This morning I put a few things in my Amazon.com shopping cart for school:

• Recycled notepads, envelopes, and printer paper. Although a few more dollars more expensive than the non-recycled stuff, I feel the need to pay homage to my ideals at least a little bit on this journey towards an MBA.

• Two books for school, originally priced at $130 each (each!). However, I used Amazon's "Marketplace Sellers" to buy from an independent discounter for $70 each instead. This price wasn't the cheapest on the list, but I went with the ratings of the sellers by previous customers to order from the ones that sounded the most reliable.

Why am I buying all this through Amazon instead of through independent stores like my well-trained conscience is screaming to do? Mostly because of a few gift certificates I've been given in the last couple months. I have to admit that the gift certificates only cover about half of my total, though. This is the reason why I haven't actually "checked out" yet.

I'm going to give it another day before I push the button. Tomorrow, I'll go down to an independent bookstore downtown and see if they have what I need. I'll also poke around on the Internet a little more to see what other deals I could get. It's the least I can do at this point...