Retail Therapy on Substack | Rani Monson | Substack

Start Here — Retail Therapy on Substack

You did everything right. So why is your cart full at midnight? Personal essays about the time and money we throw at our angst.

Feb 25 • Rani Monson

We Finally Care About Soccer. It Only Cost $15,000 a Seat.

The priciest sporting event in U.S. history includes a TSA warning about Ranch.

Jul 19 • Rani Monson

3 Keepers & a Regret: Laurel Cummings

She makes brands funny for a living. Here's what she'd never let go of — and the one thing she was smart to dump.

Jul 15 • Rani Monson

The Ban Lasted Decades. Cookies and Cream Broke It.

I don't deviate — not from a flavor, not from a rule. On National Ice Cream Month, why permission works more like a switch than a moderation.

Jul 9 • Rani Monson

3 Keepers & a Regret: Sade Strehlke

Facebook Marketplace scores, a $45K dining table and the danger of learning what you didn't know you wanted. The former POPSUGAR editor made me…

Jul 8 • Rani Monson

Retail Therapy on Substack

New here? Retail Therapy is where I write about the money we throw at our angst. With humor. No affiliate links and I never pretend I have it figured out. I don’t.

Retail Therapy on Substack by Rani Monson

3 Keepers & a Regret: Andrea Linett

On shopping your own closet, dad's shirts and the jeans drama nobody escapes.

Jul 1 • Rani Monson

I Spent 32 Cents Each on Business Cards I Hate. I Could Have Had Matches.

Custom matchbooks are having a resurgence. Collecting. Hoarding. Go custom in prices from 5 cents to $2. Its a perfect keepsake & Gen Z wants in.

Jun 30 • Rani Monson

Dumb Money: I'm Done Buying New Luxury Handbags

The math stopped making sense. So did the bags. Brands have gotten greedy. A $2K bag became $3,180. It's price gouging when purses tripled in price.

Jun 25 • Rani Monson

3 Keepers & a Regret: Cheryl Wischhover

A beauty journalist who left nursing at 40 to tell us what actually works — and what fifty years of diet culture still won't let her forget.

Jun 24 • Rani Monson

100 Grams. Every Day. No Excuses. Good Luck With That.

We're So Obsessed With Protein, We Created a Shortage. We convinced ourselves it was a health decision. Then it took over. It's nearly impossible; a…

Jun 18 • Rani Monson

3 Keepers & a Regret: Staci—Millennial AF

The things worth keeping -- and the sandals that are on notice. Staci of Millennial AF on the heated blanket situationship & a grandma's earrings.

Jun 17 • Rani Monson

The Department Store Is Dying. I Have the Gift Card to Prove It.

What department store bankruptcy numbers don't tell you. What we lose when our stores close. Merger aftermath of Neiman Marcus Saks Fifth Ave.

Jun 16 • Rani Monson

Red Is Having a Moment. My Feet Are Not.

Six sandals, zero answers, one more on the way. Wanted: a sandal that’s cute and walkable, yet minimal. The flip-flop of summer hurts. Can I get the…

Jun 11 • Rani Monson

3 Keepers & a Regret: Sari Botton

Leaving New York, keeping everything. The things we hold onto, even when we know better. Sari Botton on Retail Therapy on Substack by Rani Monson.

Jun 10 • Rani Monson

Recommendations

Good For Your Age

Good For Your Age

🐒 Monkey Girl

Allison Lau

Sari Botton

Laurel Cummings

Lindsay Sword

Retail Therapy on Substack

When life stops making sense, we shop. Retail Therapy on Substack, by Rani Monson — honest writing about the money we throw at our angst. With humor. No affiliate links & no pretending I have it figured out.

About Archive Recommendations Sitemap

#nojs-banner { position: fixed; bottom: 0; left: 0; padding: 16px 16px 16px 32px; width: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; background: red; color: white; font-family: -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"; font-size: 13px; line-height: 13px; } #nojs-banner a { color: inherit; text-decoration: underline; } This site requires JavaScript to run correctly. Please turn on JavaScript or unblock scripts