What I Bought at the 2020 Nordstrom Anniversary Sale + Public Access Today!

It feels like we’ve been talking about the 2020 Nordstrom Anniversary Sale forever with the way they did the loyalty tier shopping.  But, the big news is that the sale goes live to everyone TODAY!

To recap, the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is the best sale of the year.  For 3 weeks, Nordstrom brings in Brand New, Fall items and discounts them up to 40% off.  Once the sale is over, everything goes back to regular price.  If you have a Nordstrom Credit Card, you get to shop a week or more early, before the sale opens to the public.  Many of the most popular items are sold out long before the sale ever opens to the public, but some are restocked from time to time before the sale ends.  You can find out a lot more on my Nordstrom Anniversary Sale Page Including my favorite items and much more!

The 2020 Nordstrom Anniversary Sale

This year, my list had a lot of budget-friendly finds. This is really the only time of the year that I shop for myself.  I normally stock up on basics and then add a few pieces to my wardrobe.  Sometimes I buy things for my husband and kids.  Sometimes I don’t.  Everything I bought this year was under $100 with the exception of 1 beauty exclusive splurge and a bag.

My plan was to order as much as I could for pick up in my local store.  There was so much sold out in the days leading up to my shopping day, but I only had 3 or 4 things on my list that were already gone. 

I’m an Insider Credit Card Status (I spend less than $2k in a year), which means that I couldn’t shop the sale until 11:30 am on Thursday August 13th.  I was able to pick up about half of my order the day that I ordered it.  When I picked it up, I walked through my local store to see if I could find any “sold out” items, and also to try on things I was thinking about.  I ended up buying a few more things in person.

Here’s what I bought & what I think of each item!  I will update these as my boxes come and I can take pictures.  Some of this may already be sold out right now, but keep checking back.  There are bounce backs as people return items that don’t fit.  Also, there may be restocks during or after the sale.

My 2020 Nordstrom Anniversary Sale Online Order

2020 was the year that I finally decided mules don’t look ridiculous, so I stocked up.  I loved the look of these Madewell Remi Mules, especially the animal print!  I was lucky enough to find the black suede pair at the Nordstrom Rack a few weeks ago.  These fit true to size for me. Sizing up .5 size is recommended and probably would have been fine for me as well.  They come in 2 colors and 2 prints (including snake print).  They are normally $88, on sale for $49.90.

I’ve long loved the look of these UGG booties with skinny jeans.  There have been several similar styles in years past that always sell out fast.  These sold out super quick.  They’re really comfy and will be perfect for the colder weather!  I went with my normal size 7.  They are regularly $149.95, on sale for $99.90.

I’ve been looking at the Longchamp Expandable Nylon Tote bag for years.  This is always highly-coveted and people love these bags.  Tote-style bags are my favorite, especially as a carry on (will we ever travel again?), so I decided this was the year I’m getting one.  I totally get the hype now!  Love this bag!  I ordered it originally for travel, but I’ve been carrying it as my purse for the last week.  It’s so nice!  It’s normally $195, on sale for $119.90.

This thermal henley was one of my favorite purchases last year (I got black and cream), and its back in new colors!  I really love the fit, so I picked up the pink version this year.  They are super soft and inexpensive.  I love the neckline!  They fit really well and are true to size.  They are regularly $38, on sale for $24.90.

A couple of years ago, I purchased my first pair of Articles of Society Sarah jeans at an Anniversary Sale. I was so impressed with the fit and feel for the price!  They feel like leggings and have plenty of stretch, but don’t lose their shape throughout the day.  Plus they’re under $50!  This year, they have a very popular distressed version included in the sale, and I had to have them.  I’ve already worn them this week and LOVE them!  These are normally $60, on sale for $48.90.

Speaking of denim, I bought a lot of denim in this year’s sale.  I got rid of a lot of denim that didn’t fit in my closet cleanout.  We’ll get to that in a minute.

I had heard great reviews about last year’s version of this t-shirt, and I loved the look of the print this year.  I’m actually wearing this one today.  It’s fabulous!  I really love it.  It will be so cute to layer under a black cardigan with jeans this fall.  It’s regularly $25, on sale for $15.90.

I got a second (or third?) pair of my favorite high-waist leggings.  These are such great quality and stay really black, even through a million washes.  I wear them all of the time throughout the Fall, Winter & Spring.  They are normally $59, on sale for $39.90.

This is my favorite sweater that I wear every single day when I get out of bed.  It’s in the sale in several colors and is the softest thing ever!  I bought this one in 2017, and it still looks perfect!  The t-shirt in this outfit is also one of my favorites and is in the sale every year.  I got this one last year.  This year, it’s under $13!

Another popular item year after year that I had never bought before is the Nordstrom Bliss Throw Blanket.  It is so soft, and the tassels are super cute.  This blanket comes in a ton of different colors, and is on sale for $24.90 (normally $39.50)!  These would make really great gifts!

My big splurge this year was on the BeautyBio GloPro Microneedling Beauty Exclusive Value Set.  I turned 40 earlier this year, and I’ve been really wanting to upgrade my current needle roller situation with the GloPro.  I’ve used it twice so far, and I really love it!  The set comes with the tool, 2 roller heads (one for face and the other for the eye area), a full size $75 moisturizer, 5 prep pads, 5 sets of eye gels, a case for travel and an empty spray bottle to fill with alcohol to keep it clean.  This set is a $318 value on sale for $179!

Beauty Exclusives are limited-edition value sets and jumbo sizes of favorite products, and they are always a great deal.  When they are gone, they are gone.

My 2020 Nordstrom Anniversary Sale In Store Purchase

While I was at my local store picking up my order, I decided to look around and see if I could find anything that the website says was sold out.  I also wanted to try on a few items that I wanted to get the sizing right for my wishlist so that I could grab them throughout the year.

I always buy new undies during this sale, but they were all sold out in my size long before I could shop.  These are my favorites for everyday wear.  In fact, I love them so much I threw out all of my other undies.  These are really comfortable, thin, and they don’t show through clothes.  They rarely go on sale, so I always stock up now.  I wear an XS in these.  They are normally $20, on sale for $14.90.

I love to buy cardigans during the Anniversary Sale.  There are so many great budget-friendly options!  My favorites are by the brand Leith.  This year, I picked up the pink version – but don’t miss the red one!  I bought a Leith cardigan in this same red a few years ago, and it is THE PERFECT holiday red.  I get a ton of compliments on it when I layer it over Christmas graphic tees or holiday plaid shirts in December.  Get it now for the holidays, because it will be gone when you want to wear all of your festive outfits.

Anyway, the reason that I bought this in store is because I forgot to put it in my cart when I ordered online. It was on my wishlist, and I totally thought I had ordered it, but didn’t.  Luckily, they had a bunch in my store.  I size down in these to a XXS because it runs a little big.  This sweater is on sale for $39.90 (normally $69) and comes in a lot of colors.  Check back on this one because they tend to go in and out of stock every year.

I picked up another pair of denim in store.  My online order included a pair of Kut from the Kloth boyfriend jeans online, but since I had never tried that brand before, I wanted to try a similar pair on in store to check the sizing.  I found this darker version in store to try on for size, not planning on buying them.  Once I tried them on, I had to have them.  They fit perfectly and are so comfortable!  They are regularly $89.50, on sale for $58.90.

The last thing I bought in store was this Vince Camuto tube skirt.  When I cleaned out my closet, I realized that I didn’t have a basic black tube skirt.  That’s just a closet staple that everyone needs.  This one is super comfy, has an elastic waist, clings in all the right spots, and hits me just below the knee.  This one comes in several colors including an animal print!  It’s regularly $49, on sale for $39.90.

What Hasn’t Shown Up Yet?

These are the 2020 Nordstrom Anniversary Sale items that I’m still waiting on delivery.

I was also able to order the super-popular Steve Madden Chain Mules in Tan Suede!  These popped back in stock in all sizes a few days ago, and I was lucky enough to snag my size.  I did size up half a size to a 7.5.  They are backordered until next month, so it will be a fun surprise when they show up.  Some of the other colors are still available for shipping now.  These are normally $89.95, on sale for $49.90.

Last year, I bought these amazing Wit & Wisdom Ab-Solution ankle jeans and wore them all the time.  This year, I decided to purchase the slightly distressed version and the black pair.  I ordered these in my original order on the 13th, and they are sill waiting to ship.  Both pair are normally $69, on sale for $49.90.

I needed to replace my beloved J.Crew Factory Boyfriend Jeans because the knee is really busted out.  I’ve found a few pair of boyfriend jeans over the last year (one from Target and one from Madewell that I found at Nordstrom Rack), but they didn’t have the distressing that I loved about the J. Crew Factory pair.  When I saw these Kut from the Kloth distressed boyfriend jeans in a lighter wash, I knew I wanted to try them.  These have been in and out of stock, but I can’t wait for them to show up!  They are regularly $89.50, on sale for $58.90.

I needed to buy new long sleeve white t-shirts for wearing alone and layering in the winter.  My old ones were totally worn out.  I liked the look of these Treasure & Bond long sleeve tees.  They look nice and thick, and I love the longer length and curved hem.  I ordered 2 white and 1 black.  They also have some ombre versions.  This is a little higher than what I normally spend for this type of base layer, but the cut and quality I felt were a good deal for the price.  They remind me of my favorite long sleeve tees from BP a few Anniversary Sales ago.  These are normally $49, on sale for $29.90.

**UPDATE** – I tried these on when they were delivered, and although I loved the cut, the fabric was very sheer in both colors.  Unfortunately, I decided to return them.

I saw this thin oversized sweater in the store, and I thought it was so pretty!  It looks so much richer in person than it does online.  They didn’t have my size in store, so I ordered online and I sized down.  I can’t wait to try it on!  It’s going to look so cute partially tucked into distressed jeans with mules this fall.  It’s normally $69, on sale for $45.90.

Finally, my husband has been driving me crazy about needing new running shoes, and he’s been asking me everyday when his new shoes will be here.  They’re coming today.  He got the ASICS GEL-Kayano 26 Running Shoes.  They are normally $160, on sale for $99.90.

But How Much Did You Spend?

Like I said before, this is really the only time of the year where I buy things for myself and stock up on basics.  I save up for this sale all year in my YNAB Budget.  This year, I cleaned out my closet prior to the sale, so I had a larger budget than normal since I needed to replace some things that were worn out or don’t fit.

That being said, this year, my 2020 Nordstrom Anniversary Sale budget was around $1,000.  I did use some of the household budget that was outside of the money that I saved especially for this sale for items like my husband’s running shoes (clothing category), my underwear (clothing category), and the blanket (home decor).  The rest all came from the money I saved up.  I also had $60 in gift cards to use.

For all of the shipped items that came out of my $1,000 budget, that total is $986.70.  The items waiting to ship total $162.05.  That’s a total of $1,051.65, and I had $60 in gift cards, so that’s $991.65.  Just under budget!  $156.53 came from the household clothing budget (running shoes & underwear), and I spent $26.95 from the household home decor budget for the blanket.  I could probably characterize more of that as household clothing since I don’t really spend money on my clothes out of that budget.

By shopping the 2020 Nordstrom Anniversary Sale, I saved $663.25!  Thats a savings rate of 42%!

I feel like I got a lot of value for the $1050.  My purchases included 3 pair of shoes, 5 pair of jeans, an expensive skincare tool, 2 sweaters, 3 tops, 1 pair of leggings, 1 skirt and a purse/carry on bag. I got a lot of classic pieces that I’ll be able to wear for years.  No super trendy pieces here.

Using my Double Points Day benefit, I earned $80 in Nordstrom Notes by using my Nordstrom card at checkout.  I tried this jacket on in the store, and I’m really tempted to redeem all of my $80 in Nordy Notes to get it if it comes back in stock in my size.  The green is so pretty and it was really comfortable.  I tried on a Small in store, but I would order in my normal XS. It was plenty big even for wearing a thicker sweater underneath.

What Other Must Have Items Are There?

As always, there are some of my favorite items that I wear all of the time back in this year’s sale.  The Barefoot Dreams Circle Cardigan is a must own if you don’t already have one. Also my favorite faux leather leggings, bra, a Tory Burch Crossbody & my favorite pajamas are included in the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale.  It’s a great opportunity to stock up on quality basics!

Don’t forget to check out my Nordstrom Anniversary Sale Page for more favorites from the sale.  You can also follow me on Instagram and Facebook for updates if something good comes back in stock.

What did you get at the 2020 Nordstrom Anniversary Sale?  Tell me your favorite items!  One of my favorite parts about the sale is seeing what everyone else bought and love, so tell me in the comments!