Shopping, shopping, shopping: spending money in the US

I have been trying to get back into blogging since internet returned to my life last week. It’s hard though; I feel like I have so many things to write about that I don’t know where to start; even worse, most of my impressions and experiences over this past month have been so overwhelming I still need to think about everything, and I feel like I therefore can’t write much down yet.

I know a few things though; we’re spending too much money and we’re having fun. Yesterday we walked into Best Buy, and 20 minutes later I left with a brand new – my first very own – laptop. Granted, it was a planned purchase, but still – a lot of money left our hands, or back account rather. Add all the clothes, books and toys we’ve bought, not to mention the Taco Bell visits, and we’ve probably spent more money than we’d normally do over several months in Egypt. It’s a bit disturbing, certainly, but at the same time strangely satisfying.
I still have a few purchases to make before I’m ready to go back – we need some more homeschooling material, clothes and shoes for the boys, a few presents for birthdays and Christmas – but there’s still plenty of time to get than done. Now, those of you who do not live in Egypt may wonder ‘Why the obsession with buying things? Why doesn’t she just get clothes and toys when they’re needed in Egypt?’ When we first started thinking about getting Christmas presents last year, we asked people that had lived in Egypt for a while where they get theirs; in Maadi, Downtown? Everyone gave us the same answer: in the US during their summer leave. When the boys started growing out of their clothes and shoes we had brought from Belgium, we asked people where they go for reliable clothes shopping, and got the same answer: the US. In fact, a lot of things we have needed throughout the year have generated the same answer from our senior expats: get it in the US during your summer leave. At first we thought this sounded ridiculous – surely there must be somewhere in Egypt you can buy these things - but over this past year we’ve come to realize that they’re all right, and that we have to do the same. Of course, the boys could do without fancy Christmas presents, but we’re going to want them to get something, and what we tried last year just didn’t work. All the toys we got, except for that much overprized remote control car from Radio Shack, never worked at all or broke instantly. So we’re packing a couple of extra suitcases. We won’t bring special peanut butter, cereal or instant ice tea like a lot of people do – the local food we can eat – but we will make sure our kids have clothes and shoes to grow into, and that we have a few things to get out for special occasions like birthdays and Christmas.

Having said all this, both Courtney & I are not very avid shoppers and don’t enjoy the sprees as much as we should or could. If I never had to go shopping again; if someone would come to my house whenever I needed shoes for instance, and present me a pair I could wear, I’d be more than happy. If anything though, the United States is definitely the easiest country in the world to shop in. Shop holders are so friendly and helpful, and if you let them know you are willing to spend money, they do anything they can to make you happy. So, we’re surviving it.