The Jewelry Chick Taxed Me on "Free" Stuff

Happy Monday everyone! First off, let me say that the only part of the Super Bowl that I watched was when Harrison (Steelers) ran the ball back for a 100 yard touchdown before half-time. That was enough for me. DeMonty went to watch the game with a friend and one of their hang outs, so Ashlyn and I were free to watch whatever we wanted- which happened to be Monster House.

Our weekend was great and I am feeling refreshed and rejuvenated even though I hit the ground running Saturday morning, and again on Sunday morning. But today I want to focus on Saturday’s main event- the jewelry party.

I got up early to begin the food prep which consisted of a cheese ball, chicken salad, and brucshetta on bagel chips. I also had to run out and find a chip and dip server, and thanks to Ross I only spent $7.49 (reduced price) on a basic glass set. They also had some other fabulous home and kitchen décor that I picked up, but I won’t bore you with the 5 other things which brought my total to $34.

My party was at 4:00, but the independent consultant, who I will refer to as “Jewelry Chick or JC for short” showed up at my house at 2:50 to set up her displays. I knew that she was coming at 3:00, but of course I waited until 2:15 to get in the shower and was still in my robe doing my hair when the doorbell rang. My dress still had to be ironed and makeup still needed to be applied, so it was 3:40 before I was able to head downstairs and welcome her.

Okay… let’s talk about the display… there was jewelry on my dining room table (discontinued pieces that were ½ off if you bought a piece at retail price), 2 tables set up between my kitchen and living room, my kitchen island one of the countertop was also covered with jewelry. JC also had a mannequin that she used to display pieces so you could see how they would look with an outfit.

JC was adamant the jewelry looked better with great lighting, so just about every light that was available downstairs was turned on (even the light in the ½ bath, which I followed behind her and turned back off). I asked a friend if I would receive an additional discount to compensate me for my electric bill because it was obvious JC was not aware how much the additional wattage was going to cost me.

So, let’s get down to what I really want to talk about. All of this so-called “free” jewelry for the hostess. What they conveniently forget to tell you is that you have to pay tax on the “free” jewelry you choose, as well as pay tax on the retail price of the jewelry that you choose to get at ½ price. I know it’s a little confusing, so let me try and break it down a bit. Let’s say that I chose a necklace that retails for $79 as one of my “free” items. I am held responsible for $7.30 in tax. After using up all of the “free” money for jewelry I then chose another necklace that retails for $49 for my ½ price item. So, the cost of the necklace is $24.50, but I am responsible for $4.53 in tax (9.25 x retail price), as well as $2.50 for shipping and handling for the order. This means that I write a check for $38.83 to receive my “free” and ½ price jewelry. Don’t get me wrong, this is a great deal, but this was not explained until after I called JC to make sure my total was correct. I ended up spending $70 for jewelry at a party that I hosted!!

Needless to say, I won’t be doing this again, but I will be attending a party at a friend’s house on Saturday. Since I hosted, I now receive 20% any item that I purchase for a year. See how they hook you and reel you in? Now, I will say that I did not earn all of the hostess bonuses available to me, which was no surprise. I knew $25 in “Free” jewelry was mine for keeping my date, but I had less than 10 people, not one guest booked a show, and I had $0 in pre-sales. Let me be honest. I was more interested in getting this over and done with than getting another $75 in “free” jewelry that I would have to pay taxes on.

All in all, the party was a good time, but considering the time and money invested (food, drinks, extra electricity, “free” jewelry) I spent over $100 hosting this party. I think I'll sitck to attending parties instead of hosting them. See you on Saturday JC!