So I bought it.
24 hours later I returned it.
I had such buyer's remorse over this thing that even though I had already put all my shit in it, I took it back hoping the sales associate wouldn't ask me why. I had no good reason for feeling bad about it. I could afford it. I loved it (even though once I put said shit in it it was a tad small for my needs). I just felt like a terrible person for spending that much money on a little pile of fabric that I'd probably try to sell at a yard sale a year later.
They took it back without even caring why I didn't want it, so I had that going for me. Which is nice.
Bonnie might disagree :), but I think I'm a pretty frugal person. Most of my clothes are from Target or Old Navy. I love a good clearance rack and coupons are my friend. I am OCD about menu planning lately and hate to waste any food in the fridge or freezer because I might as well just throw money into the toilet otherwise. Most things in our house are Up&Up brand because chemicals are chemicals, no matter the logo on the building where they are produced.
And I apparently am racked with guilt when I buy expensive things that aren't long-term investments (read: things I will live in or drive), like the Coach purse. Except my iPhone. I love my iPhone.
But, there are some things I will not cheap out on, because they are worth it to me. Everyone's list of #sorrynotsorry splurges will be different, but here's mine:
- Farmers' market vegetables
- I feel like it's the least I can do to buy locally grown vegetables for maybe a slightly higher price than the grocery store. Know where your food comes from and how it was grown!
- My 2 favorite places to get locally grown veggies are Berry's Produce (open 7 days/week) and St. Stephen's Farmers' Market (rain or shine Saturdays 8-12).
- Green Works laundry detergent, all-purpose cleaner, and dish soap:
- My asthma gets all riled up whenever I use anything too harsh to clean, but GW products have a really mild non-chemical smell and don't irritate me. Plus they work great - no residue on the counters, clothes smell great but not like you stepped right out of a Downy cloud. Fresh and clean.
- The splurge here comes in when I need to buy new products, because RVA apparently doesn't have enough of a market to keep them on the shelves. I order in bulk from soap.com (no shipping if you spend $50) so I always have a good stockpile on hand.
- Nut butter:
- I still buy regular peanut butter (Jif whips, please) to use on normal days, but have developed a constant craving for freshly ground almond and cashew butter.
- I get them at Good Foods Grocery and now Sprelly (he does farmers' markets around Fredericksburg), but they're $6-$10 a pop. Worth every penny, to me.
- Shampoo:
- For years and years, I was an advocate of buying cheap shampoo because my hair would be frizzy and in a ponytail anyway, so who cares?
- Once I weaned myself off the ponytail, I started trying different brands and although the cheap part of me hates to admit it, better shampoo is better for my hair. Revolutionary, right?
- My current favorites are the Tea Tree line from Paul Mitchell (good for dry scalp issues) and the hydrating shampoo from Biolage. Both are $15+ but my hair is happy.
- Yogurt:
- Yogurt's 10 for $10 most weeks at the grocery store, but I opt for the $2.50/8 oz. Noosa yoghurt instead!
- Note: this is not a healthy snack. We eat it for dessert instead. Y.U.M!
- Coffee
- Dave don't drink no Folgers. Trader Joe's Kona coffee ($20!) is his current fave.
- Flipflops
- I used to have Old Navy flip flops in every color of the rainbow, but when they changed the design to be more narrow the straps hit the bottom right under my arch and it bugged the shit out of me, so I bailed
- Now I buy a new pair of black $24.99 Teva Mush flip-flops every summer and my feet thank me!
- Cinebistro
- This is our biggest frequent splurge. Carrie started it when she got us a gift card when it first opened, and since the first time we saw a movie there we have only seen 1 movie at another theater. And that was because it wasn't playing at Cinebistro and Dave reallllllly didn't want to wait until it came out on DVD. "Can we have one conversation without you reminding me that my husband is dead?" < - name that movie!
- Tickets are $14.50, which isn't so bad I guess, but once you buy popcorn and dinner, plus wine, yada yada...oh, and don't forget the banana dessert - you might as well have had dinner at Fleming's. (something I will never splurge on!)
- We have tried to cut back ever since we did the math after seeing "Identity Thief", when we realized we spent over $100 to waste 2 hours of our lives on that pathetic piece of shit movie. Jason Bateman's cuteness can only go so far.
So...what are your #sorrynotsorry splurges?
Fancy toilet paper? Weekly pedicures? Cleaning lady?