It’s February, and because it seems like winter will never end I desperately need a new pair of snow boots. After slogging through the snow and slush the other day, drenched in the “wintry mix” that won the battle with the umbrella I started the day with, I came home with cold, wet feet and knew I couldn’t put it off any longer.  So I sat down at my computer and filled the shopping carts at about five websites with contenders.  Of course I wasn’t going to keep all the boots, but I needed a selection in terms of style, fit, and comfort. And without boots to wear in the snow that I don’t believe will ever go away I couldn’t very well go out and buy shampoo and toothpaste either, so those went into another shopping cart, along with other  items I hadn’t realized I needed or wanted. And I was definitely going to need something to read while I was stuck at home ignoring the weather, so i went ahead and ordered a few books. In my email were plenty of good deals from clothing retailers I like, so, click, click, click and my family and I had some new clothes too. With overnight delivery, all I had to do was sit tight and in a short while all my purchases would be at my doorstep.

Remember life before online shopping? You had to go to the store, or stores, do the legwork, carry the merchandise home. Those crazy Dark Ages! How did we know what was good or bad without customer reviews?  I know I’ve been helped often by reading those reviews. I can also go from website to website comparing prices to make sure I’m getting the best deal. And remember, it was snowing and I didn’t have boots- how could I have gone out? Even if I had, I’m sure there would have been a lot of other people desperate for boots because of the approximately five thousand snow storms we’ve had this winter; can you imagine how crowded the stores would have been? I can, and I can’t help feeling a little smug about avoiding those crowds.

Shopping online certainly has advantages, but it also carries the danger of getting carried away and easily losing track of spending. It’s hard to keep from getting sucked into the madness, especially with mobile apps that make it even easier to shop anywhere, anytime and coupons that appear in my email every hour. I know I have to make a real effort to pay attention not to go too crazy. I try not to fall for every online coupon- okay, okay, that day I failed, but I’d had a hard day- most of the time if I concentrate I can resist. I also always try to find ways to get free shipping, either by using a code or waiting until I need enough to spend the minimum required for free shipping. Some sites even offer free returns, which is really helpful, because I have about  eight pairs of boots to return.