There are some things I will never understand.
Oprah’s magazine, for instance. This month, it’s called “THE BIG DEAL ISSUE!” And the cover brags, “Everything Oprah’s wearing is under $100!”
Now, I don’t know about you, but just because an item of clothing costs less than $100 does not put it in my definition of a great deal. For instance: $44 earrings. $95 bracelet. $55 watch. (Do you notice what I haven’t gotten to yet? Uh—CLOTHES?) The entire ensemble adds up to $570. And I don’t even think it’s remotely pretty. Fess up, ladies. Does anyone spend this kind of money on casual clothes? I think not! What universe is this magazine crew living in, anyway?
(Or am I the odd woman out here? Pray tell!)
Every month, O magazine makes me crazy with its pages and pages of “things we love,” not one of which is priced in a range that makes it even remotely interesting to me, even if I liked them, which I almost never do.
And yet, every month in this magazine, there is something wonderful. Usually it’s an essay. This month it’s Martha Beck. Her article is called “The Joy Dividend,” and in it, she talks about a philosophy for spending money. The centerpiece of her strategy is a box that looks like this:
Fairly self-explanatory. She says you spend good money on things you both need and LOVE (“LOVE” being far more than mere “love”), pinch pennies on things you have to have but don’t love, and then splurge on category 3 with whatever’s left, and skip the impulse buys that load your life with junk you don’t even really care for.
It’s not a perfect system, mind you. The missing link in this system is giving. She addresses retirement and savings, but not charity. I suppose you could argue that charitable giving falls into the “need” category, but I don’t know anybody who would put that in category 1 (be honest—you do it because you’re supposed to, because it’s the right thing to do, but don’t you spend that money a hundred times in your head?), and as for category 2, charity is certainly not something you should be pinching pennies on.
But aside from that, I adore this philosophy—enough to write a blog post on someone else’s idea. 🙂 . How liberating is it to realize how much of what we spend money on falls into category 4?
Kathleen M. Basi 
I don’t buy or read ‘women’s’ magazines. Rarely is there anything of interest to me. I shop at Target, Penneys and Kohls. I wear outfits that cost under $100
I always find magazine’s “bargains” hilarious, too. Spend more than $30 on a pair of jeans? Not a chance! A bargain to me is a clothing item for less than $8. Even then, I try to ask myself (similar to the philosophy above): do I really love this enough to spend money on it, even if it’s an awesome price? It’s taken me a while, but I can finally put it back on the rack if the answer is no.
The articles that irritate me are those that describe how to find the best jeans to fit any body, then go on to recommend $95 jeans. I bought my two favorite pairs at a resale shop downtown. I was leafing through a copy of Vogue the other day and saw a pair of shoes, Manola Blahniks, for over $4,000. Honestly, are there really that many women who spend that on a pair of shoes? And heels, no less? How many times does the average woman wear a particular pair of heels I have to remind myself that the $100+ I spent on my Danskos was worth it because they are sensible and good for my feet!
LOL! You are all making me feel so much better. I had a feeling that was how it would be, but nonetheless–thank you!!!
Rah! Rah! Thanks for stating the obvious, and so well about Oprah’s “steal of a deal” outfit! I’ve never read O–I don’t read women’s mags much as they always make me feel less than. It is good to know O has redeeming elements, though. I may pick it up next time I’m at the hairdresser’s or the library…
PS I spend less than $100 a year on clothing…I hate clothes shopping!
I have to be in a mood for it; otherwise I get irritated by how long it takes, and how many things I could be doing that would constitute a better use of my time! 🙂
I’ve had to do tons of clothes shopping in the past couple years to acquire a professional attire (which was totally lack in my wardrobe previously), and it has been hard but worthwhile to learn the lesson “That Married Couple” described – if I don’t love it and it doesn’t look great on ME (rather than just on the rack), put it back no matter how good a deal!
But I will say, I have to wear heels every single day, all day – on bad days, I even have to do the grocery shopping in them on the way home from work. I’m going to spend the money for nice, more comfortable pairs.
I agree with you @ shoes. I think three pairs of good comfortable shoes are far, far better than three dozen pieces of trash that hurt your feet. What’s nice @ this system is that everybody’s “what I love, what I need” is different, and it accommodates them all.
I have put myself on a moratorium for buying clothes until December because I’ve spent so much money lately. I really need to do it for the kids, too. We’re having a garage sale this weekend and the amount of kids’ clothes in it is astounding.
Gosh, and I felt bad for buying $82 of maternity clothes (for work, no less) at Goodwill yesterday. I got shirts that I actually LIKE instead of ones that just made room for the the baby belly. God bless those women who donated their maternity clothes instead of selling them in a garage sale. And God bless the lady who rejected them all. (I hit the jackpot outside the dressing room b/c they were all hanging on the reject rack!!!)