is orange the new pink?

I am a purger.

I don't save my notebooks at the end of the school year. I don't hang notes from my friends on my walls. I don't keep old ticket stubs. I once removed almost all of the furniture out of my room (my mom made me put it back).

While I (and my friends) sometimes wish I could muster up a little love for the packrat, it's just not in me.

If I come across something special and begin to reminisce for a moment, such feeling is immediately overridden by the feeling of an empty drawer. Ah, simplicty. Bliss. Less is just so much more.

The feeling of an organized closet...

The feeling of a rearranged room...

The feeling of freshly painted walls...

Fresh.

I liken it to the feeling Kate Spade probably gets from her new Web site design. It's completely different. A clean start.

Fresh.

While I was a little shocked to see the orange background, I like the change. I can't help but wonder if the orange will change as fall fades (light blue for winter?). Maybe after years of sticking to the simple green and white Kate is ready to change it up every few months.

Coca-Cola Classic. Yes Please!

BANDAGE : BLOOD ::
(A) Cable : Bridge
(B) Cast : Injury
(C) Fort : Army
(D) Dam : River
(E) Pacemaker : Heart

An English major I may have been, but an analogy-guru I am not. This was the portion of the SAT that made my heart race and my pencil begin to tap on the desk. My downfall is that I rationalize everything. A fort can cover an army just like a bandage covers blood, right? Or does the bandage regulate the blood like the pacemaker regulates the heart? I can override any form of rationale with a little reasoning.

NEW COKE : THE FEELING OF A SPLURGE :: OLD COKE : THE FEELING OF FRUGALITY

Bear with me (now that you're aware of my analogy skills).

This weekend I decided to do a little shopping, as I was in search of a new outfit. After buying a skirt from BCBG that fulfilled 80% of my skirt and shirt budget, I started feeling some remorse.

The problem was that the skirt was on sale and sale items cannot be placed on hold at BCBG (only one left, too!). However, sale items are also final sale.

When I discovered this, while simultaneously realizing I didn't have a shirt that was stellar enough to go with such a stunning skirt, I decided I needed to put it down and walk away. If, in fact, I could find a shirt to go with it, while still remaining within my budget, I could return.

As I walked out of the store feeling both frugal and proud of myself, in walked another girl, who appeared to be my size. Fear overcame my frugality and I pivoted and waltzed back to the skirt. Without thinking, I bought it, ignored the sales girl's warnings that items on sale cannot be returned and walked out smiling.

Three steps outside of BCBG I began to wonder what, exactly, I was thinking.

And that's the feeling I'm talking about. The feeling of splurging when you shouldn't have. Shoppers remorse. It's the exact opposite of the feeling you get when you're frugal (aka you're proud of yourself).

And that remorse, when you're uncomfortable and upset, is exactly how I feel about Coke's new fizzy milk. The thought of it makes me uncomfortable and upset, which is the exact opposite of how Coke traditionally makes me feel. I'm normally proud of Coke. I consider myself lucky to be a Diet Coke lover (boo Pepsi!). But now, I just feel like I wish I could return the fizzy milk for a full refund. What was Coke thinking?

I'll admit I haven't tried it, but since I don't like milk to begin with, I don't think it would be worth the effort.

While my analogy wasn't particularly successful, I think my point is still clear. Fizzy coke is not worth the splurge. However, I did end up finding a shirt to go with the skirt, thus my remorse has subsided. But let's be honest, it normally does...

PS: It's (D) Dam : River.

not the brightest idea

A few weeks ago I decided I'd reward my summer of frugality by making a quick trip to J'Crew. I figured I deserved a small splurge. All summer, I've resisted buying myself new clothes and only shopped when I had others to buy gifts for.

After keeping my wallet closed for so long, I thought of a few good excuses to buy a new dress- The Fourth of July, a special date with Jim, and Jim's cousin's wedding. I decided I could only buy a dress for one of the occasions, but having three potential reasons was enough to send me shopping.

But after wandering aimlessly around J'Crew for a solid forty five minutes, looking for something-anything- that caught my eye, I left the store defeated.

Though I'd lost the battle, the war wasn't over. The next day I began the search at Jcrew.com. Guess what? Nothing (minus two neon-patent leather headbands on sale for $9.99).

I was baffled.

Although the Fourth has since passed, I'm still on a search for a dress for one of the two other occasions. And I know I'll be able to find something elsewhere, but I was so excited to treat myself to a little J'Crew TLC.

After further perusing J'Crew's Web site, I've come to realize the issue: there's no color. It's summer and the only real color they're showcasing is coral. Other than a rare splash of yellow or teal (aka citron or aqua) everything is light pewter, weathered stone, or natural.

In this economy people are already walking around with their heads down. The last thing they want to see is a shadow colored top, a dusty shell skirt, and slate shoes. It just sounds depressing.


Seeing as J'Crew's profit increased this spring when everything was bright and beachy (which is in sharp contrast to Gap's 12% decrease) and everything the Obama's sported was brightly colored, you'd think their summer and fall lines would have followed suit.

But there is not enough fresh mint and seaside green in stores and way more than expected in my wallet. I guess I'll have to find that dress elsewhere.