I'm Only Buying One Thing this Cyber Monday

I usually go bananas on Cyber Monday, but this year I’m only buying this one thing

babaa

Thank you 2020, for putting things in perspective.

I love sales. I love sales so much that I never ever pay full price on anything. I am one of those people who has browser plugins that alert me when the price on something I love has gone down, or when it’s low in stock. I have brands that I’m super loyal to, but yet won’t pay full price for because, again, I love myself a sale. The excitement of typing in a code and seeing the price decrease is my version of riding a rollercoaster (those things scare me too much after watching Final Destination ).

Yet, 2020, the year in which nothing we plan goes as planned, I found myself not buying anything on Black Friday and buying only one thing on Cyber Monday. You see, this year has taught me a ton of things, like, I shouldn’t have stressed too much about having twins because I’m so good at this mothering thing that I will get to do it all alone, with no outside help besides my husband, or that all the financial planning we put into buying a house will go to hell because our income will be basically crushed thanks to a historical economic crisis. But more importantly, it has taught me that we have everything (and a little more) than we need. And even though sales are nice, the nicer thing right now is staying healthy, staying home and enjoying each other.

So buying a ton of things right now doesn’t feel right. It doesn’t feel right when so many have lost so much, when people are being admitted to hospitals more than ever, when the certainty of life as we knew it was removed from under us like an old ratty rug and we are still scrambling to figure out what life will be like from now on. It doesn’t feel right when parents everywhere are stressed beyond their limits with demanding jobs that are now ever so more demanding and schools that won’t open their doors for who knows how long. It doesn’t feel right when we won’t be seeing grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins whom we usually shower with gifts. It doesn’t feel right when literally weeks ago we were all googling “Is this a coup?” after the election ended.

But remember when I said I love sales? Yeah. So, I allowed myself to buy one thing I know I will use a lot while at home taking care of three under 3, and that is a babaa sweater. I discovered the brand over the summer when a friend who has a toddler same age as mine texted me her most recent purchase. I loved it and so warned her I was stealing her look and getting one myself. I went with a no16 cardigan in wild fern. Since, I’ve worn it so much, that half of my Instagram photos show me with it on.

So I decided to get another one of their sweaters on this Cyber Monday sale, not only because everything is 20% off, but also because it’s a brand and a company I can stand behind. It was created by Marta Bahillo, who after studying Fashion and Textile design in Ireland, moved to Argentina for work (hi, I’m Argentine, love a success story related to my country) and in 2012 moved back to Madrid to start babaa. All their samples are donated to CEAR (Comisión Española de Ayuda al Refugiado) for their refugees center in Getafe, Madrid. The brand sources and supports local businesses, wool from Northern Spain, cotton from Andalucia, and making, above all, sustainable products.

And yes, it’s a spendy brand. But 2020 is the year I’ve decided to break up with toxic monopolies (hello Amazon) and support businesses who actually care, and making products with the best quality materials costs more.

So if you, like me, are looking for one thing that will make you feel good about spending some of that very well earned $ this year, below are some of my favorites (wish I could buy them all!).