I Dressed for Less

Ross Stores $11.99

I remember long ago in my college years I starved myself for a entire month to save money for a dress I couldn't afford but just "had" to have. Yes, I put my health aside so I could afford a dress that cost almost as much as my $300 car payment. But, that's not the saddest part. The saddest part of that experience was that I didn't feel happy wearing it...and it showed. It was uncomfortable, not very complementing for my curvy figure and it was awfully itchy. I'm pretty sure it made me break out into hives. When I had tried it on initially I think I convinced myself I loved it because it was a designer dress and it looked fabulous on some celebrity. After that first night of wearing it, I held on to the "dress of doom" to prove some kind of point to myself but I couldn't bare to wear it again...the very thought of wearing it made me itchy.

You would think I would have learned my lesson but I went through that experience at least 3-4 more times. Buying something I don't love or need because I think it's going to make me feel good because it's expensive and some "important" person wore it in some magazine...those days are long and gone.
Proving that those itchy days are gone...a few days ago my husband and I attended a premiere party in West Hollywood for a new show called Full Circle that he edited a few episodes on. It was such a fun night celebrating with my husband and guests (including some of my favorite celebrities). I often work at these type of events as a hostess, door girl or greeter, so being an actual invited attendee was such a treat. Everyone was so nice and not your typical "premiere party" crowd. I had countless compliments on the dress I wore and even had a guy follow me outside as we were leaving with a pen and piece of paper asking me where he could get the dress I was wearing for his wife. I told him like I told everyone else, "I found it at Ross, it was $11.99". It took a few seconds to sink in, then he thanked me for letting him know...I hope he believed me. Also, a nice woman attending the party complimented the dress but said as much as she loved it, she couldn't imagine sharing that it was $11.99 with anyone. Why not? Why not be proud of being smart about what you spend your money on? Why not share and let women know that you can be stylish and fabulous without spending a lot of money? Don't get me wrong, I make high priced purchases every now and then. Note: High priced purchases are usually over $100 for me. Usually, it's for something that is not a trend or something I wouldn't wear often. Denim, coats and athletic wear...those are the things I could easily spend more than $100 on but I easily reap the rewards on those items since I use them quite often.
I'm happy I can wear something for $11.99 and feel great in it as I did in this dress. I feel proud that I am in a place in my life where I don't care what people I don't know think of me. I'm also grateful that I've been given the wisdom to pass on things I don't need or care for to impress people I don't care about but instead using our finances to create a foundation of security, investing in good health with high quality food and care and of course investing in nice experiences and memories for the people we love.
The $11.99 dress, though tight...was not itchy at all. It was a great night.

Full Circle Premiere Party Bagatelle West Hollywood