A Holiday for Sluts. Happy Halloween.

Browsing the rack of costumes at the local Target with my 12 year old daughter, we both came to the conclusion that Halloween is the Holiday for skin bearing teens to get a little more promiscuous... as if a holiday was in fact necessary. One click on Google brought me here:

Slutty Halloween Costumes

Adult

French Maid Dress Costume

XS (Teen), Small & Medium

 Don't think I am a prude- by any stretch- I have absolute admiration for beauty, in all forms. And I do love the costume party. Sexy outfits or scary, I say.

 I had a recent tête-à-tête with a guy pal about the outfits some "kids" are wearing in public on a regular basis.  My point was, dang.. save some mystery. His point was, nope, make me stop and stare.  


And when the DH said he was recently hit on by very touchy-feeling co-eds so skantily clad they were presumed to be cheerleaders, I was thinking... but were they pretty on the inside, too? 


Of course when forty- somethings talk about "kids" we mean twenty-somethings, and when we say outfits we mean bikini tops and mini skirts, pajama bottoms and grandpa's flannel shirt, and maybe part of my hesitation now is that A. I am not that twenty-something getting the stop and stare and B. My daughter soon will be.

Feeling the Squeeze? Frugality is the new Norm.

FRUGALITY? Yahoo news had this to say.

A few years ago I was thinking bigger house, pool, 4 car garage, entertainment terrace with pool table and full Irish pub. I was wanting more space, blank walls, a need to spread my arms and not touch a fence or a neighbor's mailbox. My kids were older, didn't need to run next door and play, didn't need the community pool or courts or playground.
Thinking about upscale living made me work harder. After all, bills would be higher... keeping up with the Joneses ain't cheap and it ain't pretty.
 But I love my house. And all the changes I've made. I wasn't ready to commit to something new, something time sucking. I had a novel or two to complete. A few more countries to cross off the list.
 So here we are. In the smallest house ever, and pretty darn happy.
 I am learning to cut back on non essentials, to make for even more rainy day money. And just last week decided some of the hidden costs of special TVchannels and landlines we never answer and a massage place I never visit could probably disappear painlessly.
 Next step, coupon cutting and wholesale shopping. Meal planning and maybe even... cleaning my own house.  steps like this could buy my beach escape all that sooner-- though with an oil spill approaching, I might be going Atlantic instead of Gulf. It's just 6 hours in the other direction, right?