Average Jane Goes Shopping

There are few things in life that I dislike as intensely as shopping. That's why I do 99% of my holiday shopping online. It's also why my wardrobe consists mainly of Threadless t-shirts.

Unfortunately, I've gotten to the point where the t-shirts, jeans and Chuck Taylors look is starting to get a little stale on me. There are times when I need some flattering clothes that give the impression that I'm a grown-up, and my supply of said clothes (that fit) was running short.

So yesterday I begged my sister to accompany me on a shopping trip and help me pick out some decent shirts and a pair of everyday shoes that weren't sneakers. She has a good eye for style and fit, but she is not a shopping fan either, so neither of us are inclined to dilly-dally at the store. We make a good team.

I managed to hit the jackpot with the clearance sales at Macy's. I got five tops, a pair of comfortable but not too casual shoes, a tube of the mascara that Kelly recommended, and a couple of random gadgets from the clearance table in the kitchen department.

We paused briefly to recharge at Starbucks, then continued on to JC Penney where I got a couple of necklaces, some sparkly purple eyeliner for stage wear, and two packages of socks to start replacing the ones I keep throwing away on laundry day.

All that took only about two hours, but we were both exhausted. We made one more stop at Best Buy to pick up a couple of birthday gifts for my brother-in-law and then dragged ourselves back to her house.

Sadly, I still need to go to an actual shopping mall for two final purchases that I couldn't secure yesterday. After that, I should be good for another year or so before I have to set foot in another department store. At least I hope so.