How I spent my free $105

As mentioned before, WHBM & Chicos sent me $85 rewards combined. Two weeks ago, I received another $20 from Chicos. I thought the last reward was my semi annual reward (scratching my head). I'm not complaining though. Free is free 😂

Buuuuttttttt, things are bad out there. It's not just grocery prices that have increased. The price of Everything has increased. It's so crazy, because quality of most things are so poor, it's not even worth spending money on (I'm working on a post about that - it's written in my head 😂), yet prices keep skyrocketing. 

Chicos group (WHBM, Chicos, Soma) are well known to increase their prices every time they send out rewards. They're trying to force their loyal customers to spend more OOP. I miss those days when I could shop till I drop with $100. Not the case this time. Their sale prices have doubled & tripled on just about all their sale items. I know this, because I've seen many items that I own for 2-3 times as much as the clearance price I paid. As a rule, I don't buy leggings and t-shirts at their stores, because I can find it for a lot less at other retailers. Besides, I shop their stores for their unique designs. I had a very hard time finding something good, but I was determined to not let that free money go to waste 😂 Here's what I purchased:

WHBM 

I had $55 to use and nothing that really tickled my fancy, but I managed to snag these 2 items and paid $3.70 OOP (includes tax). The clutch isn't my usual style. I normally stick to plain/solid evening purses/clutches.

I did splurge on this purse at Chicos after Christmas though (not part of my rewards purchases). It was clearanced to $35 and I just had to have it. It's even prettier in person and it matches my black lace dress perfectly. It pairs well with so many of my cocktail dresses. This was worth every penny spent. 

CHICOS

I had 2 x $15 + 1 x $20 rewards. I purchased a black blouse with silver trim (pic is no longer available online). That was $0 OOP

Just like with WHBM, it was really hard to find anything decent to purchase at $0 OOP. I paid $10.60 OOP for the above blouse. I wanted to purchase something that I liked vs just a near free item that's not really my taste or is of poor quality. Both Chicos blouses were really nice. 

Then I received my $20 reward and eventually purchased this shirt when it went on sale last week. I paid $13.74 OOP. I was really excited about this shirt, because it's very modern and definitely my style. Well, I was really disappointed when I received the shirt. It's beautiful, but the fabric is not their normal poplin fabric that they use for blouses. It's cotton, but it's the kind that wrinkles badly. The shirt is really cool though, so I'm keeping it. 

Total OOP : $28.04 (incl tax) 

Retail value : $401.50

The best part about all these items is that they match so many items that I already own. I can wear all these tops with my black, burgundy, dusty rose pink or green trousers. Same with my black blazer, black velvet blazer or green velvet blazer. 

The plain black shirt can also be worn with my black & white houndstooth or gingham pants. Same with houndstooth and gingham blazers. I can also wear my black & white colorblock blazers with them. I won't wear these items with my other blouses, because I never wear print on print. There's so many possibilities. I know I have oodles more items in my closet that I can wear it with to create more outfits. This is how I always shop. My shopping is done very strategically. I don't just purchase items that can't be matched to other pieces in my closet. I always make sure that I have different options with everything - except for dresses. It's not easy to mix and match any dress to other items. Well, unless you have a LBD 😁

Despite struggling to find good clearance, I have to thank the Chicos group for my inexpensive new clothes. 

Have a wonderful weekend peeps!