The Mr. declared today Shopping Day.
He had a coupon for Kohl’s, and he wanted to take the family out shopping for summer clothes.
Why, pray tell, would I blog about this seemingly everyday task?
Well, because it is highly unusual for the AuburnChick family to do such things…together…these days. Money is tight, and the kids are growing up. Chicky usually shops by herself or with friends. I, on the other hand, cannot stand clothes shopping, so I prefer not to go.
My dislike for shopping goes back to years ago, when we lived in South Florida. We lived within 30 minutes of numerous malls…most of them much nicer than the one that is in Podunk, USA. We lived about ten minutes from Boca Raton…shopping mecca for the rich (I’m surprised we were allowed to even window shop in that ritzy area). We were only 20 minutes from one of the largest outlet malls in the nation.
Most weekends, we stuck the kids in the car and headed out. We bribed them with food. I’m 100% pro-bribing, even though all the “books” tell you not to. What do they know?!
Anyhoo, we spent hours shopping. The Mr. comes from a long line of get-the-best-deals kind of people!
Oh, and for those of you who are married to men who hate to shop, I will hire the Mr. out on an hourly basis. He loves to shop! I used to tell the kids, “Hang in there. Just keep Daddy happy, and he’ll buy us food.” And he did.
So, I was less-than-thrilled to go out today.
As soon as we hit the store, we scattered. Chicky had just responded to my rhetorical comment about my thighs (kids, always tell your Mamas they look good, no matter what they say about their butts and legs). I got mad because she was her usual, blunt self (some things do not have to be said…”Yes, Daughter, I know that exercise will help get rid of my flab, thank-you-very-much).
But I digress…
I didn’t want to look at Chicky while I shopped, so I went my own way…to the Still Teensy for a 40-year-old Eat Your Heart Out Teenager Daughters Section (otherwise known as Juniors).
Let me tell you…it didn’t take me long to get in the spirit.
Man oh man, but I do love Kohl’s. This store puts on some great sales, and the clothes are good quality! They are stylish…conservative, but cute!
I quickly made some selections and headed to the dressing room, where I glared at my thighs a while before trying everything on.
After discovering that yes, I still fit into the same size I wore in high school (not bragging…that’s for Chicky, should she be reading this), I headed to the shoe department…my favorite.
Now, let me ask you a question. Are you like me and try on the shoes stores have out on display, or do you find the size you need from a box and try that one on?
See, this is where I’m lazy. I will squeeze my foot into a size 5 if I have to…just to give me an idea of how it looks on me before making the effort to hunt for the right size.
Years ago, stores were dumb. They put out the smallest sizes possible. Perhaps it was to discourage people like me from putting their nasty feet into sample shoes. I don’t know. But nowadays, they put the bigger sizes out! Woo Hoo!
I never have trouble finding shoes I like. Plus, I have longer feet, so there are always sizes available.
I quickly found a pair I liked and headed over to the rest of the family…clothes hanging from my arm.
Chicky’s mouth dropped open at the number of things I had. She had selected three for herself. Rooster only found a couple of things he liked. The Mr. had picked a few. I had the most.
I heard Chicky mutter, “Of course, Daddy probably won’t say no to you.”
And he didn’t. The Mr. has a lot of faults (as do I), but he can be very generous, and he knows that where it comes clothes shopping, he never has to worry about me spending too much. In fact, he knows I never buy clothes and that my dresser is sorely lacking.
So, here’s what we got…
My haul: Three shirts (all of which I can wear while I teach), two pairs of shorts (love the plaid ones, which are a little longer and cover my icky thighs), and a pair of nice sandals, which I love so much that I took a few more pictures (please excuse my ugly toes…no amount of working out will fix those):
Chicky’s selections were practical…
Love the shirt on the left! Hope she leaves it at home when she goes to college (wink)!
Rooster couldn’t resist the shirt. The vines intertwine to make a set of drums…
And the Mr.’s haul…
And you know me…ever the deal-finder. We managed to save a little over $250 during this shopping trip!
The next thing we did was go for lunch at Moe’s, where I had a coupon for a free entree from my birthday (sign up at their website, and you’ll get this coupon a few days before your birthday).
Moe’s is located next to Best Buy, and since I still had birthday money, I asked if we could go in. What a dumb question. I was with the Mr. and Rooster (Chicky had departed for the beach). Boys love electronics!
The store has its Nintendo DS games Buy 1, get the 2nd for 50% off. The only game I’ve had since Christmas is Brain Age, so I was more than ready for something new.
Here’s what I got…
I’ve spent the better part of the afternoon playing the Mystery Case Files game, and boy is it fun!!
We bought a fourth game, but it’s for my nephew’s birthday.
All-in-all, it was a fantastic day and a great way to kick off Spring Break!
Filed under: Saving Money, This-n-That | Tagged: best buy, kohl's, Saving Money, shopping | 2 Comments »
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