What I bought at Tiffany & Co.

I should have known better than saunter into a Tiffany & Co. with only $100 saved….

It was a lovely Saturday afternoon in Chevy Chase, MD, a little DC hood of high-end designer stores. I unintentionally looked very Holly Golightly in a black summer dress and big sunglasses. Sure I only had $100 saved in my Me Fund, but I had babysat that morning and there was a wad of $65 cash burning a hole in my pocket as I walked into the store. What can I say? Tiffany seduced me.

I always feel a little awkward walking into fancy stores like Tiffany’s or Gucci or Prada. Maybe it’s the man in a suit opening up doors. I never feel fancy enough for slick old men to open doors for me. Or maybe it’s the salespeople who eye me. They’re all friendly, but I walk around afraid I may be singled out like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman as a fashion fraud… because really, I am not rich enough for a store like Tiffany’s.

But I soon forgot about my insecurity as I began browsing the pretty glass cases with a kind of reverence at items that had pricetags higher than my credit card limit. Rows and rows of gorgeous diamonds sparkled up at me. Everything was so glamorous!

I looked online so I knew which items were within my price range and which weren’t. I decided a while ago I would get a necklace. Earrings are too easy for me to lose, I only wear one bracelet that J gave me, and I kind of want to save a nice ring for someone else to buy me… if you know what I mean. ;) So necklace it was. I spent about 45 minutes browsing the aisles of pretty jewelry debating over about eight different necklaces before deciding on this one:

Except it’s my initial. ;) I love it! It was exactly $165 which is what I saved plus the babysitting cash I had earned that morning. Hooray for being debt-free! 2010 goal accomplished. :)