Pressure to spend in America

[DanielleNguyen]

So to those who don't know me, I'm a American woman and my husband is Vietnamese. We are a military family. My attire tends to look more Mormon or Catholic so I'be been told. I honestly have a hard time making other female friends. Why? Because there is the pressure to spend.
Now, I did go out with some other base wives for 2 hours and the pressure I felt to spend money at the party was astronamical. Here were these other girls having no problem spending $30 on a masscara. As I watched them all spend anywhere from $400-$600 on makeup, I quickly realized I was the only one not buying anything.
These women were stay at home moms like me. And before I knew it I felt the most uncomfortable I had ever been. In my mind I knew that the makeup wasn't any different. Just because it was more expensive didn't make me look more beautiful.
The longer I stood there, interested but not willing to pay that much, I seemed like a wet blanket. I mean as they looked at the expensive clothes and other items I skimmed around and wasn't ready to spend. After the mall trip all the ladies wanted to hit up a bar/club for the night.
Did I go? No. I instead went home to my toddler and husband.To me a bar/club is no place for a married woman and mother. However, the other girls had no problem leaving their husbands to go to the bar. In a way I felt bad for their husbands and kids. Mommy not being home ro kiss them goodnight.
Anyway, their trip each of them spent near to $1000 on stuff they didn't need. Did I get invited out again? No. So as for my female friends I have in America I only have 2. I'm not willing to pay to fit in.