Amendment 1(A): Freedom of Spend

As the cleanse winds down into the last month of this shop-free trifecta, I've been segueing from shop-free into shop, free. I have been using my birthday coupons (the ones with expiration dates!) and overcoming the obstacles to walk away with some great swag compliments of Express, Vicky's, Kohl's, Macy's, and more. Yesterday I went to Vicky's to spend my free $10 the day of its expiration (!!) and scored with a 1/2-off-the-clearance-price pair of beige foldover yoga pants for $7.49 and a cheeky panty for $2.99. Now I know what you're thinking: "Wait a minute, that would put you over the $10 mark by 48 cents!" Which brings me to amendment 1(a) to the Shopping Cleanse Constitution: freedom of spend. An intern at work came up with it, and because it allows me to spend (a little!) it's obviously brilliant. It goes like this: if I end up paying less than a dollar out of pocket, it doesn't count. I mean, please, I spend more than that on a venti-shaken-iced-passion-tea-light-ice-three-pump-classic at Starbucks, helloooo! And at least I get more than 37 seconds worth of pleasure out of my yoga pants -- wearing them right now -- and yes, that's how long it takes me to drink a venti iced tea. What can I say; addicts replace one addiction with another, right?

So, on my swag-a-thon, I have been able to get: a 4-pack dish cloth & kitchen towel set in yellow because we still have "ho ho ho" towels in the kitchen = 21 cents; yoga pants + panty = 48 cents; 2 beach towels for vacation in cape cod = 86 cents each; three shadow boxes with sea shells as wall art slash memories from our cape vacation = free because Chris bought them for us! Win, win, win!

These great buys have made me think about the future of ColdTurkey: what will become of it after my cleanse culminates and I fall off the shopaholics anonymous wagon with a resounding thud and go wild grabbing discount Aldo's flats for work, clearance priced DSW Anne Klein espadrilles & Steve Madden suede clog ankle booties, 40% off shark-bite 3/4 length sleeve flutter tops to go with my over-the-knee boots, always-on-sale silk 80's inspired tanks by LC Lauren Conrad, and almost-free-with-my-coupon summer/fall oversized short sleeve drape cardis by Elle? I'll tell you what happens: I'll share the goods. Well, not my actual goods, what do you think I am, crazy? But I will share my knack for picking up amazing deals and some that really should be steals...but aren't, I promise. I will create a chic-ocracy with its own constitution. It won't be the next couponmom.com or clipperscrazy.org, but it will give you all my secrets to creating a jam-packed wardrobe full of options: Gucci on a Gap budget. Okay, maybe more like Coach on a CVS budget, but you get the idea.

The new blog will launch on August 2, 2010. Until then, Cold Turkey will continue to immortalize the saga of shoplessness that consumes my life. Ideas for the new blog title are welcome & can be posted in the comments section!