This Good Enough Mother got up at the crack of dawn to catch the early bird specials at Kohl's which is great for kids' clothes. I was out the door, through the store, to the register and back home before 8 am. Those early hours saved me another 80 bucks and I was happy for it.
But as I drove home I remembered a time and place not that long ago and it was one I am not particularly proud of.
On my birthday about 4 years ago when I was working as a network morning news anchor, my husband, Buff, asked me what I wanted. Well, I really didn't NEED anything. I had all the purses and clothes and trappings of success I could possibly wear or want.
But that year, all the rage was this particular designer handbag, I mean EVERYONE was carrying it, except me. Never mind that it wasn't really my style; I have always preferred the suitcase sized, back breaking totes that can hold 3, one-liter water bottles and a lifetime supply of Advil. This was nice, sure enough, but not the end all. Oh and by the way, the retail price for this purse was just under a thousand dollars.
I scoped out the website nonetheless, printing off the page with the vital information like location, what credit cards the store accepted, and handed it to my loving, and by then, beaten down husband. And sure enough, when February 17th rolled around, there he was, holding an enormous bag, emblazoned with DESIGNER NAME across the front (never mind that he could have been rolled in the subway for that) and presented it to me in front of all my friends.
After the appropriate amount of oohing and awing, it was back to business as usual. I carried that purse on and off that year but honestly, not enough to really break it in. You know where it is now? Sharing space in my closet with handbags from all different places and price points.
When I look at where I was, I am astounded by how far a field I had gone. I was never one to want or need a thousand dollar handbag. In fact, that sounds so obscene to me now. But it was easy to get caught up in the "what does Mary Jo Jones have" and lose sight of " what does Rene Syler NEED?"
We, as a country, are going through our own "$1000.00 dollar handbag" crisis, where making decisions based on what others have just won't fly anymore. The coming months will make us sharpen our focus and demand that we explain to our kids as we try to grapple with it ourselves, this concept of want versus need. That may be easier said than done.
For my family, we're back to living the way I grew up, clipping coupons, flea market decorating (though I never really gave that up) getting up early to catch discount after discount (and avoid the crowds) eating out less and talking to my children, Casey and Cole more. The message is not so much about tough times but how very blessed, though somewhat stressed, we are.
As for me, I continue to hope whether my yearly income is 200 dollars or 200 million, I never lose sight of a good deal, or who I really am.