The One Hundred Dollars Challenge

We have an inside family joke about $100 today being the $20 of not so long ago. One could not do much with twenty dollars back then and you cannot do much with one hundred dollars today. Recently Ana and I got together and started joking about the “hundred dollars being the new twenty dollars" and what we could buy or not buy with it. We decided to challenge ourselves to go shopping and see if we could buy an entire outfit for $100 or less.  

Corina -I did not have much luck at the outlets or discount stores, so I ended up at a boutique style store near my house and even though I did not buy an entire outfit, I bought the next best thing for $80. A piece that I can wear three different ways. I can wear it as a high waisted midi skirt, a low waisted maxi skirt and as a strapless dress.  

Ana- In a way it is sad I bought an entire outfit for $40; even 60% less of what I intended to spend. Fast fashion means we can buy more for less. It also means it may not last very long. It means we may end up producing more waste. What brings me comfort is that I bought three pieces that are timeless. They can be combined with many things I already own to build lots more outfits. They are also pieces I did not have in my closet.

Viejas, two lessons from our challenge are:

1) Like Corina did, never buy anything just because it is affordable. Always, choose quality over quantity.

2) Like me, if you are lucky to strike fashion gold for less, I hope your finds are basic fashion building blocks. Hold on to them for a long time and mix with what you already have.