New Coat of Color

I started tracking daily money spent on January 3, 2019 and I've been scrupulously honest about it here ever since.

As you know, it has often included groceries [a lot of groceries], drugstore items, gasoline, Uber and bus fares....but also coffees, vacation expenses, books, candles, stationery, colorful work folders...clothing, accessories....flowers/plants/potting soil...dining out.....gifts. Table linens, Aerin dishes on sale. And things so precious to me, such as annual family membership to Audubon Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary [maybe $60?].

This is the very first day where I really do not want to tell you how much I spent--on a beautiful lavender wool-blend, collarless winter coat.

I'm tired of jackets bought on sale that don't snap and my old black Burberry jacket that is almost 20 years old and needs to be mended. I don't think I've bought an honest-to-God, knee-length coat since the 1990s. And this is my fifth week working in a professional office.

But I did buy a coat tonight, at the new Nordstrom flagship store on 57th Street, fourth floor, with help from stylish salesperson Andrew. I must have tried on 15 coats before I found it, starting on the fifth floor. Let's see:

1. Patagonia knee-length.
2. Barbour black with fur-trimmed hood and belt [my favorite, but only went up to U.S. size 14, boo].
3. Beautiful khaki jacket with tapered waist.
4. Black coat with faux-fur patch pockets.
5. White jacket with hood.
6. Second white jacket with hood.
7. White wool coat.
8. Odd camel coat with long pink faux-fur cuffs.
9. The North Face long black coat.
10. Shaggy golden coat.
11. Light blue jacket.
12. Woolrich black and white plaid.
13. Woolrich red and black plaid.
14. Furry car coat with belt--looked like a bulky bathrobe on me.
15. Another one like that, without a belt, by another brand.
16. Gorgeous lilac car coat with belt you tie in a bow, but I needed XL and L was a far cry from that.

I paid about half with my debit card and about half with my Nordstrom credit card [which has a pretty low credit limit].

I want to look professional.

I am not ready to reveal my price here. Let's just consider it a major business investment. I hope it lasts a good while.

TCOY

1. Walked almost an hour in NYC.
2. Baby spinach from salad bar.
3. Coat.

$ money spent out of pocket

• Duane Reade, dark chocolate bar, $4.25.
• Wasteful, coffee and croissant and $1 tip, $8.89. Way too much.
• Cafeteria lunch, $6.27.
• Donation, $25, Covenant House [Moey doing sleepout].

TOTAL DAILY SPEND NOT COUNTING COAT: $44.41.

will crunch numbers soon.