Money-wasters

Inspired by Ellen of To The Max!, here are the items on which I spend far too much money.

- Books. Usually secondhand, as I prefer using vouchers to buy new. I just can't get my head around the prices of new books! But it's hard - really hard - for me to walk past a bookstore. MadCat usually has to drag me along, and I can't stop myself from looking around longingly as all those fascinating covers waft by.

- Fruit and veggies. When we go to the greengrocer, or Woolworths, all these plump, shiny, enticing specimens wink at me, urging me to live a healthier lifestyle. I probably spend about R300 a week on fresh fruit and veg. Which would be great if I actually ate them, instead of letting them wilt sadly in the fridge drawer. Still, I do have a compost heap and I take solace in the fact that they are returning to nature. Or something. (I do eat lots of Rosa or Bella tomatoes, courgettes, sugarsnap peas, bananas, Fuji apples and mandarins. I just buy far too much of everything else, planning on making fresh, vibrant meals, as per Heidi of 101 Cookbooks. Then I make a stew instead. I just can't win.)

- Costume jewellery. I have far too many bead necklaces, sets of earrings, rings, etc. - and I really only wear my Stargate, my moonstone earrings, and (very occasionally) my jade cameo. I'm like a starling; show me the bling, and I'll buy it.

- Computer games. I can't visit Zaps without buying something. Pity I only play Emperor and Sims 2. I may start a new game, but I get bored far too easily. I have finished six games in my life: Diablo, Diablo II, Max Payne (which was so short finishing it was a breeze), Zeus, Emperor and Sudeki. Otherwise, I get halfway through, get bored, and uninstall. Ha, and I dare call myself a gamer!

- DVDs and CDs. Yes, I buy DVDs of movies that I thoroughly enjoyed. The trouble is, I don't watch them once I've bought them - unless they're sci-fi or action. And then I really only skip to the action bits. As for CDs, I tend to buy one or two that I really want, then agonise over a new sound that costs more than all the rest put together. Invariably, this is the one I listen to once, then put back in the rack.

- Heels. I'm trying to be a laydee, a little more sophisticated than my general uniform of trousers, a masculine shirt, and my Froggie boots. So I buy gorgeous, sexy heels. Then I struggle to wear them. Oh, my lovely red Zooms, why must you make my feet swell so much? You are unutterably beautiful, and unutterably uncomfortable after more than an hour of wear.

- Sauces, condiments, and culinary oddities. Do I ever use Namh Pla? No. So why do I have three bottles on my spice shelf? Prickly pear sauce for icecream? I've had that bottle for three years and never opened it. Thai olive pesto? It stands accusingly in my fridge, opened once and probably festering with all kinds of nasty growths. I'm too afraid to check.

- Decor magazines. These, I truly love. I can't get by without my monthly fix of Home, Home & Garden, and House & Leisure. Not that I ever put any of it into practice, but I can dream.

What are your vices?