I usually research purchases before I make final purchases. I'll often check out the reviews on products and sellers either on sites like amazon, cnet or by searching google or yahoo with the word "review" as part of my search keywords. There are a number of shopping assistants that I frequent such as mysimon.com, shopping.com, bottomdollar.com and others. Those sites allow me to see who's got the product and the pricing (usually with shipping costs). I've gotten many bargains online including a $200 pair of new drunk n munky jeans for $10, an ipod touchscreen clone for $28, and an awesome canvas replica of a Maxfield Parrish painting for $40 that usually runs a few hundred. I find that shopping by value instead of price helps me keep my purchases in check. I steer clear of impulse shopping for the most part. For example I will check out books and audios from the library before I go buying something and then I'll shop around for the titles. The internet isn't the only way to buy things so I compare prices and value between online and offline stores. I keep a list of things to look for at thrift stores because I've gotten great deals without paying shipping ... a $2 pair of Nike gym shorts in A1 shape, books for under $1, and a digital camera for $10. It's true that one man's trash is another man's treasure.
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