Photos are of our very loved family pets,
Velcro and Little Red.
Velcro and Little Red.
#80 – “Never buy anything until it goes on sale.”
This one of one hundred things my mom taught me a million times absolutely did not stick. I am simply horrible when it comes to shopping and buying. Mom wasn’t a shopper, but she was extremely frugal, so I have no idea where my penchant for overspending came from. Well, I guess it could have come from my dad. I vaguely recall that right after dad died, mom had to sell practically everything we owned to pay off all of the bulldozers and graters that my dad “owned” for his road construction company. And then there was dad’s gold mine in New Mexico and the racehorses. Anyway, I obviously didn’t get mom’s money/good judgment gene.
Here’s another dirty little secret. When I was very young, probably 8-10 years old, I read somewhere that the Queen of England never wore any piece of clothing twice and I was entranced. Isn’t it crazy the things that stick in your psyche? Well, this is something I’ve struggled with my entire life. I hate wearing any piece of clothing more than once. I don’t know if it's a laundry-loathing thing or what, but I have always, always wanted to wear each piece of clothing one time then throw it away (underwear) or give it to Goodwill (everything else). It would be an exaggeration to say that I only wear things once; it’s not too far from the truth to say that I wear them only a couple of times. I found myself at Steinmart yesterday looking for something to wear out to dinner tonight. I have numerous beautiful outfits, but I’ve worn them before, once or twice. Click on Read More Below...
But back to never buying anything until it goes on sale. I will make a wide arc around the sales racks at any store. There is just something about buying what no one else wants that goes against my sense of worth. I know that’s crazy and there are people who are extremely gratified by “good buys,” but not me. Yesterday when I checked out at Steinmart and found out that the outfit I purchased was actually on sale I immediately liked it less. If it doesn’t make me look 10 pounds thinner and three inches taller, it may never see the light of day.
Fortunately, I seldom shop, so there aren’t a lot of clothes in my closet. Of course that could be because I take garbage bags full of clothes to Goodwill every couple of months. Since I work from home I don’t need a lot of clothing, and tend to purchase six black cotton t-shirts and six pairs of comfortable black pants from Target and wear that same uniform every day. Then after a couple of washings (which I hate), they go to Goodwill. Does this make me a bad person?
So although I am certain that mom was right when she taught me never to buy anything until it went on sale, I am equally certain that I won’t.
Posts
OMG, I can stop hiding this embarrassing habit (of wearing something just one time and discarding or passing the pieces along to someone else). I do have a pair of jeans that I wear all the time, but, otherwise, prefer to wear only new outfits. Now, I know where I got that "trait." When I try on outfits in the stores, I do a mental check, asking myself what Mommy would say about it. Her hard and fast rules include browns & beiges for blonds, etc. Jane
ReplyDeleteAnother area where I am more like Mommy Wade (and I think my own mother). I do splurge but I love getting something really good that is also on sale. I feel like I've really scored! By the way, my around-the-house-uniform consists of mens t-shirts and sweats...because they are bigger, better made, and CHEAPER. LOL Cameel
ReplyDeleteBuying something, liking it a lot, then only wearing it once or twice...yeah Sue...That's kinda nutty. I say that with love...but that's more than a little odd. That you bag them up and take them to Salvation Army takes a good chunk the odd away, but not all!
ReplyDeleteYes, we all have our cross to bear!
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