One of the ways I deal with my lows and my highs is by spending money. Retail therapy can be great if you can control it but it is not really a healthy coping mechanism for an addictive personality like mine. I am still paying off the $26,000 I spent in six months in 2009.
When I'm depressed become obsessed with clothes, shoes and makeup. Anything with a dollar value really, but fashion just makes me feel good when I'm feeling so bad. When I'm well I love to shop too, but when I'm down, it becomes all consuming.
I have been spending hour upon hour scrolling through Pinterest and clothing, footwear and bedding retailers for months now. I haven't spent nearly as much as I did back in 2009 simply because I don't have access to that kind of cash. Without actually tallying up my receipts I'd guess I've spent about $1,000 on clothes, boots and toys for Noo over the last three months. Maybe a bit more.
As winter started to approach I became fixated with the need for Noo and me to get flannelette bedding for each of our beds. I was also desperate for a new duvet cover. The plain white one I've been using for years I bought in London back in 2006!
So I googled "flannelette sheets" and scrolled through hundreds of pictures on major department store websites as well as on dedicated homewares and bedding websites. There were a few that I liked the look of but as my bank account was dwindling due to all the clothes I was buying I figured I'd just wait until next pay day...
And then, as if someone had heard my wish for new bedding, out of the blue I get an email from www.oo.com.au asking me if I'd like some new new sheets or a duvet cover in exchange for a review of their website!
OO had been one of the sites I had been scrolling through for quilt covers and bed sheets! I swear to you, on my reputation as an honest blogger, this is true. They have some lovely sets on there and I was stoked to be offered $100 worth of whatever I wanted from these ranges.
I chose bright red flannelette sheet set for my double loft bed and a boldly patterned quilt cover to help brighten my mood.
Once my selection was made within days OO sent me the goods and I was stoked. The quality of each set is lovely. I've been snug as a bug up there in my loft bed.
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| Yay! Fresh new bedsheets. |
Even though I was asked to review the OO site based on these products I just didn't feel I could give an honest opinion of how the website worked unless I did it all for myself. I wanted to go through the process of selecting, ordering, paying and waiting for delivery so I could give an true review of how the oo.com.au worked.
I was in need of some more toner cartridges for my printer and lucky for me OO stock them. The model printer I have churns toner like no tomorrow. I've always used the branded toner and at an average of $25 a pop, they are quite expensive. OO have a really cool Ink Finder so I was able to easily find the make and model of my printer and the relevant cartridges I required. I was shocked to find they were almost 50% cheaper than the branded equivalent.
I made my selection, added it to my shopping cart and then chose to pay with PayPal's own shopping cart. That way I didn't have to put all my details in the OO system because they're all there on PayPal. Nice. Quick. Easy. What more can you ask for?
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| My current 'fantasy' shopping cart. I do this all the time when I don't actually have the money to spend. |
I ordered my printer cartridges late on Sunday night and they arrived at my apartment by courier on Tuesday. I was amazed at the turnaround time for the order. The product was well packaged and worked a dream in my printer. I won't be paying full price for cartridges again!
So, would I recommend oo.com.au to buy anything from bedsheets to printer cartridges?
Yes I would. Definitely.
Just like pineapples, shopping sure has a way to distract me from the other stuff going on in my life.
Have you had any good retail therapy lately?
V.
Disclosure: I was offered $100 worth of bedlinen in exchange for a review of the oo.com.au website. No cash has changed hands. All opinions are my own in accordance with my disclosure policy.
