what I bought in April

it’s more than I bought in March…

In news that will surprise almost no one, I did not pull off a one-buy April. However, most clothing or clothing-adjacent purchases were either ones I’d considered for months, or in-person purchases à la Rachel Solomon’s slacker shopping manifesto. All of that feels different from the endless scroll of a secondhand app, and for that, I still consider April an improvement, if not a win.

I am the kind of person who has tracked every single book I’ve read since 2010, so keeping a log of my purchases has felt rewarding, and I’m going to continue doing it. (Hoping to add far fewer lines to that list than my book lists!)

evidence of someone who has had and kept the same New Year’s Resolution for the last 14 years

The first purchase was the cursed wedding guest dress from this post. I left town again shortly after getting back from that wedding, so I don’t even think I’ve washed it yet (yikes!) but maybe I’ll wear it more this summer.
Cost: $30

The second purchase was this sweatshirt from Etsy, purchased after methodically sifting through what felt like every vintage sweatshirt on that site for one that was 100% cotton. I was looking for another sweatshirt to add to the rotation (the Miami Heat sweatshirt was pulling a lot of weight recently!) Of course, as soon as I bought it, I went out of town for almost a month and didn’t have a chance to wear it until today. Happy with it so far, and looking forward to wearing it more once we’ve made it through the gauntlet that is a New York City summer.
Cost: $0—had an Etsy gift card that covered it.

The third purchase was this pair of pants, first spotted in this post. These were brand new, from Anthropologie, and I bought them while spending the afternoon with my sister (who also works there). They’re a combo of several bullet points on my “fashion wants” note, which includes “more navy,” “more poplin,” and “loose pants.”
Cost: $86 with the family discount (thank you!!)

(this note is much longer in actuality)

The fourth purchase was this bag, featured in an upcoming outfit post. Last year, when my friend Anna visited, she was wearing it in navy and I loved it.

Anna with the bag in question (and her equally as stylish mom!) - don’t worry, Anna’s doing a ‘getting dressed’ feature soon

Anna’s specific style was long sold out when I looked for it last year, and that’s how I ended up with that green rope tote instead. After using it nonstop for the last couple weeks, I searched again for Anna’s version, hoping to have two colorful textured bags to swap out throughout the summer. I found it secondhand in navy here (and here, for more money) if anyone wants it. I’m happy with this purchase—I’ve wanted this bag for a year now, and I found it secondhand, with tags still on!
Cost: $8 ($22 plus shipping, but had Poshmark credit already that covered most of the purchase)

the cart at thrift store #2… did not end up getting the navy bag on top even though it was Coach and $25… because I knew I wouldn’t use it!

Purchase five (multiple items): A thrift store shopping trip with a friend. I ended up with this brown linen shirt, this straw bag, and a hot pink silk linen midi skirt. Yes, the skirt is too big, and I fell into the “I’ll alter it!” trap, but hold me to it—I plan to take a few things to the tailor now that I’m back in New York.
Cost: $32

Purchase six was this baseball cap from the Don CeSar hotel. A new offshoot of the “always buy the t-shirt” philosophy—always buy the baseball cap! I don’t stay at hotels often, but my husband and I have spent one night here the last couple of times we’ve visited my parents, and I love it so much. I anticipate this hat entering regular summer rotation.
Cost: $32

The shirt in the front wasn’t even for me!

Purchases seven and eight were two more thrifting trips. I don’t go thrifting much in NYC (this may be controversial, but I do not consider Beacon’s Closet, Buffalo Exchange, L Train, etc. thrifting!) so when I’m back in Florida, I usually go to several different stores. I enjoyed both of these trips (one with my sister, one solo) but I did go a little overboard. I’ll have to take a couple of these shirts to the tailor to get them cropped, which is worth it but will add a little more to the total cost. You can’t tell from the photo, but the tank top and the pants are both a rich, dark shade of brown—maybe brown will be my shade of the summer.
Cost: $27 and $43 ($70 total)

TOTAL COST: $258*
*I sold a few things on Poshmark and eBay during April, and all settled and cashed out, I made $175. So I’ll count that against the total cost and call it $83 net (about the exact amount I spent on those Anthropologie pants).

The only purchase I’m not excited about was the black dress—the rest are either purchases I’d thought about for months or in-person purchases that were as much about the experience as what I ended up with. I’m not traveling this month, so I expect that my purchases in May will be fewer and far between!

<3 E