Lemmings

Once in a while, I go on these lemming binges. I fixate on something I see in a magazine and go on a safari hunt until it's shot, roped and caged in my closet. Other times, it's MakeupAlley. These gals can be bad influences. By reading the threads, one person's excitement can spawn a mad herd stampede.

Just recently, my co-worker fell into a lemming trap of the BCBG cardi-wrap. It's a wrap....it's a cardigan...it's both. She rushed down to the mall to snatch them up while they were 50% off. I haven't seen her wear them yet. Just a few months back, she was into ponchos and now look where that trend is. Don't forget last winter's Ugg craze, she bought those too.

Now, I personally do a lot of analyzing and reasoning before I take the plunge. I will not purchase something if I don't consider it timeless. Expensive designer brands I find for cheap at Loehmanns and Off 5th are usually the most satisfying purchases. But the more expensive stuff, even if it's on sale, I have to do a lot of justification before I hand over my credit card. If I can't make up my mind, I walk away. This is probably one of my better traits. I can always reason myself out of buying something. But that's usually the result of having spent too much already in the first place.

My appetite gets more and more expensive with each passing month. I convince myself that I need this because (insert creative reason here). As I review my credit card activity online every week and once I've reached my quota for the month, I stop buying and wait anxiously until my statement close date and then start shopping again. I usually hit my quota within the first week of the new statement cycle. So I actually only fulfill my lemmings for that week and then it's a dry spell for the next three weeks.

Whoever said money can't buy happiness simply didn't know where to go shopping. -- Bo Derek