I recall when using/wearing matching Bath & Body works shower gel, lotion, and body spray defined my beauty needs.   For some reason, the importance of matching scented products ruled my (seemingly shallow) life.

Now I find the need to use pricier hair products that allow my color to continue to shine, since I paid a pretty penny for these highlights.  I find volumizing powders and dry shampoo along with other items which total $75, with free shipping, of course, a requirement.  Clinique makeup will only do for my sensitive skin & Essie and OPI nail polishes are a favorite.  I also enjoy a good mani/pedi from time to time, but who doesn’t?

These high-end beauty products somehow crept into my life before I knew what they were doing to my credit card statements.  Not to say I’m in debt to beauty, but for a girl whose primary needs ranged from scent uniformity to now needing Sephora on speed dial?  I can’t help but wonder when this happened.

As if calling attention to my salary output isn’t enough, I also notice a more savvy approach to the paycheck input. I see life insurance and my retirement fund as line items on my bank statement.  I recently asked a friend for investment advice and love ING online banking for its higher interest rate.  My Costco executive membership earns me 2% back on all purchases there, when bulk purchasing saves a dime or simply saves me time.  Oh and that membership finds me the best car insurance & coverage for my husband and me.  We squirrel away funds for a larger down payment down the line and entertain the idea of traveling & living overseas.

It trickles down to the pets, too, who all eat grain free foods from non-chain stores.  This is not so much an indulgence for them as it is a reality that wild animals don’t eat wheat.  That and one of the cats & the dog have allergies.  Really.

All this highfalutin attention to detail and need for quality products might appear excessive.  I’m not sure when this change happened either: when Trader Joe’s overtook Giant, salon dye won over boxed dye, and the need for yoga beat out couch-potato’ing.  I never needed designer clothes, yet Coach purses & the rare Louboutin’s mark some sort of coming of age in my head.  

Call me spoiled.
Call me immoderate.
Call me crazy.
But one thing’s for sure: I didn’t care worth squat about these things at 21 or 25.
What is it about becoming independent (“grown up”) that has the potential to make us so reliant on other things?

I find value in taking care of my assets with quality items.
Because life is short.
and I am a grown up.
(tomorrow)

30, baby.