Shopping in a Rut

Kelly's Korner is exploring the topic of shopping. Ahhhhhh. Shopping. Be still, my heart.

I shop in spurts. I am very likely to shop, shop, shop, and then not set foot in a store (other than for groceries) for a month or more...and then shop, shop, shop again.

When I do shop, I tend to be in a rut. I'm not very adventuresome. I find a store I like, and I stick with it. Creature of habit, this girl!

Groceries: Though I shop at a variety of stores for groceries, my favorite is Aldi. I don't know if this store exists everywhere, but it's one of my faves. When I was fresh out of college, I shopped there out of sheer necessity. Had to have the cheaper prices! Now I just love the food! I prefer their graham crackers, apple cinnamon cheerios, and ranch dressing (the lowfat kind) to brand names, actually. I'm also absolutely addicted to their fresh sweet onion salsa. I get almost all my staples at this store and often I can find great deals on produce, too. The downfall of the store is that you never know what they will or will not have on a given week, but usually I have great luck with most of my list! And I don't even mind the "rent a cart" policy!

House Stuff: Right now, Lowe's is the only home store in our town, but even when we had options, I preferred Lowe's. No idea why. Just did. It disturbs me somewhat that I actually enjoy perusing the weekly ad for Lowe's...I think that means I grew up to be a boring adult! I've always had great customer service there, and I love being able to go one place to get all the things I need.

Clothes: I am a HORRIBLE clothes shopper. I'm oddly proportioned, which makes shopping for clothes an absolute nightmare. I have to be in the right mood to shop, or I end up frustrated and declaring myself fat. Fashion Bug used to be my favorite place to shop, but they left town, and they're also catering much more to plus sizes, so it's getting harder for me to find things that work for me. But I still love to at least try finding things there when I'm near one. Lately, I've done most of my clothes shopping at JC Penney. I have noticed that when I shop for clothes, I'll spend a whole bunch at one time (if it's a non-fat day, buy up!) and then I won't buy clothes for months and months. Other than two emergency shirt-buying days last fall, I have not been clothes shopping since July. :)

Stamps and Scrapping: Ahh...NOW we've found where I sink the money! Of course you know of my deep affection for and addiction to Hobby Lobby. Once again - moment of silence because it left town....okay, moment over. I buy most of my seasonal decorations at Hobby Lobby (on clearance of course), plus all my scrapbooks and refill pages (50% off, of course). I also get stamps there sometimes (when they're on sale) - and other random crafting needs. The bulk of my stamps, though, I buy from Stampin' Up! and Close to My Heart. I love buying there, because I can get whole sets of stamps, rather than just one or two at a time. Stamp shopping is also usually a bulk thing for me. I'll place a big order a couple of times a year and then be done.

Books and Music: The bulk of my book and music shopping happens through Christian Book Distributors. We only have one Christian bookstore in town, and while I like it, it doesn't always have what I want, and it closes earlier than I like to shop. :) I do, however, like to frequent Gaither Family Resources, which is not only a delightful place to shop, but it has amazing food and hands down, THE BEST COFFEE I've ever had in my life. Not kidding.

The Place I'm Glad is Far Away or I'd be Bankrupt: Kirkland's! If this store ever comes to town, I'm in big trouble. The closest one I know if is in Indianapolis, and I canNOT go into this store without shopping big! I have enormous success with Christmas gifts at this store. At Kirkland's, I can actually afford things I could only look at elsewhere.

That concludes Bekahland's shopping tour! :)