Small Success #6

I'm totally out of control.

Let me correct that...I've totally been out of control lately, but hopefully I'm back in control. Otherwise, my bank account is really going to suffer.

Ever since I bought new clothes at the beginning of the month, I've wanted to buy more clothes. The smaller jeans are what killed me. After getting a taste of how it feels to wear clothes that fit (it feels GREAT, by the way), it was really hard to wear clothes that were too big. And, my work clothes were really, really big on me. I'd wear these cute, smaller tops then big baggy pants or skirts. It looked funny.

This past weekend, I traveled to Vegas for a cousins weekend. Had a really good time with my cousins. And, highly unusual for us, we did a bit of shopping. I really wanted to buy a couple new skirts and maybe a pair of dress pants, but I couldn't find any that were my style, so I bought a couple tops and two bras instead. *smile*

However, on the way home from Vegas, I stopped at Dress Barn and found exactly the kind of skirts I wanted! Woohoo! I tried on a size 20 and it fit. I was thrilled! My previous skirts were size 26s. However, I hadn't realized that one of the fun skirts I had grabbed (not really the style I want for work, but it was way cute) was actually a size 18. I tried it on anyway, just to see how close I was. It fit perfectly! Lots better than the 20. It didn't pinch anywhere, I could move/sit/walk/stand/bend comfortably, and it looked good (if I do say so myself). So, I tried on 18s for the two skirts I wanted for work and they fit perfectly too! Woohoo!

That's not all. When I went out to pick up the size 18s, I noticed the clearance rack. I decided to look for black dress pants. The only ones I liked in 18s were black with a fairly thick white pinstripe. I decided to try them on anyway. They hung on me! I ended up finding and buying two pairs of all-black dress pants in a size 16!!! They are so comfortable - not at all a tight fit. I almost started to cry in the dressing room. I haven't worn a size 16 since high school. At my heaviest, I couldn't wear my size 26 dress pants, they were too small. Oh, and my new pants were only $6 a piece! Woohoo!

To top it off, I bought new shoes. The skirts especially needed cute shoes - they aren't straight, boring skirts like my old ones. My favorite skirt is gray with a bit of a flair at the bottom. My old, scuffed up, flat Mary Janes are great for administering hearing tests, but they would totally kill the cute buzz created by the skirt! How's that for rationalization? *smile* Oh, and my new shoes are two sizes smaller than what I wore at my heaviest! Who knew that even my feet would get skinnier?

To summarize, because I know I tend to babble: 1) size 18 skirts, 2) size 16 pants, and 3) size 8 shoes.

I think I'm done buying clothes for a bit. It's been expensive (don't ask how much I spent on the bras!), but I feel great wearing my new clothes. And, I'm getting a lot more compliments about how I look. My old, huge clothes hid how much my body has changed.

And, I'm worth the splurge.

*smile*

Small Success #5

Do you remember me mentioning how frustrated I get with my clothes situation? I really hate the thought of spending money on clothes when I'm hopefully not going to be able to wear them for very long. However, lately I've become very unhappy with wearing clothes that don't fit me - that drown me. My pants barely stay up even with the help of a belt!

After some thought, today I went shopping. I gave myself a modest budget to spend on some new clothes. I ended up buying 2 pairs of jeans, a coat, a hoodie, 2 sweaters, and 3 nice shirts. A couple of the shirts are a little snug but wearable AND I'll be able to wear them even longer because of it. I was so excited about new jeans that fit, that as soon as I got to my dad's house after leaving the store, I immediately changed into them. What a difference!

Here's the great part: I bought some of the shirts in the normal clothes section! Not the plus size section! I don't know how long it has been since I've been able to do that. I started out in the plus size section out of habit. It wasn't until I was getting ready to go that I realized I could theoretically fit into clothes in the regular clothes section. I picked up a shirt, took it to the changing room, put it on, and it fit! I just stood in front of the mirror amazed and ever so pleased. I ended up getting a few shirts and the coat from this section.

I still smile about the whole thing - it definitely took the edge off of spending money on new clothes! *smile*