Buying things

So Ramit Sethi has his new book out today and I've been reading the excerpts he's so nicely posted. I told myself that I wouldn't buy this book, (since I rarely buy books and I usually go to the library), but these excerpts are making it tempting. If anything I will buy it used and not for the full price just to make myself feel better.

Speaking of discounts, I finally went to Woodbury with Grace!!

First, Woodbury was just more amazing than I thought. I really only went because I heard that the Brooks Brothers shirts that are normally $85 are $60 there (these shirts last forever and are non-iron and fit me really well). But I was just astonished at how good most of the deals were. I saved about $237 or about a weighted savings rate of 51%, as compared to prices I found online. And the gas we used probably just amounted to $2 or something. This is like really, really nice stuff I don't ever buy. Of note was J. Crew clothing for Gap prices. So soft!!! Shopping there was seriously like shopping on Black Friday.

Second, this is the second time I've really shopped with Grace. And I've determined that she is the perfect shopping buddy for me. This is gonna seem weird to expound upon the joys of shopping with Grace, but really the impact is that huge. I'm the kind of person who generally shops alone and likes to shop alone, because I vary widely from being really quick with my decisions and truly taking my time with other things. I have spent half an hour trying to figure out which bread to buy, yet 5 minutes deciding on a shirt. Weird I know. So it's almost impossible for me to really know how to shop with other people (even with family, we would just split up and meet somewhere central 2 hours later, occassionally running into one another at certain stores).

I've determined a few things that makes my shopping style jive with Grace's
1) I can trust her to tell me the truth and have real insight about what's going on with an outfit. This also means, I feel ok showing her how foolish I look in something. I also feel the freedom to not take her advice, cause it's not like she expects me to necessarily do so. This also makes decision making a lot faster, than me ruminating by myself.
2) I feel like I go to stores I wouldn't normally go to by myself (because I'm a bit defeatist and would talk myself out of the thought of even finding something there that fits me, my style, and my price range). Not that I necessarily buy anything when I go to these stores, but it exposes me to pricing and fashions that are out there. I think this is the annoying thing about shopping with my family, they go to the same stores over and over again, so we really have no idea if something is truly a deal or not.
3) I don't feel like I have to wait too long for her. She makes decisions in an adequate time frame.

In summary, the balance of aimless meandering and decisive selection, truth telling and individual thought, that Grace brings makes shopping for hours on end with someone else actually enjoyable.

I think the only thing that would make Woodbury better is if it was located in Jersey City where they don't have a sales tax on clothing.