My sister, Mom, and I went out on a shopping excursion this weekend. Our goal was to find my Mom a dress for a wedding she was going to, some clothes for the boys, and do a bit of birthday shopping. At one of our stops in Anthropologie I was wandering around and came across a few lovely items that I could definitely add to my special purchase (or Christmas) list.
My sister and I headed out on Saturday to brave the “crowds” of tax free weekend. It really wasn’t as bad as we thought it would be! I think a lot of people had gone out on “Furlough Friday” (as many people have designated Friday in our city) because the school supply section was crazy that day (I had run up there to get groceries). Anyway, enough about my random outings.
So here is the add up of the tops and coats I purchased:
And here is everything laid out:
I tend to buy more for A now because I know that a lot of it is going to be passed down to J, so I don’t want it to be completely worn out. By far the buy I was most excited about was the new coat (from Costco! For 16 dollars! London Fog!). And A was most excited about the Ninja Turtles shirt, of course. The clothes shown are from Carters, H&M, Gap, and Crazy 8.
And here is the add up of pants and shorts I purchased:
I didn’t buy a lot of new shorts, because all of the tees A will wear into the fall with pants and a jacket or sweatshirt (or a long sleeve shirt underneath). He has quite a few pairs of shorts that still fit. The pants are from Gap. The athletic pants and shorts are from Target and Carters.
And here is what I purchased for J:
Just a couple of new shirts, a new sweatshirt, little exercise shorts for Little Gym, and a new hat. I was most excited about the sweatshirt (Target), J was most excited about the hat, of course!
And here were my non-clothes purchases:
A new lunchbox and snack container for A (his picks!), and a new notebook and note cards for me for work.
I saved quite a bit because I had coupons and I opened a Gap card that got me 45% off my entire purchase (I had a coupon that went with the discount when you open a card). That was probably my best deal of the day.
The one item I almost didn’t get was A’s lunchbox. A had specifically asked for it and when I went back to Target to get it, they were out. Luckily, they had more in the back and found me one.
I think A is now prepped (clothes-wise) for back to school! I am going to take the boys out for new shoes, but other than that I am done clothes shopping until much later in the fall when the boys will start needing more long sleeve shirts.
Oh and here is what the boys did while I was gone:
Their new favorite game. J brings A items, and A sets them up at the restaurant. It’s quite elaborate!
Our tax free weekend is coming up (have you gotten the zillions of coupons in the mail?), and here are some of the basics on my list for A (and a few for J):
My typical plan of starter fall clothes for A is three pairs of pants, three long sleeve basics, three graphic tees, a basic coat, and sneakers. And of course I am always on the look out for new hats for J, and I am checking H&M to see if they have these Mario gloves to stick away for A’s birthday. I typically go through and see what hand me downs I have for J from A, and then supplement with some new items.
A has really specific likes and dislikes about clothes right now. He doesn’t like button-ups or items that have too many mixed color patterns. He likes graphic tees, but he is pretty specific about which ones he likes and doesn’t like. What I typically do is pick a color scheme, and then he can mix and match the items, and I save receipts!
Pants: All Gap, in skinny and straight fit because those are A’s favorites.
Long Sleeve Tees: All Gap, one of my favorite places for basics.
Short Sleeve Graphic Tees: Green (Crazy 8), Blue (Gymboree)
Coat: Old Navy
Hats (top to bottom): Old Navy, H&M, Crazy 8
Gloves: H&M
Sneakers: Piperlime, but they have similar at DSW and Shoe Carnival.
The other items that are always on my list for tax free weekend are:
A new printer cartridge 
Diapers for J. On a side note: I started buying Up&Up brand for J and I have liked them just as well as Pampers.
And that’s my plan! I am hoping to get some good deals, but also keep in mind the amount of spending I want to do now and later.
We are about to go on our second trip of the year, attending a beach wedding for one of my husband’s friends. The boys are excited, A is really interested in the fact that they are getting married on the beach (are they going to build a sandcastle? was one of his questions). So I thought I would share my outfit choices for me, for the wedding.
Dress: Piperlime…super terrific price. I am waiting for it to get here and hoping it works because I don’t have any other options!!
Jewlery: I am keeping it simple and white/pearl because the dress is teal. Necklace (Target), Ring (Piperlime), Earrings (Kate Spade)
Shoes: We are wearing flip flops on the sand and I am switching to sandals for the reception. I have a terrific pair of Jessica Simpson flip flops, but I couldn’t find a recent perfect match so I am sharing these great Gap basics. Sandals (Franco Sarto)
Sunglasses: Target. I’m cheap.
Bags: So I am planning on taking a bag similar to this Old Navy one because I have to put the boys and my shoes in it. However, if you don’t have two small children to tote about this Michael Kors clutch would be pretty terrific.
Nail polish: Sonia Kashuk Beachy Keen (Target).
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