OMG, this is (was) so me!

MSN has this article entitled "When bargain hunting is an addiction." I can't really say this article describes me to a T because the women (and 1 man) described in the article are certifiably crazy. Like, buying "full-figured adult size 16 uniform pants... for her tiny 12-year-old daughter simply because they were 80% off" CRAZY. But it does get at the reason I shop-- I get no joy out of spending money or even possessing new things unless I feel like I got a good bargain. Otherwise, I hate spending money. It doesn't matter if something is marked way up just to be marked down-- as long as it's some % off the "original" price, I'm happy. Or even if there's no percent off, I will comparison shop for something I already have in mind, which is why I love(d) Froogle (now less cleverly "Google Product Search") and Amazon because they allow you to compare prices from different sellers.

This whole not shopping thing has thankfully weaned me off of the high I get from a good bargain. Now it's like "yay, I have money!" instead of "yay, I have stuff I don't really need but got a REALLY good deal on!"

I had this (brilliant? crazy? crazy brilliant?) idea this morning that may or may not work: at the beginning of every year, I'm allowed to buy what I've already decided I need during the previous year. For instance, this year, I've decided I still need: a mini muffin pan, a black sweater to wear around the office, and a new formal dress, among other things. So come January 2009, I am allowed to buy only those things. Come January 2010, I am allowed to buy things I listed during 2009. That way, I don't impulse-buy things because they're a "bargain."