New clothes

Sometimes you just have to give up and spend money, you know?

Last year we both needed new clothes, but what with my husband being newly unemployed, I couldn't justify the expense. Plus, we knew we were going to move at some point--why not just wait and buy new clothes on the other side?

Well, here we are on the other side. Once we got settled and money started coming in on a regular basis, it became fairly imperative to replace the stained/old/shabby clothes we'd been coasting on for two years.

Step One: work clothes. A sale at Old Navy provided several new pairs of jeans and black pants for me. A trip to the Goodwill provided several t-shirts and a new belt. I laid out real money for new, properly-fitting bras, a new pair of Danskos, and a new pair of tennis shoes for walking to work, plus some fancy marathon-runner socks. Now I can work all week without having to worry about laundry (if I have to). New shoes and support garments were expensive, but necessary.

Step Two: non-work clothes. Another Old Navy sale provided some new threads for my husband: a new pair of jeans, some shorts, some polos, some summer shirts. I got myself a couple pairs of shorts and a few summer blouses.

Step Three: new shoes. New loafers, tennis shoes, and summer shoes for my husband; some casual slip-ons and one sparkly pair of sandals for me. Comfort was key.

It's not a wardrobe overhaul or anything; I didn't buy any dressy clothes or cute summer outfits. (Where would I wear them? I work all the time.) But it feels good to finally cross that off the to-do list, and it also feels good to be able to open my closet and find something I want to wear on my days off.

Besides, we're going on a road trip next month. That calls for new shorts and sandals, right?

As a concession to pretty new things, I bought a few pairs of earrings at Target. Those at least I can wear to work.