The best dollar I ever spent!

so here we are again. monday. but i am actually happy this monday. there were some recent changes in my life over the weekend & i will be starting a new chapter in my life. so this monday isn't just your normal monday. its the first day of my new life. im excited. 

& before we move on a big Happy Birthday to my mom -----> she's means everything to mean & seriously couldn't imagine my life without her. She's not only my mom but my best friend......if only I knew i'd feel this way back in high school...ha ha but that's for another time ----> 

SOOOOO i have The Messy Girl of the Month taking over the blog today! She's hilarious& if you don't already know her & her blog, well that's sad for you because you're missing out! take it away Lauren!

:::

Hello everyone! I’m Lauren from “L Bee and the Money Tree” taking over for Kelly for the day. On my blog I talk about anything and everything related to personal finance for young women including items to save on, budgeting, how to make your closet go further as well as venting about personal finance in life and the media.  Today I wanted to share a story with you about the best dollar I ever spent--it probably isn't what you think!

Picture it: Macon Georgia,2007. Two girls are wandering through the Salvation Army looking for costumes for the Tacky 80's mixer later that evening. In addition to finding the GEM of an outfit seen above (thanks to Capable Carrie for the photo!) I ended up finding the holy MUTHA of all nightgowns.

A nightgown can be a great way to cuddle up with friends.

It was worn and faded, but incredibly soft. Some mistaken volunteer had put it in with the dresses instead of which the sleepwear, a department I otherwise would never have gone to (used sleepwear? Call me old-fashioned but that's like having herpes on speed-dial). Still--it had a logo I found incredibly funny, and since it was
crotchless sanitary I decided to go for it. I rationalized that it was, after all only a dollar, and I thought I'd wear it that evening at the sleepover after the mixer for giggles and discard it the next day.

That's right. It says "I Only Sleep with the Best". Which incidentally, is true.

I never got rid of it though. At first it was the comforting softness, the way the cotton fabric allowed my skin to breathe and the lack of pants kept me from having night sweats. It was long enough to wear around to lounge in and provided an endless amount of comments and laughs for every sleepover I took it to.

I wore it after all the break-ups and the drunken all-nighters in college. In my mid-twenties I wore it after each and every bad work day; the ONLY thing I wanted to wear when I was sick. The silly nightgown and impulse buy became something else entirely--a security blanket I needed to make me feel comfortable and safe when I was at my most vulnerable. Call me sentimental, especially since I'm devoting an entire post to a mere piece of fabric, but the nightgown is what I now consider the best dollar I ever spent. After years of shopping addiction and impulse spending it is one of the few purchases I never regretted.

Flash Forward to now: July 2012. I was in bed in my beloved gown eating bean dip. (yeah, I eat bean dip in bed! Get at me!) And fatty-fatty-no-friends that I am, I spilled dip all down the nipple area of the shirt. You can see the damage below.

That's a mighty big stain for such a small girl. Well, I really like dip.

The stain didn't come out, and I feel like such a slob walking around the house in a dip stained nightgown while my hot boyfriend is nearby. Alas, into the trash the nightgown goes.... but not without all the fanfare and the proverbial "ten-gun salute" it so rightly deserves. I am so super sad to see you go, but I guess after six years it is time to get some new PJ's. It's not like I didn't get my moneys worth.

Perhaps it is because it was such a great bargain; an item that I got a lot of use out of I feel just a tiny bit better about placing it into retirement.

Thanks for the memories comfy white trash 80's nightgown. Goodnight and good luck.

Help me grieve my loss! What's the best dollar you've ever spent?

::: Interested in being Octobers Messy Girl of the Month? Or still not sure who to sponsor? Check out all my stats, testimonials, & rates HERE.....join the mess!  Target Giftcard Giveaway HERE