Wednesday, April 7, 2010

The $20 T-Shirt

I went shopping today, and when I got home I got a hug from my husband for buying 5 new t-shirts. They were not for him, they were for me. Yes, my friends, the clothing situation around here had gotten so bad that Big J was glad I went shopping for clothes.

"How?" you ask. It's not a budget thing. It's an I-hate-clothes-shopping thing. To be more specific, I hate to buy clothes for myself. They never fit "right." I hate the size on the tag. It doesn't look good on me. I don't want to pay that much for a shirt/skirt/pair of jeans. That's the biggest reason I've spent the last 6 years in t-shirts and jeans/shorts - I hate to pay a lot for clothes, and I can typically find t-shirts that are inexpensive (under $10).

I had a little extra time this morning between an appointment and preschool pick-up, so I stopped into a clothing store to look for some t-shirts. Most of the t-shirts were on sale for $6.99 - yeah! I found a few colors that I thought I could wear without looking like I bought the same shirts from the last two summers all over again, and then I saw some t-shirts with (mostly) monochromatic designs on the front. I picked up a few of those, too, and it was off to the fitting rooms. I wasn't wild about how the t-shirts fit, but - hello - they were only $7, they are just t-shirts, and if they aren't as thin as tissue paper, I'm happy. Can't be too picky.

And then ... then I tried on the dark grey t-shirt with the black design. I loved it. I have no pants/shorts to wear with it, and it's too hot for jeans, but I loved it. And then I looked at the price tag. $20! $20? Really? Because it's just a t-shirt. When I took my 'rejects' back to the rack, I got a bit of good news. The $20 t-shirt was on sale for $11.99. Still more that I usually pay for a t-shirt, but I decided to get it anyway. Once I was home, it got a thumbs up from Big J, who found it amusing that I thought $20 was too expensive for a t-shirt.

So, friends, do I have a skewed sense of how much I should spend on clothing?

I really do think the What Not To Wear folks should come and help me out. I truly believe they would take every item out of my closet. Every one. Even the two pairs of jeans I have (that I think fit me well, by the way). Oh, and they would probably leave my new running clothes that I got a few weeks back (now those weren't cheap, but man, they were a good investment - talk about wicking away the moisture - I had no idea - but I digress). Maybe they'd leave 2 or 3 pairs of shoes. I know there wouldn't be much left. And that might not be a bad thing....

2 comments:

Shannon said...

I think no item of clothing should cost more than $20 period, so I'm not going to be the best judge. When I worked at my last job, I wore capri pants, t-shirts and flip flops all summer long. It's way too cold in my new office to do that. I end up wearing winter clothes (which are nicer) in summer!

I am a big fan of the $5 Hanes t-shirts you can get at Walmart that come in all kinds of colors. I have a lot of them. I realized the other day I need some things for summer that are not those t-shirts or not t-shirts with stupid sayings on them. LOL

But I do think that clothes are too expensive most of the time. I would probably put a $20 t-shirt right back on the rack myself.

Heather {Desperately Seeking} said...

i can relate. I went shopping last weekend for groceries. There was a sidewalk sale next door and the shorts were on sale for 3 bucks each.. i bought 3, 2 t-shirts and a pair of shoes. When I came home, I confessed about what I had done. His repsonse was one of "i'm glad you finally did something for yourself." but i felt horrible because i had taken the money out of savings.

Later on, I was showing him what I bought and the receipt fell out of the bag... he picked it up and said, "All of this cost you $25?" I nodded.

He burst into laughter. "You were upset because you spent $25? I thought you spent WAY more!"

but i hate shopping, i hate spending the money, and rarely do i ever splurge.... although he would like me to do a little more of all... in moderation. i can so relate.