Good Friday Five questions again today. How appropriate. The questions are all about shopping and this is one of the biggest shopping days of the year. It's a day when I'm so glad I live in the woods and I don't need to go anywhere or buy anything. That should tell you a lot about the way my answers are going to go.

1. Do you like to shop? Why or why not?

Here are 5 reasons I hate to shop:

• When I know exactly what I want I can never find it.
  
• I get completely overwhelmed with the choices and my head starts spinning.
  
• I make poor choices when hurried. And I always feel hurried when I'm shopping in person.
  
• I think that if I keep looking I will find something more perfect and/or less expensive, so I end up with nothing.
  
• It is physically uncomfortable for me to stand on my feet for long periods of time.

2. What was the last thing you purchased?
Some Christmas cards from National Wildlife Federation. I don't plan on sending out many cards this year but I do need some cards for the people who receive Christmas tips or Christmas checks.

3. Do you prefer shopping online or at an actual store? Why?

5 reasons I prefer to shop online:

• I can read about the product and think about the purchase before making the decision.
  
• When I know what I want, finding it is a piece of cake. Or should I say a piece of Google?
  
• There is a larger selection and I don't have to hunt for the right size.
  
• It is easier to comparison shop. Plenty of product reviews and sources with good prices.
  
• The purchase is delivered to my door. What could be handier?

4. Did you get an allowance as a child? How much was it?
I vaguely remember getting something but don't remember how old I was or how much it was. I don't think it was consistent.

5. What was the last thing you regret purchasing?
I've been trying not to think about it. I got suckered into buying a complete piece of shit produced and marketed for the knitting dilettantes.

The Knitter's Purse was reviewed in Twists and Turns, a knitting magazine produced by a knitter that I admire. I didn't question her enthusiasm about "this elegant purse", "the perfect marriage of form and function", and "the quest for the perfect purse has ended". I should have.

There's a picture that shows purse contents standing vertically, so I assumed there were numerous pockets to put things in. How wrong I was.

There are two compartments to the purse. Neither compartment has a zipper so stuff can fall right out. There are a few little elastic ringlets inside the purse to hold knitting needles. I have never wanted to put my knitting needles in little elastic ringlets. Unused needles belong in the bottom of the bag, not along the sides of the bag where the yarn and knitting will catch on them.

There's another loop inside so the knitter can, according to the product description, "fasten the circlet around the working strand". I have never wanted to have a circlet or anything else around my working strand. Why would I?

There is one small inside picket with a zipper. It is so tight that I can barely squeeze my hand in it.

We won't even talk about how much this thing cost. I estimate it cost at least four times what it is worth assuming that someone actually wanted such a thing.

Currently the Knitter's Purse is holding my CIC vest project. I'm keeping it as a lesson in how gullible I can be when I'm not careful. Fortunately, I don't make purchasing boo boos like this very often.

What is the last thing you regret purchasing? Did you return it or keep it?