(This is a slightly rambling conversation with myself. There is a Weekly Money Check-Up at the bottom though and I would not be offended if you skipped this part.)
The question of 'worth' is interesting to me. I like to shop. As a hobby it is an activity that I enjoy taking part in, because not only do I like finding new pieces that make me feel pretty, I like knowing that I've found a bargain. But bargain, just like worth, is incredibly subjective.
During the month of May I didn't buy any new clothes. But do I feel like I saved any money? If I really think about that question my answer would probably have to be 'ehh' because even though I may not have spent it on clothes I don't think I worked to put that money into anything else either. Not buying new clothes did more for my mental sanity, as I was growing increasingly frustrated with the size of my closet, than my budget. And I probably spent a good half of the month annoyed that I wasn't allowing myself to shop at all.
It's not as if I don't understand debt or interest or all of those other annoying little words that lay out in black and white the state of one's finances. I guess somewhere in the back of my mind it's almost inconsequential since the debt itself doesn't feel real to me. I chose to pay off family debt in my name because the option of fighting with them to resolve it was worse. I picked my mental health over fiscal responsibility and while I'm sure there are people out there grinding their teeth, I'd have to say that given the same circumstances I wouldn't make a difference choice.
What does all this mean? Not a lot. I'm returning some stuff to J.Crew because even though I like it, I don't think I like it enough. Or at least I don't think I'd wear it enough to make even a good investment piece worth it to me. But do I regret the capris or the skirt that I'm going to keep? No, because they're new interesting pieces that I'll get a lot of wear out of that I really like. Do I regret the skirt I picked up at LOFT this weekend or the hot pink trench coat from Marshall's? No again, for the same reasons. I want to feel confident that I'm making smart thoughtful choices for my wardrobe and the style I think I want to project. I can't predict if I'll love everything with the same enthusiasm next year as I do right now but I don't want to live in a state of regret that I didn't get it because oh 'that money could have gone somewhere better'. My happiness is a pretty damn big 'better' to me and I like it that way.
Though this roundabout conversation with myself has inspired me to take the money I'm going to get back from J.Crew and split it between my savings and my credit card.
Weekly Money Check-Up: 6/4
1. The most I’ve spent this last week was on clothing. Or possibly the ticket I bought today to Hong Kong!
2. Today I am thankful for my stomach not hurting. Boy do I take that for granted.
3. Money can’t buy happiness. One free thing I did last week that made me happy was go to yoga. I almost died but I did it!
4. I will consider this week a success if I get Star Trek TNG tickets!
5. One craft I’d like to master is cooking. Does that count? I'm trying to introduce new recipes and combinations into my repertoire. It's kind of working if I do say so myself.
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Weekly Money Check-Up is a weekly series on My Pretty Pennies.
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