Kathryn reports directly from Europe for the next few weeks. Her goal? To see if one can truly budget shop in Europe. She’s pretty skeptical.

This is my last day in London and I’ve found myself speaking with that fake “you’ve-spent-a-minute-in-London-now-you-think-your-British” accent that tends to happen to Americans when we go to the “motherland” (think: Madonna).  While I was celebrating the fact that my free Starbucks gift cards work in London, singer/all-around-fabulous person Mary J. Blige was shopping for $100+ cowboy hats at the Melissa Obadash boutique in Notting Hill.

Now not all of us, especially those of us traveling in London, where the dollar is worth, well nothing, can drop $100+ bucks on a straw cowboy hat Like MJB. Luckily, we’ve found the hat on the right from Wal-Mart for $6.00 (or 3 pounds for you Brits). The cost of a Grande Mocha Whip at Starbucks.