It's my sister's fault...

The other day, as I was enthusing about some now-forgotten treasure that I had purchased, my darling sister, Sabra, made the harsh comment "You just like to spend money."  I was initially offended, but after some introspection, I had to agree.  Yes, I just like to spend money.  I am a shopper.  I come from a heritage of shoppers.  My mother shops.  My father shops (I know, that's strange, but he really does--he doesn't often purchase, but can he ever shop!).  My six sisters and I LOVE to shop, especially together.  And we're so good at it!  It's a talent, really. It's  not hereditary, necessarily, but more environmental.  Constant exposure over a long period of time, and all that.  Anyway, it's something that I excell at, and so I feel some obligation to share the wealth.  NO, I'm not going to send you money!  Rather, I am going to share my expertise with you.  I can buy anything.  As an Army Wife, I'm the one who flies to our next duty station to buy a house (Vince knows that if he were to do it, whatever he bought, it would be wrong.  Smart man.).  When we buy a car, I'm in charge because I'm meaner.  We have six kids, and four of them are adopted, so I suppose I can even teach you to shop for kids (though I could write a book called "How NOT to Adopt"--we had a few bad experiences along the way...).  I have three teenagers and three little kids, five boys and a girl.  So I can shop for every age and both sexes!  I am an electronic-phile.  I have ADHD for laptops, digital cameras, cell phones, e-readers, and sewing machines.  I am a quilter, and have just about every gadget available, in multiples.  And FABRIC!  Well, you can never have enough.  As a homemaker, I'm an over-acheiver.  How many sets of dishes, pots and pans, gadgets, flatware, and linens does one household need???  Don't even get me started on how much furniture I've bought (and sold) in our 19 years of marriage (I'm not telling my husband about this blog.).  Living in Germany, I now have the added bonus of being an international shopper.  So many wonderful things to buy in Europe!  I am also a collector of stuff: baskets, pottery, books. I like new stuff and old stuff.  The flomarkts (fleamarkets) in Germany are extraordinary!  (One day we'll talk a bout my penchant for ugly vintage West German vases...)  I am a jewelry maker, to include lampworking and glass fusing.  Do you know how much stuff you can buy for just one hobby?  Let alone several?  While I love to physically shop, virtual shopping is SO much fun.  The advent of the internet opened up endless horizons for me, and it sure saves on gas!  Speaking of savings, I rarely (almost never) pay retail or asking-price for anything.  If it ain't on sale, it ain't comin' home with me!  Mostly.  I got that from my mom.  My sisters got it, too.  We love to shop together and compare how much money we save!  Of course, there are hazards associated with discount shopping.  We all have a closet or two filled with bargains to prove it.  So, you have to be careful.  Vince knows, though, that when I make a fairly major purchase, I know darn well that I got the best thing available for the best price possible.   I'm going to share some of my wisdom and experience with you, and do a few consumer reviews in the process.  Come back soon!