Personal Choice

Recently I was faced with a decision that is very personal for women - I needed a new purse. The strap on mine broke beyond repair.

You probably think buying a new purse is a relatively simple task. You go to the store, find the accessory department - ah, purses, here they are, grab one and buy it. Done deal.

If that is what you think, let me just say that you are WRONG. It took me 4 separate shopping trips to find my new purse. You can't just pick up any old handbag. There are a lot of choices and decisions that go into finding THE purse. Some women go the designer route, but I can't justify spending more money on the purse than I'll actually carry in it. Plus if you spend less, you can get a new one more often.

Last year I had a great purse that was exactly what I wanted. And with all the thousands of purses out there, amazingly my sister showed up with the identical purse in a different color. I guess we think a lot alike!

The first requirement for me when buying a new purse is the strap/straps - I can take a single or a double strap, they just have to be long enough for me to carry the purse on my right shoulder. Some women like the shorter straps to just carry on your arm - much like my grandmother carried her pocketbook. Or of course you could choose a clutch and not have a strap at all. Then there is the backpack style - very popular with the teens and tweens. I even came across some that had the shorter double strap with a detachable longer strap - attempting to meet the needs of everyone.

Regardless of what you've heard, size IS important - I don't understand the point of a small purse except for an evening bag. My daughter K likes a really BIG purse - she even carries her school stuff in it. Somewhere in the middle is best for me.

Another must for me is it HAS to zip closed. I've done the snaps, the drawstrings, tie closures and even the open top hobo bags - not secure enough for me. I've had my purse get dumped off the carseat from a sudden stop enough not to go that route again.

And I want pockets inside, at least a couple for my cellphone, sunglasses and other items I need to be able to find quickly.

Next consideration is what it is made of - cloth, leather, woven - lots of choices. Color plays a big role in the decision-making too. I wear a lot of black, so I usually get a black purse (though I do have a brown one I can carry in a pinch) so I don't have to switch it out to accessorize. But it's Spring and I've been carrying a black one for a while so I checked out other options too.

In the end, I found a black purse with white trim - making it acceptable for the season I think - and the stitching is tan so I can even wear brown with it.


And now you can sleep easier having the inside scoop on how I choose a new purse.

Trip to the mall

I promised my girls a trip to the mall when we went school shopping last week. So with Daddy off golfing and Labor Day sales calling, we decided it was a perfect time to go.
When they hire those guys that work the kiosk booths lining the center of the mall, what are the requirements?
"Help wanted: Annoying Kiosk Salesman, must be willing to harass innocent people minding their own business that want absolutely nothing that you are selling."
Why do they have to be like carnies at the fair? Any other store, they wait for you to come in. You know what you're looking for, you'll stop in the stores you're interested in - that's the way shopping works. But for some reason having your booth as a divider down the middle of the mall (where everyone can plainly see what you have to offer) gives you the right to accost every passerby with your spiel. I think maybe they get bonus points if they ask you more than once, as you pass by in each direction.
Anyway, I digress.
Each girl had a particular item we were searching for - D wanted a new t-shirt from one of the popular stores (we'll just call them "AF," "H," and "AERO" for the purposes of this post) and K needed new jeans. According to K's friends, she just had to get her jeans at "H" if possible. If you've ever gone into "H" you know it's dark, cramped, hot, and loud. Even making it in the door, it feels like you should give a secret handshake or a password or something. But we made our way through the dim lights and pumped up music to the racks of jeans - only to find out that you have to be 1. a child, or 2. anorexic to fit in their clothes. K being a sophomore in high school is not either of those. Seriously, if you pick up one of their sweaters sized XS, hold it up and look at it - I don't think I know many kindergartners that it would fit. And even if they came in normal sizes, paying $60 for a pair of jeans that come complete with rips and worn spots wasn't going to make Daddy very happy. At "AF" there were similar selection/price issues, but at least it was well-lit and the entrance was wide open, no secret doors or handshakes here, we at least felt like we were allowed to shop there. We had success at "AERO." Pricing was very reasonable, and their sale prices were - surprising! They had jeans on sale, and racks of shirts 2 for $22 and some that were even $5 as a Labor Day special. Both girls came home happy.