Just one

Yesterday, after an early-bird screening of "Contagion" (not really recommended, by the way) and a sushi lunch with friends, I decided to stop by the Gap on the way home to check on the sales. 

I picked up a few things to take to the fitting room.

OK, maybe more than just a few.

But in end I walked away with one purchase. This denim dress:

I first knew I wanted this dress when I saw Kyla from Blue Collar Catwalk sporting it in her adorable way here. But I wasn't convinced I would get enough wear out of it to justify paying full price, so I waited for it to go on sale. I found it yesterday on final sale for $12, with an additional 30 percent off of sale items. Sold! Ain't it cute? Thank goodness for San Francisco Indian Summers; I'll actually get some wear out of it. And I'm already brainstorming how to layer it up for cooler weather.

Then, I came home and browsed the blogs for a bit, stumbling upon this post from Deb of I Dream of Anthropologie. In it, she addresses something near and dear to my heart: budgeting for shopping. It's quite the open and honest post, and I gotta give Deb props for that. I don't remember if I've blogged before about budgeting for shopping (on here or for work), but it's something I think about a lot. If I've never filled you in before, remind me to do so later.

In the meantime, maybe you can share with me how you budget for shopping, if you do. Do you save up for some long-lasting big-ticket items? Do you save a little money each paycheck to splurge on some great finds? Do you pull out the plastic and hop you don't get declined?