What do you love shopping for?

What do you love shopping for, if you enjoy shopping that is?

I love buying things for Gina. She has a passion for books (the older the better), Japanese woodblock prints, handbags (mainly French and Italian), antiques (mainly French, Austrian, Chinese and Japanese ceramics, porcelain, prints, carvings, statues, jewellery), oil paintings and anything else that catches her eye.

I love the shopping experience, but not on my own - that's booooring.

I LOVE to shop for: clothes, jewelry, shoes, bags [im known as the bag lady, lol] books [i actually have wwaaaaaaaay too many books, its ridiculous] and make-up.

Shopping is great in MK!! Loads of shops, but not many boutiques, and i Love boutiques = ]

MK certainly has an impressive shopping centre. Gina absolutely loves bags - I remember the first time I found out (which was years and years after we met) we had been saving up for a kitchen (we finally had the money we needed to buy the kitchen, all the appliances, new floor, etc, etc) and before ordering anything we went for one of our breaks in Paris. Anyhow, we were walking along and Gina saw a bag that she still loves to bits today. I was surprised because I had never seen her show any interest in bags like this (it was a Vuitton) so we had a quick chat and very quickly decided that kitchens are boring so we decided to blow all of our kitchen money on bags and anything else she wanted. It was brilliant, we felt like millionaires for all of 2 days until the money ran out!

It took us years to savve up enough money for a kitchen again but it was worth it.

Oh MY! I could never do that! hehe i admire both your spontinuity!!!

I don't really liek shopping, i go shopping when i need something boring i know but saves me money. (unless its random drops into a 'new age' /fair trade/natural earthy magicky type shop)

I am a solitary shopper. I really do not like to feel dragged around looking at things I am not personally interested in. Shopping for me is fun, meditative ... ME time. I can't stand to be hurried.

It can be annoying to be with me when I am clothes shopping. I often find the outfit I am looking for, in the first shop I enter, however I will spend the rest of the day looking and looking for something which may suit me better only to find myself back at shop one. This drives my man nutso.

Bargain basements, liquidators, garage sales, flea markets and second hand shops are hugely my thing. I love old and already used stuff... I don't mind having company during these excursions. It is easy to *ditch people and agree to meet up later and show off what deals we found. I especially love second book store/sales. I hug books, I get so excited..... hee hee

My favorite shop to go to is a place called Ten Thousand Villages. These lovely people sponsor families in third world and poor countries to make crafts. They supply the initial materials, and then return to purchase (for a fair price) what they have created, usually with their hands. Independance, pride and an income. Amazing what happy energy these treasures carry! I spend hours here handling the handiwork and getting feelings and impressions. I can't be rushed here... I definetely need to go alone. They have tons of different elephants... I love collecting elephants

Grocery shopping, by the way, sucks as far as I am concerned and I let Jake do that for us.

I have to say, this was a fun topic to think about.... I can't forget about the funky New Age shops that are here, feeding not only the teens but also us old hippies/crones. I just know I would Love "The Willow Tree"..... ((( HUGS )))

the Ten Thousand Villages place sounds awesome!

I'm terrible to shop for, I really hate spending any money on myself but I love to shop with others, funny that methinks.

Well, I hope I don't come across as heavy, but for anybody who is seriously concerned about planet Earth, & her rapid demise of resources (I assume most pagans do?), then shopping isn't a great hobby to have.

Crazed consumerism is a massive part of our environmental problems: use of precious & dwindling energy, the land-fill sites & oceans choking on the disposable life-style we live etc.

Not to mention the ill treatment of Third World inhabitants through slave & child labour.

Then there's the pressure on children (AND adults, who should know better) to have the latest peice of rubbish in the vain belief that it'll somhow give their lives purpose, but will eventually create an empty cavern where their heart once was.

Right, better step off my soap box now, but no, I don't really love shopping, but do it when it's necessary & then try to make it charity shop chic or at least ethical & eco!

We have a list on our fridge, which we follow (we downloaded it):

1) Do I really need it or really love it? (Got to be serious & strict about the latter. I mean, you don't really need a tenth bag, no matter how 'pretty' it is!).

2)Is it worth the money to dust, store, clean or otherwise maintain?

3) How many hours will I have to work to pay for it?

4) Could I borrow it from a friend, neighbour or family member?

5) Is there anything I already own that I could use instead?

6) Are the resources that went into it renewable?

7) Is the product socially & environmentally friendly (not made from child labour or virgin timber etc)?

Can I recycle it when I'm through with it? Or will it clog a land-fill site?

To end, I feel that the more we fill our lives with material items, the further we move away from our true, spiritual selves.

Peace

Lisa

here here

Absolutly, as I said, I hoped I wouldn't come across as heavy (I probably should have used the word preachy!) & apologies if I diud seem that way.

I certainly don't have a lot of money but do what I can within my personal financial restraints. I TOTALLY believe in doing what you CAN, within one's limits & for students, the unemployed, those depending on parents, those on disability....(the list is very long) without beating ourselves up over it.

My point (probably not made clear enough) is that a lot of people (pagans & non-pagan environmentalists even) are very oblivious to the need to to just stop buying needless amounts of products, just to fix a shopping addiction.

Oh dear, not a very good start.

Peace to all

Lisa

Not to me really, but I respect your opinion!

i follwed it

I totally do the whole do i need it, will i use it again, why do i want it, 9/10 i always talk myself out of buying things.

I LOVE shopping I usually go into charity shops, mainly because I work in one but also because they are the best for bargains, for example most of my clothes are from charity shops, I recently found a proper corset in the one I work in and it was in the best quality, almost brand new and only £3.25!!! My attitude for shopping is if I really want it but it as they might run out!!!

BB

I dont like shopping much..... i like my money more.. but if i did want to shop for stuff, it would be Games and Computer parts...... i want to buy oher things, but its not exactly me..... clothes i add to mums ebay and eventually decide if i want it or not, i want to buy herbs and crystals, but again, its the money thing, and the same with mangas....

I always go to town with things i want in mind, then when i get to those items, i think, hmm do i really need it, ponder about getting the item for several minutes, then leave empty handed... happenes every time >_<

SWORDS!! AXES!! MACES!! SPEARS!! DAGGERS!! CHAINMAIL!! ARMOUR!! KNIVES!! BOWS!! CROSSBOWS!! FLINTLOCKS!! MUSKETS!!...

..could anybody spot me a spare £1'000'000 at all?

Not going to get too involved in the save the planet argument except to say the biggest problem this planet has is that there are too many humans! We go on about other creatures which we quite happily slaughter if their population seems a bit excessive to us. We still breed as though illness and predators were the killers they once were and the result is a plague of humans! Only person I have heard address this problem is David Attenborough. Nobody else dares for fear of being shot down for trampling on people's god given rights!

Other problem this planet has is that it is in a solar system where the sun has cycles which can last up to 11 years or more during which time its output increases. We are in such a cycle and its not just effecting Earth. Other planets are feeling the heat too.The planet was once a bunch of volcanos with very unplesant greenhouse gasses and there wasn't a human in sight and I can't help but feel that in many ways we are being led up the garden path by those who just want to make a big fat profit out of caring people. Not saying we aren't causing a problem here, we're certainly not helping ourselves by plundering the planet of its resources when there are alternatives and I whole heartedly agree with recycling. Just wish I had the faith that the government we pay to do this recycling actually keeps its word and its not just money for the politicians to go buy themselves a second house!!!!

Ok. Soap box well and truly stamped on.... well actually I've lot more to say but I'd rather discuss chocolate in all its chocolatey forms, especially when accompanied with a caramel cappuccino

Majority of my stuff comes from charity shops. Finding clothes that fit is hard enough without paying through the nose for it. Buy something half decent and get the sewing machine out (I always need to shorten trousers) Why do manufacturers think that if you are size 10 you have the leg length of a Giraffe?

My husband is like me, simple clothes for comfort. We spend more on our rabbits!

VII I'm with you on the blades. Can you suggest any really good sites where I can get some weaponry. After a stylized double headed axe and claw like knife...

Hazelmouse

agrees with massive political rant and just had a very similar one with my dad!

I have just about given up on the politics thing myself. The trouble is they they all lie, and they are all as bad as each other. Then you get the oddball independant types, who are often fanatical about something, but have no ideas about day to day stuff.

Enough of that...

I do try to buy local food, where possible that is. It's a bit hard to buy local bananas, but I'm growing a pineapple (wel the pinapple plant is) it took 2 years to flower, and will be ripe in 6 months more I hope. Not exactly fast, but it should be good when it is ready.

I have also got to try to get my garden sorted out for next year, I hope to be able to grow some food myself then, as always time is a problem.

I try not to buy stuff just for the sake of it, and will go for better quality, longer lasting stuff if possible. Something needs to change, the current throw away culture doesn't seem like it can be sustained for ever.

Enough of that too...

Richard