If you read this post, you know that I had no intention of shopping on Black Friday. And I didn’t. Instead, I relaxed and read for the majority of the day before enjoying Noodles takeout and a family movie in the evening.

I hadn’t even planned to shop for the rest of the weekend. But, sometimes even the best laid plans don’t always work out. Let me explain…

On Saturday, I became aware of a campaign by KOTN, an Egyptian cotton clothing company, to donate every dollar from Black Friday through Monday to rebuilding 2 decommissioned schools in the Egyptian farming communities that supply their cotton and make their products. According to KOTN:

“Every day, there are 1,044 children born in rural Egypt who will never learn to read or write.”

They have a lot of great basic pieces at very reasonable prices. I had recently added a fitted turtleneck to my list of possible purchases, mostly for the layering possibilities during a midwest winter. So, both the campaign and the fact that they could fill a wardrobe gap, led me to order a fitted turtleneck in black. $40

My husband was also impressed with their campaign. He has the ultimate capsule wardrobe but it mostly consists of jeans and button down shirts. He has a fairly relaxed dress code at work and I’ve been trying to get him to widen his shirt types. After looking through their offerings, he settled on a sweatshirt with beautiful detailing and the cool element of front pockets. $75

On Sunday, I decided to purchase a pair of Imogene + WIllie jeans that I have been eying all fall.

I had put them in a cart on Saturday but I decided to step away for a bit. I know myself well enough to know that one purchase can have the potential to lead to a lot of purchases and a lot of regret.

I decided to go with a color that was on sale because 1. I really like the color, and 2. I wanted to try the style but at a lower price point. And they were doing an additional 20% off for the weekend. I’ve really been into either really dark outfits lately or really light and a pair of light jeans is not something that I currently own.

I do worry a little that the rise won’t be as high as I like, but I ultimately chose these over the “Elizabeth” because the inseam is much shorter. $108

Now that I had a black turtleneck and a pair of white jeans, I got to thinking about a plaid blazer that I had been eying on Etsy. I decided to check and see if it was still available from and it was! It was also discounted, so win/win.

It’s entirely possible that I’ll have to get the shoulder pads removed, but first I’ll see how they impact the fit. I must admit, I’m pretty excited about it. It’ll be a very nice complement to my mostly neutral wardrobe and I can already imagine all of the outfits! $39.60

The last purchase that I made was from a legwear brand called Hansel from Basel. I have been needing a pair of tights to layer under my more fair weather pants (i.e., silk and linen) and dresses and my one skirt. I was made aware of the brand through Instagram and after looking through their offerings, I settled on a pair of black cashmere tights. They have some really great socks and I am always in need of those in the winter so I grabbed a pair as well. $45.50
                                           

Well that sums up my “Slow Saturday” (and Sunday and Monday) purchases. In total, I spent $233.10 on my own purchases and $75 on my husband (these values do not include shipping). And I have no regrets over anything that I bought, mainly for the following reasons:

1. I was very intentional with each purchase.
2. All items are things that I had on my “wish” list.
3. I supported slow fashion brands.
4. One purchase supports a company in the building of schools to help educate children.
5. One purchase was a vintage item that will be unique and helps keep clothing out of a landfill.
6. The purchases were within our monthly spending budget.

The way I shop now is much different than how is used to shop and just writing out these purchases has been evidence of that to me.

In the past, I would have went out the mall on Black Friday just to see what “deals” there were and then proceed to randomly pick up things. I would then feel guilty about buying things that I had no need for and how much money I spent.

I much prefer a more intentional approach.

Do you shop on Black Friday, or the days after? If so, what did you get this year that you’re excited for?