OK, I fucked up. I have gained some weight and had to get some work-appropriate tops and jackets -- not full suits, but dressier than a decent sweater (and definitely nicer than I'd normally wear). I had a coupon and there was a big sale at the store that I like, so mistake 1, yes, generic mall store. Decided to get that done Sunday morning, but that meant rushing to hit a time window,* so mistake 2, I didn't do any kind of assessment of what I have that still fits vs. what I actually need -- just "hey, I have a coupon!" Execute the plan, run to the mall, find a couple of jackets and tops, and one is even on the sale rack and fits perfectly.
Realized last night that the "great deal" jacket is the exact duplicate of the jacket I bought about 6 months ago (when I first realized many of my tops weren't fitting right). Same size and everything. Best part is that I went to the gym Monday AM and showered/dressed at work, so I didn't notice that it was a duplicate before I had taken the tags off.
The irony of all of this is that I hate shopping; I'm the last one you'd expect to blow giant wads of cash at the mall, because I avoid it like the plague. But I think that's my problem: I just want it over and done with, which makes it easy to go to this one store where a lot of their stuff is my style and looks good on me. I guess I need to suck it up and take more time to develop a plan and shop around for better values. Or lose the fucking weight again (trying, but ugh; injuries + holiday treats aren't helping).
I think my penance will have to be to go through my closet and remove the stuff that just doesn't fit any more so I have a clear view of what I do and don't have -- I never get rid of stuff, so I have @ 10+ years of clothes in @3-4 sizes in there, and that makes it hard to tell what I actually need.
*Normally, I get up and make pancakes, and then DH takes the kids to Hebrew School. This week, I figured I could drop them off, hit the mall, get groceries, and get back in time for pickup. But that meant rushing to get the pancakes made, get ready myself, pull together the grocery list, get the coupons, etc.