I used paypal earnings from selling some clothes on Poshmark to buy these pre-owned (new with tags) James Perse sweat shorts (MSRP = $165 vs. price I paid = $35). These shorts had been in my “likes” folder for quite some time. It’s something I would consider buying new as well, which helped me figure out whether I wanted it because it was discounted or if I really wanted it for what it is. In the end, I decided yes I really wanted it for what it is, because I could see myself wearing them a lot, and especially because I don’t already own anything similar. The Paypal credit and the 80% off retail price tag helped seal the deal too, of course.
At home, my legs like to breathe, and while frolicking around the apartment sans pants is totally acceptable, a lot of times a little bottom coverage is necessary, like when I’m stir frying something in the kitchen and need to avoid oil splatter or when I’m doing chores and need pockets to carry my phone around with me because I’m in the middle of a super long text conversation with a friend. Anyway, I like these shorts a lot. They have become the first thing I change into when I get home from work. They are very soft and I love the functionality of the 3 pockets. The length is nice, but the opening is a bit narrow so if you have medium to large thighs, these might feel too constricting in that area. For reference, I’m wearing a JP size 1 here, and normally I’m a size 27-28 in pants.
Too bad JP doesn’t offer detailed size charts for every garment. I don’t understand why retailers don’t post these measurements. Seems like it would be cost-saving to go that extra mile to prevent avoidable returns. It would also help customers overcome the fear of buying something online.
I’m doing pretty good with my spending in the month of February. So far I’ve only used credits/paypal earnings for new additions, so I don’t really count that as real spending, but of course it is.
Today I had my final session with my personal finance coach (provided free of cost by my employer) and she referred me to a “money coach” / retirement specialist with another agency (also provided free of cost by my employer) for further guidance about financial matters beyond budgeting and saving. I made sure to check that there is a fiduciary relationship between adviser and client with no sales component to their business before signing up. I’ve felt very confused about retirement/investments and the question of disability insurance. There’s so many conflicts of interest, and an entire blood sucking industry out there that preys on naive physicians, so I’m looking forward to hearing from an expert with no financial incentives to sell me on one thing or another. I’ll write more on this in another post.
A couple days ago, I found this hole in my favorite (only) ribbed tee! But thank god I had some tear mender glue laying around and was able to glue the hole shut. The whole process took less than 2 minutes. Easy peasy.
before
after
I can’t sew very well, and honestly don’t have the patience for it, and although I would love to learn how, and went so far as to look up the best sewing machine and finding local sewing classes in my area, I decided against it in the end; I don’t have room for another hobby in my life at this point. Do you sew? Do you own a sewing machine? If yes, how often do you use it?
[outfit: *cuyana scoop silk tank, *james perse brushed fleece shorts; *=pre-owned]
Dr. it girl 
Tear mender glue? I haven’t heard it before and I’m definitely gonna give it a try. Thanks for mentioning it!
LikeLike
Yep it does a decent job. Not perfect but good enough.
LikeLike
I have a sewing machine, but it’s collecting dust at this point. Maybe once a year I’ll use it to repair something or shorten a hem. It was passed down to me but if I had to buy one, not sure that it would be worth it.
LikeLike
Seems like sewing machines do get passed down a lot. Definitely something people did more in the old days.
LikeLike
OMG the tear mender glue. Need this in my life.
I like the shorts! They look really comfortable and also practical and stylish. I wish retailers would include sizing too. It’s such a no brainer. And especially if you insist on proprietary sizing numbers like JP does!! At best you might get one random measurement from a single size, which is basically useless.
I have two sewing machines now, but my old one is at my studio and I haven’t used it there yet. I sew things occasionally but mostly just hem things and fix things several times a year.
When my mom died I took her machine from my dad’s house because it’s much nicer than the one I had. I grew up learning to sew because my mom was always sewing things around the house.
When I took my mom’s machine to the repair place for a tuneup, I learned that it was the same repair place she had taken it to herself many years ago and they had her name on file, which was oddly comforting. Sorry for the random story, not really what you were asking about!
LikeLike
Love that story! It’s like you can feel her spirit around you. All of my aunts sewed by my mom never really got into it. Which is why I never learned. What a gift that is tho to have learned it!
LikeLike
I hate it when holes happen, but that glue seems like a total life saver! I can barely tell the difference.
Maybe you can sign up for a weekend sewing class where you make a project. It feels awesome to actually create something from scratch. If you take a class, it doesn’t have to be a full-blown hobby. I personally learned by buying a machine from Sears and following the instructions. I remember I made a couple “reconstructed” t-shirts and sold them on eBay! They were not nicely made at all, haha. Not to toot my own horn or anything, but I’m pretty good now because I’ve been doing it for so long! Sewing is very time-consuming, so I barely make anything now that I have the blog and a husband. But it’s nice to be able to hem my own jeans instead of paying someone to do it.
LikeLike
impressive! sewing an entire garment looks hard. I’d probably really enjoy sewing but afraid it will be a huge time sink..
LikeLike
Oh boy, I didn’t realise this posted with my entire name. Would it be possible to change/delete this? Thanks.
LikeLike
I deleted it but included your comment below:
I do all my own mending and some alterations by hand, as I haven’t had access to a machine in years. It’s a useful skill that is pretty therapeutic as well. There are long seams that I would once have relegated to a machine (aka: never), but now I just put on a podcast and find some sunlight on the weekends.
More importantly, it’s actually a useful metric for whether an item should stay in my closet. For example, am I happy to invest my time into fixing this for further wear? Will the fabric withstand repair? Is it economically prudent to do so? With basics that I might otherwise attempt to replace with ‘better’ versions, I now try to avoid another purchase for who knows how much time and money.
Ultimately though, my motivations are selfish—I like being able to fix the unique pieces that I would hate to give up (e.g. the drop waist on a $40 secondhand Steven Alan silk dress).
LikeLike
I do all my own mending and some alterations by hand, as I haven’t had access to a machine in years. It’s a useful skill that is pretty therapeutic as well. There are long seams that I would once have relegated to a machine (aka: never), but now I just put on a podcast and find some sunlight on the weekends.
More importantly, it’s actually a useful metric for whether an item should stay in my closet. For example, am I happy to invest my time into fixing this for further wear? Will the fabric withstand repair? Is it economically prudent to do so? With basics that I might otherwise attempt to replace with ‘better’ versions, I now try to avoid another purchase for who knows how much time and money.
Ultimately though, my motivations are selfish—I like being able to fix the unique pieces that I would hate to give up (e.g. the drop waist on a $40 secondhand Steven Alan silk dress).
LikeLike
great skill to have.. you probably save a lot of money on mending your own.. i probably spend like 30 bucks every 2=3 months or so to mend /tailor things..
LikeLike
I didn’t even finish your post; I had to order the tear mender glue straight away. I can’t believe I’ve never heard of that before. Thank you!!
LikeLike
all it takes is one repair to get a return on investment.
LikeLike
Oh my, I’d never heard of tear mender glue before. Previous recent rips in clothing have usually been somewhere relatively invisible (usually in the back of a tee or cardigan, right up where the rest of it connects to the collar) so I’ve just gone at it with my minimal sewing skills.
LikeLike
I should probably get a mini sewing kit at some point because you’re right, a lot of repairs can be done w hardly any skill.
LikeLike
Really happy I read this post because I have never heard of tear mender glue until now! Mind-blown! I tried to learn how to sew too but I got way too impatient
Definitely a skill I should eventually add to my arsenal though.
LikeLike
The glue is good to mend small holes. I might save sewing for retirement. Haha. I won’t sew enough to make it worth the investment.
LikeLiked by 1 person