Livin' Like A Celebrity

So, one of the big confrontations I had with myself today was the realization that over the past several years of my life, I have failed to recognize that I am not, in fact, entitled to live like everday is a vacation. I'm not a celebrity. I'm not going to make a red carpet appearance everyday. And although the girls and I like to take photographs more than the paparazzi, we're not famous.

Therefore, I need to get my ass out of Bloomingdales when I am on vacation. I need to stay the hell out of Nordstrom unless I REALLY need makeup (and let's face it, I can probably use mascara from Target, I just prefer not to.) I also need to understand that my ladies lunches have become quite costly over the last year and that, whenever I feel lonely, or sad about something else that's missing in my life, I tend to get in the car, head out to a store, or go out for a glass of wine with the girls, or Starbucks becomes the meeting point to "catch up" with whoever I've neglected lately. What, we can't go work out together, or visit at home? No, because it always revolves around being "out." And when I'm not doing that, I'm spending money on gas to fill up my tank to drive to God only knows where.

I realize that the girls and I are NOT celebs and mega-stars, and we can't always be spending like we are, either. Eventually, we're all going to want to pay off our debt and retire, and that's going to require some restraint on our part. We are just normal, ordinary girls, going through the ups and downs of our lives, all in very different financial situations, but all with problems nonetheless. We all struggle from time to time to pay our bills and make ends meet, just like every American girl. But it doesn't help to get jaded by the media and believe that we can, or need to, live like a celebrity. Newsflash, girls! Chances are, for the most part? We can't!

So, here are some lessons I learned today, on that happy note:

Lesson #1: No more expensive lunch dates with everyone & their sister. Seriously? If you want to see me, you can go work out with me. I need six-pack abs much more than I need a $12 martini and a $15 Cobb salad, along with a $10 tip to the cute waiter.

Lesson #2: I don't need a new outfit for every "appearance" I have to make. Good God, I have a wardrobe so expansive, I can literally have a new outfit for everyday of the year without ever having to do laundry once. I am not Kristin Stewart, Kristin Bell, or Kristin Chenoweth. For fucks sake, my name's not even Kristin, my name is LC, and I am a shopaholic, not a celebrity, and I don't do red carpet appearances, I work a 9-5 job. Besides, I won't be going out much these days. I will be focusing on making my life better, not worrying about guys or any other BS. And unless they're going to help me alleviate stress or find a solution to my problems, they can erase my number from their phones, because I don't have time for their games, either.

Lesson #3: Good friends are hard to find, and even harder to keep. The ones who are true are going to stand by me through this hard time, and once I get through it, I'll find out who sticks around in the end, and I'll be a better person for it. If they can love me, even when we're NOT perusing the shoe department at Barney's, they're someone worth keepin' around.

To quote the semi-annoying bitches on my new least favorite show, Pretty Wild:
"And so it is."