After a self-imposed spending freeze, I finally gathered up all of the coupons I'd been saving and hit the mall. And as ridiculous as it may sound, my new clothes make me so happy! I got new underwear from Victoria's Secret using coupons for two free pairs of panties and $10 off a bra. I bought two pairs of shoes from DSW with help from a $25 Reward Your Style gift certificate, and I went absolutely nuts at Ann Taylor Loft, scoring two tops, one skirt, one pair of pants and a tunic-length cardigan for $175. Everything was on sale, in coordinating colors (black and tan), and further discounted with my "20% off any purchase over $150 coupon." And the store was running a promotion that awarded me with three $25 discount cards that can be used starting mid-month.
Josh and Z benefited from my spending spree too. I got Josh a pair of khakis featuring stain-resistant, wrinkle-resistant nanotechnology from Target and Z got two new outfits, a pair of shoes and a lion Halloween costume from Target and The Children's Place (using 15% off coupons all the way!). I tried encouraging her to go for the ladybug, witch or fairy outfits since the lion costume resembles one her friend wore last year, but she insisted, "I wanna be a lion. I wanna say 'roar!'"
All in all, a great haul. I'm sure I'll feel the pinch when my credit card bill comes, but I think a periodic spending storm is probably smarter in the long run than leaking cash on little things all season long.
