There's a reason they call it retail therapy.

Most of the time it's the money that matters. The rent, the mortgage and the bills. Clothes and adornments are not so important as there's a much bigger picture surrounding you. In quiet moments a little bitterness creeps in as you ponder the boots you've been silently coveting for a couple of months, unable to justify the expense but the soul is consoled by the thought of the romance of your existence; the cottage, the wooden beams, the lovely man, the future you will have and suddenly the sacrifice is not so huge really.

However, when said Lovely Bloke decides the grass is greener elsewhere, the cottage starts to crumble around your ears due to neglectful landlords and the future is spirited away before it really had a chance to begin, then, the clothes and nice things Really Matter. Hence the lovely Coast dress, a vintage Jigsaw bolero and sea green beads from Noa Noa. I see your disapproving look but I'm making up for 5 years of martyred abstinence here and there's still a long way to go.