When we last left off, I was at Sephora, delighting in all things Fenty.

And after I left the mall, I felt a burning sensation coming from my purse. The leather was smokin’!  As I unzipped the top of the bag, I saw the embers rising from the purse and moving into the air.

This little guy was burning a hole right through my purse!!!

The $40. Nordstrom Note that I received was burning a hole in my bag.  I figured this was an omen from a higher power that perhaps I should take a little visit to either Nordstrom or Nordstrom Rack.

Since I’m on a budget these days, I decided to drive from the mall over to The Rack.  I’ve always found good buys there and why should today be any different.

Nordstrom moved the rack in King of Prussia from the larger mall site to a smaller venue–and still has the same great buys!

Lord knows I have enough sweaters—besides, J. Crew is my go-to sweater store.

My underwear is mostly from TJ Maxx. Need I say more?

It’ll soon be boots weather and I’ve enough boots to last me a while.

But there is one clothing item that I never tire of collecting.

Jeans.

Yes—and especially since so many articles are written about how women our age and slightly younger and older shouldn’t wear them.  My rebel was on.

Could I end up making a purchase for $40 or less?  Hmmm. I had ten bucks in cash on me so I could have gone slightly higher but I thought it would be more fun to challenge my budget.  I felt like a clothing version of House Hunters.

..and when they see a home at $350,000 they freak out and end up going with the smallest home that needed the most work because it was a great value at $100,000.  I had a $40 Note.  I was not going over my budget. I am a Jeans Hunter!

Off I went into the wanderlust of the clearance racks.  And they were loaded with jeans. Now—the thing about jeans is the sizing.  No two manufacturers follow the same size chart. I’m not kidding either.  When I look for jeans, I give myself a three-size allowance.

This time it was size 6, size 28 and 29.

Since my favorite brand, AG, was over my discounted budget today, I went for something more affordable and hit it with Paige, Hudson, and a brand I’m not familiar with –AB Democracy.

Here’s how it rolled in the dressing room:

I really liked this pair by Paige.  But–I have a few pairs of torn jeans at home. Did I need another pair?

And another pair of torn jeans. I liked the way these jeans looked from behind. But–again, do I really need more torn jeans?  A couple of bucks over my budget, I had enough to cover the cost. This was a second pair of Paige jeans.  This brand works pretty well for me.

Another pair of Paige jeans. These were a 28 and the waist was a bit low….

And muffin top to match. Ugh!  This was a complete deal breaker.  No matter how great the jeans look with a longer shirt or sweater worn over them, muffin top is an absolute deal breaker!  It simply means that the jeans do not fit. Period.

Oh. These are my jeans  These are the jeans I wore.  Why did I take a photo of me in them??

Next was a brand I had never heard of. AB Democracy. The brand has built-in “butt lift” technology. OK.  I didn’t feel any built-in technology but my butt looked good!  I also liked the raw hem. I’ve been eyeing this type of jean since last winter. These were an all-time sale price of $23.00.  Very good for my little budget!

The last pair of jeans I tried on was this pair from Hudson. I LOVED how these jeans looked.  I loved the dark wash and the wider cuff and the length.  The fit was excellent too.  I wanna show you something. Look at the photo on the far right. See how my hip sticks out?  That is because I HAVE hips!  Skinny fit jeans are a great option if you are a bit gifted in the hip area–they still manage to give you a nice line.  What I didn’t love too much about these jeans was that they were a bit too stiff. I ended up trying these jeans on three times!

The final decision was a tough call. I loved the Hudson jeans with that wide cuff. I loved them. But the stiffness of the denim ended up being a deal breaker for me.  Which is somewhat odd because I love my clothes crispy and without fabric softener, but these jeans were just too stiff.

A closer look at the AB Democracy jeans with the “Booty Fit”.  I liked the color of the Hudson jeans better but it came down to comfort for me. These were softer and therefore more comfortable!

The jeans I ended up buying were, surprisingly, the AB Democracy jeans.  The comfort level was astounding. The jeans were soft and bendable with my body.  I’ve been drawn to the raw edge hemless hem since this type of jean became a bit popular but didn’t want to spend much money on them. At $23 and change, they were the perfect jean for my budget with money on the note left over.

After a bit of roaming around the store, I fell upon a fun surprise. A copper eyeshadow stick by “The Balm”.  The name of the eyeshadow is Shutout and the box had a mention of Fenway Park—home of the Boston Red Sox. My oldest son, Jake’s beloved ML Baseball team. How could I pass this up?

Have you ever made a purchase based on packaging alone?  I did.  I sure hope this ends up to be a decent eye shadow!  I’ve heard good things about the brand, The Balm-we’ll see!

Last,  I spotted a spray bottle of Evian and made an impulse purchase to complete my note.  My skin is so dry and I can’t go wrong with a bit of H2O on my face!  It’s weird because I only started to recently mist my face with an elf setting spray that is basically fancy water.  This will work well.

Note–this is natural mineral water.  I’m doing it!  I’m gonna fill up a spray bottle with regular water!!!

Actually, I think I’ll buy a 33 oz size of Evian, a one-dollar spray bottle, fill it up and use that. No. Wait. I’ll use tap water.  Water is water!

Overall, I was very pleased with my purchases that Nordstrom treated me to!

These jeans had me at the unfinished hem!

Ladies!  Do you remember this guy?  The one in the photo below.  Jimmy Webb?  He wrote great songs!  Do you remember ‘Teen magazine?  I freaking LOVED this magazine.  And I remember this cover too because I thought Webb was so good looking!  But the scandalous thing was that he ended up with the cover model, Patsy Sullivan. She was a minor and they ended up eventually getting married and having either six or seven kids!

A blast from the past. And at  35 cents, Teen magazine was a great bargain!

Speaking of Jimmy Webb–here’s a song he wrote about me. “Lady Fits Her Blue Jeans” (he really didn’t write it about me–but I can think he did!)