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Lunchtime Poll

Lunchtime Poll: Feel Good Purchases

I have been shopping like a madwoman lately. Not just for necessities (toilet paper! paper towels! baby wipes! ziplock bags!), but for “feel good” items, like a cutting board and zester. What have you been buying lately?

pic of several shopping carts
Image courtesy of D. Laird

No, no. You needn’t have bought a Coach purse to post here because a “feel good” purchase can vary person to person. For example, I feel very good about the little box of baby wipes that I got for my desk at work, and said box of wipes only cost me $1.99. Why do I feel good about this? Because I just do.

Heck, maybe you were given something lately that made you feel good, and that counts, too, because I said so and I make the rules for this post. Tell us all about it!

By Michelle Miller

Michelle Miller is a twenty-something blogger, cook, freelance writer and editor living in Seattle, Washington. She’s a feminist trying ever-so-hard to embrace her spaces, conventional or not. She looks forward to numerous bad hair days, burnt cremes, a soapbox or two, and maybe (just maybe) a yellow polka-dot bikini in the years ahead.

58 replies on “Lunchtime Poll: Feel Good Purchases”

I’ve hit my summer book buying spree. So far I’ve only bought four books, but I’m waiting to find the rest on my list. The books I just bought include: Tuesdays at the Castle, The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship oh her own Making, The Dovekeepers, Grave Dance, and Clockwork Angel. So I guess that’s actually five books, but still. I’m super happy with them and have finished all but one.

I am one sleeve away from being done with an awesome black and pink striped cardigan, because there’s nothing like knitting a sweater in a heat wave, but mostly I get fancy yarn and make socks with it. Wearing a pair of hand-knitted cotton/silk blend socks is like having hugs on your feet. Also, you can make a pair or two form one skein, so I don’t have to spend insane amounts of money to have something wearable made out of the good stuff.

I’ve been buying a lot of fun, new agey stuff for my place. My birthday was a few weeks ago, so I got a nice check from the folks, and I also got a nice bonus when my job ended the same week. I saved half, and spent half.  I got a gorgeous Himalayan salt crystal lamp (about 20 lbs) and a bunch of large salt crystals, which are beautiful and also clear energy in the space. And I got a pretty picture of two butterflies that I hung in my bedroom for feng shui, (to invite romance into the space.) And a friend of mine gave me a gorgeous silk curtain that I want to hang over one window in my bedroom, because a lot of light still comes through the blinds, so I want to get a nice curtain rod for it. I also stocked up my fridge & freezer with lots of meat/seafood/fruit/veg. And I bought a new “water pipe” as I broke my last one, and boy, that bummed me the hell out. I also have a $50 gift card to DSW, and I’m looking for a nice pair of silver flats with good arch support, which are IMPOSSIBLE to find. Why is it SO HARD to find cute shoes that look good and feel good, and that I can actually afford? I also want a new pair of sandals, that are nice, that actually look good, but that also are comfortable and I can walk around in all day. I swear, the shoes I want must be made out of unicorns and phoenix feathers.

Himalayan salt sounds AMAYZING. What made you think of it for your home?

I hope you find those mystical, magical shoes. Lord knows, I am STILL looking for the perfect pair of hardy, comfy red shoes that will last me through more than one rain storm and a year of perpetual use.

Salt in general is very cleansing, and has been always been used to clear negative energy. I will often sprinkle sea salt in the corners of my house. I’ve wanted a salt lamp for years, and when I got it, it felt really awesome and grounding.  I tend towards anxiety/overthinking, etc, and I thought that having some big salt crystals to hold on to might help. So I went back to the store with a friend and I got the big chunks and held one in each hand, and was amazing…like I was rooted to the floor. And it definitely helped with the overthinking/non-stop thought spiral. So then I had to go back and get some more later that week because they’re so damn cool and were pretty cheap.

1/2 lb of “eatin’ cheese”, thin-sliced.  So-called because when my husband unpacked the Freshdirect box, he asked, “what’s this for?” and I replied, “That?  That’s my eatin’ cheese.”

I also bought NARS tinted moisturizer and cream blush last week, and am in love with putting them on my face b/c they seem so decadent.  The blush is called “cactus flower”, and it’s probably the prettiest cosmetic color I’ve ever owned.  Love it!

 

Omg, I have “eatin’ cheese,” too! It’s a very fine Tillamook aged extra sharp white cheddar. I cut off the tinsiest little slices and go into fits of ecstasy.

I am so envious of your NARS tinted moisturizer. They don’t make a color light enough for my skin! Might give the blush a try after your glowing review. :)

Ooh, if you’re really pale, you might really like this blush.  I wear the lightest shade of the tinted moisturizer and it’s still a bit dark for me, but I like to think it mutes my ghostliness.  Beware: the blush looks REALLY bright in the package, and you just need the teensiest little bit, but for me it gives me that perfect “was out in the sun for 5 minutes” look.  The upside of the brightness is, I had a similar brick-red NARS cream blush before that was the same deal – you just needed a tiny little dab – and so, even though it was expensive, it literally lasted about two and a half years (you’re probably not supposed to keep makeup that long but whatevs, I’m a cosmetics hoarder).

I just got home from shopping for new work clothes- two snazzy pairs of Levi’s dark rinse – 1 skinny and one bootcut, and two navy cardigans. These would normally be feel-good purchases, but since they had to be purchased before tomorrow, it was not as much fun. Two pairs of jeans that fit is a bit of a success, though.

I think tomorrow I’ll go buy a waffle maker with some of the left-over BB&B gift cards we have from the wedding.

I bought lovely, bright spring green boyshorts. They’re comfortable, too! And they were on sale, so score all around.

Actually, I wanted to buy a pair of fuchsia ballerinas today, but the store was out of my size and I can’t find them anywhere else either. Boo, it’s so hard to find shoes I like. I did get lime green knee socks though, to placate myself.

I’m rather looking forward to being the embarrassing old woman wearing all the insane, bright colour combos. I blame genes – my great grandmother reportedly insisted on wearing bright colours, saying: “Old people are are ugly enough to look at as it is, why make it worse by having them wear black.”

I have a friend who would go ga-ga over lime-green knee socks, and I’m feeling a little faint myself!

Imagine wearing them WITH those elusive fuchsia ballerina flats. o_o

I feel the same way, though, about lip color. LIKE IS TOO SHORT FOR THIS LIPCOLOR TO BE TOO RED FOR WORK.

I have a pair of Worthington pants from J C Penney that are my most favorite work pants ever. They fit beautifully, they don’t wrinkle, they were only $30 or so, and they don’t wrinkle. I recommend them highly. (They are some manner of polyester that does not look like harrible plastic. I have cotton pants from them that do wrinkle, but are still good pants)

Nice!  If you’re starting a new job with professional dress and can in any way afford it, I highly recommend eventually splurging on a bunch of mix-n-match work separates, along with a few basic black dresses.  When I started my job, I tried to be frugal – and ended up being super-paranoid that people noticed how often I was outfit recycling.  I then justified a spending spree (this new job paid a lot more than my old one) and bought an ungodly (for me) amount of clothes. Five dresses, two pairs of pants, four skirts, some silky shell tops, and five cardigans (on top of the 3 suits I bought when I started the job).  More clothes than I’ve ever bought in my life at one time.  But now it’s AWESOME – I can reach into my closet and easily pull out stuff that all pretty much looks good together, and makes me feel fresh and professional.  It’s an awesome feeling.

My office is business casual, so building up a repertoire of separates is my goal! I’m planning on buying enough outfits now to get me through my first week, and then I’ll add more once I get to snoop on what everyone else in the office is wearing. We were actually advised not to buy too much stuff, since right now we’re in 6 months of training and once I’m out in the field my wardrobe requirements may change (there may be steel toe boots involved, I’m excited about it).

I’ve been in a buying mood lately too; but the most excitingest thing I bought is what arrived today and what I am typing on right now – new laptop! Retina display! All my settings and such migrated so I am R.T.G! It’s so pretty and so devoid of food on the keyboard – the A key even works every time I press it!

8 YEARS OLD?!?!? My 4 year old MBP is on it’s last legs and I’m trying to stretch is out so I don’t have to buy a new one. I want a new one of course, but am hoping I get a job before I have to spend that kind of money. How do you keep yours running?

Well, the fresh/shiny does not last long, as I migrated my old account and all the stuff is here now :). I have a *lot* of apps (free software from Apple, Adobe, Microsoft, etc. will do that to you) so the Time Machine backup saves my life/sanity. One of the first things I’ll do, though, is find an app that removes all of the extra language files (forget what it’s called, but it’s always easy to find); that’ll free up a few gigs of space. Then I’ll probably see if I have any apps that I didn’t put onto the old laptop (which was also 4+ years old; old MBP club!!).

So many bras.  I hadn’t been sized since high school, so now I have well-fitting undergarments.  They are super pretty (bows and minipearls!) as well as actually comfortable.  I even have a strapless bra that STAYS UP.  My ladybits rejoice with rejoicing!

Body by Victoria lined strapless from VS. Iit’s got multiple elastic bands in it and fits perfectly between the boobs so it’s not slidey. It will slide after a couple hours, but you’ll have to go to the bathroom anyway. Regardless, you won’t have that moment of, “Oh God, my boobs fell out. Did anyone notice????”

I bought a bunch of new t-shirts from Threadless because they were having a sale. Including another Doctor Who shirt. So now I will have uh… five. Yes. Still I am really looking forward to that box showing up on my doorstep. I am also culling the old yucky t-shirts to make room for them, so I feel productive.

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