What to buy, and where

Gorgeous beaded jewelry: www.yumichen.com Yumi is a French-trained pastry chef and accomplished violinist who turned to jewelry-making after a kitchen accident that left her temporarily unable to chef or fiddle, and her creations are beautiful and incredibly inexpensive. She uses the best materials, and has an amazing eye and design ethic. Buy early, buy often!!! Necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and did I mention great prices? You know you want to.... (Oh, and in case you're wondering, this is not a paid endorsement, but merely an aesthetic tip for you and yours.) UPDATE: Through Dec 31, 2004, all fabulousness at yumichen.com is 20% off, if you put in the discount code "holiday2004" at checkout. BUY STUFF!

Books: www.alibris.com This is a great site if you're a bibliophile or know one. Great used books, including out-of-print or hard to find titles, and a nice little feature where they'll e-mail you if books you want come into one of their network of sellers' stores.

Inexpensive yarn: www.smileysyarns.com Good cheap practice yarns, and some real bargain finds. Another good site is Elann, at https://secure.elann.com/frames.asp and I've heard good things about http://www.knitty.com

Clothing: www.jjill.com Go see. I won't need to say anything more. A little spendy, but their sales are truly boffo.

That's it. Spend money. It's the American way.