https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/rant-is-shopping-always-such-hard-work Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Fri, 10 Apr 2026 02:55:44 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/rant-is-shopping-always-such-hard-work/page/2#post-1176372 Mon, 24 Feb 2014 17:21:26 +0000 Annie 1176372@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I'm with ya, Viva! I love fashion and shopping but find the process tedious and draining at the same time. I often take many garments into the fitting with me but leave with none. Being an inverted triangle with broad shoulders, my&nbsp;sleeves are&nbsp;either too long or&nbsp;too short, the shoulders/armholes are cut too high or&nbsp;too tight, pants and skirts&nbsp;are&nbsp;too big in the waist but narrow in the thighs and vice versa, etc. And through all the&nbsp;trials and errors, I am continuing to&nbsp;learn about my own body, style preference, and fabrications&nbsp;and constructions that work for me. Try to make it a learning experience and don't give up! As I have experienced from time to time, the&nbsp;hunt is worth it when&nbsp;you do find&nbsp;an item&nbsp;that looks amazing on you! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/rant-is-shopping-always-such-hard-work/page/2#post-1176233 Mon, 24 Feb 2014 15:44:57 +0000 Angie 1176233@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I am off the forum today, but &nbsp;wanted to chime in to reassure you Viva that&nbsp;it's all normal and okay. You have to relax into it all sans expectation. Go with the flow and enjoy the hunt. Move on when it's frustrating. And eat. xo </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/rant-is-shopping-always-such-hard-work/page/2#post-1176215 Mon, 24 Feb 2014 15:24:09 +0000 shoppingisfun 1176215@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Viva, don't feel bad. I went out to return some online purchases that didn't work out yesterday and (of course) also looked for new items. I shopped for hours and only bought two tops and a sweater! And I am thinking I should have sized up in the sweater. And before I moved to a city with halfway decent shopping? Forget it! All my clothes were just too big and/or ugly. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/rant-is-shopping-always-such-hard-work/page/2#post-1176206 Mon, 24 Feb 2014 15:13:55 +0000 Liz 1176206@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>What Mo said!&nbsp;</p> <p>If I'm shopping with real purpose, for me it helps to focus on one category, such as "skirts for work." Then I load up the dressing room with every possible skirt&nbsp;I can find, often in multiple sizes. That works better for me than if&nbsp;I try to find a "neutral topper, a work skirt, a&nbsp;patterned scarf, and bf jeans" all in the same shopping trip. If I have a whole bunch of items I'm looking for,&nbsp;I get scattered and frustrated at all the options I have to consider and all the racks I have to scan.&nbsp;</p> <p>(By the way, if it helps at all, I blame the movies for your disappointing day. : ) They feature&nbsp;WAY too many montage sequences&nbsp;of the breezy young ingenue tripping down NYC streets, flitting in and out of shops, and emerging with scads of stylish&nbsp;shopping bags filled with tissue-paper swaddled treasures.)&nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/rant-is-shopping-always-such-hard-work/page/2#post-1176204 Mon, 24 Feb 2014 15:11:49 +0000 Linda 1176204@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>You did great Viva!!!&nbsp; And this thread is so full of amazing smarts and good ideas, I adore YLFers!</p> <p>Shopping was a ton of fun when I was in my teens, twenties and thirties.&nbsp; I had endless energy, a slim silhouette, and a Mom who loved to serve as my fashion editor and financier!&nbsp; (I used to almost beg her NOT to offer to buy something, sometimes.&nbsp; blush!)</p> <p>There are times when shopping is fun now, but not as often.&nbsp; Oh, I love LOOKING.&nbsp; I love seeing lookbooks, and window-shopping, and I am tactile -- so I like to visit B&amp;M stores and touch and listen to the sound of fabrics.&nbsp; But I do a ton of online research (and more and more, shopping itself) online.&nbsp; I am fortunate to be retired, and although I still work part of the week, I can arrange my work so that I have time other than weekends to shop.&nbsp; I adore grocery shopping on weekday mornings, and similarly, if I really NEED to buy some clothing (i.e., a wedding reception or dressy event is coming up), shopping during a non-rush time is the ONLY way.&nbsp; In fact my household try to do our chores and work duties around the house, on weekends.&nbsp; It's a little antisocial, maybe, but it is saner!</p> <p>I'm sorry that the experience seems as though it left you demoralized and frustrated.&nbsp; That's the WORST.&nbsp; But you DID find a couple items, and it sounds like a good day, to me, considering weekend crowds! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/rant-is-shopping-always-such-hard-work#post-1176109 Mon, 24 Feb 2014 13:57:17 +0000 Windchime 1176109@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Viva--I, too, think your expectations were too high on your weekend shopping trip. It's fair to say that for YLFers, style is a hobby/interest/passion, and hobbies/interests/passions can take significant time, energy, and sometimes financial resources. I tend to shop in one of two ways: either I look at a lot of stores for one or two specific items OR I look much more broadly in one or two specific stores. If I try to look at lots of things in lots of stores, it becomes exhausting, confusing, and frustrating. For me, this goes for online and B&amp;M shopping. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/rant-is-shopping-always-such-hard-work#post-1176103 Mon, 24 Feb 2014 13:51:57 +0000 viva 1176103@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Aubergine, were you with me yesterday? </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/rant-is-shopping-always-such-hard-work#post-1176094 Mon, 24 Feb 2014 13:43:24 +0000 Anonymous 1176094@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>This all sounds familiar to me too!</p> <p>I love shopping in theory, but it's never as fun in practice as I think it should be. I think the most enjoyable shopping I do&nbsp;is usually on vacations, because there's no pressure to get anything other than pretty things that catch my eye.</p> <p>For me, there's the issue of whether I just look at the same few not-very-exciting places where I know I'll find things that&nbsp;fit so I'll&nbsp;have a better chance of actually coming home with something, or go off the beaten path and try on more interesting stuff knowing that the vast majority probably won't work at all. The first option can just be soooooo boring (how many times can you try on slightly different black printed dresses from the petite section of&nbsp;the same Ann Taylor without falling asleep?), while the second gets frustrating really fast.</p> <p>And then there's the time it takes. Somehow, even when I'm able to spend a whole day shopping, I feel like I've just scratched the surface. And usually what I have time to do is more like a quick browse during lunch or some online orders.</p> <p>And repeatedly changing in and out of stuff, lugging bags and maybe a coat around, and having to wait in line to pay for things can all get old when you've been doing it for a few hours. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/rant-is-shopping-always-such-hard-work#post-1176072 Mon, 24 Feb 2014 13:23:00 +0000 kerry 1176072@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I'm feeling you Viva! Shopping with purpose takes a looooong time! Especially when you're almost starting from scratch like I am! I do a lot of online (I have a little one at home so getting out to bricks and mortar is challenging). It has it's own unique frustrations. Do you order everything (sizes, colours) and then send back a bunch or a select few but have a longer timeline getting exactly the right thing? I vassilate between these two strategies - but it's never as entirely satisfying as a trip out that works out successfully. Sometimes when shopping with purpose (which I'm trying to do always now) I feel like EVERYTHING is a HEWI! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/rant-is-shopping-always-such-hard-work#post-1176058 Mon, 24 Feb 2014 13:12:01 +0000 viva 1176058@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Such good thoughts here!</p> <p>Carla: Funny you should mention WNTW, because while watching the shopping segments, I always used to think: why is it SO hard for them to find anything? Ha! Karma.</p> <p>E: The lighting in dressing rooms!!!! </p> <p>IK/Fuzzy: Food/coffee might have helped, actually. That is very insightful.</p> <p>And to all who suggested online purchasing: yes, there is real value there for so many reasons.</p> <p>Despite my dificult time yesterday, and despite my rant, I have not given up on in-store shopping (although I may never set foot in Zara on a weekend again). I work from home 70% of the time and shopping online, while it answers one set of problems, just keeps me home even more. So I'd like to find ways to have a better in-store experience for those times I can go to good stores. I do think that I set my expectations too high yesterday. And perhaps seeing in-store as more research (with a purchase as a bonus) IS a better way to go. </p> <p>I think Mo really hit the nail on the head: I am trying very hard not just to buy a string of "pretties." So perhaps what I am dealing with is the transition to a different way of<br /> shopping (since coming to YLF). There is much more thinking involved. And sometimes thinking is hard work. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/rant-is-shopping-always-such-hard-work#post-1176026 Mon, 24 Feb 2014 12:32:59 +0000 Carla 1176026@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Shows like WNTW, and following blogs has helped with the development of shopping goggles. This has helped with seeing past the masses of stimuli in order to look for the right things. I also use visual list...I have a 'look book' of pictures cut from magazines, and a Pinterest shopping board.</p> <p>Though I enjoy the hunt, if an SA asks if I want help, I'll show him/her what I'm looking for from my list. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/rant-is-shopping-always-such-hard-work#post-1176020 Mon, 24 Feb 2014 12:23:06 +0000 April 1176020@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Seriously hard work, viva. &nbsp;It's why I made a resolution to do more of it -- because without some way of holding&nbsp;myself accountable, I find it hard to drag around from store to store, putting things on and taking them off. &nbsp;*So* much easier just to order online and settle for okay rather than reaching for&nbsp;exactly right.</p> <p>So brava to you for soldiering on. &nbsp;I suppose the alternative would be to order multiple sizes of things online, try them on at home, and resign yourself to a.) having a fair amount of money temporarily tied up in things you won't end up keeping, and b.) having a fair amount of time tied up in packaging returns and trudging to the post office or UPS store. &nbsp;</p> <p>Seems like it's one or the other. &nbsp;</p> <p> </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/rant-is-shopping-always-such-hard-work#post-1176014 Mon, 24 Feb 2014 11:58:31 +0000 Deb 1176014@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Do your research on line. Usually this makes it easier to know what you want. Work on a capsule wardrobe so lots of things mix and match. Limit your colours to only the ones that suit your coloring and ignore the rest. Limit your choices to things that suit your body type and ignore the rest. Spend some time looking at blogs and once you find styles you like, take note, to help you formulate your own style. Once you have researched, head to only the shops where you know they have things you like from there websites. Try on, and buy if you are certain. If not certain, walk away, think about it and return for your purchases or order online. Maybe you could try shopping one time with a stylist to build your confidence and decisiveness and to get you on your way. Personally I love shopping at my handful of favourite stores and usually manage to find what I want. I nearly always study their websites first and know what I want to try on and what will work with my current wardrobe. Mind you, I never go shopping unless I'm in the right mood for it. I think a certain state of mind and energy is required. Good luck and try to find pleasure in this time for yourself and look forward to feeling well put together. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/rant-is-shopping-always-such-hard-work#post-1175975 Mon, 24 Feb 2014 09:23:54 +0000 Anonymous 1175975@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Uugh! I hate shopping. I suffer very quickly with fatigue and I find shopping very, very energy draining. I just don't have the stamina. Also if I go with a plan of what I'm looking for I almost always come home empty handed. Time is a factor too. Never enough, and yes, I can always think of something else I'd rather do. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/rant-is-shopping-always-such-hard-work#post-1175967 Mon, 24 Feb 2014 08:50:52 +0000 unfrumped 1175967@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Relating to the frustration of not finding things-- fit o quality or color- to stick with my list. The potential to frustration increases , I think, the more discerning and focused you get. So I also have shifted to thinking of some if it as " retail research" for a few hours here and there. With B&amp;M I love being able to see, to try 3 different sizes at once , and to walk away. I am making a conscious effort to try on things without always pre- judging on rack how they will look. Also I finally realized I could check sizing and then jump at an on- line sale.<br /> One reason I think I do better in winter is that shopping is an indoor pastime and seems reasonable in bad weather and early dark. On a gorgeous spring day I feel I don't want to waste it on that. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/rant-is-shopping-always-such-hard-work#post-1175887 Mon, 24 Feb 2014 04:16:07 +0000 Gigi 1175887@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I agree with Mo and Thistle. Acquiring the clothes is extremely difficult and exhausting! And once you have a wardrobe that has all your necessities covered, you don't just want to add anything to it--you want something specific to cover a wardrobe hole or to complete an outfit. So the shopping becomes much more difficult. I am a big online shopper for this reason--I can browse many more stores in a much shorter time at home on my computer than I can out and about in the mall. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/rant-is-shopping-always-such-hard-work#post-1175886 Mon, 24 Feb 2014 04:16:00 +0000 fuzzylogic 1175886@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Errrrrgh- that is frustrating! Sounds like you were all set to shop- what happened? Perhaps the 'in store collection' wasn't quite ready for you? You had quite a specific list.</p> <p>How could you turn it into a nice experience next time? Take a coffee break and do some people watching- my favourite sport!? Call it quits early and head home?</p> <p>Online shopping works for me- no parking, no queues, I know the majority of what is on the store floor. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/rant-is-shopping-always-such-hard-work#post-1175880 Mon, 24 Feb 2014 04:12:04 +0000 ironkurtin 1175880@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>First, eat! When my blood sugar drops nothing works ever.</p> <p>Second, try to enjoy the hunt if you can. So much better to be picky and take home 2 good things than settle and bring home bags of stuff you don't need and won't wear. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/rant-is-shopping-always-such-hard-work#post-1175869 Mon, 24 Feb 2014 04:03:31 +0000 MRL 1175869@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>You are not alone. I love fashion but do not love shopping. My ultimate fashion fantasy is that the perfect wardrobe would simply appear in my closet.! As that is unlikely to happen, I have found that scouting items on line is helpful as I can at least know which stores have an item I want to try on. </p> <p> </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/rant-is-shopping-always-such-hard-work#post-1175868 Mon, 24 Feb 2014 04:02:59 +0000 Mo 1175868@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>My short answer is - targeted, smart&nbsp;shopping is hard work. &nbsp;Buying pretties that catch your eye is easy. &nbsp;But then you have a lot of pretties, not a wardrobe :/ </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/rant-is-shopping-always-such-hard-work#post-1175866 Mon, 24 Feb 2014 04:00:33 +0000 T 1175866@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Sometimes it is, for me sometimes it is coz of my&nbsp;state of mind. If I have&nbsp;body image concerns &nbsp;that day&nbsp;- I look on everything I try on with poison-eye. Everything appears bad! Nothing fits or is too expensive.</p> <p>Sometimes it happens to me when I go with a pre-defined list of what I plan to buy. I know that lots of people recommend setting overall style goals - and a mental list of what one wants before hitting the stores to avoid wasting money. It doesn't work for me. The moment I go with a pre-defined list - a colored skinny denim, let's say, plus black pumps, maybe formal office dresses - I invariably find nothing! My best buys are when I'm not consciously looking for things when going shopping. I just take a look at the wares stocked - and if anything from the lot is on sale - and if it is something I have been wanting since some time or I like how a item&nbsp;looks on me - I get it.&nbsp;</p> <p> </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/rant-is-shopping-always-such-hard-work#post-1175861 Mon, 24 Feb 2014 03:54:50 +0000 E 1175861@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I only enjoy shopping in thrift stores, because they tend to be arranged by item (long sleeve shirt/skirt/etc.) and even by colour, which somehow works well for my brain.&nbsp;I try on anything I might think will work, and I reject at least 90% of it. And that's already knowing my preferred colours &amp; shapes! It can be exhausting, so I only go when I really want to, so that I don't end up cranky. Trying to shop for a specific item, even in retail, is guaranteed to drive me up the wall. I wanted velvet trousers last year but couldn't find ones in the right colour &amp; cut&nbsp;with a high enough rise at any of the mall stores (I checked online first to save myself the hassle of actually visiting the mall), and I ended up feeling so angry and disappointed over the whole thing. </p> <p>And why is it that almost all of the fitting rooms have the least flattering light possible?! Don't retailers want us to feel good in clothes?</p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/rant-is-shopping-always-such-hard-work#post-1175859 Mon, 24 Feb 2014 03:52:40 +0000 Sveta 1175859@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Viva, I knew that Suz can say it 1000 times better than I could! :-)<br />I think attitude change is the main thing here: you just need to accept that shopping requires time and energy to be successful. At least living in US &nbsp;you have excellent online shopping options unlike we poor Canadians here...&nbsp;<br />My biggest shopping challenge is footwear. I would LOVE to spend 3 hours in B&amp;M stores just trying them on! Alas, with my almost-impossible-to-find-size in Canadian footwear stores it is not an option at all. I SO hated that before but now&nbsp;I have accepted this fact and now footwear shopping is a hunt and adventure for me (including shopping trips from Canada to US just for that).</p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/rant-is-shopping-always-such-hard-work#post-1175852 Mon, 24 Feb 2014 03:43:28 +0000 Laura (rhubarbgirl) 1175852@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I've never been a person who has a super detailed shopping list - nothing like 'black button front top in jersey with peplum' or anything Ike that. It's more that I have a general idea of what gaps I have, and have learned what styles work for my body and what brands tend to fit me. Maybe that's why I don't tend to get too frustrated when shopping. Or maybe it's the years of thrift shopping, which leads me to not get aggravated when I come home empty handed.</p> <p>I think I learn something from every shopping trip, or at least try to, whether I find what I'm looking for or buy anything or not. I tend to get more aggravated with the crowds and the traffic than I do with the actual shopping! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/rant-is-shopping-always-such-hard-work#post-1175851 Mon, 24 Feb 2014 03:42:16 +0000 Mia 1175851@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I generally do not like shopping either but I love fashion. Planning/researching ahead and shopping for the season helps. I seldom shop sales. I also stick to a few stores where I get more "hits" in terms of style and fit and cultivate salespeople who I find helpful. </p> <p>Online can be great and I do a lot of "virtual shopping" at Net-a-Porter. My family refers to it as Net-a-Porner. Nuff said about how often I am browsing there and finding inspiration to shop my closet. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/rant-is-shopping-always-such-hard-work#post-1175841 Mon, 24 Feb 2014 03:33:36 +0000 viva 1175841@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Suz, wish I could flag your post as "wisdom" AND "therapy." </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/rant-is-shopping-always-such-hard-work#post-1175840 Mon, 24 Feb 2014 03:33:30 +0000 carter 1175840@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I definitely don't hate shopping, but it does take more time than I have. There are a few B&amp;M shops that work for me because I tend to know which styles/lines fit me there (BR, AT, WHBM, Chicos, JJill). Just about everything else hasto be online ordering for me. It's easier to do a targeted search, order what appeals, and have it all arrive for me to try on at my convenience until I decide what will work. I could easily spend hours in a department store or chain store where I'm less knowledgeable about fit and still walk away empty handed and frustrated. Returns are somewhat of a pain, but frankly, I end up returning fewer of my online purchases because they tend to be better targeted to what I need than all the distraction purchases at B&amp;M stores. So, less time overall spent on online purchases for me. Sorry you had such a frustrating experience! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/rant-is-shopping-always-such-hard-work#post-1175838 Mon, 24 Feb 2014 03:32:01 +0000 viva 1175838@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Sveta, Angie's finds have helped a lot! (The Franny sweater, in fact, was one.) I just wish it were easier to find in the stores what I am thinking about in my mind. haha. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/rant-is-shopping-always-such-hard-work#post-1175836 Mon, 24 Feb 2014 03:30:54 +0000 Suz 1175836@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Oh....Viva!! I so hear your frustration and get it. Big time.&nbsp;</p> <p>When I joined YLF, I <b>HATED</b> shopping. <b>HATED</b> it. Going into a store was enough to make my stomach churn and my mind come to a screeching halt.&nbsp;</p> <p>It was overstimulating. Crazy-making. And so, so irritating, looking for things that I could never, ever find.&nbsp;</p> <p>A few years later, and while I still can't call myself an expert shopper...guess what? I actually have fun at it!&nbsp;</p> <p>I think my issues might have been a bit different than yours -- I came here pretty much a fashion neophyte with no idea of my style and also no money. Oh -- and a completely empty closet that I had to restock&nbsp;after weight loss!! And did I say I had no money? (This was before my paid job..I was doing really low paid contract work.)&nbsp;So part of my shopping angst had to do with that.&nbsp;</p> <p>In your case -- you have fabulous style, enough money to buy yourself some nice things, and a good sense of what's out there and what to look for.&nbsp;</p> <p>But you also suffer from two problems that I shared (and still share): Limited availability of bricks and mortar shopping where you live, and time pressure to get a lot of shopping done on your few occasions for doing it.&nbsp;</p> <p>I tell ya....that can suck the fun out of <b>almost</b> any shopping adventure. I say "almost" because I have figured out a way to shop with the famed Sveta that is genuinely fun, even though we are in a major rush -- and I can easily imagine that a one hour shopping trip with Angie would be an education in style you would never forget.&nbsp;</p> <p>Oh -- and there's one other issue we are plagued with. The "dream" of the "real life" shopping trip. Online shopping has its own frustrations, and doing it so often, we sometimes fall prey to the fantasy that if only we lived nearer to real stores we would have an easier time of it.&nbsp;</p> <p>For me, the trick has been to combine online with in-person, and to try to reduce my expectations of each in-person shop. Basically, I consider in person shopping to be like a reconnaissance mission. I scout out the styles. Touch the fabrics. Try stuff on. Get a sense for what fits or doesn't in this, that, or the other maker. If I actually buy something, that is a huge bonus. Mostly I go home empty handed or almost empty handed, and then do my ordering online, armed with the better information.&nbsp;</p> <p>I love touching the fabrics, seeing the precise colours, looking at the proportions on my own body or other real bodies in real life stores.&nbsp;</p> <p>I also find that shopping when it's busy can be a disaster. It just makes me more frustrated. I hate lineups at change rooms. I hate the disarray -- it offends my sense of order and beauty.&nbsp;</p> <p>Bit by bit, I have built up a wardrobe this way. Sometimes I get lucky in store and come home with treasures; sometimes I lose with online shopping because I have to send so much back. But combined with Angie's recommendations and what I see modelled here on the forum, I've made some good buys both in store and online. And the in store experience is getting better.&nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/rant-is-shopping-always-such-hard-work#post-1175832 Mon, 24 Feb 2014 03:30:26 +0000 viva 1175832@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I have limited shopping too, Thistle, which is why I had such high hopes for the in-person experience. I think I had TOO high hopes for it. </p> <p>Online shopping has its own frustrations but does take up less of a sunny day. </p>