Designer Jeans

This is a post requested by my husband, so please bear with me, as it might get a little long. However, I need an opinion at the end, so read on.

Last week was my birthday and Colby & I typically spend a couple of hundred dollars on each other on our birthdays. I was thinking in February about what I should ask for. I usually will ask for something for the house... a new vacuum, new molding or a carpet.. something like that. But this year I have been feeling a little too "Mommyish" after having 3 kids and staying with them 24/7, so I wanted to pamper myself a bit. I also wanted to celebrate losing a good portion of the baby weight. Long story short, I decided on designer jeans. I have had a huge dilemma the last few years trying to find jeans that fit me and are not 50% spandex (who the hell decided woman suddenly all wanted skin tight, stretchy jeans???) I have jeans that I wore pre-Ariana (9 years ago!) but have struggled since then to find any jeans that I love.

So this would be my gift and Colby sent me out on my journey (without kids... yay!) to find the perfect jeans. I had to travel half an hour to get to the only store in New Hampshire that sells all the big name designer jeans. When I got there, I was pleased at the selection and decided to try on a pair from each designer, since I had no idea which would fit or what I would like best. I also decided not to even look at the price tags... that is until I noticed a tag that said $320! Holy cow! That is a whole wardrobe for a year for all 3 kids!

I settled on a gorgeous pair of 7 For All Mankind. (Side note: I am 5'9" tall and every pair was at least 2 inches too long for me... is it only 6' supermodels who wear these jeans?) When I got home, I promptly put them on to model for the family. I was psyched; they fit very well, were soft and comfy and I had a special gift just for me. Colby had me do the runway walk (of course spin to see the tush) and agreed they looked good... however... thought they looked like any other pair of jeans I owned (which I have never paid over $40 for). He then asked the question. "How much were they?"
"$186.00"
"For jeans?"
"Yup, I told you I wanted designer jeans."
"That's just crazy. I can't even believe they make jeans that cost that much. Holy crap. You need to blog about this so I can see everyone tell you how crazy you are."

So, am I crazy?

Just a little back story before you decide... I would have received a gift for this value, whether it was a KitchenAid mixer or a new bathroom sink. And I NEVER splurge like this. I am the superthrift of the household... using inordinate amounts of coupons, buying stuff at thrift stores, never going to a salon for haircuts or colors, driving a 10 year old car etc. I budget so carefully on our 1.25 incomes that we are able to contribute to three college accounts and two 401k accounts every paycheck. My new jeans in no way threatened our financial stability as a family and Colby doesn't care that I got a $186 gift for my birthday (he probably would have spent more if he chose the gift himself.) He just think $186 jeans are crazy.

We'll leave it to the court of public opinion.