Online Shopping

I do a lot of online shopping. The only store here that accepts the weak US dollar is the PX. Although it is nice that we have place to shop, my trips there usually end up being a big disappointment. So, I buy online.

If I shop smart I get free shipping, don't pay taxes, and find things for a good price. However there are a few drawbacks to online shopping. Sometimes, I end up buying things that I don't really need in order to get free shipping. Example: yesterday I wanted to buy these pins for a map I'm working on (the little flag ones to show all the places in the world that you have been) and a set of measuring cups, because believe it or not, I can't get those here. Well I had $19.99 worth of goodies in my virtual shopping cart, but in order to get free shipping I needed to spend $5 more. I added a pancake turner to the cart and pushed "buy". A pancake turner. I'm not saying it can't be used, but I also cannot say that it was really high on the list of things I NEED.

The other problem is I am easily distracted while shopping. Today, I was searching for a gift for my sister's birthday and next thing I know, I bought fabric and a poster for the boys' room, shoes for me, pajamas for the boys, and absolutely nothing for my sister. I actually walked away from the computer and thought "why did I start shopping in the first place?" It is so easy to go from the clothes section to the kitchen to the dining room to cute little antique finds and vintage junk. It is like Target but better because nobody is walking around with the darn price tag machines that go "blingbling" all the time.