Virtual Shopping

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I adore this photo - and I want her ring.

I actually have this cute Lulu Guinness handbag, purchased off eBay in a phase in college when I was enamored with the scripty LG on some of her wares, my initials before I was married:
LG! It was like it was just for me. (Although I think it's safe to say I would not have done as much bidding on eBay if my initials were LV or CC.)

The daisy bag is a little cutesy for me to carry (it works much better for me in its umbrella version that I uh, also own), and I think I've used it only a handful of times. I can make a mental note to try and bust it out come Spring, but it will still be something I do not get a lot of use out of.

Do you have items in your life like this? I like seeing it displayed with my clutch collection, but this image is just as pretty as the real thing. I'd rather store the photo on my hard drive and have the money back that I spent on it.

That's what I love about blogs - I am inundated with more things I want to buy on a daily basis than I ever have been, but I am so much less likely to actually buy now. I will check out the linked website, I will add to my cart, I will make a note to come back later, but I can't pull the trigger.

Virtual shopping can be as good as the real thing to me, better in some ways because no let-down sets in after the initial elation of buying something new and shiny wears off. There will always be another sale, there will always be another free shipping offer.

In fact, I think I may have an anti-buying problem. Is that possible? I have been trying really hard to distinguish wants versus needs over the past year, and I noticed the other day when reviewing my month-to-month spending in Quicken (yes, I am a personal finance nerd) that I had made one apparel purchase in the last several months - a $15 cocktail ring when on vacation. It's been so long that I have some definite needs right now - some new heels, work clothes, a few new basic tops - all staples. Therefore, I am going to embark on a mini shopping spree this month. I'll let you know how it goes.