Money Matters

Wow. First, thanks for the feedback about what I should blog about. I know this blog is mainly for me, right? But I'm always interested to know what others find interesting. So, thanks!! :)

This post is a little different than my normal stuff. Since we moved here, it seems like I've had money on my mind a lot more. It could be that Brian's so busy that I've (begrudgingly) taken over doing most of the bills -- so I "see" the money a bit more? It could be that I'm constantly comparing what things cost in Idaho, to how much they cost here. It could be that New York is just an expensive place, and I've still got "sticker shock." It could be that we're finally MAKING money instead of just burning our savings away, and yet we're still not really gaining much. It could be that we moved into a VERY affluent area and I'm much more aware of how some people spend, because they have it to spend.

It could be a combination of all those things. Most likely, it is. Well, whatever the reason, I just feel like some of my observations are interesting, maybe somewhat amusing, and worth sharing. But it still feels a little weird for me to be talking about money, because I don't usually do it. So, if you get embarrassed for me on some of this...

well, a-hem.

First little story...

A few weeks ago I looked up a few consignment stores in the area and took the kids with me to check out one of them. It was an upper-end clothing and shoes consignment store, with prices ranging from $5 - $100 for gently used items. It was just me, my kids, and the store owner in the store -- super nice lady. She started helping me find clothes that will fit my body, even though I'm not a size 4, 6, 8... She pulled out several pairs of capris and jeans, and lots of tops. Each time she pulled out a new top, she'd say "oh, and here's another Anthropologie, here's a Testament that would fit you, here's a Puella that's kind of cute..." $15 for one shirt. $22 for another, and so on.

I smiled politely and took all the clothes to try on, even though the only name I recognized was JJill. Am I so disconnected with fashion that I really have no idea what the hot brands even are?? Apparently so. I was browsing through the "grab bag $5 bin" at the back of the store before I left, and I saw a cute black jacket that was my size. Not bad for $5, I thought. I decided to get it, along with some $3 Sonoma t-shirts (Kohls, of course), and a few other shirts that were some of those name brands she'd mentioned. As I put the jacket on the counter to pay for it, the owner lady got all excited for me and said, "Oh!! Is that that Eileen Fisher jacket?! What a steal, eh?! I'm so glad it fits you! Can't beat that, -- just take it to the cleaners, or press it yourself, and... wow. Eileen Fisher for just five bucks, huh?!"

I acted like I knew what a find I had found. Even though I was clueless and, again, had never heard of Eileen Fisher. (Have you??) So, I looked for her line online the other night. Found a jacket like the one I just got, only mine's black, and a little bigger :) ...

And how much is the online catalog price for this little beauty?? $278.

Wow. Who knew? And the testament shirt I got for $18. I love it (and thanks for the compliment, Alysa)...

I know, this was in my last post, but I had to put it up again, now that I'm actually talking about the shirt. It's pretty cute, I think. I looked online and found a similar cut Testament shirt for $98. For a t-shirt.

Wow. I'm just not into spending like that. Nor do I ever plan to be. It kinda blows my mind that nice, designer clothes actually cost that much. And that people have money to buy clothes off the rack at those "new clothes" prices. And that they actually SPEND it on that.

And at the same time, I have to say, that shirt fits really nicely. It hangs well and feels so light and comfortable. So do the others that I bought. It makes me want to go back to that little store and see if she has any more like it (which I bet she DOES). Maybe she even has some more Eileen Fisher stuff ... now that I know what that means. ha! Not that I don't like the designer clothes -- just not the prices.

I remember having a conversation with a friend once -- not anyone really close -- about clothes and shopping. She said, "I never thought I'd like to spend a lot of money for nice, good quality clothes. But then I tried on some nice, good quality clothes. And they fit me so much better. They just felt good on me. Now... it's really hard to *not* by the good stuff."

Hmm... lucky for me, fashion isn't really my thing. And really, I'm okay with my ignorance of the fancy brands. But being here, being surrounded by a really high fashion standard, it does give me pause for thought... and for blogging. ha! You should see the lovely shoes on some of the ladies at church, oh my! I could write a post just about the shoes... but not this post.

Next little story...

I went to drop off some paperwork to the school nurse at Samantha's new school. She (the nurse) was super nice and friendly. She gave me a referral card for her family's dentist and was telling me about our town and surrounding area. "Have you got your daughter signed up for a summer camp yet?" she asked. I kind of shrugged, so she gave me a booklet about "Summer Fun in Westchester County." She started telling me about how there were lots of different camp options, but it'd be kind of late to get registered for most of them. Then, she said, "Oh, actually, Harrison City offers a camp that has a later registration. It's nothing great, but it's so cheap. It's only, like, $300 for the week. So, if your daughter didn't want to go one of the days or it got really hot or something... well, you know... you wouldn't be out any money, right?"

Umm... okay. Except, yes, we would be out $300. I'm sorry, but that still feels like a lot of money to me. For a five-year-old. For a one-week summer day camp thing that's "nothing great." The school nurse went on to tell me that "some of those private day camps can start to get a little bit pricey... You know... $5 or 6 THOUSAND dollars."

Umm... okay. So now I understand. ... I guess $300 is "so cheap" in comparison. But really, to me, it's still $300! -- Five fill-ups with gas (also on the pricey side, now that I think of it), three weekly grocery trips, or two month's worth of utilities.

It's the same with the community pool here... $700 for the summer. Means me and my two kids can swim at two different outdoor pools all summer long. And that's "such a deal" according to a mom in the park, because it's so much more reasonable than the nearby Rye Country Club, which is $3000 -- as in THREE THOUSAND DOLLARS to swim in their outdoor park and pool. (And, of course, there's an out-of-city additional fee we'd have to pay at Rye, since we live in Harrison -- a lady we met while we were out walking tonight told me about that nice little add-on, thanks.)

It's the same with preschool prices... A lady in our ward is doing preschool right now, charging $150 per month for two days a week. She's on the lower end. Someone else is doing one next year and will be charging $185. But either of those options is soooo much more reasonable than any of the private preschools around here. I hear they charge in the thousands. per month... haven't actually verified that yet, so I could be wrong. But still, I guess I really do have sticker shock. Sammie's Spanish Immersion program (back in Caldwell) was pretty pricey to me -- $90 a month. Sorry Spence, you're getting Joy School. :) Or, maybe *I* should start teaching preschool???

I know, I know... New York is just an expensive place. Yes, it's true. But the fact is, my same dollars still mean as much to me here as they did in Idaho. And yet they don't buy nearly as much here, at all! Those dollars just seem to stretch so much farther, almost anywhere besides here, eh? Seems almost wasteful, to spend more for less. But that's what it feels like here. Kind of a downer, when I stop to think about it. (But don't worry... I try not to!)

I'm sure I had more to say about this, but it's not coming easily. Probably because I don't write or talk about money very often. And probably I don't talk about it much because we all see money from a different vantage point, depending on how much we have, how much we need, how much we spend, etc. Right? Well, then. Enough said, for now.