Home shopping!

No, not the TV channel. I'm currently visiting my parents, who have amassed a lifetime's worth of junk. My parents are the symbol of consumer glut, willing and able to buy any new gadget, kitchen accessory, or shoe out there -- especially if it's cheap at Wal-Mart.

The good thing of all of this is, I get to go home a few times a year and go shopping in our basement! It's free, I get items in either slightly used or new condition, and I save loads of money on things that I need -- usually replacing things that have worn out since I last retrieved them from the basement.

I love that my mom and I have the same shoe size, and that she has expensive taste in shoes. I do have to admit that I'm a freegan at that point: these shoes are definitely leather. This time around, I've gotten a pair of each (and almost if not new): New Balance, sandals, flats, brown work shoes, and black work shoes. And clogs. If I had bought the equivalent, I would have spent at least $400. Instead, in the last three months I have bought three pairs of uncomfortable, blister-forming shoes to the total of almost $160 (yes, I did actually spent that much on shoes). I could have saved that much if I had planned accordingly.

Other things I got: two brand new luggage pieces, a wok, some snacks, and some cookbooks. I might also take a pair of good headphones from my dad and a used cellphone (my dad just bought a new Blackberry-type gadget). So, I'm all set for the next couple months, until I come to visit them again!