The Girl with the 12 Scarves

We finally did it. My friend Amy and I finally completed a girl's night out with our daughters! It's been in the making for possibly over a year now...As we suspected, it was quite fun.

When Confessions of a Shopaholic came to the Harlan Theatre, we saw it as a sign that the time had come for female bonding. Amy, being a recovered shopaholic herself, was very interested in the subject matter. (Only joking, Amy.) But as I watched the mindless and entertaining show, something didn't feel right. That "something" continued to gnaw at me, growing in the pit of my stomach as I giggled through a few of the scenes. Then the movie came to an end. We stood up and as soon as I caught sight of my daughter's big, beautiful brown eyes, I understood the source of my uneasiness.

It could be my daughter -- the shopaholic who carelessly racks up an exorbitant credit card bill for unaffordable fashion and dodges credit collectors. That could be my Alex. The protagonist was also known as "the girl with the green scarf." Out of curiousity, I snuck into Alex's closet to see how many scarves she's accumulated in her short 11 years. I found 12. (I'm sure there's more since she tends to stick her belongings in various nucks and crannies throughout the house.) Then I went to my closet. I found two. One was a gift from a friend at Christmas (thanks Annette for the lovely scarf from Dubai which can also be found at Odd+Ends) and the other might have been a relic from high school. I decided it was time to have a little chat with Alex.

"Al, I need to tell you my thoughts on the movie the other night. While I enjoyed the show, I didn't agree that they portrayed the debt collector as a bad guy. If you can't afford something, you simply shouldn't buy it. The debt collector was merely doing his job and 'the girl with the green scarf' was shirking responsibility. It wasn't right."

"Oh, Mom. You're a banker. Of course you think that way."

This comment left me speechless, and a little bit perturbed. Luckily, Doug heard the comment. Fortunately, he wasn't speechless and immediately gave Alex a tongue-lashing that left her speechless.

Apparently, spendthrifty Alex has a few lessons to learn, but I think some progress has been made. Yesterday, she picked out her Easter dress, at 40% off and didn't beg for accessories or shoes. Perhaps she just gonna have to make do. With one of her twelve scarves...

Spend for America

I read an article in the Wall Street Journal this week about how Americans are savings more money these days. A good thing right? Typically, yes, but not so much in a recession. Well, that was the point in the article that stuck with me anyway. As I have often told my husband, I support the capitalistic structure of our country; therefore, I shop.

But the current state of the economy has caused me to pull back a bit. Despite the fact that my husband had one of his best years ever in farming. And that I have a good-paying job with little chance of losing it. And that I'm making boo-coo bucks selling books these days. (Okay, that might be an exaggeration...)

The other day Mom and I had a glorious day of shopping (meaning with no offspring). I came home with a clearance sweater, two sale-priced t-shirts and a non-puffy winter coat for Cole. That's it. Either my family already has way too much stuff, or the ubiquitous(1)doom and gloom sentiment of the country has tainted my psyche.

So back to the WSJ article. What do you suppose a heroin addict would do if he was told that shooting heroin was actually good for his country? You got it. So, for any of you with the means, I highly recommend you take advantage of the sales out there and get yourself a new pair of shoes. It's the patriotic thing to do. God Bless America.

DISCLAIMER: In no way do I believe that saving money is a bad idea. I'm a banker for goodness sake.

Footnotes:
(1) Don't you love that word? Say it a few times, it's fun. BTW, it means pervasive.