Ramblings of a Guilty Mind

I've just set a new record for spending money on clothes in one day.

And it blows my mind.

Because I'm pretty much a tightwad. I like to get really cute clothes - at the Salvation army - for $3. But the situation was getting desperate. You know the drill. You have a baby and you think, "this will get better, I'll lose more weight soon, I don't want to spend money on clothes that won't fit next year..." But next year is here. And, unfortunately, they would have fit after all.

But Walmart had nothing. And Burlington Coat Factory had nothing. And the thrift stores I used to find things at aren't open in the evenings for child-free-hours-in-the-dressing-room-to-find-one-thing-that-fits.

So I had a closet of a few mostly fits, several almost fits, and a couple of actually fits and looks nice. But all of those were in the laundry. And it was Sunday morning. And that's when the straw broke the camel's back.

After some desperate searching and trying on of outfits, I said to Brian, "if you can find anything to match either of these two remaining tops in my closet, I'll be going to church, otherwise... " Well, he found the same outfit I'd had on a few minutes ago. The sweater I've had since high school (or was it junior high) and a very nice khaki skirt that was given to me and makes me look like a whale. A combination I usually wouldn't want to go out of the house in. (Do I sound as shallow, as I think I do?) And then, of course, I didn't have any tights or shoes that went with it. So I went to church in 50 degree weather in a sweater, khaki skirt, and birkenstock-type sandals hoping I didn't look as bad as I thought I did.

So sweet Brian took me shopping, and encouraged me to keep buying things, and tried to take such complete responsibility for it that I wouldn't even feel guilty. But I do anyway. I told my mother that I thought maybe I shouldn't wash them yet, because surely I should return some of them.

She told me not to. She said that sometimes mothers have to actually buy clothes for themselves.

And I did get some great deals at T.J. Maxx and they were having a huge sale at J.C.Penney's (yes, I actually went to the mall, it was that bad).
The upside is I don't think I'll have another day (at least before spring) when I'll say "I don't have anything to wear." And thanks to all the basics that I found, I think I'll be able to redeem virtually all of the matchless orphans in my closet.

And I still feel like I should take something back. But it's too late. I've washed them.