J. Crew's Wool Bell skirt is one of the best spontaneous purchases of late - it goes with everything, don't you think?

Wearing the Free People Fall Remembrance Coat in size 6 - ran much smaller than I thought it would. See it on Ping here, here and here.
In the second to last picture. The "top" is actually a dress that I have had since I was around 10. It's grown from a mid calf dress to a mini but I just love the print. I found it during spring cleaning two years ago when we found a box of clothes from when I was a kid that was supposed to have been donated years ago. I think I have a picture of young Elle wearing that dress, will report back when I find it.

I have been pretty good about not browsing Chloe's Sale Alert site but was inevitably exposed to and subsequently drawn to a fiery red Ann Taylor skirt - exactly what number 4 on my Need List (more on that later) looks like. The darling skirt is on sale for $69.99, from $108...with an additional 40% off (use code SAVE40)...bringing the total down to $41.99. I had thought about adding the following items to my cart to make the $150 free shipping minimum but came to my senses and just paid the $9.95 shipping charge. Final cost for crossing off item #4 off my list? $51.94


I think my downfall when shopping is the ever present need to meet free shipping minimums - be it $50, $75, $150, $300 (!). I just have such a hard time justifying shipping cost - as Kelly once said, it's like paying to use the fitting room. But my selective ban has forced me to rethink my habit...how can I quantify the cost of free shipping to me? Is the avoidance of a $9.95 shipping charge really worth having hundreds of dollars in merchandise that I only mildly like?

How do you resist the temptation of free shipping?