I’d bet money today is day #4 of our ‘Shop ‘Til You Drop’ series!
Sex and the City
This is a famous quote from the TV series ‘Sex and the City’, spoken by Carrie, the Fashionista narrator of the show. I think we all understand what she was saying – her clothes are a visual manifestation of her money. I get it and I think it’s a funny quote.
Money as Clothes, Clothes as Money
But when I imagined a closet where the clothes were replaced by actual money I saw a problem as well. What would happen if her closet (or yours) was suddenly transformed and all that hung up were the various denominational bills. Several 100 dollar bills hung on the hanger instead of the Alexander McQueen dress. A pile of 5-6 50s lay on the floor instead of a pair of Prada boots. A raft of 20s hung instead of the Hermes scarf. Those bills would be pretty useless to you in your closet.
Then again, clothes are pretty useless to you in your wallet or purse. You can’t spend skinny jeans on groceries, a cable knit cardigan on medicine or a pair of kick ass stilettos on rent.
The Aunt
I had an aunt who was obsessed with shopping. She had maybe 30 Coach bags, most of which were still unused. She had hundreds of blouses, skirts, dresses, pants that were in multiple colors…and never worn. She had trinkets and baubles and decorations up the wazoo, most of which were never seen. They had his and her Hummers.
In the meanwhile her family was in debt. The family business was having a hard time. Mortgage was overdue. Foreclosure was coming. Then she got sick and died.
We were worried about her widowed husband’s ability to recover and sustain his life. It looks for sure like he would have walk away from the house, losing it all. But, that’s not what happened. He was able to get back to work. He was able to pay down his debt and keep the house. Why? Because no one was spending anymore.
It’s great to have nice clothes. I love looking at great clothes and admire women or men who pay attention to that, I think it adds confidence to one’s life when you care about how you dress. But money is not really what’s in your closet, it’s the memory of money that’s there. If you need your money, save it in a bank, because it will never turn into money in your closet.
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Drawing and commentary by Marty Coleman
Quote from ‘Sex and the City’ script, spoken by Carrie
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