Are you a Recessionista?

I've been hearing the term "Recessionista" quite frequently lately. It seems pop culture gives birth to these catchy phrases every now and again. This clever word was obviously spawned by the current economic conditions and is the combination of the word "recession" and "fashionista". The definition is as follows: "A person who is able to stick to a tight budget while still managing to dress stylishly."

I am a self proclaimed bargain shopper who never pays full price for anything, no matter what. I will turn my nose up at anything that is not on sale and I love the thrill of the hunt for bargains. Although I do not consider myself a "fashionista" or trendsetter, I do love clothes, shoes and accessories. I've been really tightening up the purse strings this year by not buying very many of the aforementioned. I'll be the first to admit that it hasn't been easy.

Recently I was on a quest for a new purse ~ a good leather one that will hold up for a while. While designer names don't much matter to me, I did feel like splurging a bit. I justified the urge to splurge by the fact that it has been quite a while since I have spent any money on "me". So, I went to my favorite place for purses, TJ Maxx. OK, make that my second favorite, since I love the purses on Etsy most. But this time I was looking for leather and my budget would not allow for the $300 leather purse I've been eyeing there.

After tearing through every purse on the many racks in the store, I kept going back to a shiny black number whose pricetag was a bit more than I had budgeted for. I liked everything about it, and it looked and felt like really good quality. Still, it was more than I wanted to spend. I put it down and walked around the store to grapple with this tough decision.

It was then, that I caught sight of a sign on the wall, "LAYAWAY".

I approached the salesclerk and asked what the terms were. Could a purse be put in layaway?

"Yes" said the salesclerk.

Now, I recall the days when my mom would cart my sister, brother and I to the local Kmart and have us pick out our school clothes, which she would then put into Layaway so we would have them in time for school to start. This was a necessity for my parents, who were supporting three kids on one income and who didn't believe in putting anything on plastic. They were smart.

The idea of having the store hold onto my new purse for 30 days while I made on time payments made the purchase a little easier for me to swallow. I went for it.

If you're at all curious, here is a link to my new find. I am happy to say that I paid far less than this price at the "Maxx". I'm actually quite pleased with the deal I got.

These are tough times we are in, no doubt about it. Many of us are trying to hold onto what money we do have and not give into the temptation to spend. However, I do feel that it doesn't hurt to treat yourself, even in the smallest of ways. Besides, spending a little cash can help boost the economy.

I'm trying to do my part. ;)