Secrets under the bed

79 year old Mum negotiates steep hill in France
in order to get the shops

My mother loves to shop. If there is a shopping experience she will not miss it. When she travels with us we have to make sure that there is time baked in for her to shop.

She used to love to shop with our cousin Joan -who was QUEEN of the MALL. Joan was an awesome woman who always looked terrific and chic - I mean Hollywood level of chic. I loved her.  When the two of them would get together in Florida they would attack the mall with a vigor that was remarkable -especially since they shopped after dinner when the rest of us were burnt and done-in. They were a sight to behold.

But, they were very sneaky with their purchases. They would never parade all of them around after they bought them, rather they would hide the packages under the bed. One or two items would be displayed - to make the trip look plausible - but the rest of the items would be packed in their suitcases and hustled under the bed at their respective homes ... only to be pulled out weeks or months later. When my dad would innocently ask "Oh, is that new?", my mother could honestly say "Heavens, Paul I've had this for EVER". And she wouldn't be lying. She was  Presbyterian after all.

I am very different from my mother. I hate the mall. I hate the parking lot, hate the lines, hate the people in the mall... you get the idea. However, I don't mind shopping at stand-alone stores - like ... MARSHALLS!

It has exactly the right combination of attributes for me. It carries clothing and home decor, the quality is usually pretty good, the merchandise is sold at a reduced rate and there is a Marshalls  8-10 minutes from my office (depending on the traffic and the lights). In other words, it is the perfect place to spend my lunch hour.

I feel OK spending money at Marshall's because I always think I'm getting a deal. Bill has NEVER, and I mean NEVER said anything to me when he sees Marshalls bags in the hall.  I do not feel the need to hide my purchases from him - I've never done it. In fact one of his favorite refrains is "SPEND THE MONEY" . Can you imagine? I still reel when he says that. Luckily, I'm very frugal, so I don't - spend the money (I am Presbyterian AND Scottish). But, maybe I don't spend the money  because he says "spend the money". And maybe he says "spend the money" because I don't spend the money. OK, this is one of those circular logic things that makes my head spin. 

The conclusion of this story is that I do not hide any purchases under my bed. I use that space for other secrets.