A sign of the times

My personal budget has not changed at all over the last couple of months, but ever since the entire global economy came crashing down, I find I have a psychological resistance to spending money. Seems not everyone is in tune with my new psyche.

For at least the past two months, I get an email EVERY SINGLE morning from both Bloomingdale's and Neiman Marcus with offers that seem ridiculously out of touch with the current American mindset. Yesterday Neiman's offered me free shipping on my choice from a new line of handbags. The cheapest one was $1,750. Free shipping? Really? How about paying this month's contribution to my 401k? Maybe then I could justify dropping almost 2 grand on a trendy accessory. Bloomie's has offered insider savings for over priced resort wear. For all the resorts I'll be living the grand life in this winter with Brendan's college savings. This morning I got an email from the Chloe Boutique. Who is spreading my contact information around? I couldn't justify shopping in the Chloe Boutique when times were good. Perhaps they think I'm a consultant to the Biden/Palin campaign. (Sorry, I like to avoid discussing politics in this forum, but this one I couldn't help.)

Against this depressing backdrop, I had to laugh when I saw a makeshift sign taped to an out of order Chase ATM yesterday. I can't imagine I'm the only one withdrawing cash less freely than I did only a few short weeks ago (although there were days over the past month when a mattress seemed more secure than a bank). So although it was clear something had been lost in translation, the hastily organized sign seemed to sum up the situation perfectly: "Out of work".

Back to fashion for a moment - I know I will need to make at least one investment this season. My current winter coat has a shredded lining, a broken zipper and feathers coming out of the seams. I'm treating this purchase like a stock picker trying to time the market. I must wait long enough for the prices come down, but not so long that my size is no longer available. The key is not to panic...