Shopping savvy or just plain thrifty?

Just like all women in general, I enjoy shopping and spending on stuff I don't really need! Yes, I am guilty!!

Yet, unlike many women I know, I buy what I like not what the fashion world or the media tells me I need to buy to qualify as stylish and well-dressed. This does not mean that I didn't buy animal print shirts or skinny jeans, but it means I bought them only when I like how I looked in them and didn't care what the label said! Be it Micheal Kors, Ann Klein or Target label, if I like it I buy it!

Now to my surprise, this attitude is often so foreign to most ladies (including my friends) that the only way they can believe it to be ok is when they label me as thrifty and blame finances for my lack of desperation to acquire Designer label items! Although I don't really put much effort into dispelling this perception, why bother?! But I do find it strange and have tried to understand why it is so hard for most women to just follow their gut, wear what makes them look good and buy what they feel is worth it's price and how come I don't feel that pressure?

After much retrospection into how I became that way (since in most peoples' eyes I am an oddity) I have come to the conclusion that my mom is responsible! Yep, it's mom ,again! And in this case I am totally thankful to her for raising me free of any label restrictions or status hunger. Thank you Mom!
Growing up as a bureaucrat's kids we were spoiled in some ways, but spending was strictly budgeted. If dad had agreed to bend his principles and taken a few bribes and favors here and there, it might have been different but he never wavered, in spite of being ostracized for being so uncompromising. But that kept him free of any controversy in very politically driven times.

So coming back to our spending habits, my mom very effectively taught us to buy what we needed and what we could afford. An old proverb constantly repeated was "spread your feet according to the size of your blanket". We were always smartly dressed, kept up with fashion to a reasonable degree but hardly ever gave in easily. If a fad made me look fat or short, I was going to skip on it and be ok with it! If I failed to take a stand and went for the strange poofy sleeves or loose shapeless tops and looked like a bodybuilder (being already broad shouldered) my mom jolted me back to reality. Hence I never boarded the crazy fads bandwagon!

Another big factor making me money wise was growing up in a non-credit culture. In the Asian culture, being indebted financially is a burden no one wants to carry. In some areas, debt is still used as a means to enslaving farming families and controlling their freedom by agricultural landlords. In such a society, you run as far away as you can from taking loans or using credit for any purpose. That is why we never spent more then we had, and we were taught to save for a rainy day since credit was not an option! It teaches you to keep an eye on your financial means. And that habit has kept me and my family free of loans and debts even in this credit crazed culture where everyone wants to buy everything whether they can afford it or not! When the economy hit rock bottom we managed to keep ourselves afloat and made it through the tough times.

So I guess; I really don't care who I wear or how much I spend as long as I get what I need and what I want.

Thanks Mom and Dad!