There’s only one true way to my heart. Shoes. You see those shoes up there? I want them. Bad. I’ve been eying them for weeks now. They have a 5.8 inch heel *swoon*. They’re originally $98, but they’ve gone down to $48. 50% off!
That $48 is 193 Argentina pesos or 1,470 Thai Baht. It’s insane amounts of money, a lot of food, excursions, nights on the beach. So what’s a girl to do when she hasn’t bought anything for herself in ages?
There’s countless blogs and articles about being frugal while planning a trip. Save! Save! Save! Sell! Sell! Sell! And of course you should save. And before a big trip you should probably get rid of a lot of things. And I’m the first one that needs to get rid of a lot of shit. (I’ve started! 2 bags down to Goodwill already!) But should you never buy anything for yourself ever again?
Since I’ve been planning for my trip, I have been relentless in saving and I don’t even make a lot of money. All of the extra luxuries I allowed myself are gone. Every little bit of extra change has gone to my trip fund. I’ve stopped getting manicures and pedicures, I’ve started doing my own eyebrows, and I can’t even think of the last time I’ve been seriously clothes shopping. Going out on the weekends has been significantly minimized. I plan meals to save on groceries. I only eat out on special occasions (saving money and weight loss). I don’t go to Starbucks. This trip is super important to me, and I’ve been doing everything I can to ensure that I’m saving money.
My momma always taught me to take care of myself. So I always try to pamper myself whenever I can. Every once in awhile, when I can afford it, I might buy myself a bottle of wine or a new lipstick color, a cheap shirt from Forever 21. But damnit. Those shoes are stealing my heart.
So I’m just going to come out and say it. Those overblown minimalists who make it a point to make you feel bad because you own more than 3 pairs of shoes get on my nerves. I admire your tenacity and gutso for not owning at lot of things, but just because I own more shoes than the average doesn’t make me any less of a person. I love shoes. I always have. Fashion has always been a HUGE passion of mine, and clothes and shoes are more than just things I put on my body. It’s about wanting to look my best at all times, it’s actually something that I care a lot about. I don’t know about anyone else, but I can’t live in extremes. I’ll never be able to be a hardcore minimalist.
Decluttering is great. Getting rid of things is awesome. We all need to do it. I need to do it. We need to save money, we obviously want to travel. But there comes a point when sometimes, you might just really have to bite the bullet sometimes and fucking buy something for yourself and not feel bad about it.
I think those shoes might be mine soon. At 50% off, I don’t think I can pass them up.
And I won’t feel guilty about it. Those 5.8 inches are gonna be mine baby!
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
I feel the same way! I’m also purging some things but not everything. While I am planning on traveling for a year or so I also plan to come back. And I don’t want to come back to nothing! So there’s nothing wrong with splurging on something every once in a while. Your whole life doesn’t have to focus on travel!
You’re exactly right. Yes, travel is my biggest passion, but it isn’t my whole entire life. Thanks for making me feel better!
It’s VERY hard to become a minimalist while living in a city. You’ll find that once you hit the road, you’ll begin to need less (especially if you’re carrying it around from place to place!)
What if you create a reward system for yourself, like for every $$$$$ saved, you can treat yourself with $ on something that makes you happy now? You have to remember to live and enjoy your life now, otherwise you’ll waste the next 6 months living for the future.
I bought a $360 pair of boots before I took off travelling when I was 24 (I also didn’t earn much). I still have them, I still love them, and nobody died because I spent that money from my savings fund! $48 is cheap.
Oh Torre! You always know how to make things make sense. I love the idea about a reward system. Life is definitely too short to freak out about spending $48 on shoes.
I saw your tweet about the Poppin package, so I wanted to come and check out your blog. Funny you should post these shoes! I worked for the company who makes Jessica Simpson Collection before I started at Poppin. The “Dany” are one of my all time favorites (and actually Jessica’s all time favorite).
I will never, ever be a minimalist either, I’d like to get rid of the ‘stuff’ cluttering my space (aka small NYC closets) and life, but know it’ll never really happen. My stuff doesn’t define me, but having things that I love and that make me feel good about myself (aka 5.8 inch heels for my 5 foot 4 inch body) makes me smile, and that is a legitimate part of who I am. No apologies. I need to work on my saving skills (desperately actually), but sometimes, somedays it is more important to bite the bullet and invest in making yourself SMILE. Life is too short!
I’m excited to keep following your blog! It seems we have the same taste in shoes… and pens… keep up the good work and I’ll be in touch as a Poppin-person and as a fan of your blog
Meredth
AHHHHH! I think I would’ve owned every single pair of the “Dany” if I worked there. By far the most incredible shoe, except I can’t find it ANYWHERE in my size (6.5). *sigh* They’ll be mine soon enough though.
I totally agree with you about having things you love making you feel good about yourself. No one can deny the power of 5.8 inch heels, no matter how many pairs you have! I do keep a budget, but sometimes it’s good to splurge on yourself. Life is way too short to constantly worry and nitpick about buying one pair of shoes. You gotta go what makes you happy!
Thank you for following, it really means a lot. I can’t wait to see all that Poppin has in store!
Oooooh, pretty pretty shoes. I love shoes with a killer heel – Unfortunately I’m 5’8″ so big heels make me look like a giraffe.