Shopping for Free

So it's January 26, and I finally gathered all the things together from Christmas that I needed to bring back to the stores...and then some. You see, I consider the Christmas grace period for gift returns kind of an amnesty for all the other items I bought during the year that I can't find the receipt for, or found in a closet in a bag with the receipt - but that somehow never made it to my car.

Today was Return Day. I had all my bags organized, and knew which ones had receipts and which ones I had to feign surprise about: "Are you sure  that's not in the bag? I could have sworn I had it in there." Among the things from the holiday I was returning (woolen accessories, age-inappropriate presents and indeterminate household items) were two pairs of summer pants, three pairs of sandals, a decorative pillow I got for a sofa I no longer have and two children's aprons.

I promised myself I was on a returns-only mission; no shopping. I kept thinking that all the way into the first store, when I discovered that I was too late to have the charges reversed and the money put back on my card, and would have to have STORE CREDIT. Ah, store credit! That guilt-free shopping spree—electronically transferred to a gift card—that feels so clean and good and right, because nothing's coming out of my wallet. Except, of course, for the money I spent the first time. Duh.

There's a kind of dance that goes on in my head when I have that unexpected windfall-that's-not-really-a-windfall. The practical, fiscally responsible me says "Keep your eyes down. Don't look around, Anita. Save this to shop for someone's birthday." And the fun-loving, financially carefree me says, "Look, you work hard. You deserve this! And how smart are you to return summer stuff and be able to buy winter stuff with it?"

I'm not saying the responsible me never wins. She does, most of the time. But today, that other me just made so much sense. And I have a new jacket and shoes to prove it.


©2013 A Bit of Brie/Anitabrie