IT’S MY MONEY | I did my first round of Christmas shopping last night at Target. The results: 2 gifts, 5 to go. I bought a CD player/alarm clock/telephone/radio combo last night for my mom for $50 – very functional. (don’t worry, she won’t see this entry, she doesn’t do Internet). I also bought $13 Hello Kitty pajamas for my niece who shares Hello Kitty fever with me. (Don’t worry, she’s 3, she can’t read).

Next on the list: sister, brother, 3 nephews, 1 aunt. My sister and I are a splitting a pricey gift for my brother that will set me back about $100, which means I’ll probably end up spending that amount on her.

The nephews and niece are actually my cousin’s kids and I only buy gifts for them because it’s fun to buy kids’ gifts and I might see them on Christmas. I have decided on buying gifts for friends because I doubt I’ll see them so they will most likely not buy me anything.

Last year I only bought a few small gifts. For my immediate family, I made large reprints of photos from special occasions and framed them. I like to keep it simple … and inexpensive.

I just don’t get into Christmas shopping as much as other people. First, I don’t like spending the money. Second, I don’t see any religious significance to buying gifts and I’m Catholic, so Christmas is a religious holiday for me. Third, it often feels like fulfilling an obligation, not a caring gesture. I’m not saying I don’t like giving gifts. I have enjoyed it over the years. I guess I view the whole thing as a slippery slope that can give way to capitalistic ploys.

RETAIL DETAIL | Today is what some people, mostly public relations types, are calling Cyber Monday, which is supposed to be the online equivalent of Black Friday. The idea is that online shoppers are rushing to their computers today to buy gifts after the Black Friday sales signs have come down.

I’m not convinced this actually happens simply because the concept contradicts one of the main benefits of online shopping: you can shop whenever you want. So, why would online shoppers bother to shop on the same day? Perhaps Cyber Monday shoppers, if they exist, are not bonafide online shoppers and are only doing it for the holiday season.

Check out a story we ran about Cyber Monday written by one of my colleagues in the features section.

Also, in case you are wondering why I didn’t post last week it’s because I was out of office Wednesday-Friday. I traveled north to my native Washington for the holiday.

I decided to completely disregard the Black Friday doorbusters and left that to nine of my family members who did get up when it was still dark outside. I asked them to buy me a $40 down mattress pad at Macy’s, but they were sold out by the time my sister reached the bedding section. So much for great deals. Here’s a story I wrote about Black Friday losing some of its luster.

I did venture to the mall Friday afternoon and picked up a new pair of Adidas sneakers nicely priced at $50. And I didn’t have to stand in line for hours.

STICKER SHOCK | After a two years of stringing Dublin along, housewares retailer Ikea has bailed on its plan to build a third Bay Area store in the Tri-Valley city. Burn. Apparently, Ikea doesn’t believe in saturating a market like its fast-fashion-at-low-prices compatriot H&M, which has five stores in the Bay Area with plans to open at least two more.

Ikea says having stores in Emeryville and East Palo Alto is enough. Puh-leeze. What Ikea doesn’t realize is that central Contra Costa County is not New Jersey and we are not all about crossing bridges and tunnels to reach better shopping (i.e. New York City). Ironically, however, New Yorkers do travel to New Jersey to get to the nearest Ikea and they even have a special Ikea shuttle ferrying people to and from the city.

The store in Emeryville is actually not that far and I have been there several times (I love their poster frames and kitchen stuff!). The only problem with Emeryville are those ridiculously complicated freeway on- and off-ramps. How come I always end up in Oakland when I’m trying to get back to Lafayette?

Check out our homepage for updates.

AT THE SCENE | Wal-Mart declares Nov. 1 the start of the holiday season, but for me, it is officially today. I ventured to Sunvalley Mall in Concord today and experienced what it’s like to be inside snowglobe. The mall has new holiday decor this year that uses a snowglobe theme.

Besides the fact that I came out looking like I had really bad dandruff (the “snow” is made of rice paper that is edible), it was pretty cool and I could see why parents would bring their little munchkins to check it out. The flakes are smaller than real snow and like I said, look like big pieces of dandruff, but I think the display can still make a kindergardner’s day anytime.

I also took the opportunity to act like a kindergardner and take a picture with Santa. As a retail reporter, it counts as work! And, no, I didn’t smell whiskey on his breath.

TIP JAR | Just last night I hit up my local Safeway for $45 worth of groceries. That’s kind of a lot of me since I usually try to keep my weekly grocery tab at $30, but I have vowed to make almost every meal I eat this week. My goal is to cut back on eating out and calories (funny how concern for those escapes my mind when someone else is cooking).

Anyway, as I trudged up the stairs to my apartment with five plastic bags containing items like a half-gallon of non-fat organic milk, a can of stewed tomatoes and a carton of flavored oatmeal, I thought to myself, is this going to aggravate my carpal tunnel syndrome?

Then today, a package containing a plastic thingy-migit lands on my desk that may actually help. It’s called the EZ Carry , costs around $10 and supposedly it makes it easier to carry shopping bags. I haven’t tried it, but I’m giddy at the mere thought of it. I am usually skeptical of items that use gawdy advertising techniques a la Ron Popeil, so perhaps it will end up as a gag gift.

A PENNY SAVED | The Andronico’s in Walnut Creek said it will clear out of its location at 1181 Locust St. by Dec. 22 and the sales have begun. The posh gourmet grocer has some garish signs all over its stores declaring savings of at least 20 percent off most items. The prepared foods section doesn’t count. Darn, their sushi is pretty decent but steer clear of the cornbread-it’s terrible.

RETAIL DETAIL | Premium denim isn’t just a growing trend for the ubber rich who want to look casual on their way to the country club or fashionistas who aren’t afraid to max out their credit cards. Now, it’s hit the mainstream. I mean, even the Black Eyed Peas are talking about it. In their song, “My humps,” Fergie tells us that in efforts to woo her, men offer her “7 Jeans and True Religion, I say no, but they keep giving.”

Anyway, I wrote a story about PD, as I like to call it, that looks at what exactly makes some denim premium and if it really is worth triple digits. As I have mentioned before on this blog, I own some PD (three pairs), but didn’t splurge on it. In my research for today’s article, many industry experts told me that 7 for all Mankind and Citizens of Humanity, considered some of the forerunners and staples of the PD craze, have lost some of their cachet because they are too mainstream. I still love ‘em.

Here are some other helpful links:
Fellow blogger Atomic Bombshell, wrote an insightful and punchy (that’s her style) entry on PD. She writes, It’s entirely possible that I’m the last fashionista to hold off on getting some fancy jeans. This was finally rectified last Friday, when in a wildly expensive fit of pre-menstrual shopping, I picked up my first pair.

Are you on the market for new jeans? Check out, Zafu.com. It asks you a series of simple questions and then gives you recommendations on styles you should try and where you can buy them. The options range in price, too, so you won’t necessarily feel compelled to spend your food budget for the month on a pair of jeans.

DAILY DOLLARS | I wrote a story for today’s paper about layaway services. The practice has slipped away faster than quality customer service, but that’s a whole other topic.

Layaway may seem archaic and about as hip as wearing a leisure suit, but the idea of paying for something before you own it makes sense to me. It takes discipline to make recurring payments without that adrenaline rush of owning something instantly or the threat of a poor credit score if you don’t pay your bills. As consumers, we are so used to getting what we want when we want it, regardless of whether we can actually afford it. And by “afford” I don’t mean how much you can spend before maxing out your credit cards. I mean, does the purchase realistically fit in your budget?

I have slowly weaned myself off my credit cards and switched to using my debit for just about everything (it’s green so it makes me feel like I’m using cash). I rarely buy big ticket items and when I do (like the snazzy Apple MacBook I’m typing on), I look for “90 days same as cash.” So what’s better getting something right away or getting something you own outright even it takes a little while?