It is mind blowing to see the women on the cable television makeover shows who are given a credit card with a $5000 limit to go on a shopping spree for a new wardrobe. Granted, these women are on the show because their friends and family have determined that they are unable to select their own wardrobe, but the money would go so much further if they were not shopping in New York City! These poor women, who are not accustomed to shopping for themselves in the first place, desperately clutch their five thousands dollars value shopping related spree card and numbly walk through really expensive clothing and accessory shops where they, eventually, emerge with a handful of new items.



Any of us could make a $5000 shopping spree go so much further than $150 blouses and $350 shoes. How many pair of average quality shoes can seriously be purchased for $5000? At $100 a pair, which is still really steep in most budgets, a $5000 values will yield 50 pairs of new shoes! That's a new pair each week for an entire year!

Since shoes and clothing go out of style every two years anyway, it seems more sensible to purchase lots of basics with the $5000 shopping related spree, in a more reasonably priced location, like maybe, Ohio! New York City is the mecca for high fashion and impeccable quality, but good quality basics can be purchased anywhere for very reasonable prices. A basic skirt should be about $30. A blouse, maybe $40. At these prices, a $5000 shopping spree will grant the happy shopper 71 entire outfits!

Being sensible with the basics, and still adhering to the purpose of the wardrobe intervention by selecting some fashionable accessories and a few trendy apparel items, almost anyone can stretch a $5000 shopping spree to replace all of their outdated clothing for the next two years. Consider five pairs of shoes for $100 a pair. That's $500. $4500 left to go on our $5000 shopping spree. Let's take five basic dresses as $65 each, 20 skirts at $30 each, 20 tops at $40 each, 5 dress blazers at $150 each and we are only at $2975. So if anyone out there thinks these prices are too low, beef them up a bit, because we have room in the budget!

So, all said and done, we have $2000 of our original $5000 shopping spree budget left for trendy jeans, slacks and sweaters. With a $5000 budget to go on a spree, any sensible minded person will be able to go home with an entirely new wardrobe that will last through the next 3 style changes.