Friday, May 01, 2009

Spring Fling... Sensual Spending

There must be something in the air as April comes to a close as the weather starts flirting with summer. On the one hand, I seem to be having some crazy allergy symptoms. And then there's the fact that I flipped out and bought a pink trench coat that came to almost $170 with tax.


I wouldn't have bought pink as my first choice, but otherwise it was exactly what I'd been wanting for a long time. And it didn't come in any other colors. And then I said, what the heck, I probably need a little more pink in my life. (It was from Club Monaco, in case any of you feel a similar fit of madness coming on!)

Thinking about this further, I wonder if the color pink triggers some kind of crazy spending impulse in my brain, as I have also bought pink shoes that were impractical, if not terribly expensive. Though other than that, my spending trigger color has tended to be grey-- if it's charcoal grey and it's a sweater, I have a hard time resisting. And my other sensual spending triggers are more about texture than color-- soft cashmere, buttery leather, the almost silky touch of a certain denim... some things just feel so good, you want to spend money on them!

Have the sensations of spring stimulated your spending?

12 comments:

SavingDiva said...

I LOVE THE PINK!

SaveBuyLive said...

The seasons absolutely affect my spending. Summer is travel season. Once it starts getting nice out I'm all about taking day trips to see everything worth seeing.

Winter stimulates me the other way. It's so cold where I live that I have no desire to leave my apartment. My grocery bill usually skyrockets as I desire more and more comfort foods. I also have this urge to buy lots of DVDs because there's nothing else to do but sit down and watch movies. Thus far I've been good about resisting the DVD urge, but not the food urge.

Wendy said...

Um, yeah. I went to Nordstrom to use my reward coupon since it wouldn't work online and ended up with an Anna Sui dress and Milly skirt. Both were marked down at least 40%, but that shopping trip was still an unplanned splurge. Can't be good all the time, I guess.

frugal zeitgeist said...

Yup, I guess you could say that. Part of the problem is that I've dropped two sizes since February, though, and nothing freaking fits. I gave in and bought three pairs of shorts last week because I didn't own any that I had to unbutton to put on, and I'm not really a pants-fallin'-down kind of gal.

Hopefully, smaller clothes will help me when it comes to maintaining the loss.

MtnMama said...

I'm blaming it on preparing for my move ;)
I finally broke down and bought the espresso machine I've wanted - $65 - but I rationalized that it will save me in the long run.
I've already paid for my beach vacation, but it's not until July.
Yeah, this time of year I start looking at all the new camping gear and thinking I "need" it.

Peachy said...

I tend to gravitate toward certain colors when i go shopping. All day, every store it will be one color. some days its red, some it's blue, some it's green, even pink. No idea what causes that, since if i'm not in the right mood i don't buy at all. I don't think it's seasonally either.

Anonymous said...

I LOVE your new pink trench. You need that. You really do.

I just buckled and bought a pink swiss dot dress for just under $80 -- online (including shipping). I hope it looks like I think it will when I try it on. It was on sale, and I haven't bought a nice dress since I had my daughter. She's three.

Karen said...

The trench was worth the money! Every year, I buy a couple of "investement pieces" that are more expensive than my usual clothes but I know I will wear them for years.

Yes, spring makes me want to spend more money. By April, I'm sick and tired of my winter clothes and I'm looking for a little pick me up. And of course pedicure season begins : )

Gord said...

I dunno, are the previous commenters sucking up? They all are helping you justify the expense. Maybe now they've all gone out shopping!

Well, the only man is going to tell you what you need to hear. This is an example of "frugal?" Is it going to change your life? Hmmmm, $170 on the mortgage over the life of it would work out to how much? Is it really worth that? LOL

By the way, it's really not all that pink.

Anonymous said...

Bronx chica- yes this weekend, i brought 4 tops that totalled about $64. It was worth it :)

Jane said...

Last month I spent $50 on three pairs of Cosabella underwear in the colors "carrot," "corn," and "radish," respectively.

Unnecessary, yes, but they're bright and quite luxurious. I don't regret it.

L. Marie Joseph said...

"Have the sensations of spring stimulated your spending?"

nah, still saving