Wisdom in a Jar

I am the annoying woman in the Dunkin Donuts line making everyone late for work just so she can scrap the gum off of a lone dime she found at the bottom of her bag to avoid breaking a dollar. I will only purchase non-name brand items at supermarkets even if it means buying things I will never eat or use(but I saved 35 cents!). I re-use plastic sandwich bags. I call myself resourceful. Thrifty. Frugal. All very decent rhetoric to avoid the clanging gong of truth- I'm just, downright cheap.

It's a sickness, really, passed down through generations of budget-conscious Vanderbergs and the weight of it drags disparagingly through every mall encounter, every Shoprite aisle. A damp sweat breaks out on my upper lip as my fingers gingerly brush the price-tag in a desperate attempt at nonchalant perusal. I have stress dreams about buying more than two tee-shirts at a time.

I am a firm believer that consuming never leads to fulfillment. Not only are my purse-strings padlocked, but I have been known to scoff at others who spend more than what I deem necessary for any certain product that could be made from the contents of your pantry or refrigerator.

Here is where I hang my head in shame and publicly declare my deepest apologies for my hypocritical behavior. I have tasted the riches of a well-made body scrub and I am not turning back. Not matter-gulp-how much it costs.

The Body Shop's line of Spa Wisdom's African Sea Salt Scrub has, with one peaches and cream tub, changed the course of my skin's history. At 30 bucks a pop, this little African beauty scrubs these unfortunately rainy June doldrums into distant, scale-y memories. Who can resist Community Trade, organic beeswax and shea butter? I mean, it's the very essence of shrewd spending. I'm basically donating money to perpetuate the fair trade cycle- and happen to have skin as smooth as petals and smell lightly of the earth after it rains in the process.

There, see? Nothing hypocritical at all. I take back my aforementioned apology. Not only am I frugal but globally aware and empowering as well. And as soon as my penny jar fills up, I'll trot to the Body Shop counter and spring for another. (I usually go between 4 and 5 in case you'd like to avoid the line).