When a 19-year-old girl goes to the mall on a Friday night, she generally has one thing on her mind: shopping. More often than not, I’m the same way. This past Friday was different – my brain was on ‘homework mode.’

Armed with my roommate, a notebook and a pencil, I entered the mall on a mission. I was ready to tackle my fashion project, and I wanted to get started right away.

We began walking toward the GAP, but were distracted when we saw Heartland Pets. I thought we would just look at the animals, but a St. Bernard puppy stopped us in our tracks. Because her face was just too adorable to ignore, we played with her for a little bit. Unfortunately, we eventually had to give her back to one of the workers, because I didn’t really have time to waste. And, she was biting us. A lot.

Once we left the pet shop, I told myself that there could be no more detours. I had to stay focused on my assignment. With that mindset, my roommate and I made our way to the GAP; this time, nothing would distract me.

About two hours later, we had already visited about 10 stores, and I had several pages full of notes about the trends I saw. Sure, it may not seem like much, but it is. Walking around stores to see what clothing is popular for the current season is time consuming. Trust me.

One of the last places we went to was Macy’s, because I knew that I would have a lot to write down. Since it is a department store, it has more apparel and accessories to look at.

While there, my roommate and I couldn’t help but stop by the display of Sperry Topsiders. Just like the St. Bernard, it was calling our names. Even though I wasn’t fully finished working on my project, I figured I could take a break from it for a little while.

We both grabbed a few boxes and found a place to sit. My roommate quickly fell in love with a plaid pair and decided she was going to buy them. I, on the other hand, was much more hesitant to spend 60 dollars on shoes.

Sure, it was a better price than the usual because of the sale going on, but I have always been a saver, not a spender. In fact, I might be one of the cheapest people around. Scratch that. Let’s use the term ‘frugal.’

Well, after a phone call to my dad and urging from my roommate, I decided to buy the shoes. I had to take several deep breaths before handing over my debit card, but I still managed to do it. And for some reason, it actually felt good to buy something of quality rather than the knockoffs I usually get.

This brings me to my point. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but there comes a time when you should buy yourself something nice.

Everyone deserves a treat once in a while, so why not splurge? I’m not telling you to randomly drop a couple hundred dollars on a single item, but I am saying that you shouldn’t always feel guilty about spending a lot on a pair of BKE jeans, Skullcandy headphones or anything like that. It’s about worth, right?

It might take me a while to get used to actually spending my money for once, but it will happen at some point. And like my dad always says: What’s the point in working and earning money if you’re never going to use it?