Closet CDs, how do you rationalize all the $$$ you spend on CDing?

[docrobbysherry]

I'm asking CLOSET CDs only, because it's obvious that for most TS/TGs, they NEED their girlie things to function every day! NOT SO for us CLOSET denizens!

Because I rarely wear ANYTHING more than once every few years, I tend to be VERY careful about spending $$ on clothes. :heehee:

On the other hand, I've spent a small fortune on; wigs, shoes, breast forms, corsets, and my femskin female suit!:doh:

My rational for doing that is; I need those things to complete my fantasy transformation. And if I'm careful with those things, they'll last the rest of my life! And, I spend the $$$ that COULD be spent on clothes!:eek:

Yes, I KNOW it sounds goofy!:brolleyes: But, that's how I think!:D

How do OTHER closet CDs justify their big CD $$$ splurges? If u have them, that is?

[Midnight Goddess]

im the same way. i just get what i need for the transformation. but it is nice to put together different looks.

[GaleWarning]

Is there an inexpensive hobby?
I regard my CDing as a hobby, so any money spent on it is written off to my hobby.
Perhaps it's cheaper than being a model train enthusiast or a Corvette owner?
:daydreaming:

[Sammy777]

Is there an inexpensive hobby?

Ya, bird watching, lol.



Perhaps it's cheaper than being a Corvette owner?

This is Waaayyyyyyy cheaper then my car hobby, trust me :lol2:

And believe me, I have a lot of stuff [clothes, shoes, make-up, the works] and it is still nothing compared to what I have spent in the past on my "hobby" cars.

Try justifying to someone why you need a $1000.00 carburetor to replace the perfectly good one you spent $700.00 on 4 months ago. lol

[Katrina]

I go shoe shopping a lot - a lot, but I rarely purchase any shoes. The reason is I'm very picky about what shoes I buy because I don't get to wear them very often and I don't want to spend a lot of money on something that doesn't get worn very much at all. I can't justify it. Of course, I do wear girly shoes every day (not heels), so I'm picky about those as well because they need to be well-built and comfortable.

[Adrianna_Sofia]

Compared to my college hobby of collecting action figures and not opening them ( I collected and still sporadically collect action figures, but please no comparison to the 40 year old virgin):eek:?!:eek:I'd say CD'ing costs way less...I only buy bare essentials for now and as to the other things like skin care etc. I integrate it with my guy side. My spending might go up though once I test the waters and actually go out en femme...I wouldn't be caught dead wearing the same outfit twice, won't I?!:)

[deja true]

Well... I guess it's a lot cheaper than the drink or drugs that I'd probably resort to if I was trying to suppress my trans-ness!

It's a lot healthier,too!

(Not entirely tongue in cheek!...:))

[Cary]

I do 85% of my shopping at thrift stores. This saves me a tone of cash. I live alone, so I don't have to rationalize to anybody but myself. I won that fight years ago. By purchesing clothes we help keep the nation moving.

[Crissy Kay]

Its my money. I will spend it any way I see fit!!! I spend very little of it on cding anyway!!! But that does remind me, I need more petticoats!!!!

[LadyMirabai]

Female clothes (at least in my sizes) generally are cheaper than male clothes, so I can buy a week's worth of clothes (which I've done in the past week) for the price of about 3 days worth of men's clothes. So if I'm home, it's actually cheaper :), since no one actually sees what I wear anyway.

[Kate Simmons]

Not sure I'm getting your point RS. Since when do guys need to rationalize spending money on anything? We are nothing but "big kids" to begin with, right?;):)

[Sam-antha]

Simply, if I want it, I buy it and then I wear it to show it off to the world (or part of it at least).
~Samm

[Tina B.]

are you kidding, price a round of golf, at a good club, and then add in the cost of a golf outfit! CD'ing is cheap.
Hunters spend a fortune on their hobby, and it goes on and on.
Tina

[insearchofme]

I ont want to sound all "Goody two shoes" but whenever I spend on any girl things I donate the same amount of money to a good cause.

This does some real good, makes me feel good and keeps my girl spending within reasonable limits.

[Tasha McIntyre]

How do I justify spending money for my CD habit?

It's all about $$$ spent versus pleasure gained.

The money I have spent on clothes, wigs and make up are totally insignificant compared to the complete satisfaction and pleasure of seeing (and being) Tash.

[beenherelongtime]

some times you can justify the amount spent, fever comes over you and you want every thing even though you couldn't wear it all if you worked in them every day and never retired. bit of exagaration here.

[Veronica75]

It's pretty much reiterating the same message, but it's cheap compared to other hobbies I have, and I could be doing much more expensive hobbies that I'm not because I do this instead.

[immike]

im the same way. i just get what i need for the transformation. but it is nice to put together different looks.
I just look at beautiful women in skirts,stockings,blouses&heels&wonder what I would
look like wearing the outfit?

[Carole Cross]

When I was in the closet, all I had was a couple of outfits and I didn't wear wigs or makeup because as I wasn't going out, and I couldn't come out to my GF, I didn't really see the point. Since I have come out though I have spent a small fortune on clothes, shoes, makeup and accessories but I need it if I am going to transition. I have probably spent around £750 in the last four months. :D

[GaleWarning]

Ya, bird watching, lol.



This is Waaayyyyyyy cheaper then my car hobby, trust me :lol2:

And believe me, I have a lot of stuff [clothes, shoes, make-up, the works] and it is still nothing compared to what I have spent in the past on my "hobby" cars.

Try justifying to someone why you need a $1000.00 carburetor to replace the perfectly good one you spent $700.00 on 4 months ago. lol

My brother is an avid bird watcher and spends a fortune visiting remote places to (perhaps) catch a glimpse of some rare species.

I used to own a boat. Now THAT was expensive to maintain!

[fran46]

Here's how I rationalize the money I lay out for Fran's wardrobe:

I have never had an affair, thus motel rooms and divorce lawyers haven't cost me a dime. I don't spend money on season tickets for our city's NBA team. I drink nothing more expensive than an occasional Coke Zero. I don't belong to a country club, and I don't play golf. I never make fishing trips to the coast. And I don't drive with a lead foot.

The only thing I can't resist is a sale at Ann Taylor or Cache.

[CharleneT]

Interestingly, now that I am going out in the world, my fem purchases have gone WAY up. Before, while just in the closet** I spent fairly little. I bought only the things I really wanted and didn't try to make complete "outfits", fully accessorized. Now, I try and be very frugal, almost all of my clothes come from the Thrifts. But when you add up the makeup and clothes and (cheap) jewelry and shoes and .... it gets to be my most expensive "hobby". Truth be told, I do not really have a lot of hobbies. Just dressing and collecting concert recordings.

Charlene
** a term I do not like, I've never even tried to dress in there... too small - no mirror.

[Raquelle C]

True, it is the cheapest "hobby" (if you want to call it that) I have. Even though the $$ I spend on getting new cd stuff I can easily spend 10-100x on other 'stuff'.... lol! I enjoy wearing nice clothes in guy mode and I enjoy wearing nice clothes in girl mode too, regardless of what occasion I am dressed for, so what's the difference?! :D

[Deborah Jane]

I don't try to rationalise anything in my life

If something makes me happy i do it.
Buying c/ding things and being Debs makes me happy, so i buy them and enjoy being Debs :)

It's simple really!!!!

[Babette]

I'm with Debs. Forget rationalization and be impulsive. It's more fun that way.

Babette

[Tess]

Being in the closet keeps my spending a fraction of what I spend on my other passions.

[2b.Lauren]

I do 85% of my shopping at thrift stores. This saves me a tone of cash. I live alone, so I don't have to rationalize to anybody but myself. I won that fight years ago. By purchesing clothes we help keep the nation moving.

Me too. I love to go to the thrift stores and enjoy finding the best deals I can. I got so lucky this weekend. I was in a Goodwill and found a $5.00 pair of black heels. They were in great condition and my size. What a great day and great find.

[trannie T]

I do not make any attempt to rationalize my purchases just as I do not attempt to rationalize any other part of my behavior. It is simply a part of who I am.
In my next life I will choose to have cheaper passions than crossdressing and photography, like heroin.

[Sigrid Cutie]

well over the years i have spent a lot of money in CDing, not just clothes, but make up, shoes, etc.
and well i must say if i see something in a store that i like i buy it. :)

[Missy]

at least it is not porn or food or somthing that dose not last long at least the clothing last for a long time along with the feelling it gives me

[CD Susan]

I have never tried to rationalize the money I have spent on cd'ing for the past 50 years. I came out just 10 months ago and now spend much more than I used to when I was closeted. I now have stay at home clothes and going out clothes. To save money I do most of my shopping at thrift stores, I can't do that with my other hobbies.

[Celeste]

My rationalization,it just makes me happy and thats worth investing in.I've not been dressing a lot lately but when I do its nice to have a range of things to select from and It means enough to me to justify the expenditure.

[BillieJoe]

I very seldom ever get a chance to dress although this past weekend I spent en femme. I do spend a lot on CDing. It seems I want at least one of everthing. I want to try everything womanly imaginable. That usually means adding more and more to my seldom used wardrobe. I want to try all the different looks that women have enjoyed over the last 60 or so years. For example, different types of foundations for different types of skirts or dresses. Different tops (blouses, sweaters, etc) for different types of skirts, etc. Yes, I really do want to try it all.

[suchacutie]

Some things are obvious: wigs, bra, breastforms, stockings, heels, gaffe, corset, makeup.

On the other hand, there are things that might be considered part of our "hobby", but are good for us in any mode, even if they are discressionary:
facial peels, moisturizers, toners, body lotion, hand creme, nail hardener. My doctor is of the opinion that we should all fight the aging process. Men have forever avoided taking care of their skin. I agree with my Dr.!

Lastly, some clothes are simply cheaper in the female version, specifically panties and jeans. OKOK, I know you can spend a fortune for jeans, but if you watch for sales and buy before you are despirate, fewer dollars are spent. By the way, haven't you noticed that even as guys we look better in woman's jeans? The last stat I saw was the 10% of the female jeans sold are being worn by men!

tina

[Melora]

I Just Love Thrift and Nearlly New Stores!
And most of ALL.. COESIGNMENT Stores!!!
Where the stuff doesnt get soled and it is sold FAR Cheaper!!
Soo much Variety, Too!!!

[Jocelyn Quivers]

Good question. I really don't have much of a rationalization. Other than my femme side will dry me crazy until all discretionary income is spent on her. I recently tried for the past couple of months spending money on only guy stuff (video games, electronics, male clothes).

For some reason I did not feel very happy during this period and ended up not really using anything I bought. Just recently I had a good shopping trip in which I bought 2 skirts and 2 tops and I just felt so much happier and that my money was well spent as opposed to when I bought a new suit.

[docrobbysherry]

By the way, haven't you noticed that even as guys we look better in woman's jeans? The last stat I saw was the 10% of the female jeans sold are being worn by men!
tina

Many years ago I became discusted with the fit of baggy men's jeans. Tried on some leg hugging ladies jeans, and loved the way they looked and felt!:D

Then, sadly, I discovered their achilles heel! The POCKETS on ladies jeans r for decoration only! I need pockets that r functional, to hold my keys, knife, change, checkbook, wallet, etc.:doh:

NOT ready to start carrying around a purse yet!:brolleyes:

[Paige Philips]

Funny-I was going to ask the group that question, but I was going to phrase it in terms of the present scary economy. I am really getting concerned about the recession, though I actually have two jobs (neither well paid). How can you (we) justify spending money on things that aren't basics (food, paying the bills, gas to get to work, etc. are the basics) when NOBODY's financial set-up is secure, from the king of Saudi Arabia on down? I really worry that some of us (& me) might look back a month from now (or a week from now) & wish we had the money we spent for something we wanted, as opposed to needed. Because when the electric bill, heating bill, rent etc. comes due, those guys aren't interested in what we wanted...
P.S. Fran-I really like your reply!

[kathrynjanos]

I've spent very little. When I was sure I was just a CD, it was hard. I mostly bought things I'd wear regularly and "get some use out of." These were really the things that served the sexual excitement I initially got out of it, so lingerie, nightgowns, heels, things like that.

Now that I'm feeling more like I'm TS, I justify them as an investment in the future. Gawd, I will hate shopping like a woman, though. Having to have twenty pairs of everything and shoes and purses galore. Trying on EVERYTHING. Seriously, I have no fashion sense, so I'll have to be surrounded by a crew just to make sure I don't look like an idiot.

I'll miss my t-shirts and jeans, that's for sure.

[KatGRL774]

Doc -

It's a good question.. the fact is, even though I am the sole bread winner of the house I do feel guilty about having spent the money on these things. I've probably spent close to $3,000 over the past 5 years buying and purging. I hate it. It's money she doesn't know about from side jobs here and there.. but I still feel very bad about hiding it from her.

Just one more facet to this thing that bothers me, but I can't seem to purge from my life. I'm now at the stage where I'm doing my level best to not purge for fear of re-acquiring my "items". I need help..

- Kat

[kimberly ann487]

This is a good question. But I think it's more about what we're spending the money on rather than how much. My wife went balistic when she discovered I "wasted" $28 on a bra and panties I got on sale at Victoria's Secret, when she spends more than double that on manicures every month. I think it's great that she does that, I don't think it's a waste. This is just a reaction to my cding. If it was somthing she approved of there would be no problem. This is just one of the signs of her lack of acceptance.
KIM

[sailcruisn]

Since mine comes out of loan money since I am a student still I rationalize.

Personally for me I have had trouble in the past with it. Now I have come to realize that I shouldn't feel bad about spending some money while not near as much as many others since I don't go to bars or spend much on entertainment really so I can justify my purchases. It is a part of me and I am unhappy with out it. That in turn can effect my grades if I am constantly unhappy. I also think about when I do come out as what I have bought I can wear out.

[Lisa LIckorice]

I spend my mileage money on it! When that check comes in, I go shopping! I'm closeted, so I usually just buy panties, sexy lingerie, pantyhose, thigh highs, bras, etc. I fit in a lot of my wife's dresses, so that's great! :) Thank God I don't have to buy dresses! I'd go broke! hehe:D

[VtVicky]

Compared to skiing and golfing, CDing is very cheap. Plus, the amount of pleasure one garment can give, is not a function of its cost. Some of my favorite things were very cheap. While some of my most expensive things were something of a let down.

[JoAnne Wheeler]

Because I am totally lost in and consumed by the PINK FOG - I have spent a

small fortune on clothing, shoes, lingerie, make-up, wigs, eyeglasses, jewelry

and handbags for JoAnne - probably ten times what I have for my male self.

Why ? - It is an internal yearning for everything that I've had to miss

being a male. My feminine self wants it and I can't refuse.


JoAnne Wheeler

[skirtsuit]

No need to rationalize - the thrift stores here in SE PA are still practically giving away nice women's clothing. I spend about $20 a week on clothing - handfuls of Ann Taylor, Talbots, Jones NY, etc, skirt suits and dresses find their way into my closets every week.

Right now I'm wearing a nice lined Jones NY silk jacket & dress (A personal favorite style) (sz 8) that I bought today with a Victoria's Secret All-in-one for $7.50!


All the Best,
Skirt Suit

[SuzanneS]

I find it hard to justify what I spend on clothing so far, but I am really just starting to explore this side of me more than I ever have, so I am going to be careful and see where this goes...I've been dressing on and off since about14-15 yrs old, but never really bought anything of my own. I just recently decided to by what I want, instead of what I can 'borrow' or make, and I am incredibly impatient waiting for them to show up!:daydreaming:

Suzanne

[TGMarla]

Well, I siphon about $50.00 off of every one of my paychecks just for mad money. I usually don't spend it all, and it's nice to sock away some bucks. But it also feeds my wardrobe on a somewhat regular basis.

[Tora]

It is a Tg-CD, Thing, who does understand.

If it was a Government projects, it would cost more. Here in Detroit I could spend a bundle on Lions football tickets, but then I would need council, and anti depressant drugs.

Heck Gurls it is good, it is gratifing, it is fun. Hey where is Karren when we need her sage advise.

[Marjory]

How could anybody pass up the "just right" pair of shoes and a girl has to keep up with fashion. I write it off as a hobby.

[Jazzlynn]

Cding is one of my cheapest hobbies and it makes me feel great :)