Wish lists

I've been into wish lists lately. Amazon.com is my favorite place to have a wish list, although I've never gotten the universal wish list to work. The regular wish lists there are user-friendly, you can add separate lists for individual family members all under the same Amazon account, and it allows you to prioritize items on your list as well as add comments about them. For instance, I want a tomato mill and no nothing about them. I picked one and added comments inviting more knowledgeable shoppers to choose a different model, including what I'll be using it for & admitting my lack of expertise . . . Many items are availabe from multiple sources, all listed on Amazon (including Sephora, etc.), and shoppers can mazimize their shipping dollars by purchase multiple gifts at the same time, especially if your whole family uses a list there - they offer free shipping on many items with purchases of $25 or more. Amazon also offers reviews on products so you can compare items from different manufacturers without a seller irritating you. Plus, since it's online, you can do it when you're suffering insomnia, when you're sick & don't want to expose others, when you don't feel like doing your make-up, etc. :-) Here are same ways I think wish lists are helpful:

• You can put things on them when you think of thins you'd like. Once it's on there, you don't have to worry about forgetting about it (discontinued items stay on Amazon wish lists even when they're not available).
• You can list products you're interested in trying someday - like a different kind of shampoo when you don't need any for a couple of months or more
• It provides me with a "retail therapy fix" without spending money
• It allows me to recommend items that my daughter would like to gift-purchasers, avoiding unwanted/unusued items being purchased
• It allows my daughter to put items on a list when she find (yet another) item she wants, freeing us from the pressure to buy every one of them
• You avoid duplicate gifts - the wish list gets updated as people purchase things (and Amazon allows you to update a wish list even if you buy the item for that person elsewhere)
• It saves me from my all-too-frequent "UHHH . . . I don't know" moments when others ask me for ideas for myself, my husband or my daughter . . .

Getting excited about the idea? In the mood to shop, but not interested in spending money? Start one now!! Oh, and the shopping without spending thing has another great option - the freebies tab at the top of this page!