Im in a similar situation.. my problem being a 5 day a week ordeal! I am in a management position and dress up to go to work..
the other day my husband took me 'shopping' right before work and I got a whole outfit for around $25 (including shoes).. now to my surprise the pants were my 'regular' size and hung off me (they looked good anyways because they were 'flowy' type pants.. you couldnt tell, but the crotch was almost to my knees <g>), the shirt was a size smaller than usual but even that was a bit big.. anyways I got alot of compliments on how good my outfit looked even though i found the pieces in the clearance section
( i absolutely LOVE the shirt and will be sad when i cant wear it anymore! but ill ship it to my sisters)
all of my business suits are hanging off of me.. it would be way too expensive to replace them at this point so im waiting until goal.. in the mean time some separates every month may suffice..
today i went shopping to get a few outfits and could find NOTHING.. I went to one of my favorite stores ~ the jacket i liked that i thought was in my size (or relatively close) was WAY too big.. I was falling out! I could have gone 2 sizes smaller but they didnt have it and the skirt i picked up was a size smaller than normal and i could have worn it around my hips! very cute, but a bit too short for work (I comtemplated getting it anyways.. but didnt have a top to go with it)
anyways.. I dont want to spend too much money either on clothes i may not wear a month from now.. but am between a rock and a hard place for work.. we dont have thrift shops here, so i check the clearance sections ~ but cant always find my size.. also shopping takes longer because my body is changing so much, I dont know what size to get anymore and the styles that flatter me are changing as well!
all of my clothes are way too big even though ive only lost 15#.. its strange because my mother always taught me that it takes 25# to lose a size when youre a 'big girl'.. but I seem to have misplaced at least a size and 1/2 at only 15#..
well im rambling, but im glad you posted this.. i was thinking about doing the same.. its frustrating, but in a good way.. I actually contemplated going to the other side of the store (NOT PLUS) to find my size.. and i probably could have! maybe in a month I will be able to do that without feeling like everyone is staring (if that makes sense)
and by the way.. i find myself drawn to colors now.. the outfit i wanted to get had some black in it but was mostly light pink! most of my outfits look like im amish (I mean that in a most respectful way).. all ive worn is black, grey, brown and dark blue!