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First, let me start off and say, I can’t believe I’m about to write what I’m going to write. Secondly, hell has frozen over. 

Now that we have established those facts, it’s time to declare, I love Lululemon leggings. Buuut whattttttt? That’s right, I have co-founded a blog focusing on improving women’s finances and am advocating the ownership of notoriously expensive leggings. Leggings, not even real clothes, but leggings. Well, yes.

Before you unfriend and unfollow, here me out. As a diehard Old Navy shopper, and a mother of 5, I can tell you that leggings are in fact real clothes and a staple in my wardrobe for the last 7 years. Whether it’s for under a dress, just around the house, a bike ride, or the much less common actual yoga class, I have amassed a wide collection of leggings/yoga pants. I have every different color, length or style you can imagine. At a price of $20 a pair, it’s easy and somewhat reasonable to do. The only problem, however, is the fact that instead of having more options, I’ve found I have more clutter, and will dig through the laundry pile as soon as it has cycled through the dryer to find my favorite pair or two. Because, even though I have options, it doesn’t mean I love them all. Some have turned out to be cute, but really uncomfortable. Some ride down during a workout, some pinch by hip when I’m trying to read a book, and some feel a bit too revealing during my hot yoga classes.

These facts hit me recently when I had been trying to do a Marie Kondo cleanout – ok, lets be real, I ended up with one bag to donate, but I tried. I began to wonder, maybe it was time to invest in a little more expensive clothes so I would actually love what I wear. As a former Nike addict, I was keenly aware of the price tags and didn’t act on this thought, because there are college accounts to fund and family pictures to prioritize.

Then, it happened. I walked into a Lululemon store while on vacation with my step-daughter. I watched her purchase two adorable shirts, and saw others line up to pay (oh so much), but with excitement. I walked out shortly after and thought, ‘maybe someday I’ll try them’. But again, $100 can by 5 of my standard pairs of leggings and quantity at times is better that quality, right?

As predictably as Kanye making a scene at an award ceremony, the next day I saw an ad on Insta for Align leggings on sale. $70, a decent color and FREE SHIPPING. I clicked the advertisement, contemplated the value, and purchased via apple pay – oh so easy. My leggings arrived a few days later. I couldn’t believe it when I opened the package. I promptly put the pair on top of a laundry basket of clean clothes and tried to forget that I actually was so selfish – $70 can go to a lot of different things when you have 2 in college and 3 in daycare.

To be honest, I’m not sure what inspired me to actually try on the leggings for the first time. Guilt that I wouldn’t be able to take the final sale item back? The complete annoyance of my current clothes fitting awfully? Regardless of the why, I put them on and I haven’t looked back. In fact, I’m so in love with these leggings that the second they are out of the washing cycle, they are back on me.

While Lululemon’s branding and marketing are clearly spot on, I have literally never felt so comfortable in a pair of pants… errrr… leggings, in my life. They don’t fall down, they don’t ride up, they don’t pinch or bunch and the fabric is phenomenal. While I would never judge someone for wearing one brand over another, we all absolutely know, when we feel good in our clothes, we do better. We are better and it ripples over into everything. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve grumped at my family when I’ve shuffled through multiple outfits in the morning that just aren’t working.

What’s more interesting, is that beyond determining that I will for sure be buying a black pair (my current pair is pink), I don’t have a tremendous need to buy much more, and will stay within my clothing budget this Fall – cheers to that!