What Constitutes Too Old to Shop At a Teeny Bopper Store?

I love to shop. Window shop, shop online, shop for house furnishings, cat toys, a salad bowl, just shop. If one of my friends or family members tells me they're looking for something in particular, I'm like a hound dog on a scent. I'm going to find the best quality and the best deal in the perfect color. Recent score, 10x15 pop up canopies for $91 and free shipping. I rock.

My whole approach to clothes shopping is to find the highest quality (or highest quality looking) garments for a steal. One of my secret pipe dreams is to be a personal shopper.

It's apparent that my family thinks I'm some city slicker fancy pants with crazy fashion tastes. Outside of a few 'classic' splurges, I'll have a story about almost every item of clothing I own and how great a deal it was.

As an example, I willingly offered to drive the stack of half full paint cans to the dump on my (alone) day off because it meant that I would be close enough to the outlet mall to justify the drive. Oh yes.

My husband thinks I'm a freak because at pretty much every event we attend, I'll point out what someone is wearing and whisper to him where it's from and how much it cost and know what small village their fair trade bracelet was made in. It's probably a disease, but whatever.

So given the economic times, I'm trying to cut back on the little shopping allowance that I allocate myself. That means I'm looking to the ahem, 'less expensive' stores for my seasonal pieces. So yeah, I'll admit that I stop in at a Forever 21 and shop Brass Plum at Nordies. Of course I try to make sure that the jeans I choose do not highlight the muffin top and don't even try on the too short skirt... but there are basics to be had at good prices friends! And I'm not the only 35 year old in there either! Granted many of them are there with their teenage daughters..but that's beside the point.

I don't know why I didn't do this before..but today I realized shopping Forever 21 online is so much better than wading thru the stacks of clothes and standing in line like a child molester behind the 12 year olds to try on clothes at the store! Anything that doesn't work, I can just return and pretend they were for my niece!

So why did I feel guilty and WRONG when I was registering my account and it asked for my age..... I'm not the only one, right? I'm just buying basics like cheap layering t shirts and fun costume jewelry. And okay maybe a sweater not made of acrylic, and then a skirt that one time.... but that's allowed, right? Then why do I feel like Stacy and Clinton would not approve...