My Love/Hate Relationship With Online Shopping

I do a lot of shopping online. Mainly for "prepping" type supplies I cannot get locally or goat supplies.
I prefer to "Buy American" and I have found I can find so much more American-made stuff online than in local stores.
I look around on Amazon, Ebay, Etsey, and sometimes just do a duckduckgo search for the desired item.
I LOVE finding obscure items that I couldn't find locally this way. I HATE it when the shipping costs are more than the actually item!
Ebay is one of my favorite places to shop. Right now, I am going there and to Amazon and several cheese-making sites to find my cheese-making supplies.
Still, I agonize.
I really want to shop local, but when no one local has the item I need at a reasonable price or doesn't have the item AT ALL, what can I do?
I am willing to pay a bit more locally for an American made product, but the products I need/want, I just can't find locally.
Cultures for cheese-making and cheese molds are not a regularly carried item around here, lol!
After I find an item I am looking for and it happens to be on Ebay...ugh!
I end up going back and looking at it several times before I click to bid or buy on it. If it is an auction, I end up checking the listing obsessively to make sure I am not outbid.If it is "Buy it now", I end up checking the mail obsessively until it gets here!
Drives everyone around here crazy, lol!
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The fella finally went and bought a Soda Stream. I put it together, reading the directions DOES help.
It is easy to use, but the sound it makes scared the bejeebers out of the dogs!
The root beer flavor (we got samples with the machine) is outstanding! And made with sugar...no high fructose corn syrup! They have a lot of "natural" flavors.
But.....I am trying to get a bit more natural...so this morning I decided to make some flavors of my own....
(Yeah, I know you are thinking "Uh-Oh....")
We have a juicer. I decided to OMMPH up my morning juice with a bit of carbonation.
My carrot-pineapple juice...not bad.
Pomegranate-spinach, sweetened with a touch of honey...let's just say..... it needs work.
Real ginger with honey....REALLY good! Best ginger ale EVER!
I am sure I will have some more failures and successes... going to have to be careful with spinach in the future.
Also, if you get a Soda Stream...more carbonation than recommended...not a good idea.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a floor to mop.

One Thing Leads To Another...

So, having finally semi-completed my new kitchen table top last night, I wandered over to ebay to look at fabric to cover the kitchen chairs with.
Big mistake when I actually have some money in my paypal account!
I realized while looking at upholstery fabric that I needed some plain muslin for another project...so, I found some...on sale...free shipping. Okay, ordered that. While I am at it, I really could use a new pair of scissors..  Found a pair I had eyed at the local fabric store, half the price the store was charging! And free shipping...
Hmmm...I wonder if anyone has a pattern for a wrap around apron like my grandmother had?
H-e-e-e-e-y-y-y-y-y...that one is sooooo cute! And free shipping! *click*
Hmmm...the lady with the pattern also sells heirloom seeds...*browse, browse, browse*
Oh, baby, you had me at "free shipping"!
*click, click, clickety-click*
Check paypal to see how much money I have left....
OooooooOOoohhhh...I still have some money left!
Fabric again, still haven't found the *perfect* fabric for the kitchen chairs.
*browse, browse, browse*
Well, look at that fabric, it would be perfect for a quilt I am planning...put on watch list. Hah! Resisted the urge to buy it! Besides..they didn't have free shipping...
Oh yea...maybe I should look at some more seeds...still trying to find those *black* Russian tomatoes that Bakers Seeds sold out of...
*browse, browse, browse*
THERE they are...is anyone selling them with free shipping? No? Okay...what's the cheapest packet cost....not bad, 25 seeds, 1 dollar, 69 cents shipping...I'll go for that. *click*

I finished the night with 6.29 left in my paypal account.
I checked my ebay and saw all I bought.
Many  ahem...Several packets of seeds, 3 patterns, a pair of scissors, plain muslin and....yeah, quilt fabric (*blush*).
I feel like I have an ebay hangover.
And I still didn't find the fabric for the chairs...