This past weekend I flew to the DMV and went on a shopping spree with Single Ma of the blog Fabulous Financials! Single Ma is a personal finance blogger who decided to embark on a weight loss journey in December of 2009 and has really embraced the healthy lifestyle. Although she was almost at her goal weight, something had happened to shopping mojo, so volunteered to help serve as her shopping buddy/image consultant for the weekend. We had never met in real life, but I've read her blog for years and we follow each other on Twitter. The entire shopping spree was set-up via Twitter and emails.

All of the pre-planning was a breeze and everything was going great UNTIL I missed my 7:35 AM flight the morning of the shopping spree. I usually breeze through the lines, but that day I got stuck in a long security line at Midway airport. I was pretty hopeful about making my flight right up until the airline paged me to come to the gate. Luckily the people in my line let me cut in front of them. Once I cleared security I knew I didn't have time to put my boots on so I picked up my stuff and ran. Imagine me running through the airport in my socks, holding my boots, Speedy bag and dragging my carry on bag. I got to the gate right after they shut the door and was told that I would have to fly standby on the next flight. What made it worse was that my flight was still there chilling! I didn't get on the first standby  flight and was told that every flight was overbooked until 8:30 PM. I ended up flying to a nearby city and catching a bus, and train to get to my destination. As you can see I was determined!

To say that I was happy to finally see her, was an understatement. The first day we only went to a mall near her house and she bought a few jackets and button up shirts. It was good because it gave me a better idea of what her style is. I don't like when image consultants/stylists give everyone the same style. Mostly it involved me showing her pieces and she would tell me what she like or didn't like about an item.  I'm sure she was still worried that I would try to put her in all fitted dresses and I was initially worried that she would shut down all of my suggestions. Mostly I just played the role of the friend that helps you find sizes and gives you a second opinion. Luckily Single Ma has a clear image of herself and how she wants to look. We went home after a couple of stores to rest up for the next day. We started the next day off with a scenic 5 mile run around a lake with a third friend. It was fun, and I may or may not  have gotten into a sprinting contest at the end. I'm slightly competitive, so blowing past me at the finish line is a no-no. After that we got ready and hit the mall for over 8 hours!!

Let me tell you that when we were done, I was TIRED and my legs hurt. Shop til you drop has new meaning for me. If Single Ma hadn't kept me entertained and laughing, I may not have have made it. On the second day she focused more on finding clothes for work. I think we spent close to 3 hours in one store alone trying on suits. Since she still has a few pounds to go, some items were left behind until she is no longer in between sizes. But she should be at her goal by Halloween. Since I have OCD about closets, I went in and quickly arranged the newly purchased clothes by type and color before I left. It was pretty empty so I had a blank slate to work with.

I'm not sure if Single Ma learned anything, but I definitely learned a few things for my future lifestyle consulting business. Lesson number 1, shopping is hard work especially if you don't know exactly what's in the stores! If I did if for a living, I would probably have a better idea of what is already in the stores, so we probably could have skipped over a few of the stores. Also, I was away from my home turf, so I didn't know what was in some of the stores. Lesson number 2, every body type has their own challenges. I already knew this, but shopping with someone who has a different body style than myself, really reinforced it. Pants are usually tricky for me but Single Ma could put on every pair of size 6 pants knowing they would fit. Lesson number 3, have fun! Although the second day was long and I ended up tired, we still had fun. Shopping should not be a chore, else you are doing something wrong. All in all, I will say the entire weekend was fun. It felt like I was shopping with a dear friend!

Although the shopping spree was about Single Ma, I found a few pieces that I wanted to buy. I had it in my mind that I wasn't even going to look at anything for myself, but that rule got throw out the window pretty fast. I only purchased the sequined dress below , but I'll still fantasizing about the feather skirt and the gray LAMB suede pumps. I didn't buy the skirt because it was $230 and I was sure my credit card company was about to turn off my card if I bought one more thing. LOL!