good intentions gone bad

my intention this month was not to shop and to, well, save my money. wait a minute, isn't that my intention every month?

anyways, i pretty much flushed that down the drain here when i shelled out 200 shekels (about $50). but! as i wrote, (and im not just justifying spending) i really do think a little shopping does the soul good. i have always loved shopping, even more so, finding a great deal, but when i moved to israel my gravitational pull toward spending money on materialistic things has intensified.

can anyone else relate? how often do you shop? do you have specific purchases in mind when going to spend?

the other day after work my co-worker, Galit, took me to this little boutique called SOHO near our office and i was blown away at how "special" each item was. there was everything from sheer pale, detailed blouses to sexy, sparkly minis to chunky boots and lacey one-of-a-kind handbags. i know that this is the concept of a boutique, but this one is known for being tucked away in this remote little shopping center and for being very "well priced." luckily for me, i had given my credit card to boyfriend to hold so i wouldnt make any slip-ups and i only had a 50 shekel bill ( about $12) in my wallet. now, my plan was not to buy anything and just to browse so when next paycheck comes in I would know where to come to pick up a cute, new top. but, I found these:

i wasn't drawn to them immediatly. it wasn't love at first sight. but you know when you try something on and it grows on you and you start going through in your mind how you could wear it, etc...

so, that's what happened.

and then the sales woman said they were 50 shekels and i was sold.

do you love them? hate them?