on shopping, and my psyche

Intense (really, pretty mild) negotiations of late have led to a new plan... I get 2 two hour breaks a week. That is, 4 hours total sans kids, out of the house, in every 7 day period. I am giddy at the thought. In fact, I just returned from my 2 hours... so refreshing. Now, I'm all ready to wipe 3 continually dripping noses and change 4000 diapers.

What did you do? maybe you're asking. Or not, if you know what I always do. I went to Blue Ridge Family Thrift, my home away from home. Sometimes I go to the library, too, but today I had a coupon for a free shirt or pants... so I settled in and looked at pretty much everything. Spent 1 hour and 55 minutes, and walked a way with a killer pair of shoes and a shirt for bean. Didn't even use my coupon and spent $3.69. That's a rush.

Maybe you're all sneery now and all male like, uh, who cares... get a blog and gripe about it. This is an exciting day.

Funny, I remember being a little person in a basket getting dragged around Goodwills. I used to tell my mom, "When I get big and you get little, I will take you to Goodwill and make you wait forever..." Now, I get it. I'll tell you about it.

I look at it all. Toys, books, furniture, random plastic things, dishes, old toasters and vcrs... and I spend a lot of time in the toddler clothes. And daddy clothes, and mommy clothes, and you know, baskets and candleholders and such. Fun.

Richy and I have argued discussed many times over the years my problem just spending and getting it over with. I'll give an example. Subject A (him) and Subject B (me) are given $20 each (hypothetically) and cut loose in Target for 1 hour.

Subject A will walk directly to his department, pick up one $20 item that he isn't even sure fits, and go buy it. He will then spend the remaining 55 minutes griping about just buy something already.

Subject B will browse every department, especially clearance items, but not commit to anything until the whole store has been eliminated as the better, cheaper item. At 55 minutes, she will just be settling on which items she actually, really, really wants to spend $3.24 on. She will go 10 minutes and $10 over budget. (and have 2 bags worth of goods)

I have to know it's what I really want. So today, I browsed the same 2 shoe racks for an extended amount of time, tried on 5 pair of heels... chatted up a couple of fellow shoe shoppers, and settled on the black and silver shoes with a square toe and weird heels. (I wanted pointed toes and tiny pointed heels, but hey,I don't have What Not To Wear's budget)
I looooove. Got mixed reviews.
"Fun!" - Hannah
"Those are hooker shoes."- Daniel
"Those are ugly as sin."- the hub

Good thing I like em. The shoes, that is.


I feel like I've had a massage. I win, do you get it? I went in there and I got something I like and it hardly cost anything. Wahoo!