I reread my previous shopping post and it sounds like I'm a major shopping nut and quite extravegant. The fact is, I do like shopping but only if I can get a good deal. I'm very frugal which is how I managed to keep our family's clothing budget to under $300/year which included clothes, coats and shoes for everyone. My stash is mostly from fabric bought from the scrap bins, on sale, with a gift card which I earned from using my Jo-Ann's card and paying off the balance every month. (This is also how I bought my sewing machine.) I no longer have a sewing machine or a Jo-Ann's to shop from and found out a couple weeks ago that there really isn't any (or much) 100% cottons to be had in Shiraz. The stores just don't carry it. :( I've also spent the last 7 months needing a variety of things for the house, especially kitchen, which I just haven't been able to find here. I like to bake but Iranians just don't do that much baking. (There are tons of fabulous bakeries everywhere here.) We didn't ship anything so everything we brought had to fit into 10 suitcases. (2 per person not including Reza) Lots of stuff got left behind including most of my baking dishes (I did bring my muffin pan and pizza pans; snuck in at the last moment after everything else was madly packed, finishing just under an hour before leaving for the airport.) Also, the water here seems to be much harder on clothes because it seems like alot of the kids clothes are starting to get holes, especially their socks. (The socks here are often polyester and crazy color combinations like bright orange and green.) So, I have a decent size list of "needs". I also want to get a few small things for decorating from Ikea. I always felt guilty before for spending money for such things because the money could always go to better uses but now, I've made some money teaching (about $500) and I don't feel bad about spending it to make this house feel more like me. Nothing extravegant though and I know the prices and products at Ikea are good so that's where I intend to go. If I find bargins elsewhere, great, but I'm not about to go overboard. Later, after I make more, I want to get a nice cushy armchair for sitting in to read or quilt and another sewing machine.
Anyway, I just wanted to clear that up. To me, at least, the last shopping post made me seem like a hyper-consuming shop-aholic. :P
Oh, and I haven't been posting because my ISP is on the fritz again. I have been able to read blogger (only blogger pages, in fact) but I couldn't see pictures or post. :(
A view into the life of a homeschooling mom to 5.
5 comments:
You only got to bring 10 suitcases? No wonder you need to do a lot of shopping. I understand, even tho I had a much larger weight allowance to bring all my fabric with me. Here I am whining in my most recent post about moving, but yours sounds like a LOT more work.
Sorry about the probs with the visas. Drat the beaurocracy.
Hi Shellie! Thanks for stopping by my blog. I didn't know those words for the 7S dinner -- I just knew it was a Persian celebration. My son had an Iranian girlfriend for a while when he was in college. I'll look forward to geting to know you. My goodness, four kids!! You're a busy person!
shopping for family and a few needs is not excessive ! Its difficult moving to a place that has different shopping than we are used to.
I do hope your shopping trip happens soon for you. It sounds like you will have lots of fun.
Hi Shellie,
I saw news about an earthquake in Iran -- hope you are well and have not been affected. We get them here in California, too. Keeping you on my thoughts ...
Jeanne 3/31/06
Hope everyone is safe, I just heard about the earthquake.
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