I used to love shopping. I could spend all day shopping… That was back in the day – when I was able to fit into most clothing in junior sizes 3, 5 & 7.

Now it’s not fun to shop for me. I’d rather shop for the boys or even Doug. For me, it’s a chore. I’m not able to embrace my body in its current shape. From my ribcage to my upper thighs, I’m a lumpy blob.

I want that midsection to be in proportion to my nicely muscled arms and lower legs, but it’s not happening. Mostly because along with my healthy food, I want my treats, too. I want to eat guacamole, salsa, queso and chips. I want my Haagen Daz Caramel Cone ice cream. I want my cream cheese. I ate mostly clean for several weeks, then it all came crashing down in a big binge that I haven’t really recovered from.

And I researched wardrobe essentials today. I came up with a list of 20 items, a mix of Tim Gunn and SAHM Style.

1. Basic Black Dress
2. Trench Coat
3. Classic Dress Pants
4. White Shirt
5. Jeans
6. Cashmere Sweater
7. Skirt
8. Day Dress
9. Blazer
10. Sweat Suit Alternative
11. Black Pumps
12. Ballet Flats
13. Stylish Bag
14. Cargo Pants
15. Bathing Suit
16. Pantsuit
17. Fitted t-shirt (v neck 3/4)
18. Shorts
19. Layering pieces (tank tops/camis)
20. Yoga pants

So, May and I went shopping for clothes today. I wanted to pick up some straight leg dark denim jeans and a nice white button down shirt. We hit Burlington Coat Factory, JC Penney, Old Navy and Sears. And the list went out the window. Every pair of dark jeans I tried on was just awful. UGH.

Burlington Coat Factory
$14.99 – Ryka Black Capri Workout Pants

JCPenney
$19.99 (marked down from $36) – Dark Pink Sleeveless Ribbed Sweater with Belt
$17.99 (marked down from $30) – Chocolate Brown Poplin Crop Pants
I wanted to get these Skecher shoes, which were $44.99 – much more than I usually spend on shoes, but they were comfy and cute. The girl behind the counter couldn’t find the matching shoe. So I took that as a sign that I wasn’t meant to have those shoes.

Old Navy
Nada. I wanted racer back ribbed tanks and they didn’t have any!

Sears
$10.00 Running Shell
$ 8.00 Running Top
$13.99 Mesh Running Shorts
$13.99 Mesh Running Shorts

So, I ended up with a lot of workout clothes and one non-workout outfit.

Notice that it’s all solid colors? May did. And encouraged me to do otherwise. I tried on some clothing with prints/ stripes/ patterns, but either they didn’t fit or they just didn’t grab me. I’m much more stingy with my clothing money than I used to be. I have to really love it to buy it.

We only shopped for 4 hours, and I was tired by the end of it – even with a diet coke and pretzeldog fortification break. It’s just disheartening to try on so many clothes that don’t fit.