Let's Go Shopping!
This is one of my favorite activities.
Look what I found! What a price! Fabulous!
Finding a bargain is like discovering a ray of sunshine — bringing joy to an otherwise gloomy day. At Old Navy recently, I purchased $90.00 worth of clothing for $14.00. It was a triumph.
Two of the sweatshirts I bought were 40% off, another tee shirt was on sale, and I had accumulated a credit of $23.00 from previous purchases. Of course, I had to apply for an Old Navy credit card to get the 40% off sweatshirts, but so what? The discounted total made my day.
We have a family wedding coming up in December. One of my granddaughters was getting married, and I had nothing to wear to the wedding. My daughter and I trotted off to Bloomingdales, where a personal shopper found a perfect dress for me: dark green, ankle length, long sleeve, and high neck (the wedding is orthodox) covered top to bottom with sequins. The colors for the wedding are blue and green, so I'll fit right in.
First, I tried the bargain route on Amazon but ran into difficulties due to having purchased what I thought would be a perfect skirt and a pretty top to go with it. The skirt came from a vendor in China, and it was too billowing and overpowering for a small person like me, so I decided to return it. The promised Free Return from Amazon took aggravation and patience to accomplish. It finally got done, but it gave me a few sleepless nights. Amazon's Customer Service was outstanding when I reached out to it.
In addition to the dress from Bloomingdale, I need a hat for this event, which should cover most of my hair. So, a little veil and feathers will not do. It's challenging, but it is shopping, and I love to shop.
I found a perfect hat on my closet shelf (except I didn't shop for it.) It was see-through black straw and covered so much of my hair that I didn't need to have my hair done for the wedding.
During my lifetime, I've been fortunate enough to have built two houses that needed furnishing from top to bottom. These were like participating in a marathon, but instead of running, it's shopping. I've also renovated outdated bathrooms, refurnished kitchens, and hung slews of pictures —these also required shopping and making decisions.
One of the purchasing experiences I've regretted for many years was buying my first wedding dress without taking my mother with me. I think my actions hurt her, but she never said so. I was alone, with no friends or family, just me and a salesperson. The salesperson was surprised that no one accompanied me to give a second opinion. I hadn't planned this expedition, but since I worked in Manhattan around the corner from Lord & Taylor, one lunch hour, I found myself in the Bridal Department.
My first job out of college was working for Bloomingdales on their Executive Training Squad. During my time there, I was exposed to fashion-minded people and gained knowledge and confidence about my style. I wanted my wedding dress to represent me, not my mother's interpretation of my flaws. The dress I selected was simple and elegant.
My mother had been in charge of what I wore most of my life. When I finally started selecting my clothing, she told me I had no taste and denigrated every selection. She said the sterling silver pattern I picked was insignificant, and my china pattern was wanting style. So, when it came to my wedding dress, I didn't want her domineering my selection. I was careful with the price. When my parents finally saw the dress, they liked it.
I realized the importance of that decision when I watched the TV series "Say Yes to the Dress," about selecting wedding dresses with the bride receiving input from an army of advisors. The program was fun to watch but often exposed opposite points of view between the bride and her mother. I avoided that possibility.
Now, what's left for me to buy for the wedding is a pair of shoes. When I get that accomplished, it will be party time.