One of the fun parts about being careful with my money is being able to enjoy things I really like.

Here are some of my new fiesta pieces.Thift stores, and antique stores are where I found these beauties



And here are some more treasures



Who says you can't mix old and new, antique and vintage.

I'm back from a mini holiday.

A friend was at a conference in Quebec City and with how his meetings went he was able to make some time for sightseeing - so I tagged along...

We stayed at this hotel outside Quebec City - says it is 4 stars but I'd say more like 3.5 stars... our room was a bit surreal - a bit of Star Wars meets the cottage (paneled walls with this space aged drop ceiling and the best soaker oval bath tub I've seen in a while).

Anyways while not doing the museum thing (a shame as we both love them) we did get to spend quite a bit of time in Quebec City. The city is gorgeous. Well preserved and touristy yes, but still alive - people still live in the city and you can feel the energy. We were blessed in that we had a local person to take us around - a good tour guide always makes things more fun!

The biggest surprise was that the stereotype of the french as snotty and unapproachable if you are engish was totally false. The people were AMAZING. Not snotty at all and I think they all could speak English or were willing to try!

I now so want to go back there to explore more!

Wow

The same store where I won a gift basket around 5:30 called me up at 7 to tell me that I'd won another gift basket.

This one had 4 Biotherm products in it.

Moisturizer (value about $15 - a tiny sample size - I've used this product before and loved it)

Body Wash $32

Hand and Nail Treatment (aka handlotion) $27

Body Milk $30

Wow .. retail value of $104.00.

Today's lesson.. enter contests at local drug store

I went to the local drug store for a free make over by a Canadian cosmetics company. When I was there I entered a draw for some Vichy products. I won a small basket of three full size facial cleaning products.

I looked for pricing online for Vichy but I can't find it anywhere other than the UK - LOL... I'm guessing the value of this is around $70 plus or minus.. Nice!

Yeah me!!!

Dinner with friends tonight was nice. I didn't drink much as I had the car - kept to a half of Strongbow (I just realised lately that Strongbow is cider .. no one said I'm quick), diet coke to chase it with and a lovely beef pie with a side of garlicy veggies.

.. All while enjoying a non humid not too hot evening on a patio in the Bloor West Village area of the city with a group of friends, mostly ones I've known a while but a couple new faces too me. Bloor West Village is a very nice upper class, historically European area with a small town feel. The bar we were at used to be a post office and has that boxy feel to it!

A fun night with friends enjoying a summer night - priceless. Well okay not priceless but a great use of $20

Friday night was nice. Went out on a date with S. We had a great night. Went to a pub local to him and ended up sitting and having dinner with his neighbours. They are really nice people and the conversation was fun! And its always nice when you get treated to dinner. Makes me feel special. Sometimes you want quiet romantic but a patio on a hot friday night is perfect for socializing and enjoying so I was happy.

Today I went and got most of my hair cut off. I think I love it one minute and hate it the next minute. It was quite inexpensive at $13 and from what I can tell she did a pretty good job. This girl has trimmed my hair before so I decided I'd take the risk there rather than go to the fancy dance-y salon place that would charge like $50 for a cut.

Finally got my banking done too after that. Now I'm enjoying my new balcony furniture and a quiet Saturday night. I had asked S if he wanted to come over but he didn't respond which I took to be a no - he did though earlier ask me when I was next free for date - though with our schedules it will be a while. Oh well - I'm going camping with other friends next weekend anyways...

Uh huh.. yeah I know

Bought a patio set marked down to half price and a piece of indoor outdoor carpet for my balcony. My dad visited and he has a mini van and that way I was able to get the set assembled.

Looks great out on my balcony - of course today is pretty cool and its not the greatest to sit out there but it will be nice to when the weather again gets to up to those ridiculous normal summer temperatures again.

Bonus was Dad did all the cutting for the rug and helped me assemble the furniture. For an older dude he's pretty able still. He just turned 75 but he has more energy than most 55 year olds out there

Be back in a week or so unless I hit an interent cafe!

I'll miss reading and posting!

But I'll say hi to Green Gables and the Lake of Shining Waters as well as Peggy's Cove and Mahone Bay for you all!

I really wanted to go for a pedicure today but I decided that I could do my own rather than be a princess and go to the nails place to get one done.

The sacrifices I make for frugality - self painted "grape sorbet toes".

Dang, I'm single handedly supporting the economy.

Yesterday I tried on a bathing suit at the fancy store. $100 plus tax. I bought the same style at Walmart for $35 plus tax. Okay so I don't have the cute leopard print top bit and its plain black and white. I wasn't that crazy about the leopard print anyways.

Bought a replacement pair of black jeans too while I was at Walmart. As I'm a larger lucious lady I realised wearing the old pair yesterday that they had vents where they did not need any ventilation... So replaced them with the same pair

Went home with the two planned purchases and resisted looking for anymore "deals".

Hit the stores this afternoon on the way home.

At the first store bought two pairs of shoes - one sandals but with the support of runners. The brand is Merril I think and they are not cheap. Lets be frank. They are super comfie and super expensive.

The other pair are a pair of heels made by Rockport. Quite a high heel but really comfortable. Also not cheap.

To top off the spending I went to a second store to try on swimsuits. Didn't find any that said "buy me" but i did buy 2 pyjama tops and two bottoms. One set black and one black with a white stripe. The tops are different styles but it all mixes and matches.

Still need a swimsuit. Can't I skinny dip? I can't look much worse buck naked than in a suit and decent suit costs a fair penny.

I'm happy with my purchases but feel I should lock up my debit card for a while. At least it is a three paycheck month and I didn't put it on credit - I had the money in the account.

I'm off tonight to see the opening night of The Full Monte at a local dinner theatre. It is part of a subscription that a friend and I have.

We are going to renew this for next year so my credit card is going to say ouch this evening when that goes on the card. It will be paid off when I get paid in two weeks - May is very nicely a three pay month!!!

I love quiet days! I stayed home from work today.Technically I worked from home. I didn't do too much I have to admit - at least work wise.

Been working on my spare room. Finally I am really seeing progress. Before pictures have been taken but they aren't going anywhere until I have some after pictures. I was hoping the end of April. This has been revised until the end of May, LMAO.

A no spend day! Woo hoo!

Stopped at a store I quite often shop for clothes at. Well tried to - it had changed names but was basically the same store (same owner, different brand, but mostly the same clothes). Found the top I wanted from the non existent store at this store (same brand and size as one I have but a different colour). Tried on a bunch of stuff and ended up getting another top I should end up getting a lot of wear from too.

Got to the cash and found that they had a buy 1 item get the second 40% off sale - so while i spent more than I planned it wasn't quite as bad as I thought it would be!

Here is a picture of the bouquet of flowers I bought myself this weekend. They have pride of place on the middle of the dining room table!

Less than 10 at the grocery store and they are supposed to last 10 days. $1 a day. Not to bad. A few bent so I have a few that are in a tiny vase on the shelf in the bathroom cheering up that room too!



(Oh and as I live in an apt I don't have the option of cutting flowers from my garden)

It was a nice day. After a leisurely coffee and breakfast I headed up to the place I had my hair done in Oct - and the same girl was available and no waiting. After some discussion about the colour. She wanted to do my hair mahogany red and I wanted it mahogany brown. We ended up with mahogany brown.

It is really dark Even with brown tones my hair ends up lightening and gold highlights come out (total mystery as my natural colour is dark "blah" brown) - anyways its a bit darker than I'd like right now cause of it's tendency to lighten. I have very dark eyes and brows - my complexion is better with dark hair - which is why I just don't dye it blonde - besides I'd look brassier than a hooker from the seventies *grins* if I did that ..

Anyways got the colour and cut and then headed over to the nails place. Again no waiting. Had a pedicure and then a waxing. First time for waxing at that salon for me. I was very pleased. Much cleaner than the other place I was going to so I'll be going here in the future. The price ended up cheaper than at the other place too - so I was happy about that too.

Then when I got home I did some cooking for next week. Barley Pilaf and Home made shake and bake chicken are done. Some Southwest chicken is in the crockpot. I have a couple of other dishes to make tomorrow and then i should be good for a while - woo hoo!

My big push on cooking ahead and putting into portions is really working nicely for me. I'm eating at home and I'm eating good food (as opposed to convenience foods) yet because I prepare ahead its as easy as a TV dinner when I get home from work.

I went out with a friend today -- we were going to go iceskating and looking at Santas. Thanks to horrible rain and no parking I treated her to lunch then we went shopping.

2 pairs of shoes, and 5 (or is it 6) tops later and two pairs of tights later I'm all shopped out.

Had a great day. Got some lovely things at great prices, but OMG did I ever go nuts.

I really don't want to go to work today. I'm not in the "I owe, I owe, its off to work I go" category - and that truly is a blessing. But still its not that I really want to quit either. I do have something due today so I'll get my butt in gear and get going.

Hopefully a couple of weeks off and focussing on the important things in life - loved ones and friends - and then I can put the recent problems at work into perspective.

I'm only at work until 3-ish today. Friends and I are going to the spa. I'm treating myself to a body wrap massage treatment and then we are all eating dinner at the spa in our bathrobes. Not frugal at all but a nice "self gift" for Christmas

After doing some cooking so I'd not be eating out all week to come, I did some very non frugal things.

A wonderful pedicure. My toes are now "berry dancer" pink and my feet are soft and happy.

That was followed by a great steak dinner. The place has no decor and you get your food at a counter on a tray but they make the best steaks and greek salad.

And then a walk to walk off the dinner.

I had one of these at the spa - it was wonderful and my skin felt so soft after - for days! At the spa I went to this cost me about $60. This was much much cheaper. Bought the moisturizer and scrub on sale for about $6 total but they last for more than one of these.. maybe cost of each in materials is actually $1 and could be less.

Did one myself this morning. A home done body polish - all you need is body scrub and moisturizer - and a working shower - not sure this would be quite the same if you had a bathtub with no shower.

Set the shower going at a warm but not hot temperature. Before I got into the shower I slathered myself with a nice smelling body polish/scrub. All over, pretty much every place I could reach - had fun getting *that* spot on my back!! Remembered my feet.

Then into the shower (carefully as I had slathered feet) to clean it off and shower etc.

After the shower I dried myself off and then slathered myself in some body lotion!

I feel soft right now! I want to do one of these every week - right now I think I'm managing to do about one a week.