In a fitting room as I'm trying on a dress: "You're really going to have to start wearing padded bras again."
Thanks.
Monday, September 8, 2008
They say it's my birthday!
Quick birthday blog moment.
All is wonderful in the world of me. My scheduled birthday picnic was rained out yesterday, but everyone congregated at our apartment for some snacks and a truly awesome homemade angel food cake with homemade whipped cream, chocolate sauce and raspberry coulis made by my best friend's lovely husband. (I would upload a photo, but Blogger is being difficult!)
And last night my mom and I went to see my dear friend do her first ever solo cabaret. She was AMAZING! I was so proud.
Today was much walking - shopping with birthday money. Turns out that it's hard to spend birthday money when you're so used to not spending money! But I did get a dress thus far. Afterwards we took a trip up the CN Tower, which is an expensive tourist destination, but my mom had never been.
Now we're snuggled up at home, watching SATC. (One of my gifts from the DP was all six seasons!) We're supposed to go out for a fancy meal, but I'm thinking that I'd rather order in at home. It might be PJ time. (I know. Just like Kim Mitchell, I am a wild party.)
Total debt: $3795 and a bit
Spent today: It's vacation time, people. I'm turning the other cheek.
All is wonderful in the world of me. My scheduled birthday picnic was rained out yesterday, but everyone congregated at our apartment for some snacks and a truly awesome homemade angel food cake with homemade whipped cream, chocolate sauce and raspberry coulis made by my best friend's lovely husband. (I would upload a photo, but Blogger is being difficult!)
And last night my mom and I went to see my dear friend do her first ever solo cabaret. She was AMAZING! I was so proud.
Today was much walking - shopping with birthday money. Turns out that it's hard to spend birthday money when you're so used to not spending money! But I did get a dress thus far. Afterwards we took a trip up the CN Tower, which is an expensive tourist destination, but my mom had never been.
Now we're snuggled up at home, watching SATC. (One of my gifts from the DP was all six seasons!) We're supposed to go out for a fancy meal, but I'm thinking that I'd rather order in at home. It might be PJ time. (I know. Just like Kim Mitchell, I am a wild party.)
Total debt: $3795 and a bit
Spent today: It's vacation time, people. I'm turning the other cheek.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Quick hit
Here's how I know my mom is in town:
"What a cute dress! But you're like me - brown is not your best colour."
But seriously, so far, so fun. Going to see Evil Dead: The Musical tonight. A week of vacation is fast approaching.
Counting my pennies for y'all is going to be pretty impossible. However...
Total debt: $3795 (A new and improved, lower number!)
"What a cute dress! But you're like me - brown is not your best colour."
But seriously, so far, so fun. Going to see Evil Dead: The Musical tonight. A week of vacation is fast approaching.
Counting my pennies for y'all is going to be pretty impossible. However...
Total debt: $3795 (A new and improved, lower number!)
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
The big news
Okay, I am seriously multi-tasking right now, trying to watch the season premiere of "America's Next Top Model" (against my better judgement) and clean the bathroom. And blog. And celebrate!
Celebrate? you ask. Yep. This happy blogger got a new job.
I am very excited, although it is bittersweet, since there are many people and things I will miss at the place I'm leaving behind. But life is for moving forward and I am ready for new challenges.
This, of course, has been the source of all the limbo of late. And the last few days have been fraught with anticipation. But two sleepless nights led to a financial revelation:
Why am I putting aside tax money from my freelancing in a high interest savings account that doesn't earn me as much as I'm paying in interest on the last of my loan? Why don't I use that money and then replace it when the debt is gone?
So that's what I did.
Total debt: $3995 (Feel free to whoop with joy!)
Spent today: $9.80 (A few groceries and a 60 cent fine at the library!)
Okay, okay! I then spent $19.20 on celebratory pizza, even though I only had 24 cents left in my wallet. But I knew there was some cash in my bank account...
Back to the bathroom. Mom is arriving in less than 24 hours!
Celebrate? you ask. Yep. This happy blogger got a new job.
I am very excited, although it is bittersweet, since there are many people and things I will miss at the place I'm leaving behind. But life is for moving forward and I am ready for new challenges.
This, of course, has been the source of all the limbo of late. And the last few days have been fraught with anticipation. But two sleepless nights led to a financial revelation:
Why am I putting aside tax money from my freelancing in a high interest savings account that doesn't earn me as much as I'm paying in interest on the last of my loan? Why don't I use that money and then replace it when the debt is gone?
So that's what I did.
Total debt: $3995 (Feel free to whoop with joy!)
Spent today: $9.80 (A few groceries and a 60 cent fine at the library!)
Okay, okay! I then spent $19.20 on celebratory pizza, even though I only had 24 cents left in my wallet. But I knew there was some cash in my bank account...
Back to the bathroom. Mom is arriving in less than 24 hours!
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Checking in
Here's a quick post to tell you three things:
#1. I *may* have some news tomorrow. It's looking very, very good, but you'll have to wait until tomorrow for the details.
#2. Just two more sleeps until my mom arrives, so I'm giving you all fair warning that the blog posts may not be as frequent as usual while she's living in our office/spare room. I'll do my best! And I'll be working with more than my normal weekly budget - remember how I put a few hundred away a while ago for my week off next week? Well, I'll be spending it!
#3. I didn't spend any money today. Rock on!
Total debt: $4765 and a bit
Spent today: $0!
#1. I *may* have some news tomorrow. It's looking very, very good, but you'll have to wait until tomorrow for the details.
#2. Just two more sleeps until my mom arrives, so I'm giving you all fair warning that the blog posts may not be as frequent as usual while she's living in our office/spare room. I'll do my best! And I'll be working with more than my normal weekly budget - remember how I put a few hundred away a while ago for my week off next week? Well, I'll be spending it!
#3. I didn't spend any money today. Rock on!
Total debt: $4765 and a bit
Spent today: $0!
Monday, September 1, 2008
Dear 43
A few days after my birthday in September 1998, I sat down a wrote a letter to myself. It started: Dear 33. Not overly long, but a couple of double-spaced, handwritten pages about who I was at 23 and who I hoped I'd be at 33. Then I sealed it up and put it in my underwear drawer marked "Open on September 8, 2008." It came with me to a few different apartments, always ending up back in my underwear drawer. I would often hold it up and wonder what I had written to myself.
A month or so ago I started to worry about what I would find within it. Would all of my hopes and dreams at 23 have translated into reality? Would I find myself disappointed with my life on my birthday? So, on a random Sunday afternoon, I opened it.
Thankfully, I was charmed by my 23-year-old self and reminded that the essential things that make me who I am don't really change, even if the numbers of candles on the cake increase. My current life path is completely different than the one I was on ten years ago, but what I want from life is pretty much the same. And it turns out that I'm doing a pretty good job of getting to where I want to be.
So this morning, with the apartment to myself and my birthday a week away, I sat down with a cup of tea and wrote a letter to myself at 43. Just a glimpse of who I am, what I'm doing, and what I hope to be when I next read it. This time I included something about my finances - that's new! I sealed it up, along with the first letter, and marked the envelope "September 8, 2018."
Bring on the next decade.
Total debt: $4765 and a bit
Spent today: $0 (But I still feel guilty, because I at soooo many chocolate chip cookies. Blech.)
A month or so ago I started to worry about what I would find within it. Would all of my hopes and dreams at 23 have translated into reality? Would I find myself disappointed with my life on my birthday? So, on a random Sunday afternoon, I opened it.
Thankfully, I was charmed by my 23-year-old self and reminded that the essential things that make me who I am don't really change, even if the numbers of candles on the cake increase. My current life path is completely different than the one I was on ten years ago, but what I want from life is pretty much the same. And it turns out that I'm doing a pretty good job of getting to where I want to be.
So this morning, with the apartment to myself and my birthday a week away, I sat down with a cup of tea and wrote a letter to myself at 43. Just a glimpse of who I am, what I'm doing, and what I hope to be when I next read it. This time I included something about my finances - that's new! I sealed it up, along with the first letter, and marked the envelope "September 8, 2018."
Bring on the next decade.
Total debt: $4765 and a bit
Spent today: $0 (But I still feel guilty, because I at soooo many chocolate chip cookies. Blech.)
Over the shoulder boulder holders
First off, I would like to invite any gentleman readers who are squeamish about lady's underpinnings to skip to the bottom of this post. I understand and I won't be offended.
This is your last warning.
Okay, here we go.
Despite several years of experience working for the largest lingerie chain in the country, I entered my 20s with a false sense of bra knowledge. When the old ones wore out I would drag myself to the mall, hole up in a dressing room with a dozen or so in what I believed to be the right size (36B) and then choose the ones that fit the least badly.
Does that sound familiar to anyone?
A few years ago, I experienced a bra rebirth. On a whim, a dear friend took me to Secrets From Your Sister where they gave me a professional fitting and helped me pick out some bras in my actual size (32D!). It was incredible. At first it was hard to get used to bras that fit so snugly, because my crappy old moulded cup bras were barely touching my body, but in the end I was extremely happy. The bras are definitely more expensive - no 5 for $25 sales to be found - but the quality (and the customer service) made the prices understandable.
Anyway, quite a while ago now, I lost a bit of weight. Not a ton, but enough that the snazzy, non-moulded cup bras got a little baggy in the cup area. They were not only unattractive, but also just not wearable under most of my clothes. So I'd been resorting to the old bras in my drawer, with cups that were also bigger than the boobs I have to fill them. It was kind of pathetic and if I'd been hit by a bus my mom would have been embarrassed for me.
All this to explain why the credit card got exercised yesterday. I hit my breaking point and went to get a couple of new ones. (32C this time.) It took all of 15 minutes to choose two, because the salesperson was so attentive and on the ball. She took another quick measurement of me and then she personally joined me in the fitting room (after I'd changed each time - get your mind out of the gutter) to adjust the straps and give me her opinion on how every model fit. It was incredible! So I got one basic beige bra that has convertible straps, so it can also be a halter or a criss-cross, and then one (Dad, cover your eyes) sexy black lace one. AND since I was a returning customer visiting them in their new location, they gave me 20% off the more expensive of the two! All in all, it cost me $147.35, but I believe it was well worth the money.
I finally threw out the old gross ones. Some of the old, non-gross ones I will hang on to and donate. The store actually has a "Dead Bra Day" on February 13th when you can bring in a used, but not too used, bra that they can donate to a shelter, and you receive 20% off a new one!
After my happy lingerie experience, I strolled across Bloor to Spadina Station - Bathurst Station was a sea of disgruntled people trying to get to the CNE and desperate for their first taste of Tiny Tom Donuts. It was a gorgeous, sunny Sunday in the city and I stopped to pick up some grapes from a fruit stand ($4.75) and a card ($4.47) from S.W.A.K. Then I did a little drugstore run before I arrived home, where I got almost everything on sale: toilet paper ($3.99 from $7.99), deodorant ($2.99 from $4.99), shave gel ($2.99 from $4.99) and tampons ($4.99 from $8.99). Okay, I also splurged on a full-price magazine, but I couldn't resist!
Total debt: $4765 and a bit
Spent yesterday: $32.50 (Plus that credit card charge.)
I'll try to write a quick blog about today a little later!
This is your last warning.
Okay, here we go.
Despite several years of experience working for the largest lingerie chain in the country, I entered my 20s with a false sense of bra knowledge. When the old ones wore out I would drag myself to the mall, hole up in a dressing room with a dozen or so in what I believed to be the right size (36B) and then choose the ones that fit the least badly.
Does that sound familiar to anyone?
A few years ago, I experienced a bra rebirth. On a whim, a dear friend took me to Secrets From Your Sister where they gave me a professional fitting and helped me pick out some bras in my actual size (32D!). It was incredible. At first it was hard to get used to bras that fit so snugly, because my crappy old moulded cup bras were barely touching my body, but in the end I was extremely happy. The bras are definitely more expensive - no 5 for $25 sales to be found - but the quality (and the customer service) made the prices understandable.
Anyway, quite a while ago now, I lost a bit of weight. Not a ton, but enough that the snazzy, non-moulded cup bras got a little baggy in the cup area. They were not only unattractive, but also just not wearable under most of my clothes. So I'd been resorting to the old bras in my drawer, with cups that were also bigger than the boobs I have to fill them. It was kind of pathetic and if I'd been hit by a bus my mom would have been embarrassed for me.
All this to explain why the credit card got exercised yesterday. I hit my breaking point and went to get a couple of new ones. (32C this time.) It took all of 15 minutes to choose two, because the salesperson was so attentive and on the ball. She took another quick measurement of me and then she personally joined me in the fitting room (after I'd changed each time - get your mind out of the gutter) to adjust the straps and give me her opinion on how every model fit. It was incredible! So I got one basic beige bra that has convertible straps, so it can also be a halter or a criss-cross, and then one (Dad, cover your eyes) sexy black lace one. AND since I was a returning customer visiting them in their new location, they gave me 20% off the more expensive of the two! All in all, it cost me $147.35, but I believe it was well worth the money.
I finally threw out the old gross ones. Some of the old, non-gross ones I will hang on to and donate. The store actually has a "Dead Bra Day" on February 13th when you can bring in a used, but not too used, bra that they can donate to a shelter, and you receive 20% off a new one!
After my happy lingerie experience, I strolled across Bloor to Spadina Station - Bathurst Station was a sea of disgruntled people trying to get to the CNE and desperate for their first taste of Tiny Tom Donuts. It was a gorgeous, sunny Sunday in the city and I stopped to pick up some grapes from a fruit stand ($4.75) and a card ($4.47) from S.W.A.K. Then I did a little drugstore run before I arrived home, where I got almost everything on sale: toilet paper ($3.99 from $7.99), deodorant ($2.99 from $4.99), shave gel ($2.99 from $4.99) and tampons ($4.99 from $8.99). Okay, I also splurged on a full-price magazine, but I couldn't resist!
Total debt: $4765 and a bit
Spent yesterday: $32.50 (Plus that credit card charge.)
I'll try to write a quick blog about today a little later!
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