Sometimes, ShopGirl’s just a girl who shops.

Usually, I’m trolling the aisles with a theme in mind. During the holidays, there are stocking stuffers and must-have gifts. For back-to-school, the obvious topic is school clothes. But this week, I decided to write about what I want now. Not what’s hot. Not what’s brand-new. Not what everyone else is wearing, rather, what I’m wearing.

You can call me selfish if you’d like, but if it makes you feel any better, I tried to do fall trends. Too bad the ones that I want aren’t all here yet. And there is no way I’m wearing leggings again. So you’ll have to bear with me.

What am I buying these days? Clogs. By Born. I finally bit the bullet and bought a pair of sensible yet stylish shoes. They’ll last forever, and they only cost $40 at Marshalls. How was I to resist?

Marshalls is also the place where my fall sweater obsession took root, albeit a month early. It all started with a chocolate brown Polo Jeans Co. cable-knit cotton sweater that ShopGirl Jr. and I found. We both tried it on, but she talked me into buying it. I don’t think I’ve taken it off since, except to wash it. I’ve already gotten my $24.99 worth of wear out of it. She also talked me into a fabulous pair of Max Studio pants that were on clearance for $11. Thanks, Junior.

But the love doesn’t stop there. On another great shopping day (seems I’ve had a lot of those lately), Junior and I went to New York & Co. There, I fell in love with the long cable-knit sweaters. And speaking of love, how much do I love that Meredith and Derek of “Grey’s Anatomy” are the store’s new spokesmodels? I celebrated by treating myself to a gray sweater, gray pants (skinny pants – I had to have them) and a cream shell, which isn’t gray, but it was on clearance for $5.99, so who could blame me?

Certainly not my pal Anna, who accompanied me on a recent foray to Target, where we both picked up clearance-rack white blouses (at $8.48 apiece, we should’ve cleared the rack). I “splurged” on a full-price sweater vest – another must-have in my fall lineup – but since it was only $14.99, I didn’t feel very guilty.

Guilt was the furthest thing from my mind when I traveled to Freeport a few weeks ago. Actually, I should win an award for the restraint I displayed after opting not to purchase the caramel leather Coach gallery tote I had coveted since last fall. I found it at the outlet – last one! – on the closeout shelf. But something about paying $140 for a clearance item just didn’t seem right to me.

So I left, waded through a sea of tourists, narrowly avoided being hit by a car with New York plates, and popped into Polo-Ralph Lauren outlet. Nothing doing. Ditto for J. Crew. But at Brooks Brothers basement (the superduper outlet underneath the real outlet) I struck gold. Pants for ShopGuy and two elegant merino wool turtleneck sweaters for me. For under $20 each. Score!

But the real score took place in Portland, in the form of handbag karma. After ditching the Coach, I found the most amazing tote at Angela Adams. Brown wool, blue patent leather accents. So gorgeous. So stylish. So not what everyone else has. Well, except that my friend Anna has the shoulder-bag version. We’ve arranged not to wear them on the same days. But seriously – to find a gorgeous bag by a Maine designer on clearance for $46? I just laid down the plastic and smiled.

Was it selfish? Perhaps. But was it as bad as blowing my budget on leggings with lace on the ankles? No way. I may have bought a poncho or two, but I’ve lived through leggings once and that was enough. What’s next, acid-washed jeans?

Like I said, I’m just a girl who shops. But I’ve gotta draw the line somewhere.