For the last few months, I’ve been really careful about not spending money on clothes. We’re saving for a lot of things right now – the impending purchase of our first home, as well as a trip to Italy for 2010. So, I’ve been giving my bank account a rest on the retail front, funneling as much cash as I could to our savings.

Now that the summer’s over, I’m feeling like we’re in a pretty good place, and I can lighten up the restrictions on shopping a little bit. I mean, I’m not going to allow myself frivolous shopping by any means… we still have more to save. However, I do have some clothing needs as we go into Fall.

Most of my needs are work-related. As I have progressed in my career, I’ve always tried to follow the “dress for the position you want, not the one you have” motto when it comes to style at work. It’s important for me in my industry to be well-presented (I’m in sales!) and professional. I don’t need fancy clothes, but they do need to be high-quality and smart-looking.

So, I started this shopping “project” as I do anything else where I am going to spend money. I made a list of what I needed (i.e., a new suit, some black pumps, a business tote, etc.), determined what I should / could spend for those items, and set that money aside. Over the past few weeks, I’ve been trying to take a little time to shop (which I actually don’t enjoy, even though I do love clothes), checking things off my list.

My point is that even when you’re saving for some big picture items, sometimes you still need to make smaller investments. As long as you focus on what you really need, and plan ahead, you can still do that while achieving your longer term goals as well.

Now, if only I could find the perfect blazer…