I LOVE SALES!!

I'm really not much of a shopper.  I have a very fixed idea of what looks good on me and what feels ok when I put it on.  Let's not mince words, here, I'm a big girl... and as such, I accept that there are things that a big girl just ought not wear.  I'm not tryin' to be lookin' all crazy and whatnot, so it behooves me to be choosy.

That said, I love, love, love finding a great bargain!!

I was shopping today out of necessity... Marc's sister is getting married Saturday.  Since Cherokee Workwear (nursing scrubs) isn't exactly appropriate wedding attire, and since I work tomorrow, I had to go today to find a dress.  Nothing like waiting til the last minute!

Now, there are stores that I habitually fall back on as my default position for clothes because they carry cute clothes in my size.  So I thought I would make a quick trip to Layne Bryant and be done with it.  Well, not quite.  Not today anyway.  They had hella cute casual clothes, but the dresses were all just uh-uh... nothing quite looked right on me.  So I checked out my other usual places.  Nothing.  Nada. Nil. Nope. Nuh-uh.

I was about to give up.  Looked like I was gonna fall back on a dress I had gotten a while back for another wedding.  Problem with that is that I needed shoes for it (broke the strap on the shoes I wore with them the last time).  I also needed to find a tie for Marc... lilac, the bride was very specific!  These combined needs led me to go to a store that I usually only frequent for bedding, curtains and jeans for my son.... good ol' JC Penny!  On my way to men's wear, I passed the women's department, and thought... eh, what the hell, can't hurt to look.  Well, I found a really cute dress.  In my size.  That didn't look like it broke any of my big girl rules.  I tried it on and ya know, the dang thing actually looked pretty good!  

I looked at the price tag.  $120.  Hmmm.... But wait!!!  There was a RED price sticker underneath the price printed on the tag... $60!  Ok, then! That works!  Now, shoes....  I make my way to the shoe department.  At first I'm not seeing anything I can walk in.  My mother used to tell me I walked like a potato farmer in heels, and she was right.  I'm just about to give up when I spot a sale rack.  I find a cute pair of black sandals... enough of a heel to be cute, but not so much as to hobble me.  Enough style to be cute, but substantial enough that they don't look like they're gonna break the first time I wear them.  Original price, $80.  RED sticker price $40.  

It looks like I'm gonna get away with a more than acceptable outfit for right at $100!  Score!

So I make my way to a checkout and hand my items over to be rung up.  The bright eyed, teeney-bopper manning the register goes through her standard "Did you find everything ok? Do you have a Penny's card? Would you like to apply for one?"  Yeah, yeah, sister, just give me my total! 

Then she says it........

"That comes to $65.17."

WHAT?? *Shaking head to hear better, confusion all up in the face*

"Did you get the shoes?"

"Yes, ma'am.... We're having a store wide clearance.  Your items were an additional 50% off today."

I dang near did a Praise Dance all up in the middle of Penny's y'all!! That little girl made my heart sing, she did!!  

I was so happy, I forgot all about Marc's lilac tie for a minute!  I was halfway out of the mall when I remembered.  But hey, STORE WIDE... my boo got a new dress shirt outta the deal, too.