The cool, nice mall in my area had an H&M, and it was glorious. Every spring, my mom would drive me there and I could spend $50 to get a couple new things to wear for the summertime and any family trips we had planned. I cherished that $50 like nothing else—I felt like Jeff Bezos walking around with that $50 bill. (And to think now I’ll drop $50 at the grocery store every week without even batting an eye. Adulthood is a scam.)
My mom taught me how to make my money go as far as I could, and I’ve taken that into shopping, especially for fashion items. My bargain-shopper ways could have given me a closet full of one-off pieces I’d wear once and toss, but thanks to stores like H&M, I can mix and match high and low pieces for a fashionable, sustainable look that doesn’t make me default on my student loan payments.
While I probably will spend more than my mom’s recommended…