by Karen Charney

In case you missed it this weekend (April 14), the brand-new Macy’s Backstage just opened at Spotsylvania Towne Centre. I shopped there on Monday night with one main goal in mind: see how much I could buy for $100.

My plan before I got there was to buy $100 worth of clothes, but as soon as I arrived, I realized I had to expand my plan. Backstage has clothes (women’s, plus, junior’s, men’s, and children’s), but it also has housewares, beauty products, luggage, handbags, children’s toys, shoes, and home décor.

I started in the women’s clothing section, because who wouldn’t?? I tried on an armful of tops and skirts, but came away with this super cute coat for $30 instead. I have a bit of an obsession with coats, and a bigger obsession with polka dots, so of course I had to have it.

I headed over to the shoe section where I totally could have spent my entire $100. There was a really good variety of styles in my size, but I settled on these $17 sandals since summer is coming. (Summer IS coming, right?)

I was wandering around balancing my coat and sandals, wondering if they had shopping carts or bags, and then spied these lovelies. I thought I was going to have to tip it on 2 wheels and pull it behind me, but it turns out they turn on all 4 wheels so you can actually just push it beside you as you shop. I’m tall, and I appreciated that I didn’t have to bend over to reach the handle.

Now that I had a basket to hold all my goodies, I was ready to find some bigger items.

I headed to the home décor section where I was sorely tempted to blow all my $100 on a chair for my guest room, but managed to restrain myself and picked up these red vases for $13 each instead. I considered buying just one of them, but decided I’d regret it later if I left one behind.

I went across the aisle to the housewares section which had all kinds of kitchen items and small appliances. I debated over a Star Wars toaster for my 21-year old son, but opted for these $6 stemless wineglasses instead. Because empty nest.

By this point, I had $20 left to spend. What can a girl buy for $20? I had lots of options, as it turns out. The beauty section was filled with fun gift boxes, bath bombs, lotions, makeup and more. But my other obsession (besides coats and polka dots) led me back across to the store to the handbags where I picked up this fun lavender Nine West purse. Not practical for everyday use for all the stuff I cart around, but it’ll be great for a night out with my hubby or friends.

With a full cart, I headed to the checkout lane.

The team member who rang up my order was very helpful, wrapping each of my items individually, even putting my coat into a long dress bag for me.

My grand total came to $98 before taxes, so I went about $4 over budget to cover sales tax. Absolutely worth it for all the treasures I found.

If you are planning to visit Spotsylvania Towne Centre anytime soon, I highly encourage you to swing into Macy’s Backstage (inside the Macy’s store just past the shoe department), and see what treasures you can find for yourself!