands End last year that have a built-in swimsuit bottom but then are like surf shorts. They were huge last year (despite being the same size as everything else I bought) but fit now, and she loves them. Of course, they do not make these any more.

Trolling the online sales for next year and things the kids need.

I need: wool socks, long underwear.
Dillo needs: a parka for next year, mittens for next year, swimming trunks (probably 2) and a rash guard (ditto), maybe a sweatshirt for next year, Keens for next summer.
Casper needs: a skirt or two for now, jeans and pants and tees for next year (I think she will still be in 8s - a 10 is HUGE), maybe a sweatshirt for next year, a swimsuit and rash guard for next year.

We just bought mr. flea masses of clothes, so he should be okay for a while. I will keep my eyes out for tall seersucker shirts with straight hems and lightweight pants.

Yesterday I worked 8am-10pm (many thanks to my sister for keeping me from dying of boredom after I ran out of internets at 8:30pm; we discussed smallpox, syphillis, and pernicious anemia, as one does). Then I woke up about every half hour all night - every time to heat came on - because the air vents made some noise that kept triggering my "a child is crying downstairs" reflex. Yawn.
It's cold in Georgia. Even the NYTimes noticed! http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/09/us/09georgia.html There's a mall in the ATL that makes snow outside every hour from 6-9pm on weekends, and I think we are going to try to go on Saturday. My kids are in love with the idea of snow. Simple frost on the windshield of the car had them shouting with excitement this morning. It's ridiculous, but very cute.
My Girl Scout rant issues continue. I faxed in an RSVP on Friday 12/3, the stated deadline, for my troop to attend an event on Saturday 12/11, and was supposed to receive an email confirming the time (they are scheduling the troops). On Monday I emailed the contact just to check if the fax had been received. She was out of the office but said she would check with them. On Tuesday, not having heard from her, I emailed back. She said she hadn't been able to reach anyone ion the office, but I should give her my troop's info directly and she could register us. I did. On Wednesday, not having heard from her, I emailed again, just to say, "are we registered?" On Thursday morning I called the office, where they told me a) she was the only person who could register troops for this event in their system, b) she was out of the office all week but working from home some and c) the office was "crazy" this week and closed early yesterday and today. The event is now in less than 48 hours and I was supposed to - an email just came in. We are confirmed. Good grief, though. I mean, honestly? Who sets a deadline of Friday the week before an event (in 6 locations across Georgia, all RSVPing through one office) and then takes the next week off? When she's the only one who can register people?
We are going to buy a digital piano as the big family Christmas gift this year. We went in to a local independent store and looked at them, but then I looked on Craigslist and there is a used one for sale in Atlanta for half what they want in the store for a used one, same model. I feel guilty about not patronizing my local store - worse, patronizing and then not buying from them - but saving $250 is not to be sneezed at. We're getting a Yamaha P-60 (replaced now by the P-95), which is an 88-key, weighted machine, with good sound (8 sounds total), and a midi export line so we can buy a $100 cable and hook it up to Garage Band if we want to. I am looking at piano lessons for me, maybe.
I am sort half done Christmas shopping. I hope to accomplish a lot this weekend in the city, at the Fernbank Natural History Museum gift shop, and the big mall where it snows. mr. flea is under strict orders to make some headway in dealing with his family (i.e. acquiring suggestions, which is their practice) by Saturday.
I am so tired.

I should have focused on one other kind of pants, like khakis, but instead I tried on a mishmash of things. Some photographed very badly, too. Just for the record, here's what I tried:

( Pants... many, many pants. )

I did a pretty good job.

I bought Dillo some new shoes from ebay - the exact same blue boots that were Casper's first Stride Rites (except hers were a 7.5 and his are a 5.5!)

I bought pea, basil, parsely and thyme seeds. We planted peas yesterday!

I bought Dillo 2 Hanna Andersson onesies from ebay. Right size, cute stuff, good deal - but the reason I bought them was I was having a really hard few days. Still, a sensible $10 purchase is definitely the way to go if you're going to be doing emotional shopping.

I bought a $9 decent quality bucket from the grocery store to collect shower-warming-up water for watering the garden. Our drought is easing off a bit for now, but it's the wettest time of the year for us. We'll be back in extreme drought this summer, I have no doubt. And why waste water? (mr. flea also noted that the bucket would be good for mopping. Which it would if we ever, you know, mopped.)

I have been window-shopping a LOT lately, though - spring catalogs, ebay, and this weekend's pants extravaganza. I am probably going to buy some jeans ($20 I hope) and a cardigan (ditto) on ebay in the next couple of days.

I decided to do a "buy nothing" fast for January and February. Obviously I can't actually buy nothing - I'll buy groceries and diapers and cat food, for starters. I'll also buy swimming lessons for my kid, probably. And seeds, because to plant peas March 1 you've got to buy seeds in January or February.

What I really want to do is buy no semi-durable consumer goods - no clothes, no books, no Target domestic implements. That sort of thing. No new STUFF. I have one exemption preplanned, as Dillo may outgrow his shoes. In that case I have a bye to buy him some new Stride Rites on ebay. Casper is perfectly fine to abundant for clothes and shoes, as am I and mr. flea. We're not desperate for any household items, and I can't imagine us being. If something catastrophic happens, like the dryer breaking, we'll buy a new (used) one.

It's hard already, because I am getting the post-Christmas total markdown sale catalogs. J. Jill in particular is tempting me - lots of good-for-work shirts for $10, sweaters for $20, and pants for under $30. But, while I do need winter pants, I have plenty of clothes to get me through this winter, and there will be other good sales in the future. I'll be *fine*.

Part of the challenge will be to see if this can stop me online window shopping while at work. Hopefully also the press of work - I am taking 2 classes this spring, and have 2 major initiatives I want to launch - will assist this endeavor.

And remind me, when I think of going to Target, we could instead go for a hike at West Point on the Eno.

I can't justify spending $202 at Hanna Andersson, right? Even if every single thing in the cart is on sale and practical?

Right. Ebay would be a lot cheaper, for starters.

PS: Dear Hanna Andersson, please start making women's underpants and cotton tights. Also, why are your adult pajamas so freaking expensive and never on sale?

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Entries tagged with shopping

shopping woes

A Shopping Tragedy !!!1!

Post-Christmas Shopping

Mishmash

Pants 3: The rest of the pants

That not buying thing?

buy nothing

sigh

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June 2019

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