Every time I visit my cell phone provider’s store, I walk away with my head spinning and sometimes with my blood pressure boiling. If I refuse to consider whatever featured product the sales people are selling, I tend to get a cold shoulder and the representative’s bright, happy smile turns to a stone cold grimace. Not always, but often.

One of the problems with these places is the huge array of phones and very little understandable information. I suppose I feel the same way a computer novice would feel when purchasing a computer.

The next time I head into my local Alltel store, I’ll be prepared by doing my homework at Phone Arena. Not only can you get the latest news and phone specs there, but they also have excellent reviews of various phones.

I really appreciate being able to go directly to an Alltel section to see the phones there, rather than having to wade through every other carrier’s line. Most of all, I love the forum. I’m all about community and this one is quite active. I’ve been reading about unlocked cell phones and I think I’m beginning to understand. I also found an interesting thread on the Verizon acquisition of Alltel (or is it a merger?) and I’m not quite as upset about it as I had been.

Oh, and if you’re curious, I kind of want the LG Scoop. It isn’t the highest rated, but I like the keyboard on it.

Back in the day (when I had a regular job and regular paycheck) I would occasionally (like a few times each week) bid on items on ebay. Loved that site. It was the best way to feed my inner packrat and at a bargain.

With no job, I didn’t feel right spending money on non-essentials and eventually my ebay obsession faded. I’ve heard, though, that both buyers and sellers have not been terribly happy with the new fee structure at the old auction site and I’ve been expecting someone to step in and swipe disgruntled ebayers. Someone is trying.

I’ve spent a little time looking around Wigix and I like what I see so far. For one thing, it loads quickly and has a clean layout. I don’t really care for sites that are so busy that you can’t possibly take in everything and sometimes, that’s how ebay is. Part of the reason Wigix loads quickly may be due to the fact that there just isn’t as much stuff there. Smaller database, faster load time.

I did a few searches of some favorite terms to see what would come up. “Dandelion” brought only books and CDs, no household items at all. While there’s quite a large list of shoes in general, I couldn’t find specific brands like Doc Marten, Nine West or Asgi shoes. Nor could I find a single Stratton compact.

Wigix could be a nice alternative to ebay but first they need to get the word out. It’s still in Beta so maybe there’s still hope that it will catch on. If anyone has used Wigix, either as a buyer or seller, drop a comment and let me know about your experience. I’m curious. And hopeful.

Can you keep a secret? I heard recently that one of the homes near me that had gone through foreclosure help has been sold and the woman who bought it wants to convert it to a small store. That’s wonderful news.

When we moved here there was a small store that had been in operation since before I was born. Another small store opened up a few years after we moved here and the first one went out of business. That second one didn’t last long which means we’ve been without a store around here for over a decade.

Prices at small neighborhood stores are usually higher than general grocery stores but with the price of gas what it is, driving 7 or so miles each way for a gallon of milk is more expensive than paying an extra 30 cents for it a block away.

I noticed the For Sale sign in gone from the house in question but I haven’t seen any remodeling being done. Yet. And I’m keeping my eye out for even a little bit of activity there. Can you tell I’m excited about this?

My son Nick bought a very old car, a 1992 Ford Tempo, that’s in pretty good shape. The lady who was selling it is now in her 80s and no longer drives. The price was a no-brainer. $200. How can you turn down something like that? Besides, we know the lady so it isn’t like a stranger selling it.

Anyway, the expensive part of this deal is the insurance. We checked some online sites and thought we found a great price until we realized the price was for California auto insurance. Uh, we’re in West Virginia.

We did finally find a decent price. Nick thinks he can make the insurance payments easily enough and may sell his motorcycle so he won’t have to worry about that insurance. Oh, yeah - did you know that a motorcycle policy is separate from a car policy? You can’t put them both on the same policy, although you can link the two to get a discount.

I learned something new this week.

Have you ever gone into the store for something very specific and walked out with everything except the item you need? Yeah, I do it all the time.

I’ve been searching in vain for mini loaf pans. I’ve seen them before but, of course, that was when I didn’t need them. Now that I do, every store is either out of them or don’t carry them. Yes, it’s frustrating.

After searching 4 stores I just couldn’t take it any longer. I decided to just look around and see what I could find that looked interesting. Seriously, I never intended to buy a thing. I was just going to look around.

The good news is that I resisted the urge to buy the beautiful down comforters that would look just perfect in my room but I really can’t afford right now. The bad news is that I bought two new outfits for my granddaughter. Shame on me! I promised myself no more retail therapy.

On the other hand, my granddaughter looked adorable in her new outfits!

I’m disappointed that I’ve still not found a GNC store that is a privately owned franchise instead of a corporate store. I loved the one where I always shopped before. The lady who owned it was so helpful and always found exactly what I needed.

When she sold, no one wanted to take over so the company runs it now. It’s no different than the store at the malls around here. There’s no personal touch at all. No one remembers your name or the stuff you like. When I used to go in, when it was privately owned, the owner or one of the sales people would always have something new to show me because they knew what I liked. I miss that kind of personal service.

Gas prices are soaring and my formerly economical car is now a gas hog. Imagine that. We went with a Malibu because it was big enough to haul the kids around but wasn’t as much of a gas hog as, say, a Crown Vic. Of course, gas prices weren’t over $3/gallon when we bought the Malibu.

Now I’m really wanting a Mini Cooper or even a Prius. If not for living so far from any store or public transportation, I wouldn’t drive at all. I get frantic when my son cruises around the valley just because he’s bored because I know he’ll bring the car back empty and I’ll have to buy gas just to go to the grocery store.

Want to know something really frightening? I remember when gas cost less than THIRTY CENTS a gallon! Yes, I do.

Where’s my time machine? I’m going back with a tanker truck.

When I bought a laptop bag a few years ago I went with practical. I wanted a bag that would double as a carry-on, holding at least a change of clothes and some personal items. It’s a nice bag but there’s no style to it. Let’s face it, I’m a girly girl. I love pedicures, Sephora, vintage clothes and full body massages. I want style.

That’s why I’m ditching my old Samsonite rolling bag and going for something that fits my personality. I have to save up for this one; it’s a big splurge that I have to earn by pinching pennies on other things. But it’s on my wishlist and I’m going to do what I can to save up for it.

What do you think? Isn’t that the most beautiful Versace laptop tote you’ve ever seen? It’s black woven nylon and leather. Even though I think it would look great on my arm, I can see a guy carrying it, too. It’s got a nice unisex look, I think.

The problem is the price, of course. Over $1000 for a laptop case is way over my modest budget. Even with a Bluefly coupon, I’m not sure it would be in my budget. In fact, I’m pretty sure it’s still out of my price range. For now. It’s a nice gift for me to work towards, don’t you think?

I haven’t tried this yet but in my search for my previously mentioned coat rack or tree, I’ve found another great way to save money on furniture. It’s called directbuy and from what I can tell, it works kind of like Sam’s Club. You pay a membership fee and then you get huge discounts on everything imaginable for your home.

Right now, I’m not planning any huge purchases for my home. When we’re ready to finish the apartment out back, you can bet I’m going to take another look at this club. They offer an average of more than 40% savings on everything from furniture to kitchen cabinets and bath fixtures. it just so happens that the only parts of the apartment that aren’t done are the kitchen and bathroom - the most expensive rooms to finish! This directbuy could be a huge money saver.

If anyone reading this is a directbuy member, please comment and let me know how much you’ve saved. This might be a good investment for us in the future.

Sometimes I find sites by accident. Other times I do specific searches. You never know what will lead me to a gem. If you love great prices on furniture, keep reading.

I’ve been asking my family for the same gift for every holiday since Christmas 2006. Yes, that’s over a year. So far, I haven’t gotten it. In my family’s defense, no matter where I look locally, I can’t find this elusive item. Of course, if I’d travel to Pittsburgh I’m sure I’d find what I want. But I don’t go there much since my husband isn’t working there now.

What might this coveted item be? A coat tree. That’s all I want. You see, when I designed our home I had a hall closet near the front door. When we were given the opportunity to buy a huge picture window at a fraction of the cost, we jumped on it and I had to eliminate my coat closet. No problem, we’d mostly use our side porch, I reasoned. Except that my husband read my design wrong and the side entrance is not how it should be. Again, no closet near there. And the back door never had a coat closet near it since it was mostly for access to the back yard during the summer.

Although I’ve been requesting a coat tree for the past year, I first mentioned wanting one about 14 years ago when I realized how the lack of a coat closet was affecting my tidy foyer. You know, kids tend to throw coats wherever they land and a mother can ground kids only so much before their lives become 4 walls and a bed. Besides, the husband wasn’t any better about toting his very heavy outerwear all the way to the other closet, at least 10 feet from the door. Just too strenuous, I guess.

Back to my find - I’ve found a great price on a coat tree! This site has the most beautiful glossy black coat rack by Coaster furniture. The tile in my foyer is gray with a black border row so this would look fantastic in there. I’ve waited through two Christmases, my birthday and mother’s day. I’m not waiting much longer. I’m sending this website to my daughter and my son. Surely one of them will take the hint.