For the last few months of the year, I feel like I am always shopping. Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, multiple birthdays, etc. It just keeps on going.  I will say that I actually ENJOY buying presents for other people. It’s so much fun, sometimes I take it WAY over the top and end up making a gift basket because I couldn’t decide on just one present.  Then there are other times when I just keep putting it off and putting it off until it’s the last minute…you know like a good procrastinator.  Take for instance today. I asked my husband to take my son to run some errands so I could go shopping for my mother-in-law’s, my niece’s and my son’s birthdays. (One belated-late and two-early)

First of all, I completely forgot that it was a holiday. Not just a holiday but a STATE and FEDERAL holiday meaning no school and no work for about 75% of the island. Guess what? Everyone had the same idea today.  Normally when I’m with my son, I’m only about to hit up maybe 2 stores, 3 MAX. If I’m alone on a weekday while everyone is working, I can get to about 6-8 stores. Today, I made it to 2…I should have just taken my son shopping with me! Traffic was crazy, parking was crazy, and guess what? I didn’t buy anyone presents because I was so stressed out about parking my stinking car! When I finally did get into the store, all I could think about was I NEED to buy something to make this dang trip worth it! I KNOW, I shouldn’t have done it but I did. I will admit that I did get some pretty good deals though! (Nordstrom Rack is having their clear the racks sale with an additional 25% off red tags…just saying…you know, in case you want to go shopping for gifts…for yourself.)

I hope I’m not the only one that does this but I was in the dressing room and I was thinking to myself: “Why is it that when I have money and want to go shopping for myself, I never see anything that I want or like? Why is it that when I’m broke and go “window shopping” I see a plethora of items I’d like to own? ALSO, Why is it that when I need to go shopping for someone else I end up walking away empty handed BUT, I saw a ton of things that I would like?  I went shopping for my family, and here I am leaving with some jeans and boots that I don’t really need! UGH.” Does anyone know the answers to these questions? I KNOW you don’t, It’s the shopping conundrum I tell you!

Online shopping for clothing can be a joke too. If you’re anything like me, you hate going to the mall to go shopping. On the other hand, you would rather go shopping because you can try before you buy. If you buy online, odds are HIGH that the dress that looked cute on that cute, tall, and skinny girl, will make you look like Grumpy from the Seven Dwarves.  How do I know, because it’s happened. It get’s better though because although it’s free returns, you’ve ripped the package to shreds, and have no box to put it in.  OR, you have the package but you let it sit, on your desk, for nearly half a century before you remember you need to send it back. By which time, it’s too late to send it back to you resort to selling it on Poshmark to only get maybe a 1/4 of what you paid! Double UGH! The shopping conundrum!!!!!!!

Well in any case, if you decide to go shopping this week, stop by Ala Moana for their Grand Opening of The Ewa Wing and also stop by Nordstrom Rack and get 25% of all red tag items…The Ward Village location has got a TON of stuff that I would just love to buy, but I’m on shopping restriction since the holidays are coming and we are leaving for Disneyland in about 3 1/2 weeks. I’ll be showing you my cute finds in an upcoming post so stay tuned!