I’ve been trying to break a bad habit: online shopping.

The odds are not in my favor for a few reasons.

Variety is a luxury that I’ve gotten accustomed to having.

For example, if I’m in the market for a new pair of shoes, the closest brick and mortar store where I can purchase them is unlikely to have a wide variety of styles in the wide-width sizes that I prefer.

Sure, I can, and have, squeeze my foot into a “regular” width, but the older I’ve gotten, the more I just don’t like to do that.

It wouldn’t make sense for them to stock all their shoes in both regular and wide width. That would require them to carry double the inventory, for what may ultimately end up being a small part of the population.

On the internet, however, even if a brand that I prefer doesn’t have a wide width option, I can usually find something similar by doing a Google search, or on the mega sites like Zappos or Amazon, just by adding the wide width filter.

Sometimes, it’s the opposite effect that I’m looking for, something one-of-a-kind or handmade.

A few months ago, a well-loved, long-worn headband that I’d gotten in a little shop while on vacation wore out. I wanted to find a replacement embroidered, floral, elastic headband. I went to Etsy and within a few minutes I had many of unique options. None of them had the fond memory of our family vacation attached, but all of them fit the bill of what I was seeking.

Then, there is the efficiency of it all. G and I have been developing a new garden plan and wanted to add a few raised beds. Steve had constructed a few temporary beds a few years ago, but they’d gradually disappeared as he found other uses for some of the lumber. He had been in a trial-and-error phase, so it was of no consequence to him to rebuild them every summer. I, however, want this to be the last time that I dig up and lay out garden beds.

We perused several local garden centers, as well as the big box stores, and just couldn’t find what we were looking for, whether it was inspiration to build our own, or something premade to bring home with us.

Finally, I asked the internet for exactly the specifications we were looking for, along with some of the materials we were considering, and lo, a bounty of options appeared.

Once I narrowed down the style and size, I did another specific search and managed to find the exact boxes that I wanted with free shipping, and on sale for 50% off the manufacturer’s list price. Three days later, they showed up at my house, ready to be assembled.

Although it has taken G a few more days to unpack and put them together, I know that we couldn’t have built the beds for this price, and even if we had tried, it would have taken us much longer to do it. I didn’t have to fight with loading fully assembled beds into the truck, make multiple trips, or try to schedule a delivery.

All of those are the “pro” reasons why internet shopping can be a great idea.

However, there are many downsides, even some actual “cons.”

After falling for the cuteness of “sturdy” planters in the shape of any breed of dog, I succumbed to the online reviews that raved about them and was disappointed when what actually showed up was little more than a flimsy piece of cardboard stamped with what might have been any generic terrier on it.

A “handmade sweater” claiming to be American made came as a 50/50 blend with an “assembled in Vietnam” tag in the box.

Obviously, I can say no to all of this. I know the science behind all of it, I know about the dopamine rush that shopping can trigger, I know that this is all a carefully orchestrated advertising scheme to sucker me into buying things.

But this is different from those Saturday morning cartoon shows, studded with advertisements for the latest toys. This time, all those toys are just a click or two away and can be in my possession in sometimes less than a day.

With uncertain economic times ahead of us, now is as good a time as any to take a good hard look at our spending habits and all the things we bring into our home.

When I go grocery shopping, I pick up every item I buy, among them the actual needs like fresh food and toilet paper, and the wants, like that frozen cheesecake. The prices are usually obvious, and seeing everything in front of me as I check out is one more chance to reevaluate my purchases.

It’s time that I apply that same process to the things I buy online, as well.

Liz Pinkey’s column appears on Saturdays in the Times News