I was in my cozy muffin scented cabin, watching the fog tumble down the block when it hit me. I want to go shopping. I know, shopping as sport - how politically incorrect, how Orange County. But the kind of shopping I was hankering for wasn’t at the mall or downtown. That type of activity is called buying. I’m talking about shopping as art. This new way of shopping took some time to develop. However, since including shopping as a part of my creative process, I feel more positive about the gap between what I buy and what I want.

Say like you’re finally going to buy that fabulous _______ that you have wanted forever. You feel giddy with excitement then, POW! Monkey mind jumps in with a big wet blanket. Your head pounds with pithy words such as ‘shouldn’t’, ‘economy’, or ‘Suze Orman’ and you’re left standing with your desire shriveled down around your ankles. You think that shopping had something to do with it. But the reality is that a belief about shopping is what happened. Your Monkey Mind yanked your feeling chain from joyful to bummed to guilty in three seconds flat.

Esther and Jerry Hicks, authors of the popular Abraham books and seminars, state that desire is expansive. It is our natural connection to Source energy. So, I redefined shopping into three categories: browsing, spending, and creative shopping.

Browsing is really information gathering. If I’m buying a bookshelf, I need to know the dimensions, style, and color. I perfected browsing while working in downtown Santa Barbara. I discovered that I could walk to Barnes and Noble, including a breather in front of the best sellers, if I left my wallet behind.

Spending is exchanging money for actual stuff. I create buying lists that include the categories of office, hardware, clothes and IKEA. From these lists it is easy to choose the next item to purchase. Next, I wait for a sale or look through the Craigslist freebies. Many times I’ve often decided that I don’t want the item after all, regardless of price.

Creative Shopping: I have a cigar box that I covered with a collage. The top cover is a black and white picture of a boy holding up a jar with a frog. Inside are magazine photos of my dream closet, an orange wing back chair, an African safari vacation, and a giant storage shed.

I listen to music while I clip items from the Sunday sales, or magazines. I place the images in the box affirming “I want this because it delights me.” The operative sentence is “I want it because.” The art of shopping isn’t about buying. It’s about the magic of desire for the sake of desire. Finally, this Orange County girl can shop while saving for trips to the cheese aisle at Lazy Acres in Santa Barbara.

Prior to my shopping box I felt overwhelmed by spending decisions. I worried about expenses. Worry plus messages about consumerism left me feeling guilty. I got wanting and spending mixed up. By shopping with my collage box, I’m releasing judgment about my wants – regardless of manifestation. How or if the objects appear is not my concern. The process itself is rewarding.

One more thing about this method is rebel energy. Rebel energy is the part that may rail against boundaries; especially if you spend to mask emotions. I give this rebel mad money to spend each paycheck. Even $5.00 is fun if I head for the thrift stores. In fact, I often come away with gems such as my $4.00 Dirt Devil from the Abundance Thrift Shop in Los Osos or last season’s best sellers.

Dorothy Segovia is a certified Life Coach who teaches at the Be Well Center in Atascadero. For information visit www.BeWellLiving.net or call 805-460-9907.

San Luis Obispo County suffered less during the housing market bust than most other areas of California, and we are recovering faster as well.
Looking at the leading indicators, it appears that the median price of housing bottomed out around January or February of this year—along with nearly every other aspect of the economy. At that time, the stock market hit its lowest point, consumer confidence was at rock bottom, retail sales were dismal, and unemployment was at its highest point in recent years.
At the same time, however, housing sales were actually increasing as prices came down. Actual sales bottomed out in California in 2007, and have risen steadily since then as prices have come down. The median price of a home in California in August, 2009 was $292,960, off from a peak of $594,530 in May 2007.
In San Luis Obispo County, our median home price is off 38.4%, a smaller loss than about 2/3 of the state has felt.  The city of SLO shows a greater increase in sales from 2008 to 2009 than any other community in the county, with a higher median price ($512,500 in August of this year). Prices in SLO are off only 0.6% over last year. The county has fewer distressed sales (REOs, short sales, etc.), at 36% of total sales, than any other area except Marin County (with 26%). In contrast, Riverside County’s ratio is 80%, and Los Angeles County’s is 58%.
As most of us are aware, the “affordability index” in CA has been poor for some years, meaning that most people can’t afford to buy a home in the community where they live. After dropping to a low of 30% in 2007, the index rebounded to almost 70% in the first quarter of 2009—a sign that most people can now afford to live where they work.
The first-time home buyer credit has been extended into 2010, and a new credit, for existing homeowners wanting to buy another house, has been added.
Finally, interest rates are at an historic low. Here in SLO County, interest on a 30-year fixed loan for under $417,000 runs from 4.625% to 4.875% . . . an incredible bargain. These low rates, combined with the drop in home prices and the current local inventory, makes this an ideal time to buy a home.
Despite the low interest rates, it is still difficult to obtain a mortgage due to more stringent requirements regarding borrower income, home values, etc. Be prepared to spend extra time securing financing.
The most serious wild card that could affect the housing market next year is probably unemployment, which remains higher in CA than in the U.S. as a whole (12.1% versus 10.0%).
While there is no guarantee that the market will continue to improve, it remains an excellent time to buy, especially if you are a first-time homeowner or can qualify for the new $6500 tax credit for existing homeowners. There is a good inventory of homes for sale in the county, the median price is at a very affordable level, and there are many bargains to be had.
Sonsie Conroy is a Realtor with Coldwell Banker Premier, specializing in first-time buyers, serious sellers, and "problem properties" that need extra marketing help. Call her at 235-2351 to discuss your needs.