My Favorite Things #4: Shopping

You've read about my not-so-impressive television habits. Now I'm going to come clean about my materialistic addiction to shopping. Boy, you're going to get to know me this month if you don't already!

I love to shop. My favorite things to shop for are (in order of importance) shoes, clothes for my kids, home decor, fabric, and clothes for me. Most of the time my shopping is more window shopping than purchasing. I buy a few things here and there, but I'm always looking for screaming deals and I'm hesitant to buy much if I feel like I'm spending more than is necessary. There are very few shopping trips where I come home with more than a few things. And as luck would have it, when I have money in hand and want to make a substantial purchase, I usually can't find anything worthy of my money. For instance, last year my mom gave me money to buy shoes for my birthday. I went to the mall and searched every single store. I tried on dozens of shoes and went back to stores a second time to reevaluate their selection. I went home empty handed and had to look elsewhere before finding the perfect pair. This is probably a good thing, because I end up really loving and appreciating what I buy in the end.

I know, you're just dying to hear where I shop. You're in luck, because I'm about to tell you.

For shoes:
Nordstrom or Nordstrom Rack
Dillards
Bakers
any little boutique I can find with a funky shoe selection
EBay*
Famous Footwear, only lately because I'm short on $

For kids' clothes:
Children's Place
Carters (because I have a baby again)
Old Navy

For home decor:
Ikea
Tai Pan Trading (just went there today!)
Pier One
Bath & Body Works (OK, it's not decor, but it's for my home)

For fabric: Any quilt shop I can find, specifically:
Material Girl
Quilter's Haven
Brooks
Fabric Center
JoAnn's

For my clothes:
Ann Taylor, hands down
Ann Taylor Loft
Ann Taylor factory store
Do you see a trend? I've purchased 1 pair of jeans in the past year and only a handful of other items.

As for the *, my sweet husband is currently shopping for my Christmas present. He spends hours every night searching the internet for the perfect pair of boots. We're in the process of trying to sell the Manolo Blahniks he bought for me because they're too small, and that money can go toward a new pair of something. My sweet husband is becoming very educated about boots - Manolo Blahnik, Jimmy Choo, Christian Louboutin, Dolce & Gabbana, Dior - all of which he looks at every night and all of which are way out of our price range. But it sure is fun, and it makes me feel very spoiled.

Now I'm dying to know, where do you like to shop?