Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Am I ready for a house?

Heck to the no! Firstly, I can't afford it. I think if I looked hard enough, I probably could find some property that I could afford with a crazy payment plan that would have me living off instant ramen noodles for the rest of the life. But in reality I can't afford the house I want. I have a friend who is actively looking for a place along with a few other people that have just recently moved into their new houses. I can't help but be jealous because at the end of the day, the thought does cross my mind, especially when I keep hearing about it so much.

It also is one of my financial goals on my list of things to do along with retire & sit on my ass is own house. To make myself feel better I tell myself that all these people with said houses are doing it on a double income and while me and the boy are together we are not quite there so I would definitely be looking at places on my own. So while I entertain the idea from time to time, I push it out of my head till I save enough for a decent downpayment which seems like it will be never...

Monday, June 29, 2009

BBQ Season

The weekend was great till the rain came in on Sunday and it seems like it is still with us a day later. But, the great weather was around long enough to fit in a few bbqs. It's also great because for once, I think I am actually going to come in under budget in the food category! Instead of eating out all the time with my friends, I am fitting a few BBQs with friends instead. Woo!

For those Canadians on the lookout for a veggie burger, check out Presidents Choice Vegetarian Portobello Swiss burgers. I used to be all about the Lick's burgers but this one is way better. I find the Lick's one is great if you want a burger that tastes like you're eating meat but if you're over trying to eat things that taste like meat all the time, then try this one out. My fridge is going to be stocked with these over the summer.

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Jojoba oil

I was doing a little organizing of my under sink counter yesterday and found an almost full bottle of Jojoba oil I had bought with the intention of using it on my face. Well it broke my face out a little so it's been sitting under my sink ever since.

I don't want to throw out an almost full bottle out so I've been using using it instead in my hair and to remove mascara. I put it into my hair for a few hours before washing it to condition the hair & I think it's working! Normally my hair gets uber dry during the summer and it's been looking OK so far. Removing mascara is great too because I typically struggle trying to remove it and always end up loosing a lash in the process but with the oil there's been far less casualties.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Jacob Outlet

Yesterday I went by the Jacob outlet on my way home. I guess I was hoping for some summer clothes I can wear to work & offcourse I go to Jacob outlet instead of the real Jacob because they are about the same distance from my house.

The store had lots of great stuff in there including cute summer dresses but not much of a reduction on prices. I tried on about 6 different things and ended up deciding that I either didn't like how it looked on me or I didn't love it enough to spend more than I had hoped.

I ended up walking out of there with a pair of short shorts to sleep in for $6.

Monday, June 22, 2009

Do I have a cavity?

First let me say that I am not a fan of dentists....or doctors for that matter. I guess basically anybody that can inflict pain on you.

I have never had a cavity in my life and I try to keep it that way because of my fear of dentists. I wore braces when I was younger and that wasn't exactly the most pleasant experience. Originally I was supposed to wear it for 2 years max however I ended up wearing it for 3 maybe even 4 years. I don't quite remember.

I brush twice a day & sometimes even three times a day. However I do not floss which I know I should be doing on a regular basis. So over the last few days when I brush my teeth, there's this one damned tooth that stings a little. I also notice that little stinging sensation when I drink cold water. I am wondering if I have got a sensitive tooth or a cavity :( I am going to switch over to Sensodyne and see what that brings me. Hopefully it will go away and I can live happily ever after without having to make a dentist appointment soon.

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Spicing things up

This month, I've fallen a little behind in the cooking department. You can probably tell by my lack of grocery spending. I've been eating lots of frozen foods which I am generally not too crazy about.

So to spice things up, I have actually planned out lunches for this week including a new recipe. Coleslaw was on sale for $0.99 at Food Basics, so I am going to try out try out this ramen coleslaw recipe that I had bookmarked forever! I also bought some fresh veggies for pasta so I can use the herbs sitting in my window sill. I bought potted herbs earlier in the summer so I can use what I want as I please. The oregano has died but the basil & parsley are growing strong.

Friday, June 19, 2009

Freebie Fridays

With stores charging for plastic bags, this freebie came at the right time. I can't remember when I signed up for it but this week I received a free reusable bag from Earthbound Farm. It's great for grocery shopping and I already put it in my trunk.

Now I am debating spending some cash and getting one of those bags that fold up into almost nothingness for my purse. It's easy to remember taking reusable bags with you to the grocery store but hard when you're shopping at the mall. I bought something @ The Bay for the bf and felt weird not buying a bag. Who wants to walk around the mall carrying clothes in their hand. I guess I am just not used to it yet. I have no problems walking out of a grocery store struggling to carry all my groceries.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

The good news & the bad news

So I googled how to change those little icons that appear beside your website & was able to do it :) Go me! It looks great in FireFox which is my browser of choice. BUT, I tested it out in Internet Explorer and it works however, it looks like half of my first post is blocked off in white space. It has nothing to do with the icon thingamagiggie because even when I remove the code for it, it still doesn't work.

For the life of me, I can't figure out why this is happening. I spent almost an hour looking @ the HTML code & fiddling around with it to no avail. Another reason not to use explorer. I am debating re-uploading the template again this weekend when I have more time :(

*edit: it's fixed! There was an updated version to the template I am using with the fix on it.

The Tube

I am watching some Maury Provich right now. Trashy TV is a guilty pleasure. I remember when I was a young'n and I got to stay home because I was sick, I'd spend the day watching lots of talk shows and The Price Is Right. Remember the days of Ricki Lake, Jenny Jones, Maury Provich and Jerry Springer (but only if my mom wasn't around). Feels a little nostalgic watching it. The topic of the day is sexy makeovers titled Bringing Sexy Back. I love cheesy titles! Ooh, basically everybody is turned into a stripper.

In other t.v. news, has anybody tried to watch Law & Order UK? It's frustrating because I have a hard time following the accent. I'll stick to my Law & Order SVU thank you very much.

What is everybody watching now that most of their t.v. shows are on hiatus. I find I am hardly watching much t.v. now except for the occasional Canada's Next Top Model.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Drinking more water

I have an easy goal for the next two months & that is to drink more water. On a typical day, I drink about 2 cups of water for the whole day. Yup, 2 measly cups when people tout drinking 8 glasses a day. The bf calls me a camel because of how little I drink. We're talking about water here. Alcohol can be a different story ;)

I've been trying to get my skin looking better naturally & I am trying out drinking more water to see if it'll help. I am also taking fish oil capsules & started drinking spearmint tea to control my hormonal acne. I am going to check in a month from now and see how the progress is.

Monday, June 15, 2009

Lunch for tomorrow: CHECK

So I had leftover curried mixed vegetables from eating out over the weekend. There wasn't quite enough for a full meal so I stir fried some veggies and mixed it with the leftovers and voila. A full meal without much effort. In fact I think I added too many vegetables & might even have 2 more meals.

It's really hard when you're cooking for one. I hate using half a vegetable and often times I'll think I have the portions under control and then when I combine everything I've cut into one bowl, I have enough to feed a village. It's a good thing I like my vegetables.

Saturday, June 13, 2009

me = careless

I lost my wallet once and the person who found it was nice enough to go through the trouble to call me & let me come to his house & pick it up.

Today I thought I lost my wallet again. Panic struck and I went back frustrated to my car and there it was. It fell out of my purse onto the passenger car seat. I am pretty bad at buttoning up my purse. It has a magnetic button that you can use to sorta/kinda close it. Well I almost never do it. I normally just throw it onto my shoulder and away I go, leaving myself an easy target for anybody looking to pickpocket me. I think I've learned my lesson. I mean what if it fell outside as I was walking outside or what if somebody was looking to break into cars and saw a wallet just sitting there in the passenger seat. It was just screaming, please break into me, you'll get this nice wallet with moneys inside it.

Friday, June 12, 2009

I knew it was going to happen

With the weather getting better, gas prices have gone up to over $1. This means I'll eventually have to up my budget to compensate.

Enjoy the great weather this Friday. I plan to.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

MAC Friends & Family sale online from June 16th-18th

MAC Canada is having a friends and family sale online. I think the code is SUMO and you get 25% of all their products online. Shipping is free once you reach $60. On my to get one of these days list is their blacktrack fluidline but there is nothing else I am itching for so instead of getting it online and having to pay for shipping, I am holding off. I probably wouldn't save too much once shipping is factored in anyways.

Normally I'd get something >$60 just so I could get the free shipping, even more so because I missed out on the warehouse sale BUT, I am being a good girl and holding off for now.

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Stupid Automatic Gratuity Charges!

The Sympatico/MSN home page has a link to an article titled 10 hidden costs that will cost you plenty and what is the first one I read? Automatic Gratuity Charges. It states that Most Canadian restaurants leave the tip up to you but some add 15 per cent to your bill automatically - particularly if you are with a large group. Check the restaurant’s policy before you order so that you don't double tip when the bill comes.

Well let me tell you a little story. A few weeks ago me & the bf went out for dinner at a local sushi place. The place didn't appear to be shady by any means. It actually looked a little more upscale than your average sushi place.

When I got my receipt, I automatically calculated the tip (15%) and started writing it down on the receipt. As I was writing it down, I noticed that a gratuity tip was already included in the bill unbeknown to me! The worst part was that the bill was only for the two of us, not a large party or anything! Ridiculous. Ever since, I've been paying more attention to my receipts but don't you hate feeling like you've been suckered? I am sure lots of people don't even pay attention and end up double tipping.

It really pissed me off & I am pretty sure I won't be going back there anytime soon. I mean the food was good but there's lots of sushi places in the area with good food that don't automatically put in a tip in the bill.

Monday, June 8, 2009

Misplaced cheque book :(

I probably use my cheque book a handful of times a year. And I go through the same routine every single time of searching and searching and searching some more because I always, always misplace it some where. Sure enough I've done it again & I've checked all the normal locations with no success.

The good thing is I almost never take my cheque book out of the house so I know it's somewhere around the house. The only thing is I have no idea where :(

Sunday, June 7, 2009

Friday = MAC Warehouse sale fail

Through random events, I somehow ended up with an invitation to the MAC warehouse sale this past Friday! I so wanted to go without a care for my budget. Had I gone, I know I'd have easily bought $100+ in makeup.

However, Friday ended up being one of the most busiest days ever & as a result I didn't end up going :( I was a little upset as I've always wanted to go to one these sales & didn't because I didn't want to let people down that I had made plans with. I wanted to be selfish & just go...but at the end of the day, I couldn't let family down.

On the upside, my budget is on track. I should probably get around to updating those budget bars for the month.

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Birthday Moneys

My birthday was last month and I came into some cash & gifts cards as a result. Awesomeness! Normally it'd all be spent by now but I am trying my best to be rational and spend it on things I need to spend on especially since I dont't really have anything I am really pining for right now. Does anybody still say pining any more?

Anyways, back on topic. Since I overspent in the eating out category last month, I am going to put $50 bday money towards it this month so I can sleep better at night. I am still going to track it as an expense though just so I can see how I do at the end of the month.