Pedigree Isn't Everything.

I admit. I'm a CONSUMER with a capital "C" right along with the remaining 7 letters of the word. Does that make me a Joneser? Probably. But I crave a bargain just like everybody else.

I've been know to shop the high-brow stores. I am an Mac addict and with the exception of my cellphone, I've poured thousands of dollars into their products (let's face it, they don't call those other computers PC's for nothing) and only from the Apple Store. I strolled into a Coach Store on Chicago's Michigan Avenue and bought a $500 purse on a whim. I can't begin to number the boutique stores I've shopped in to fill my ever-expanding closet.

On the other hand, I don't hesitate to search the bargains. Next to TJ Maxx, the thrift store has been an occasional friend. I also shop online, cut coupons, and when I see something in a friend's closet, I trade. When it comes to household basics and food, I'm even more brutal.

As I sit here, half of what I am wearing is from the local See n' Save–terrific DKNY jeans and casual J-41 suede shoes that are still in awesome condition. God bless those meticulous, unknown, ladies for bestowing me with stylish, near-new clothes that would have set me back a good couple of hundred dollars, yet cost me a mere five bucks last week.

So I still put on a good show and you would have been none the wiser.