If shopping were a sport…

When I began this blog, I intended to write about my life.  While I was living in Europe, I assumed it would be mostly a travel log, cataloging the places I was lucky enough to visit.  But, since I was so busy traveling, I didn’t do much blogging and now my life is much more boring.  So, the sub-title of my site is hardly appropriate anymore.  It should say, “my life is exactly as boring as my blog makes it appear.”  But, I don’t think I am going to change it.  Readers will just get the idea I think.  Plus, trying to write something interesting about the mundane is a good exercise, right?

I also pictured myself posting a lot of Top Ten Lists (a la the “Top Ten Reasons I Love France” post).  These seemed fun.  So, I was thinking I could write about my Top Ten Favorite Pastimes.  Then, I realized that I only have three.  Well, ok maybe four, but the fourth is quite a stretch.  As you probably already know: I love to ride my horse, I love to read and if you actually know me, you know that I love to shop.  (The fourth is eating….I told you that was a stretch.)  I am a boring person!  Maybe I should change the category to “Top Three” instead of “Top Ten.” 

I really do love to shop.  It is completely foreign to me when one of my friends lets slip that they don’t like to shop (you know who you are!).  And, I really love it when I encounter a fellow shop-a-conis freak (you also know who you are!).  Sure, it can get out of control, and it isn’t always fiscally responsible; but it is so much fun.  It is like going on the hunt.  When you find exactly what you need,  you WIN!!!!  Sometimes it can be frustrating or challenging, but that is what makes the successes even sweeter.  I have been known to spend more than should be legal on the perfect pair of blue jeans (to avoid incriminating myself in the event my husband ever reads this, I am going to avoid naming specific sums), but in general, nothing is more fun than getting a deal.  Let me give you an example.  I love the brand BCBG, but they usually have one to many figures on their price tags.  On a recent trip to Dillard’s, my sister and I stumbled upon an unexpected sale.  You know the kind where clothes have already been marked down, but they are hanging on a rack with a sign promising to reduce the price again at the register.  I bought a very cute, ruffly, white, button-up, short-sleeved shirt for $35!  In case you are one of those people I know who does not know what BCBG is….the original pricetag on this shirt was $118.  Isn’t that crazy?  Now, did I really save $83 on this shirt?  Not really, because I never would have paid $118 for a white shirt (well….I might have….I wouldn’t have….I might have…..I wouldn’t have).

My mom, my sister and I have developed a theory about shopping.  The search begins with a strict list of criteria: the item must fit perfectly; it must be affordable; it has to be the right color, it has to be appropriate for the occasion; it must be easy to care for (for my mom, this means no dry cleaning, but my sister and I are more lenient); it has to be comfortable to wear.  Out of all of these criteria, which do you think is the first to go out the window?  Price!  In general, if all the other criteria have been met, we are willing to spend a little more than we planned.  My sister was especially adept at getting my mother to forget about the price criteria.  She was just so picky that at the end of a harrowing day, when my sister finally found “it” – my mom would have been willing to spend almost anything.

Combining things from my favorite pastimes list is nirvana, but at differing levels.  For instance, reading and eating often happen together.  But, that usually means I am eating alone and that is kind of sad.  (Although, reading and drinking wine is fun, even if you are alone.)  Eating can sometimes be combined with riding (like this past Sunday when we had a barbecue at the stables).  That is fun.  But, one of the best combinations is shopping for riding things.  Love it, LOVE it!  A friend and I took a trip to Atlanta where we spent the whole day going from tack shop to tack shop (four in all).  And, we went out to lunch.  So, that was really three favorite things in one day – heavenly!

If shopping were a sport, I would be a gold medalist.  If only I could find a way to make money shopping – then I could do it full time.