Posts Tagged shopping

Best of 09: Girl’s got a lot of Shoes

Posted by Kristin in Best of 09 on December 18, 2009

December 18 Shop. Online or offline, where did you spend most of your mad money this year?

I blame my mother. She loves to go shopping for shoes, loves picking out the pretty ones that her feet can no longer wear and encouraging me to try them on. And then it’s all downhill from there.

Amongst my co-workers and friends, I am known for my exhaustive shoe collection. When all else fails, I can always find a new pair of shoes to buy, when nothing else seems to be fitting just right.

I’m completely confident that the purchases of 2009 that total the most amount of money are shoes, hands down. So, here is my attempt to capture some of the shoes that I purchased in 2009, and sadly, I’m sure I forgot some.

shoes

The boyfriend has no idea what he’s getting into.

, ,

3 Comments

Doorbusters aren’t a Deal Breaker

Posted by Kristin in In the News on November 24, 2009

sale

With the holiday weekend getting closer and closer (11 hours, 10 minutes to be exact) consumers will be inundated with fliers and ads announcing this year’s coveted Black Friday deals. Several new stories this year have investigated the legitimacy of advertised deals and the likelihood of consumers actually getting their hands on the 50″ HDTV at Walmart for $498.

It is my belief that the smart shopper understands the concept of limited numbers of merchandise in each store. I don’t expect every Best Buy to have enough TVs at the lowest advertised price for every consumer. I understand that they are simply trying to get me in the door in the hopes that I will purchase something else. And, I’m ok with it.

For me, shopping on Black Friday is less about getting the cheapest pair of Dockers for my dad, and more about the shared experience with my mom and sister – and the thousands of others at the mall. It is a tradition that I look forward to every year – where success isn’t based on how many gifts we cross off our lists, but by how much fun we had.

I am curious to know if I am crazy – shopping on Black Friday for fun. So, if you are a Black Friday shopper: Why do you do it?

, , , , , ,

7 Comments

Maintaining Traditions

Posted by Kristin in Ramblings on November 13, 2009

With the holidays quickly approaching, the cooking and baking of traditional Scandinavian foods begins – for my family at least. This weekend my grandma, aunt and cousin will be making lefse and it got me thinking: Are we losing family-based traditions in today’s retail world?

lefse

Traditions have been continued in our family for generations. Lefse, lutefisk (eww), Swedish meatballs, spritz cookies and more are served every year, no matter how many times I say that I don’t like lutefisk. However, it seems that the number of individuals who know how to prepare them is getting smaller.

I am just as guilty as others. I have not watched my grandma and aunt make lefse. I don’t know how to use the cookie press to make the special cookies. Is it because I’m sure I could find out how online? Or I know I could run down to the store and buy it? Or am I just relying on someone else to know how?

The responsibility falls to me to observe, learn and continue the traditions that I believe are important. However, I am curious if anyone else is experiencing something similar and your thoughts on the cause and/or solution.

Photo credit: theconglomerate.org

Thanks to Dave Erickson for teaching me the style coding. NOTE: I can’t, for the life of me, figure out how to make the text wrap further up the image. If anyone has any tips, I would greatly appreciate it!

, , , , , , , , , ,

2 Comments