I do !

I was not able to come on yesterday as I was away all day with a girlfriend doing some serious retail therapy.

I guess that this is a "girl" thing as I don't know any blokes that actually like the shopping bit of buying stuff; they just seem to know what they want, know where to get it and they get in and out as quickly as possible. No fun in that is there ?

I know I often complain about being short of cash and that my salary as a junior primary school teacher doesn't pay much and that after I have paid all of my debts like the mortgage, the utility bills, the council tax, the home and content insurances and the life insurances, there is not a lot left to spend on food and clothes and a few luxuries.

Even although I don't smoke and I seldom spend money on drink I know I do spend money on stuff that I maybe shouldn't, but I sort of feel that if I work hard all week trying to teach kids, some of which don't want to learn, I have the right to treat myself to a few luxuries.

How do you good peeps feel about this ?

Sorry Angie, but being a blokey-bloke I simply HATE being dragged around the shops. You were quite right that most guys know what they want, know where to get it and just go and get it as quickly and as efficiently as possible.

I DO know the feeling that you are describing there as I think that just about everybody likes to treat themselves when they feel they have earned it.

Changing the subject a bit...It is this desire that gets lots of less-well-off people into serious debt as they feel that they should have what "the Joneses" should have even if they already know that they cannot afford it. It is this syndrome that forces poor people to try to look as if they are not poor by indulging in designer goods and all of the best in-your-face wares. This is one of the worst traps that the poorer folk can get caught up in.

I can't think of anything I would like to do less with my free time. I am fortunate that 'er indoors is of a similar mind in that she only shops when necessary and then prefers to do it with out my assistance. She does, now and then, shop with the girls, Thing2 & Thing3 and these expeditions will run into several hours culminating in a desperate phone for me to come and rescue her and drag the Things kicking and screaming from he shopping centre.

The female members of my family wouldn't DARE to phone me to come and rescue them in such a situation, They know that if they want to indulge in this so-called "retail therapy" that they better keep me right out of it.

My daughter's drug is shoes and my wife's habit is handbags and so long as I can get a wee bit of electronic gear now and again I leave them to it.

I HAVE been looking at the latest colour televisions...The Samsung LED TVs, ( not just LCD BTW ), as they are being built using light emitting diodes behind the cold pixels of liquid crystal and they are supposed to be able to give us the brightest and highest definition pictures that have ever been seen. These sets are also the thinnest widescreen TVs ever made - up until now - as they are only about 3cms thick at 40cm wide. The thing is that the series 6 models are about £900.00 and the series 7 models are around £1400.00 at 40cm wide.

Going to have to do some serious sucking up to be allowed to get one of those I think !

HERE is one review of these smart bits of kit.

I only shop when I absolutely must, I'm not someone who enjoys the experience, as I don't like crowds.

I can't do it at present, but when I get the cataracts sorted and get back to driving, I'll be doing my weekly shop in the early hours of the morning again.

Cheers, HG

Early hours shopping. That's for me, ever since Tesco went 24hrs, if I have to do the main shop Then it's a 1am foray. Takes a quarter of the time, no traffic, no queues, and best of all no misbehaving brats running amok.

Exactly.

Cheers, HG

Hell's Granny wrote:I only shop when I absolutely must, I'm not someone who enjoys the experience, as I don't like crowds.

I can't do it at present, but when I get the cataracts sorted and get back to driving, I'll be doing my weekly shop in the early hours of the morning again.

Cheers, HG

Oh I would love to be like you HG, not the cataracts of course, but able to just go shopping when I have to. I LURVE shopping and at this time of year I really get a buzz out of it. At least I do until my credit card is maxed out again.