Shopping

As we head into the biggest shopping season of the year, the economy's woes loom large. Our dollars don't seem to stretch as far because the prices on everything have gone up. Gas prices, thankfully, are on their way down. I like to hunt for bargains and shop the sales. This year many stores are advertising their layaway plans and instituting ones if they didn't have them before.

We like to go shopping at Marshalls, where lovely clothes and household items can be found for reasonable prices. For example, I love English porcelain, so I always search for pretty teacups and saucers. And then there are tablecloths and towels and kitchen utensils, holiday decorations, and even furniture. I sometimes find fine woolen sweaters made in Ireland or Scotland and stylish blouses for work.

Vocabulary
woes -- problems, troubles
hunt for bargains -- look for cheaper goods
shop the sales -- go to the stores where there are good sales
layaway -- a plan to help shoppers buy things that cost more money than they have. The store holds the item for them until they pay it off.
instituting -- starting, establishing
go shopping -- to go to the stores
reasonable -- inexpensive

Vocabulary exercise
1. My mother _________________ every day to buy fresh food.
2. The meat was not expensive; it was very ________________.
3. The American economy has many ______________.
4. Department stores send sales circulars home to help us ___________________.
5. At our local grocery store, the manager _____________ home delivery for the first time.
6. On Saturdays I go to yard sales to ___________________ . I usually find porcelain at much cheaper prices.
7. Sue didn't have enough money to pay for the coat, so she put it on ________________ and will finish paying for it at the end of the month.

Grammar point:

Idioms with go
go shopping, go skiing, go hiking
go home

Idioms with go to
go to church