Sometimes I do a little wish fulfillment in the evenings and browse Anthropologie's website, looking at the sale items, and figuring out how many more inches I have to lose before I can wear their clothes.

Tonight, I saw it.

You know what I mean. The perfect dress. The one you simply cannot live without. It is the dress I have imagined myself in for years - my style, my cut, my colors, my everything.

Except my size.

Oh yes, this size 16 (barely) mamasita decided to buy a dress that is not one but TWO sizes too small for her as both motivation and inspiration. Am I crazy? Probably. Am I posting here to find out if I'm not the only one who has ever done this? Definitely.

Am I in love with this dress? Oh, you bet your behind I am.



So, 'fess up: have you ever bought something knowing you weren't quite there yet, but used it as motivation? I've heard of people keeping clothes they've grown too big for, but not as many stories of impulse buys in anticipation of where you're going to end up.

I've bought a lot of pants that were too tight in the dressing room and gave me serious muffin top. I bought them knowing I would shrink into them and sure enough I have and some of those pants are now too big and in the donate or in case I decide to have another baby pile. This time is different and I KNOW I am going to get to my goal. I don't want to buy much else though because I'm not positive I know exactly what my goal is yet.

That dress is super cute!

i've done that plenty of times! & that dress is super cute!

I don't buy clothes that are too small,but instead I'll browse stores online.I like looking at all the different clothes and imagining myself wearing them someday.It keeps me inspired to stick to my weight-loss.

I do it ALL the time. There's even a pair of pants in my closet that I bought when I was 50 pounds lighter (105-110) that I swore I'd "get into soon."

On that account, I've never even seen them on me, LOL.

But overall, I think it's a great motivator! I love looking forward to the perfect outfit :-D

I bought a pair of jean once that were two sizes too small I was determined that they'd fit when I got home knowing all the time they wouldnt fit (denial) then spend an hour crying because I was fat =/ but that was when I decided enough was enough so I gues yea i kinda have used clothes as motivation, however I did throw them out shortly after they made me sad to look at them lol

Although I haven't bought anything, I love looking at beautiful clothes and thinking about them to motivate me!

Love the dress, by the way! Super cute

Yes, I did this a few months ago. There was a dress I had been eyeing in a catalog that went on sale. I bought it 2 sizes too small, predicting what size I would be for the event I was buying it for. It is a style that has looked good on me in the past and not too fitted so should be able to wear it even once I get smaller than the size I bought. At least that's the story I told myself as I spent $99 on an outfit that I couldn't even try on. Luckily, it worked as the event I bought it for is this weekend.

Congrats on making it down those sizes, Cary! That gives me hope, haha. I don't really have a specific "date" I want to wear it for, but my trip to the beach in September isn't a bad thing to shoot for.

What a sweet dress! That will look wonderful on you, I'm sure. If you find it motivational, I say go for it! As long as you don't get discouraged that it doesn't fit yet. It WILL fit - and just think of how awesome you'll feel when you put it on and twirl around admiring yourself (would you twirl? I would totally twirl).

I bought a size 18 skirt just a few weeks ago. I can zip it up, but it's not comfortable. I figured that it would fit in about 10 pounds AND it was on sale for $17.99. I just couldn't pass it up.

the dress is adorable!
I am one of those people that kept their old clothes hoping to one day getting back into them (without really believing I could, though); I do not have the guts to buy something new too small for me now... because I am worried about the money wasting. Keeping the clothes was saving money cause one day i might need em again (and I did, still can't believe it) but buying new stuff that maybe I will not fit into? Scary. So far, I still can't do it.

Not to be a huge downer, but there is nothing standard about the sizing at Anthropologie. They are a boutique and carry many different brands -- some that they private label as their own and some that they simply sell with the original brand label sewn in.

All the 12s at Anthropologie fit completely different on me. If you're really going to be in financial hardship, I would not keep that dress. (Though it is cute as all get out!)

Very cute dress!

Until a couple of days ago, I haven't bought something that was 2 sizes too small, the most I've done is buy something that I could get on but that was too tight to really wear. But 2 days ago, I ordered a bathing suit from the overstocks on Landsend. I wanted to get it now because the prices were so ridiculously cheap (I paid $17 total for both pieces of a tankini, the stuff that's selling right now not on clearance would have been over $100 for something similar). I had to guesstimate what I think will fit me this summer. I didn't get to try anything on of course, so I'm hoping that I was close! Hopefully, if they are really way too small or even too big (meaning if they fit me right now, that means they are going to be too big this summer), I'll still have enough time to order another size before everything is sold out.