Life in a Handbag

I didn't get the cute apartment that I've been driving by for a couple of weeks and am a little bummed about it. I needed a quick picker-upper, so i went thrift shopping. I found this cute little handbag for only $5.99 from my favorite store. It's genuine leather (except for the trim) and in great condition. It reminds me of a mini bowling bag and black penny loafers all in one. I'm not sure how this will work for me because the strap is short, and I prefer shoulder bags. However, the plus side of it is that my shoulder won't ache as if I've been in a 12 round bout with Mike Tyson. I may have missed out on getting the cute apartment, but at least I gained a nice bag. Yeah I know, I can't live in a handbag; but I will sure look cute wearing it!

Day 9, 1 Item, $3.99

Okay, so I know that I have been gone for quite a while and should have more than one measly little shirt to show for my lengthy hiatus. But, after my return from my two week stay in Haiti I felt a bit discombobulated. There was a lot going on and it took me a while to start thrifting again. I was feeling unmotivated and seemed to have a difficult time getting back into the groove of things. For one, almost immediately after I returned I began babysitting my boyfriend’s daughter (because he started a part-time job while I was away) and I also began the transition into my new position at work. A couple of times I thought about taking the little one thrifting with me but decided against it. Thrifting was my time to relax and I was worried that it just wouldn’t be the same doing it with someone else. However, when I finally visited my favorite thrift store alone things just didn’t feel the same. I wasn’t inspired and it felt like mall shopping (I hate shopping at the mall). Thrifting on that day felt so challenging, so I walked out with nothing.

Last Friday I got that old feeling back during my lunch break! After I finished off my Wendy’s spicy chicken nuggets (my new addiction) I had time to waste so I decided to take a little joy ride. To my surprise I spotted a Goodwill store staring right at me. Apparently I drove by this store to and from work everyday and never noticed it (I later found out that it’s the same store that my friend Nancy left a voice message about not long ago.) I wasn’t too enthused about going into this store because I have had many less than exciting experiences at Goodwill thrift stores. I headed toward the color coded blouse rack and picked up a fuschia colored shirt that was labeled size “small”, but it looked too big for me. I thought about putting it back on the rack, but a little voice in my head said, “Try it on, this color will look good on you.” I tried it on and was happy to discover that it looked great on me and the fit was perfect (it wasn’t designed to fit tight). This is a change for me because I buy nearly all my shirts small enough for an eight year old to fit into. As a matter of fact, the little one has been trying for quite a while to convince me in to giving her one of my t-shirts that she’s fallen in love with!

So with all that being said, I got this cute little, but not too small, blouse for only $3.99. I wore it Saturday with a pair of fitted light-blue jeans, big gold hoop earrings, gold bracelets, and gold mini-heels. I guess you can say in the words of El Rey’s other woman, Jill Scott, "I’m living my life like its golden” again!

Day 8, 1 Item, 99 cents

It’s been a while since I’ve last blogged because so much has happened in this past week. My job sent me to Haiti on short notice and I only had three days to prepare for the trip. I am scheduled to be here for two weeks and am nearing the end of my first week. Saturday before I left I stopped by the thrift store to search for comfortable clothes to wear on the trip. I found a pair of Gap jeans for 99 cents and unfortunately couldn’t find anything else there to take along with me. On Monday I took a flight out to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and from there I was driven (the next day) across the border to Haiti. There is so much to share so I thought it would be fitting for me to create a new blog to do so. Once I return to the States I will resume writing my “30 Days of Thrift Store Madness” blogs. In the meantime you can visit http://haitisheart.blogspot.com to read about my time spent there.

Day 7, 2 Items, $7.33

So, it’s been almost two weeks since I’ve last blogged. I feel guilty. I seriously need to invest in a laptop because last week was very exciting for me, and I was unable to immediately write about it. Last Tuesday I interviewed for a new position and was offered the job. And, on that Friday I took a last minute trip to Los Angeles (I purchased the ticket only a few days before) to attend El Rey's sister's wedding. It was the perfect opportunity for me to meet his family. The guests were asks to wear black and/or white. Sadly, I didn't have anything suitable to wear that fell in either category. I had only two days to find a nice dress and pair of shoes. So, instead of going to the thrift store I cheated and went to the mall. My shopping experience there was awful. Apparently someone forgot to tell me that I can't fit junior sizes 3/4 or 5/6 anymore. I finally found something that looked half-way cute after trying on about 10 different dresses in the women’s section. I left the mall with a long pretty dress that was white at the top and black at the bottom. However, when I tried it on at home it didn’t make me feel like dancing. The fabric was made of stretch material and my butt jiggled like jell-o with every move. The next day I jetted to the mall on my lunch break to exchange the dress for something else. I hoped that one of the dresses I tried on the night before was still there. When I got there I spotted it on the rack just as I left it; I paid for it and raced back to work!

My flight to Los Angeles was long and cold. I had the row to myself so I was able to stretch out on all three seats. I arrived at LAX at 1 a.m. Saturday morning. El Rey, his then soon to be brother-in-law, and his aunt picked me up from the airport. Everyone was asleep by the time we got to his mom’s house so I had to wait until later to meet them. At 6 a.m. I heard the sound of pots clamoring and rapid Spanish dialogue. Everyone was awake. I could hear the excitement and happiness in their voice. I greeted his parents with a handshake and his sister gave me a warm embrace. El Rey admitted that he was a little nervous. I, on the other hand, was cool as a cucumber. I sat at the bar and watched his mom prepare a plate of fish tacos for me (my first time eating). The sound of the words fish and tacos in the same sentence made me want to puke. I wanted to turn it down but didn't have the heart to tell her. I held my breath as I chomped down on it and to my surprise it was pretty good. A few minutes later his mom asked, “te gusta menudo”? Huh? Do I like the Puerto Rican boy band Menudo? Why does she want to know that? I just stared at her as she repeated it. El Rey translated that she wanted to know if I like menudo soup. I had to laugh at myself for that one. Menudo is a traditional Mexican dish made with tripe (produced from pig’s stomach). I told her that I’d never tried it before. She grabbed a spoon and fed me hot soup from her bowl. I wasn't ready for it and soup trickled out of my mouth down my chin as his father looked on (embarrassing.) It was very tasty and reminded me of one of my grandma's dishes.

Around noon time the make-up artist/hair stylist arrived and family and friends began to gather in the den. I turned down the opportunity to get my make-up done for free (although I’d been dying to wear false eyelashes). El Rey and the other men left to change at another location and I was left to wing it alone with the women. Everyone prepared for the wedding in some way or the other. But I waited a while because I wasn’t quite sure about my dress. El Rey’s sister said that the wedding was a formal affair and I had a knee-length black dress tucked away in my suitcase. After I finally changed into my dress his daughter said, “Is that what you’re wearing?” “Yes”, I replied. “Is there something wrong with it?” She commented that the “hips” puckered out a bit and I informed her that the dress was designed that way. I thought for a moment that I was indeed going to stick out like a sore thumb. Not only was I wearing a short dress, but I looked like SpongeBob SquarePants in the hip area. I began to worry a bit until I saw one of the bride’s maids arrive in a knee length dress. I sat down on the sofa and exhaled. His family was lively and fun and I began to relax and feel comfortable again. Then someone walked up to me and complimented me on my shoes and dress. “Oh, I just love chocolate. I don’t have enough of that color in my closet!” the woman exclaimed. “Umm, my dress is not brown, it’s black.” I shot back. This was not turning out good; maybe I would have done better wearing a thrift store dress.

At the wedding I was introduced to more family members thanks to El Rey’s colorful cousin Lola. She looked like the Mexican version of Tina Turner. She made it a point to introduce me to everyone who passed our way. At one point she used one of her sculpted nails to beckon me on to the dance floor. She told me that if I was going to be with El Rey I needed to get used to dancing with them (I love dancing). At midnight the party moved from the wedding venue to his mom’s house. My body began to shut down…my internal clock had not adjusted to the time difference and I was still tired from the flight. I needed to rest, so at about 2 a.m. I called it a night and headed for bed. I prayed that his family wouldn’t think I was being anti-social.

Sunday was my only day for thrifting and sightseeing (I flew back home on Monday). El Rey informed me that he’d already found a couple of thrift stores in the area. So, after eating brunch we took off to find them. I was very excited about thrifting in LA because there are so many celebrities living in the area. I looked forward to buying designer duds for less. Unfortunately, the first store we tried was closed. We hopped back in the car and drove around until we came across a Goodwill thrift store. Again, another let-down. What happened to the fancy designer threads I dreamt of finding? We found another Goodwill store where shopping turned out to be even more frustrating...everything on the rack looked outdated. I left LA with absolutely no thrift store prizes.

Monday my flight landed back home close to midnight. It didn’t matter to me that I was dog tired. I was just so happy to be back! I couldn't wait to catch up on bargain shopping. This blog is supposed to be thirty days of thrift store shopping and I was only on day six! I found some time on Wednesday to visit my favorite spot and purchased this cute skirt for $3.99 (which still had its original tags) and this simple black Anne Taylor shirt for only $2.99. I guess it’s always good to just stick to what you know. The City of Angels might be the "entertainment capitol of the world, but its people seem to know nothing about fabulous thrifting. I think I may have to go back and give them a lesson or two (if the price is right).

Day 6, 1 Item, $3.14

I thought things couldn’t get any worse after my boss practically kicked me to the curb on that fateful day last week. Then I woke up the next morning to hear on the radio that Haiti was shaken by a powerful earthquake the night before (because I don’t have cable nor internet I rely on NPR, family, and friends for updates when I can’t get to a computer). I work for a non-profit organization and part of what we do is to provide relief to people living in poverty stricken areas in third world countries. This includes responding to natural disasters around the world. So you can almost imagine how busy it’s been around here. The day after my boss pretty much told me that I was incompetent he called to inform me that he was designating me as the main point of contact for logistics concerning Haiti. That’s interesting. I was surprised that he felt so comfortable with giving me such an important task given the way he feels about my work performance. For some reason I felt like I was being used, and not in a good way.

Last week I spent most of my days fielding phone calls and responding to emails from sympathetic people who wanted to volunteer their time, donate items, or get an all expenses paid trip to Haiti. Whatever the reason may be it still didn’t make the job pleasant. I absolutely hate this part of my job. It’s not fun telling people that we haven’t coordinated an international volunteer team and therefore we don’t need their services. Sometimes they become irate because think we are lying. They don’t seem to understand that you can’t just throw someone on a plane and send them to a disaster area. I know that many of us are compelled to do more than just toss money into the bucket. But right now that’s one of Haiti’s immediate needs. A slow drip fills the cup. Once a plan of action is in place they can use the money to rebuild and employ their own citizens to work toward that goal.

The catastrophic event in Haiti made me feel somewhat guilty about my lifestyle. I’m here complaining about small things while the earthquake victims don’t have beds to lay their heads. They are sleeping on the streets! I am moved to tears when I look at the website images captured by CNN and the BBC. Watching the news right now is like self-torture. But I feel like I must do it just to remind myself of how fortunate and blessed I am.

Yesterday, it rained and I wasn’t feeling too excited about thrifting. But on my way to Wal-Mart I decided to pop my head in the thrift store next door. I grabbed this scarf because it’s very bold and soft. Green is my favorite color so it immediately caught my attention. It cost $2.99 which I thought was way overpriced (there’s absolutely nothing thrifty about that). It should have been $1. But I got it anyway. I will add this to the scarf collection that I’ve already started. The weather has been mild lately so I’m not sure if I’ll have a need for the scarf anytime soon. If I don’t wear it I can always use it as a runner for my coffee table. What do you think I should do with it? I want to use it as a reminder that even on the gloomiest days there’s always brightness to look forward to.

Day 5, 1 Item, $2.09

My boss is breaking up with me. He is trying to let me down easy. Yesterday we had a follow-up meeting about my job performance. The first meeting was sometime around April last year when he muttered that it didn’t seem to be working out. This time he wanted to know if I was searching for something else. Huh? He said that he doesn’t see the passion. He informed me that he has new plans for my position and it doesn't include me. Breaking up is so hard to do. How can I find passion if there's no attraction? My heart doesn't flutter when I walk in the office. Instead I want to pull my hair out and rip paper apart. My responsibilities change daily and everyone dumps their mess on me with my boss' permission. How can I fall in love with something that won't love me back? I can multi-task, but I think he is looking for someone who can juggle a thousand ever-changing projects at once. He once said that he needs someone to think for him. Maybe after I grow eight arms and change my name to Olivia the Octopus or Rita the Robot I'll then be able to find that burning passion that he so desires.

After the “talk”, he was able to open his big ‘ole heart to "help" find me another position. I told him that this was very awkward. He let me know that it’s what a good boss does. So being the good boss that he is, he arranged an interview for me with another department within the organization. I know that I may sound a bit ungrateful. But the truth is I am very grateful. I appreciate the time that I've been given to hunt for something else. I realize that no matter how hard I work my boss will never be satisfied. The spark is gone. The flame no longer burns. I just can't seem to fulfill his needs. You see, sometimes in a relationship you can make one mistake, or two, or three and you end up paying for it forever. Some people just can't let go of the past. I too am guilty of doing this. It’s not right.

I began to feel like crap for about 10 seconds before I talked myself out of it. Life isn't over. This could be the beginning of wonderful things to come. Of course this was one of those "I-need-a-bargain-to-lift-my-spirits" days. I made my trek to the one who has always loved me unconditionally. When I walked in he had Pat Benatar's "Love is a Battlefield" blasting from the speakers. How did he know that I needed that? He handed me a soft brown jacket with small details of black tracings etched into it. It was a size medium. I didn't mind. The fit was perfect. Another man told me that it looked good on me. That’s all I needed. I politely thanked him. I walked away feeling good again. As if on cue Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive" echoed throughout the place. Hearing the song gave me hope and confidence. Gloria, girl you are so right. I WILL survive.

Day 4, 1 Item, $6.29

I spotted a Salvation Army thrift store while on my way to a birthday party for my friend’s son. I think I have special sensory cells which enables me to sniff these stores out. I made a mental note to make a stop there on my way home. After munching on delicious cheese and crackers and snapping lots of photos I decided to leave the party a little early. I was anxious to visit the store. It looked fairly new and was in a great location; I assumed there had to be plenty of great finds.

I walked in the store and headed straight for the blouse rack. You can tell if a store is worth thrifting if the blouse selection is nice. I wasn't impressed. Mostly everything looked like it came out of grandma's closet. I found a pair of slacks by Anne Taylor (the Loft). I tried them on. They fit okay. But the colors and fabric reminded me of something J.J. would have worn on Good Times. I spent about five minutes in the mirror trying out different poses as if would change the way the pants looked. I still had the urge to flip my hands up and blurt out "kid dy-no-mite”. I put the slacks back on the rack and did something I'd never done before. I walked towards the shoe rack. I've never been too enthused about wearing used shoes. As a child I think my mom must have frightened me about getting athletes foot if I wore other people’s shoes. I'd imagine growing a big nasty itchy fungus at the bottom of my feet. Okay, back to the shoes. A pair of 3 ½ inch gold heels caught my eyes. I tried them on (with socks) and fell in love with them. Anyone who knows me well can tell you that this is unusual for me as I don't particularly enjoy wearing heels. I haven't quite mastered the sexy gait that models have while wearing them. But these shoes reminded me of the 80's dance show Solid Gold. I saw myself wearing them with a cute dress, which stops right below the knees, while dancing to the O'Jay's 70’s hit "I love Music". The shoes were only $5.99. Something stopped me from impulsively running to the check-out counter and buying them: guilt. I felt guilty for spending what seemed to be so little money, but could add up to a lot if I spend every day. I felt guilty because I have bills to pay, food to buy, and I need gas for my car to continue making these thrift store trips. I sat on a bench still wearing the shoes, with my jeans rolled up above my ankles, and stared into space. I know that I must have looked crazy. But I was trying to rationalize things. I had to convince myself that I needed to buy those shoes. I mean, $5.99 wouldn't even put a dent in the amount of debt that I have. And, how much food could I really buy for that little amount of money? It would barely cover a meal at McDonald's. As far as gas is concerned $5.99 wouldn't get me very far since it costs about $2.55 a gallon. So there you have it. I bought the shoes!

That night I took out my old dusty laptop and attempted to write about my shoes. Did I mention that I don't have internet at home and have not used my laptop in months? You are probably wondering how I post these blogs. Well I mostly do them at work. Is something really wrong with that? Anyway, I wanted to get a head start on writing this blog. So I decided that I would type and save it until I got to work. When I turned on my computer a message crawled across the screen that read, "Operating System Not Found". In other words, "your ancient dinosaur system has finally crashed!" If it's not one thing, it's another. What else could go wrong? But when I glanced over at my gold shoes on the floor in the corner I felt better. I smiled. It turned out to be a good day after all.


****For all of my followers I want you to know that the price at the top of the page is the amount I spent including tax. This explains why it's a little more than the actual listed price in the blog.