Enjoy the Mall

 I think at some point I may have mentioned my love of malls.  In the spring, I did a piece called "How to Shop with an Anti-Mall Person" about how to drag non-mall lovers with you on shopping trips.  Unfortunately, my love of malls can get a bit expensive (clothes, shoes, makeup, Cinnabons etc.) so I have devised a few simple tips to still enjoy the mall without spending any money.

1. Window Shopping.  Yes, you can pretend you are in an old movie and wander up past stores gazing in the windows.  Mock what the mannequins are wearing and wonder how you would look in each outfit.  Gaze into expensive stores and muse about how great it would be to shop exclusively there.

2. Try On Clothes.  You can not just look at store displays forever.  Then it is like being in a museum as opposed to the wonderfulness of the mall.  So try on clothes.  When I was in middle school/the beginning of high school, my friends and I would love to go into department stores like Macy's or Bloomingdale to try on dresses.  We would go to the formal department and pretend we were going to a wedding or a prom that required gowns.  A bunch of us would pile into the dressing room with every type and color of dress imaginable and try everything on.  I'm sure there are more embarrassing Facebook pictures of me in a dressing room in a floor-length silk gown with ostrich feathers on it than I'd care to admit.  But it's fun to just try on clothes that you have no intention of buying.

3. Mix and match accessories.  Go to the jewelry section and try on different rings and bracelets.  See how you would look in a cowboy hat.  Consider that silver really could be your perfect jewelry color.  Check out scarves, belts, and sunglasses too.  Spend some time trying on stuff you would never think about wearing.  You might discover you look good in an item that you would have never considered before.

4. Go to the makeup counter/nearest lotion store.  Go into a makeup store and use the free samples.  Try on green mascara and liquid eyeliner.  Learn what tools do what and which products are the best.  Many makeup stores such as Sephora have free sample sections where you can try out different colors.  Go to a soap store like Bath & Body Works to try on soaps, perfumes, and lotions.  Smell every single scent of everything.  Find out what you like!  It's the perfect time to experiment.

5. Free samples at the food court.  In my experience, most malls have food courts and on Saturdays, most food court vendors have free samples.  You can get an entire meal if you time your stroll around the food court precisely.  I have had mini hot dogs, raspberry lemonades, and ginger chicken on particularly successful Saturdays.

Here you can have all the fun of going to the mall without spending any of your hard earned money.  It may be a little hard to not spend any money like on a memorable episode of Gilmore Girls but I have faith that this trip will be fun and maybe encourage you to save some money for your next outing.