Featured Posts
Why We Are So Bad at Buying Happiness

Why We Are So Bad at Buying Happiness

"Those who say that money can't buy happiness aren't doing it right."  Have you heard that joke before?  Well, it turns out that there is more than a kernel of truth in there. People are generally bad at buying happiness because: 1. We buy to keep up with the Joneses / ...

Read More

Hair, Hair, Everywhere – the Recession Edition

Hair, Hair, Everywhere – the Recession Edition

I wrote a hair post in both 2007 and 2008, so I suppose it's only appropriate to continue the tradition in 2009! This post is dedicated to recession's impact on hair budgets. The recession is a major reason why I've been neglecting my hair a bit during these past several months: ...

Read More

Experience, Not Stuff

Experience, Not Stuff

Experience, not stuff: I've decided to make this my mantra to live by. It'll be hard, because I like nice things (ex: shoes), but guess which of the following I remember the most? (a) A $100 leather jacket purchased in Buenos Aires, that I've worn ONCE in 3 years. (b) A $45 hour-long horse ride on ...

Read More

What Sex And The City Taught Me About Love, Life, and Money

What Sex And The City Taught Me About Love, Life, and Money

Sex And The City: The Movie is coming out in May! I am so, so excited, and I'm betting that many Sex And The City feel the same way. Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte, and Miranda - you ladies have been missed! (By the way, I love the photo below - head-to-toe ...

Read More

5 Year Travel Plan: Making Your Travel Dreams a Reality

5 Year Travel Plan: Making Your Travel Dreams a Reality

I've been struck by a bad case of the travel bug lately... I haven't been out of the country since 2007, which seems like a long time. CB and I are saving for Galapgos, but we also want to travel quite extensively in the intervening months before our Big Galapagos ...

Read More

Graduate School: (When) Should I Go?

Graduate School: (When) Should I Go?

Graduate school is a significant undertaking both in terms of time and money. During the last few months, I've felt some pressure from concerned family members about going to graduate school. I know they only want the best for me, but I'm glad I followed my gut instinct and ...

Read More

Should Parents Pay For College Education

Should Parents Pay For College Education

A college education has, for a large percentage of society, become the de rigueur entry-level degree. "Should parents pay for college education" is a question where the answer is always, "it depends." In today's economic climate, I imagine that many parents are having the difficult talk with their kids ...

Read More

Free GMAT Study Resources

Free GMAT Study Resources

Taking and prepping for standardized tests isn't cheap, fortunately, there are many free study resources available online. I've taken advantage of most of these resources when I was preparing for my test last year. Hopefully you will find them helpful as well. Free Online Study Materials The GMAT Uncovered by ManhattanGMAT: A ...

Read More

7 Steps In Overcoming Rejections In Job Search

7 Steps In Overcoming Rejections In Job Search

Rejections during job search are disappointing, to be sure. Nobody likes to be told that they were qualified candidates, but the management has decided to go in another direction. In this environment, however, rejections are common-place through out the job search and interview process. After the initial disappointment wears off ...

Read More

How to Host a Dinner Party On a Budget

How to Host a Dinner Party On a Budget

Hosting a dinner party is always fun, but right now I need my get-togethers to be budget-friendly as well. Remember when I made crab cakes? That was for a group of 5 or 6 friends. The crab cakes were delicious and everyone loved them, but, crabs are expensive! Two pounds ...

Read More

Pure Altruism - Does it Exist?

Pure Altruism - Does it Exist?

Every time the holidays come around, feel-good human-interest stories surface. This is a time to give to others, help those in need, and realize that the world is not as cutthroat or as competitive as we may believe. But is it true? Can people be purely altruistic? The authors of Superfreakonomics (the ...

Read More

The Price of Addiction To Argentine Tango

The Price of Addiction To Argentine Tango

It's happened. I fell for the sultry dance, hard. (I even made its own category!) I leave class with a big smile on my face. I read Argentine tango forums and blogs. I fall asleep thinking of boleos and molinetes. I'm not sure how my wallet feels about the possible financial ...

Read More

Old Cars: Unsung Heroes of Personal Finance

Old Cars: Unsung Heroes of Personal Finance

New Cars are shiny, gleaming, loaded with the latest technology and features. New cars get the big commercials on TV, where they swerve confidently in snow storms, zoom down idyllic country lanes, and maybe even dance a little to the sound of a state-of-the-art in-car sound system near a trendy ...

Read More

Disney World Recap

Disney World Recap

I realized that I haven't really talked about my Disney World adventure (aside from the Dining Plan review) on this blog yet... and well, that oversight must be rectified! If you have any specific questions about Disney World, please ask away and I'll do my best to answer. We Got To ...

Read More

Job Fairs: How to Prepare So You Stand Out

Job Fairs: How to Prepare So You Stand Out

Job fairs can be a great opportunity for applicants to interact with many different companies. But if you don't prepare adequately, job fairs can be a disaster. Last week, I attended a job fair - prior to the event I debated whether I should go. I had heard the horror ...

Read More

How To Practice Safe and Responsible Credit Card Use

How To Practice Safe and Responsible Credit Card Use

Wait, you mean you never had a credit card education class in school? Okay, me neither. The quality of education these days! But there's no reason that high schools or colleges shouldn't offer a class like this. After all, credit card education isn't an awkward topic like the other type of ...

Read More


What Sex And The City Taught Me About Love, Life, and Money

by WellHeeled on March 27, 2008

Sex And The City: The Movie is coming out in May! I am so, so excited, and I’m betting that many Sex And The City feel the same way. Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte, and Miranda – you ladies have been missed! (By the way, I love the photo below – head-to-toe black is always NYC chic, but don’t the Sex and the City foursome look gorgeous in color?)

sexandthecity What Sex And The City Taught Me About Love, Life, and Money

It’d be hard to pin down my favorite moments of this show about the four ladies of New York city… but I’ll try! And all those hours of watching Sex And The City in my dorm room with my girlfriends were not a complete waste of time, as I’ve garnered quite a few nuggets of wisdom on love, life, and money from this show.

My favorite Sex And The City moments & lessons:

1. When Carrie realizes that she’s spent $40,000 on shoes but could not secure a loan on her own to buy out her share of the co-op after she breaks up with Aidan.

Personal finance lesson for the gals – don’t become the Old Lady Who Lived in a Shoe. Manolos can’t fund a retirement.

2.  When Carrie tells off Big at the top of her stairs right before she leaves for Paris to meet Aleksandr Petrovsky.

Love lesson for the guys – don’t take her for granted and don’t play stupid games! One day a famous Russian artist just might come and sweep her away to Europe.

3. When Charlotte tearfully tells Harry that she loves him at the Jewish get-together. She’s okay with not getting married (and for Charlotte – that’s really love when she’s willing to take marriage off the table, even temporarily) as long as they get back together. And Harry says no. And you see Charlotte’s face fall. And then he gets on one knee…

Love-life-lesson: Trust in God’s plan and have patience. And when it happens, it’ll be amazing no matter what.

4. When Samantha gave up her hair appointment to Miranda and offered to babysit Brady.

Friend lesson: The best present isn’t about money. It’s about time and understanding.

5. When Trey shows up at the last minute to Charlotte’s Home and Garden photo-shoot, even though they were on the verge of separation.

Money-life lesson: Money can’t buy you love (unless you define love to be a Park Avenue classic 6, in which case, money does buy you love!).

What were your favorite Sex And The City moments & lessons?

image source: HBO.com

You May Also Want To Read :

  •  What Sex And The City Taught Me About Love, Life, and Money

    ...that even though I was laid off a few months ago, I have accomplished most of the monetary go ...

  •  What Sex And The City Taught Me About Love, Life, and Money

    So in my previous post I had some questions for Marie, the 20something who is coming to grips wi ...

  •  What Sex And The City Taught Me About Love, Life, and Money

    Tonight, I went to see Sex and the City: The Movie AGAIN (I already watched it opening weekend ...

{ 5 trackbacks }

SATC tours « Feisty Tourist
May 28, 2008 at 5:45 am
| Penny For My Thoughts
October 7, 2008 at 6:45 pm
You know you’re a personal finance blogger when… « Well-Heeled, with a mission
April 22, 2009 at 9:41 pm
Oh, Shopping! « Penny Couture
January 6, 2010 at 1:51 pm
Another Hot Week Passes by… | Invest It Wisely
May 28, 2010 at 10:44 am

{ 39 comments… read them below or add one }

Fabulously Broke March 28, 2008 at 6:02 am

Mine was definitely that $40,000 one….. But I do think that a lot of the financial situations and “solutions” like Charlotte giving her the engagement ring for a down payment or the fact that they all find “White Knights” are WAY unrealistic, and should kind of be a lesson to young women out there, to NOT expect it.

That being said.. *heart* SATC :D

And the last three about Harry and Charlotte, Sam and Miranda and Trey and Charlotte tugged at my heart strings

Reply

Britt March 28, 2008 at 6:59 am

God, I loved that show. You defined some pretty awesome moments! I also love when Carrie makes a pie in Aidan’s Cabin. :)

Reply

SavingDiva March 28, 2008 at 7:11 am

I don’t know if I have a favorite moment…but I just really liked the friendship between the women. How they were always there for each other. I also liked the flashbacks….

Reply

quarterlifegirl March 28, 2008 at 7:55 am

Oh my gosh!!! You summed up the best parts…I LOVE that show!

I think you got most of my favorites, really. A couple of my other favorites:

-When Samantha ditches Smith for Richard at the “Hottest 30 under 30″ party…yet Smith still waits for her to make sure she makes it home safe.
I’m not as good with relaying the lessons, but I just loved that moment!! It was Samantha’s turning point…and Smith is so dreamy!

-When Miranda thinks that Robert (that was his name, right?) broke Steve’s tv when he’s moving in. Then Steve goes by his apartment to “deal with him” but he’s [ahem] busy.
Lesson: Not sure, but I loved how Steve covered it up for Miranda, spared her ego, and told her “I don’t think he’ll be bothering us again.” He’s so sweet! lol.

And Carrie baking a pie in the woods…priceless!

Reply

Meg March 28, 2008 at 8:05 am

I love (and by love I mean hate) when Miranda’s trying to buy an apartment and everybody keeps asking about her husband/father, as though a single female could never buy an apartment all by herself.

It ticked me off at first when i bought my condo – all the docs really do ask that stuff and make you repeat “single, female, never married” everywhere. Then I realized that info was going into all the databases where it would be recorded that YET ANOTHER single female has bought her own residence. Yeah! It’s fun to watch that stat shoot up every year (which it has been so far this decade).

There are SO many great moments in that show though, and so many interesting feminist/financial modern dilemmas they address. Like when Carrie ends up being paid by the French architect after a 1 night stand, and all the ladies sit around ordering room service (on him) discussing what it means and how offended she should be. And the title of the episode “Are we sluts?” So fascinating, that show.

Also, I am now totally into both Cashmere Mafia and Lipstick Jungle now, even though they’re both copy-cat shows (not to mention hugely similar to each other).

Reply

Rachelle March 28, 2008 at 8:06 am

Of course, I think it’s impact has been disminished by all the hoopla, but one of my favorite moments was Berger’s “He’s Just Not That Into You” speech. I rewatched that episode not too long ago and it’s so true, right down to Miranda wanting to “spread the news” to other women and the other women ignoring her because they want to believe their delusions.

Reply

gildedbutterfly March 28, 2008 at 8:09 am

Ditto Meg. Best/Most infuriating moment ever, and a lesson to all the women out there trying to make it on their own: There will be doubters. You will prove them wrong.

Reply

Rachelle March 28, 2008 at 8:09 am

Oh and also, Miranda and Steve trying to do their wedding their way instead of the traditional way. I’ve never felt like a traditional wedding was for me, and I am most like Miranda on the show, so that was just awesome. Plus her speech to the store attendant (“No white! Nothing that says virgin! I have a child– the jig is up!!”) just made me laugh and laugh.

Reply

Doris March 28, 2008 at 8:25 am

OMG I am so gald you wrote about SATC…I am super excited about the movie coming out. I splurged my first year on the job and bought the ENTIRE series on e-bay! (I don’t regret the decision at all – I got it half-price!)

There are so many favorite moments. I love when Carrie stands up for herself to a guy, whether it’s Big or the Russian in the last episode. Ohh and I’ll always remember when Miranda tried to be a lesbian – just so she could make partner at her firm…and she was hiding being pregnant at her firm…that show didn’t make law firms look very “with it.”

I loved how Smith waited for Samantha – at that “30 under 30″ party, and during the very last episode. If she messes that up in the movie I’ll scream! I know that all the women get their “white knight” at the end of the show, and I do hope that by the end of the movie they still have that white knight – but I realize that it’s unrealistic. At least the show always pumps the “friends first and forever” theme. I appreciate that.

Money-wise…that Carrie shoe-loan episode is a stand-out, as is the one where Charlotte gets “free” shoes for letting that guy touch her feet! Blech! Sometimes, a shoe just isn’t worth it.

Reply

HFGirl March 28, 2008 at 10:04 am

I can hardly watch the episode about Carrie’s finances! When Miranda says, “Oh, did you finally open that IRA?” and Carrie says no, I start to hyperventilate at the thought of a 34 year old single woman with NO retirement savings!

Reply

Kirsten March 29, 2008 at 6:52 pm

The episode where Mr Big gets married to Natasha (soul-less stick figure, anyone remember?) and Carrie is invited to the engagement party but only turns up in front of the hotel once it’s over. Mr Big walks over to her and she quotes a line from The Way we Were and walks off accompanied by a voice-over that says something along the lines of “Some girls are meant to run free”…

Beautiful moment.

Reply

Frank March 29, 2008 at 6:57 pm

As a guy my memory of the show was always thinking that Charlotte was by far the hottest and frankly in another league from the others. Of course that has nothing to do with personal finance or female bonding but thought you might like a male perspective.

Maybe it was carried over from her days as a sultry vixen on Melrose Place…

Reply

sfordinarygirl March 29, 2008 at 7:15 pm

My favorite moment was when Charlotte went to Trey’s mom and said she’s worth a million before signing that pre-nup. She asked and spoke up … so important.

Reply

wellheeled March 29, 2008 at 8:19 pm

Kristen – yes, I remember Natasha. She was gorgeous (but c’mon! Big + Carrie is obviously the way to go). ;)

sfordinary girl – good point! that’s another SATC lesson… always negotiate for what you’re worth!

Reply

xynny March 31, 2008 at 11:52 am

HAHA, the $40,000 on shoes moment was hilarious because Carrie didn’t realize she spent $40k. She was like, 200 pairs of shoes, that’s what? $4000? And then Miranda said, it’s $40,000 CARRIE!! You could have paid for the downpayment. I laughed so hard at that.

Reply

Sara - pensioncomparison.com March 31, 2008 at 12:23 pm

I can’t wait for the movie – so many good moments. I love Samantha she is so delightfully outrageous.

Reply

Ashley March 31, 2008 at 1:24 pm

My favorite moment is when Charlotte leaves her house to go to Brady’s 1st Birthday Party after having her miscarriage. She looked like Aubrey Hepburn in the pink strapless dress.

Or…when Charlotte brings Miranda flowers even though she disagreed with her getting an abortion. When Miranda says she didn’t go through with it, Charlotte starts to cry and says they are going to be aunts.

Adorable.

Reply

southcitysadie April 1, 2008 at 6:04 am

I’ve found many people, regardless of gender or marital/childbearing status, can relate to the “A Woman’s Right to Shoes” episode in Season 6, where Carrie’s shoes are stolen at the baby shower and she realizes how much money she’s spent on gifts for others that she may never receive for herself.

Reply

Ugly Debty April 1, 2008 at 5:54 pm

I cant wait for the movie!

I love the episode where Berger breaks up with Carrie via a post it note and they get busted smoking dope in the street.

Reply

Esme April 3, 2008 at 2:42 pm

OMG! I just watched the episode where she was trying to find the money for down payment last night. I was going to write about it when I get a chance to watch the full episode.

I wish I was lucky enough to have friends with money (or a big honking ring) to help me with down payment :(

Reply

Livingalmostlarge April 15, 2008 at 5:48 pm

1. Miranda last episode caring for Steve’s mom. It really hit home the reality we may be caring for our families later in our lives. And her housekeeper says “You know what it means to love.”

2. Charlotte tells Harry her bottom line about not having children, and he says we’ll adopt. She says it’s not yours. He replies “Ugh, what can you do???” Truly shows some people don’t need to give bith to have children.

3. Carries stolen shoes. Getting married and having kids are choices. And it’s not wrong to not do either.

Reply

Amy-Lou May 13, 2008 at 7:23 am

Hey, love all your memories of SATC, i actually love all the girls ans cannot wait for the film!!

My fave episode is when Cariie is in the fashion shoot as one of the ‘real’ people. I love the outfits and when she has to pick herself up-just because that is what life is all about- picking yourself up when things go wrong.

Also, ‘shes fashion roadkill!!’ has to be one of THE funniest lines!!

Reply

khoshmaram May 21, 2008 at 4:33 am

All of players of this movie look sweet.I havent seen it but I will watch it.(surely)

Reply

Julie May 22, 2008 at 9:06 pm

My faves are:

The episode where they go to the wedding of the character played by Nathan Lane, and Charlotte and Harry dance together and you realize that she really likes him…that whole episode is very sweet.

The one where Smith cuts his hair all off cause Samantha shaved her head after she started losing her hair to chemo. SO sweet.

Another one I love is when Miranda’s mother dies and the girls all show up and as she’s walking out of the church she sees Steve and Aiden came too….that part always makes me cry.

One more! The episode where Carrie meets up with her old fling, played by David Duchovny, and it turns out he lives in a mental institute.

OH I love this show…counting the days till the movie!

Reply

Megan May 23, 2008 at 9:03 am

My fav episode is when Samantha’s hair starts falling out and she starts to shave it. Its the night of Smith’s big premier, and she told him she couldnt go. He walks in, see’s her hair in the sink, and proceeds to shave his head which is his “thing”. That night she goes to the premier as Lil Kim, looking absolutely gorgeous in her bright pinki wig. Thats love!

Reply

Ginger May 23, 2008 at 7:21 pm

Yea Ive never quite fancied the show but a group of girlfriends are getting dressed up to go, I cant take it! LOL!

Maybe ill get the DVD..

Reply

Stacey May 26, 2008 at 12:01 am

My favorite moment:
Smith is at a filming across the country. He had a spring arrangement delivered to Samantha that was barely in bloom and as she was in recovery from chemotherapy. Later, Smith comes all the way back to NYC early to say that he loves Samantha, who responds appropriately with, “You have meant more to me than any man I’ve ever known.”

Come on! Heart breaker! She’s had as many men (+ an occasional woman) as Carrie had individual shoes.

Lesson: Quantity does NOT compare to quality, and sometimes it takes us to be at our worst to realize what is in our best interest.

Reply

remo June 3, 2008 at 4:18 pm

Man!!! can there be anything better on earth than SATC????
i love you girls!! i am dying to see the movie!! i heard that miranda looks over the top!!!

Reply

Melanie June 8, 2008 at 12:28 am

Well, I am going to have to pick one of the moments you listed not because I have not seen every episode, some a few times, but because I have a horrible, horrible memory and I cant remember any other ones.
Mine would definetely be when Samantha gave up her hair appointment for Miranda… that really was a lot for Samantha to do!!!

Anyways, Im glad I have stumbled upon someone who loves Sex and the City as much as I do.

Love,

Melanie

Reply

Lena June 10, 2008 at 6:42 am

Well, my favorite moment is at the beginning of Sex and the City. Carries bag fall down and a good-looking man help her to get all her stuff, who lay on the floor. This is the first meeting between Carry and Mr. Big!!!! It is a special moment, because everybody kwnos what happened with them!
Lena

Reply

Krissy June 29, 2008 at 3:24 pm

“Sex & the City” for me is summed up in this greatest moment of the whole series: when Charlotte bumps into Miranda on the street just after she finds out she has that very slim chance of ever getting pregnant, and even though she tells Miranda not to follow her home, Miranda does anyway. I cry like a baby everytime I see that scene because it really defines what a true friendship is all about.

Reply

Anastasia December 1, 2008 at 11:55 am

You know, I have found a great love of all, but I am still looking for friends with whom I can share the excitements of my life. I just don’t seem to have good friends around me although I have been always dreaming about that kind of friendship… if there is anybody interested, I am not a monster of some freak who is all alone just having an obsession over her lover and nothing else… I am just a regular young woman with a passion for art, literature, and big cities which have a spirit of life… i wish my man who understand me, but sometimes I REALLY need to get away from him and have my own gal’s talks…
and, you know, I can be a really good friend! I know I can! I promise I will become a very good friend of yours if you prove to me that we share the passion for love for friendship, for excitement of love, for men, sex, and big cities!
I just feel lonely sometimes… I feel that I missing something…I miss that kind of friendship… do you think it is silly?? Perhaps, I will think so some time later but I know I am having a true moment with myself right now….

p.S.: I love the show! I can watch it over and over again… I will never be tired of watching Carrie, Samantha, Miranda, and Charlotte living their fabulous lives and sharing it with us….

Reply

Lisa December 2, 2008 at 5:15 pm

I wish I had friends like that!!! That show really celebrates friendship.

I like the episode where Carrie gets caught in the rain and she is talking to some guy and saying that if they were in a movie they would get married not that they would get married, she doesn’t even know if she wants get married. She just rambles on and on until he leaves! Hilarious!!!

Reply

Lisa December 2, 2008 at 5:17 pm

Anastasia, I’ll be your friend!

Reply

bonebrokeandblessed December 15, 2008 at 9:54 pm

SATC is an amazing show…I love the episode when Brady is born and Carrie ditches Big for his last night in NYC to be with Miranda…I HOPE I’d do the same thing in her place, but that was such a testament to their friendship. That show always makes me so grateful for my friends!

Reply

Anne July 30, 2009 at 5:13 pm

I thought Samantha’s ‘boso the bush’ dilemma at Brady’s 1st birthday party was such a scream!

Reply

SS4BC November 30, 2009 at 3:27 am

So this post has inspired me to rewatch SATC. I'm on Season 4 now (I started Thursday) – and my favorite scene so far that I had completely forgot about is when Miranda's mom dies. And Samantha looses her "O" – and gets her release when she is finally a good friend to Miranda. And Aiden and Steve show up for the funeral even though they weren't invited. Just to support Miranda. Such a good episode.

Reply

ParisGirl111 April 1, 2010 at 3:16 pm

I love this show. I remember the one about the shoes. Carrie even considers taking a loan from Mr. Big, but ultimately tears up the check. Then, she gets a secured loan with Charlotte's diamond. I would not recommend doing that either. Borrowing money from friends and family is a no no. It will ultimately change the relationship, but HBO never really shows that side of it. ;)

Reply

Tanya May 31, 2010 at 5:28 am

I love the post it note episode the best, and also the episode called One where Samantha finds a gre hair down there and end up like Bozo the bush! Charlotte comes to Bradys 1st birthday even though she has just had a miscarriage and looks amazing, miranda and steve get back together.

also love the episode where mirand eats the chocolate cake out of the bin then pours detergent on it to stop from eating any more. then calls carrie to tell her shes checking into the Betty Crocker clinic!

Reply

Leave a Comment

CommentLuv Enabled

Previous post:

Next post: