In retirement, my retail therapy is buying new undies
<p><em><strong>Celena Ross’s plans to ramp up her celebrant businesses were compromised when she found herself part of the sandwich generation of caring for her elderly mother and grandchildren. Faced with a loss of identity in her transition to semi-retirement, Celena established her website <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="/www.retireematters.com.au" target="_blank">Retiree Matters</a></span> to assist others.</strong></em></p>
<p>One of the things you don’t think about when you retire is how much less of everything you need. Now of course as baby boomers we are used to going without – well when we first married, we all made do with second-hand things until we SAVED our money – I know it seems this younger generation skip the second-hand and saving part and just add to their credit card debt.</p>
<p>So ok, initially we did without, or made do with second-hand until we saved, but then hey good times came, we led the way at breaking through the glass ceiling and when you do that, well you need the corporate wardrobe to go with it. I love shopping – whether at shopping centres, big malls, strip shopping centres, boutiques, overseas markets and shops… until now.</p>
<p>As a corporate business woman and baby boomer, I was used to having disposable income and as such always in a position to update my wardrobe each season. Retail therapy consisted of new clothes, scarves, shoes, and jewellery. Yes, I did need two wardrobes – one for more casual wear and the other for functions and special events. Now, no longer employed in the corporate career world, I find that I no longer flick through the catalogues or even look at adverts that pop up in my social media pages of beautiful outfits, tops, skirts, dresses and oh the shoes!</p>
<p>For me now it seems my retail therapy consists of replacing undies and bras. Because they wear out! Mind you the following is a conversation between hubby and me:</p>
<p>Me to hubby: “Can you hang the washing out whilst I am out?”</p>
<p>Later as we were going to get fish and chips down at Mooloolaba Spit, the hubby says: I noticed when I was hanging the washing out that you have gone up in size in undies.</p>
<p>Me looking at said hubby with a withering “Not happy, Jan” look and thinking “What the F@$”: …</p>
<p>Hubby interprets look and says: “Ummm, I was just pointing out… I would make a great detective.”</p>
<p>Me: “I don’t need to you to observe and point that out. Now just drive and I will pretend you never said anything.”</p>
<p>Hmm, argh! Now where was I…</p>
<p>Although I have culled my wardrobe many times, to reduce the no longer needed corporate clothes (donated to a number of op shops), I am still left with lots of lovely clothes that will last for some time yet. Unlike my undies.</p>
<p>Undies always need updating. What is it with undies? They just don’t seem to last as long. Well, maybe my extra bit of weight has stretched the elastic a little – but surely no… they just don’t seem to last! Oh well, at least I get to shop for something new in the latest patterns and colours. But none of the bikini sizes – wow, did I really fit into them? I buy the half brief hi-leg – no, not the full bloomer briefs and nor will I ever be!</p>
<p>Oh and new bras? Well, the bloody underwire breaks through and pushes and gouges into my skin under my armpits – nothing to do with my increased weight of boobs, of course. They’re just not like they used to make them!</p>
<p>I used to be photographed at many business events and always conscious and checking photos so that I would not be ‘seen’ wearing the same thing to the next function. Nowadays, it’s completely different. The other day a lovely woman tapped me on the shoulder in the supermarket and said, “Excuse me, but do you know you have little stickers on the back of your top?”</p>
<p>Yes, the four-year-old granddaughter had managed, unknowingly to me, to ‘decorate’ my top with a range of animal and flower sticker. And of course, sometimes I look down and see that I have been ‘babied’ with smears of unwanted lunch or sticky hands.</p>
<p>So now, it is back to the wardrobe and as change of season is about to start, reviewing the clothes that I have and realising again, that whilst I might like some retail therapy, I really don’t need to go shopping! Now I know and understand when you see ‘mature’ aged women dressed beautifully, they are getting value out of their clothes. So if you see me in a lovely dressy outfit in the supermarket, you will understand I am trying to wear out some clothes so I have an excuse to buy something new! In the meantime, I must be off, I have a hole in the side of one undie and a couple where – I must be poor sewing – the sides have become unstitched, so I need some new ones.</p>
<p>Of course, I do realise that I am saving the planet by just recycling my wardrobe and not buying anything new. I feel very virtuous, but who am I kidding! I miss retail therapy for clothes, not just for undies and bras! I miss the days when you would suddenly appear wearing a new outfit and to hubby’s question of if it’s new, one would reply, “Oh this? No, I’ve had this in the wardrobe for some time, you must have forgotten!”</p>
<p><em>Follow Celena Ross on <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Retireematters/">Facebook here.</a></strong></span></em></p>
<p><em><strong>If you have a story to share please get in touch at <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="mailto:melody@oversixty.com.au">melody@oversixty.com.au</a></span></strong></em></p>
<p><strong>Related links: </strong></p>
<p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="/lifestyle/retirement-life/2016/08/how-i-feel-about-becoming-a-senior-citizen/">How I feel about becoming a “senior citizen”</a></strong></em></span></p>
<p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="/lifestyle/retirement-life/2016/07/is-happiness-really-what-we-are-after-in-retirement/">Is happiness really what we’re after in retirement?</a></strong></em></span></p>
<p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="/lifestyle/retirement-life/2016/07/my-simple-secret-for-a-happy-retirement/">My simple secret for a happy retirement</a></strong></em></span></p>
