I had been enjoying posting to my product review website, Sundry Buzz, but I have put that project on hold because suggesting things to buy seems kind of not cool right now plus most of what I had been ordering is from Amazon and between wildly unpredictable shipping times and a lot of yikes news around worker conditions that part seems not cool either. I super stand by all of those recommendations, though, if browsing is something you enjoy.

I’ve been trying not to go overboard with online shopping lately, but it sure is tempting to indulge in a little add to cart action now and then. It’s such a treat to anticipate getting that good mail, you know? I find Poshmark to be a solid diversion, I can spend an embarrassing amount of time just clicking around and looking at things without actually making a purchase.

I really miss dicking around in stores, it turns out. Thrift stores and TJ Maxx in particular: I don’t know why wandering aimlessly in retail aisles was so weirdly important to me, but it clearly scratched some sort of itch that can’t fully be replicated online.

Speaking of brain foibles and whatnot, I’ve had “find a counselor” on my 2020 to-do list for a while and finally did connect with someone who also happens to do online sessions. I suspect all counselors, or at least the ones who want to continue getting business, are willing to do online sessions now, but this person has apparently been offering them as a service for quite a while and uses a telehealth-specific video system that I prefer to Zoom.

We’ve had two sessions so far and obviously it’s a little early to report back on any life-changing results but I am finding it to be helpful. If nothing else, I like having that hour set aside each week for my mental health, and I like the accountability it brings.

Video chatting is not ideal in many ways but the plus side is the convenience and in my case a reduced sense of social anxiety/awkwardness that physical proximity can trigger. I can get really distracted by my own dumb face on Zoom but this system displays you at an angle rather than head-on, which helps a lot.

Anyway, it generally seems like a smart time to get some expert guidance with life stresses — or just having someone who’s there to listen — and it’s easier than ever with all the online choices. Like snooping around in a discount home goods brick-and-mortar, it’s not quite the same as being there in person, but it feels like a good investment. Unlike, maybe, the cute lip liner I impulse-bought the other day, having forgotten about, you know: MASKS.

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MEP
MEP
4 years ago

This is probably not any great revelation for you or any other woman in the US, but I have always found that my “addiction” issues are in a set of three: alcohol/nicotine, food, and shopping. I can do really good at two of these at once, but never three. If my drinking/smoking and food intake are under control, I am for sure bringing $150 worth of crap home from Target. If I am doing really good at not spending or drinking, I’m stuffing my face full of Doritos. If I don’t feel like buying anything and my macros are on point, I’m sneaking a smoke on the back porch.

Maybe someday I’ll find a way to balance all three. Still working on it.

Sian
Sian
4 years ago

This has been a spendy month due to the combined pressure to SPEND MONEY to support small businesses as well as my daughter’s upcoming birthday. But we did cut our ties with Amazon finally. TURNS OUT that daycare goes through diapers at an astronomical rate and with no daycare to consume them, we can cancel our Subscribe & Save.

I have filled a number of carts and not pulled the trigger because the amount of money I’m saving on not going to Starbucks or buying lunch everyday, while sizable, is probably not as infinite as I am imagining.

Kim
Kim
4 years ago

First thing this morning I thought “sure” when Amazon told me my new Stephen King release order has been delayed, then panicked when I realized I wasn’t thinking of any pandemic when I’d placed the order back in November. Is it silly or prudent to sanitize a book – I never thought that would be something we’d have to think about.

Donna
Donna
4 years ago

I am refurnishing my house thru Walmart, big lots, and Home Depot. I was going to air bnb it but looks like I’m moving back.

Sande
Sande
4 years ago

Please give a report on the foot bags you posted on insta. I’ve done it twice with my own mixed reviews both times so would like to hear about your outcome. Current routine is foot rasp and moisturizing 2-3 times a day. I can still cut glass with my feet but it is getting better. Did not cut myself with the rasp this AM, which usually happens when I use the really sharp one, so things are looking up!

Jenine
Jenine
4 years ago

I like the idea of hunting for a counselor online to as a partial substitute for the desire to shop. I salute your energy and persistence in finding someone.

Bridget
4 years ago

I was clicking around on Sundry Buzz right before the quarantine started, and I ordered a scented candle you recommended. I was imagining relaxing evenings after the kids were in bed, reading a novel with a candle burning nearby…

The candle arrived post-quarantine, and now it mocks me. (My kids are one and four, and my husband and I both work full-time from home, so there’s no relaxing anymore.)