Paid off my car and other life blurbs

This past weekend I tried this recipe I found on Pinterest. I omitted the stuffing and added potatoes and yellow pepper. It turned out amazing!! So tender and the pepper added that little kick of sweetness. I made a bunch more today as well! 

I also made some banana bread and these muffins, and these cookies.The banana bread was quite bland I'm afraid, but the muffins were ok, and the cookies were fantastic!  Here's a little baking secret I learned from Pinterest (of course).

That's right. Marshmallows in my brown sugar. It keeps it from going hard! I had tried buying one of those little clay disks from the bulk store but it didn't seem to work for me. I've had these in there for awhile now and its still soft. 

The other day after work I decided to head to Marshalls to see if there was any good deals. Here's what I ended up with:

Those jeans are Seven for all Mankind ($29.99!!). I was actually looking for mint jeans for the summer and this brand fits so well! Then I got that striped top which was on sale for $19. The little cuff part on the sleeve there is actually almost like a leather material which is what drew me to it, because its got the two different textures.

Another thing I wanted to show you is my new favourite snack:

They are so super addicting and not that many calories! Try them out, you won't be sorry. 

And the biggest news of today is that I have paid off my car!! WOOHOO. This means I am completely debt free right now. And I plan to stay that way until I can buy a house, which wont be for a few years still. It feels so good knowing that you don't owe anything to anybody. Tonight I'm going to a nearby town to visit my friend and go out for dinner. We haven't seen each other for a few months so it will be nice to see her and her little girls, and it will be a celebratory dinner for myself, so I can't wait!

Old Navy fashion

As I previously mentioned in this post, I've got $30 in Old Navy cash to use on a $75+ purchase. It has to be used by Feb 6th. This week I am off Mon and Wed so I've got to go one of those two days. I've been looking at the website to get some idea of what I might want and here are a few contenders:

Key Print Crepe Blouse $20

Striped Chiffon Blouse $27

Blazer $39.94

Polka dot chiffon shirt dress $25

Pin-dot chambray dress $25

What's your favourite?

Thursday Thoughts

Well big news folks. I finally, at the age of 26 got a copy of my credit report. I found out you can call Equifax Canada and request it through at automated system without even having to talk to anyone! It was super easy and it came in a few days. And everything looks good. So then I decided to go online and get my credit score. Too bad you can't just get your SCORE. You can only get your credit report AND score together for $23.95. So what's the point of getting your free credit score, if you have to then pay just to see it again?! Wasted my time getting it for free then. I checked Equifax and TransUnion and neither site has an option to see your score only. If one knows of some secret way to do this please let me know. LOL

So I've got a big exam this Saturday and I'm feeling a little jittery about it. Here's why: I feel like I should be burying my nose in a book studying. Only thing is, when I look at the exam outline to see whats on it...it's not really like study and memorize type of stuff. It's more about professionalism, how to handle a situation and stuff I encounter in the workplace everyday. But I still feel like I should be studying. Ugh....

Today after work I went to Marshalls because I needed new bras. Since losing 20 lbs, they just don't fit the same anymore. I ended up getting 3 bras including a Tommy Hilfiger, a Calvin Klein and one other cheaper brand. All were under $17! Then I ended up getting some body stuff.

I needed a new hand cream to carry around anyways and for $3 I figured what the hell. Also, I've never been to Maui but I figure it would smell like that body butter! It's called Pineapple and Orange Macadamia. It smells heavenly.

The other day I got my "August" glossy box (arriving in Sept). It is my last one as I have cancelled the subscription. One of the main reasons that I cancelled was because they were always late. I also have so many of these beauty box items that it's a little out of control seeing as there's only been a few that I've actually used up! I'll do a post on this one soon.

They are changing our pay periods at work which is a little inconvenience. Basically I have no idea why but we are getting a one week pay check and then another one two weeks after that. So our pay periods are basically on opposite weeks of what they were. So tomorrow I'm getting a pay check for ONE weeks pay which has to last me TWO weeks. I do still have money left over from the last pay which is good though. But I can't decide if I want to just put that towards my car loan or save it incase I need it in the next two weeks. Ever since I started putting extra money towards that loan, it's making me more and more motivated to just pay it off! I can't wait to be able to say that I am truly debt free!!!

Shopping in Portugal

Being a typical girl, one thing I love to hear about other people's vacations is how the shopping was, so I had to do a post dedicated to the topic for you guys. I would say the best thing about the shopping in Portugal was that the tax is already included in the price.

This is a design of a table runner. I saw it at the farmers market but didn't buy it at first. Then I went back and found it later. It was 20 euros.

These are a bunch of cards with random pictures on them that represent the food, flowers, craftsmanship etc of the Acores. There are 17 in the package. You are actually supposed to cut them out and make a mobile, lol but I'm definitely going to frame them all instead. It was about 8 euros for the pack. 

Little elephant tray. I like to collect little trays and bowls to keep jewelry in. This was 4.50 euros. It is handmade. 

I am constantly seeing white lace-y shorts all over Pinterest lately. These are my version! They are more like a denim short and the front is more like a crocheted material and there is also some on the back pockets. They are from this awesome store called Stradivarius. They were 12.99 euros.

I also got 2 tops from Zara for 9.99 euros each. We do of course have Zara here in Canada but I have only been once and from what I remember it seemed a little pricey. Comparable tops I found on the website were in the $30 range. My cousin and I were talking about it and she said (what I was already thinking) that their prices are better there, even with the exchange because everything is European made. 

I also got this purse at Mango. Again, we have this store in Canada too, although I have never been to one here. Same as Zara, prices seem to be cheaper there. I got this purse for 36 euros. Remember thats tax included. I found it online and the Canadian price is $59.99, and thats without tax!

Hope you guys enjoyed the post, let me know what you think!

Shopping Ban is Over

So it is now April and my shopping ban is over. My course is finished (well the exam is in a week and a half) and I am allowed to shop again, and in fact I have! At first I was going to wait until after the exam, but as the time got closer I couldn't wait.

My thoughts? Well, I imposed this shopping ban on myself as a way to hopefully spend less in general, and think about my spending habits and where my priorities are as far as spending goes.

As far as general spending, I think I made up for not buying clothes by buying concert tickets! I think the memories and experience of that will be worth more than clothes ever could be, so for that I don't feel too bad about it.

Towards the end (like the last month) I was just jones-in to go clothes shopping. I think a big part of that was the fact that its getting nicer out and so I started thinking of summer and summer clothes.

One thing I really had no problem with and didn't crave was buying makeup. I have really learned that I have more than enough makeup, and there is a few main things that I really gravitate to these days so I really don't need more. I am not as adventurous with my makeup as I used to be.

In the last week or so I have bought some new clothes that I really like, so I'm going to take some pics (thinking about doing some outfit pics) and will show you in the next post!

1 Christmas present down!

So I've decided that this year for the sake of not fighting the crowds and just general convenience I am going to attempt to do most, if not all of my Christmas shopping online.

The first and only present I have bought so far is for one of my best friends and her boyfriend. These two are serious wine lovers. Their facebooks are full of pictures of the two of them drinking wine, whether they are out for dinner or hosting a dinner party in their condo.

I decided to get them personalized wine glass charms off of Etsy.


I was thinking about it for awhile and then I noticed that seller was having a promotion. I think it was 15% off or something. Anyways they are sterling silver and the total including shipping was about $23.00.

For my dad I'm thinking a season of his favourite show, for my sister I will probably get her some cds/dvds/books as that is usually what she wants. (I've got to get her to make a list). For my best friend and my mom I have no idea yet. I am planning to use my $40 in gift codes to Amazon.com from Swagbucks. One thing I did not realize was there is no free shipping to Canada from amazon.com. Next time I will redeem for Amazon.ca for sure!!

Weekend recap..

So this weekend ended up being pretty fun. I went shopping in a nearby city that I haven't been to for almost a year. I mostly went because I wanted to go to the store Forever 21. This store is insane! Its so huge that I was in there for almost 2 hours I think. I went to the changerooms twice with heaps of clothing. Then after I decided what clothes to get I had to look at the accessories! The only thing that annoys me about this store is that they don't really offer to come and start you a change room. Nothing annoys me more than when I have so much stuff in my arms that it becomes almost impossible to keep looking at stuff, and they do not offer to take it off your hands! Anyways it ended up being one of those days where everything looked amazing until I put it on! I was sort of keeping an eye out for a dress for my friends wedding in August but didn't see anything. I also wanted to get some cute dressy tops. I only ended up with one of those but I did get a few tshirts and tank tops for like $4.50 to $6.50 each! I mean when its that cheap you can't help but stock up a little. I also got a cardigan, because I wear them all the time.

Saturday night I went to my friends Stag and doe in a nearby town and it ended up being a lot of fun. There wasn't even that many people ( at least compared to other ones I've been to) but they made quite a bit of money because there was a lot of games and draws for different prizes. It was a great party which leaves me looking forward to the wedding because I know it will be a great party as well!

On the financial front, I got my $100 HST rebate, so that was some unexpected money for sure. Also, I redeemed some Swagbucks for another $10 of Amazon.com gift cards, and I made $20 selling some unused makeup at a forum.

Officially Started Christmas Shopping

Well, Christmas is getting so close, its going to be here before I know it. I am feeling the pressure to get my shopping done. I am not really a fan of huge crowds so I really should not have left it until now. But I didn't know what to get anybody. But, so far I have come up with ideas for two members of my family and I am almost done shopping for one of them.

For my sisters I thought to get her some sweaters. I am always catching her wearing mine, and she always says she hardly has any! So I thought to myself, I need to get her some! I went to the mall the other day to Aeropostale, where all the sweaters were 50% off and I got her a pink zip up hoodie. It was regular $44.50 so I got it for $22.25. Not bad! I plan to get her atleast one more, and then maybe a cd or something also. She is a big music fanatic and always has a list of cd's she wants for Christmas.

Now onto my father. Lately he has been listening to my ipod a lot, and bugging me to charge it when the battery dies. He doesn't know the first thing about computers. I mentioned the idea to my mom of her and I splitting the cost of one for him. The nano's are only about $150 to $160 now so if I split it with my mom it's not bad. I could pre-load it with some songs from his favourite bands for him, and both my sister and I could charge it for him because we both have ipods. It did occur to me to get maybe a different kind of MP3 player, one thats cheaper but an ipod just seems easier because both my sister and I have one so we are familiar with using them and knowing the software etc. I'm hoping the go on sale sometime soon!!

P.S. I've started working on my presents for my co-workers, I am going with the charm idea. They are turning out really nicely and I am proud of them! I'll post pics once they are done.

I <3 Costco :)

Every time I get my American Express bill in the mail, there is usually some coupons with it. I never really paid too much attention to them, until now. My latest bill had a Costco coupon, where if you signed up for a new membership ($55) you get a $10 cash card. This was enough to entice me! lol

My mom has had a membership for quite a few years and whenever I have gone with her I have always been kind of fascinated with that place. Its so big that when I first walk in I don't know where to go first! It's kind of overwhelming!

Anyways I went today after dinner and got a membership then we did some shopping. They had some great deals for Tommy Hilfiger jeans for $30 and Gasoline jeans for $20-$30, I can't remember. And the books are also a great deal.

I only bought one thing, a pair of Roots Active pants for $19.99!! I couldn't believe it. I already have a pair, which I bought at Winners for $30. And I love them! They are super comfy. So when I saw the table full of them I was lured in. They usually retail for about $60 at Roots so it was definately a great price.

I also got gas there. The rumor was that their gas runs about 4-5 cents cheaper than other places. Well today it was only 2 cents cheaper, which was ok. But you can only use debit or American Express, no cash. I can see how it could amount to substantial savings over a long term period, but with a car like mine that is super good on gas to begin with, I can't see it making that big of a difference. So I wouldn't really go out of my way to go to Costco for gas, but definately will stop in when I am in the area.

An Imaginary Shopping Spree

One of my favourite things to do while bored is to window shop online. I love going to various sites and see what I would buy if I had the money. Today I checked out Talbots.com. I think I might of heard of this place once before, but have never been to their website. This isnt really the type of place I would normally shop, as the prices are much higher than what I am normally willing to pay. But hey, this is imaginary right?

If I had a $500 gift card for Talbots, here are some ideas of what I would get:

Belted Plaid Coat - $269.00
I love coats that are bold and make somewhat of a statement. It's really classic and definately something I would wear.
Cashmere V-neck sweater $149.00
I've never owned anything cashmere but I think I should make it a goal to own a cashmere sweater one day.


Tweed Satchel $99
I just think this purse is super cute and love how its a different texture than what most people are carrying around.

If you like fashion blogs, check out RedChairConfessions.com, a trendy new blog from Talbots!

Ok so..I think I have gone over $500.00 with only 3 items! Like I said, I don't really spend this much money on clothes, but sometimes it's fun to think about what you would buy if you could.

Latest thrifting finds..

Yesterday I went to my local Value Village. Sometimes I like to go there when I am bored, its like hunting for treasure.. :)
Anyways I managed to snag a book on my "Books to read" list. It's called My Horizontal Life: A collection of One Night Stands by Chelsea Handler. I've started reading it and it's quite hilarious. That was $3.99


And now for the best part...I found a COACH purse! Yes you heard me. I am not really a designer purse fanatic but I think it's real. It looks real to me, anyway. It has a little stamp inside that says it's authentic...but who knows. It was also only $3.99!! I didn't really NEED a new purse, seeing as I just bought one when I was on vacation. But I could not turn down a deal such as this one. This can be my new go-to purse when I'm going somewhere fancy and don't wanna have a big purse but just want something small, and it goes with everything.

More Thrifting

Yesterday it was half price day at Goodwill. I went over in search of books, because I currently don't have anything to read and am trying not to buy brand new books anymore. I also looked at clothes, but those are harder to find, because it's hard to find something you really like, thats in great condition, AND in your size! It's like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Anyways I did manage to find 2 books I wanted:

Summer Sisters by Judy Blume


The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom (I have heard so many great things about this book, and it's been on my list of books to read for awhile!)

So I spent $2.49 total for both books, not bad!

Another Thrifty Day!

After my visit to Goodwill yesterday I was feeling thrifty again today so I headed over to the local Value Village. The one here is really big. Its at least 3-4 times bigger than the Goodwill, you could spend hours in it. I have never bought used clothing before, but lately I have been thinking why not? I thought it couldn't hurt to atleast check it out, you never know what you will find.

I was mainly looking for brands of clothing that I would not normally purchase brand new because of the high price. I mean, I am not going to buy a used shirt that came from Walmart, that could be anywhere from like $4-$7 when you can get it brand new for a few bucks more. I found a lot of great brand name items like Tommy Hilfiger and Guess jeans, or Abercrombie and Hollister shirts. I ended up getting a pair of shorts that were originally from American Eagle, for $5.99!! They fit perfect and are very comfortable.

Another reason I wanted to check this place out was for books! I ended up getting a book by Donald Trump called Think Like a Billionaire for $5.99 and a novel called See Jane Run by Joy Fielding for $3.99. Some of the book prices there seem a little pricey to me for a used book, but it's still considerably cheaper than buying them new.

Afterwards I noticed another book store in the same plaza that I didn't know about! I think it might be new. Anyways it was a used book store, similar to another one I like to go to, where you take your old books and get store credit. This one is closer to me and a lot nicer and I am thinking I might start going to this one regularly as well. It even had a nice little area with leather armchairs where you can sit and read!

I've decided I need to stop buying books brand new. Not that I buy a lot of them, but I think I should make a rule for myself to stop altogether! I mean, there are so many ways to get great used books for so much cheaper, there really is no reason to buy new ones.

Tomorrow I probably won't go anywhere since it's a holiday and mostly everything will be closed. I think I might try to clean up my room, or go for a nice walk if the weather permits. So far this weekend has been pretty cold, so I am crossing my fingers for tomorrow.

Goodwill Hunting

I was feeling rather thrifty today, so I decided to head over to the local Goodwill store. Sometimes I like to go to these types of places just to see what kind of treasures I can find, plus it's a good place to get cheap used books.

I didn't really find any books of interest, but I did find a cute little gem of a notebook!



It's a cute little Hello Kitty book! And the little pink sheet on the side there is a set of stickers.

This is what the pages inside look like. Cute, isn't it? At $0.49 I couldn't resist!

I ♥Jugo Juice!!

So in the mall here we have a Jugo Juice. I was never really into it, in fact I've only tried it once before this weekend. Well yesterday I was at the mall shopping, and thought I would try it again. I saw a sign for a new drink called Midnight Mango and thought I would check it out. TO DIE FOR. Omg..soooo good. Its made with mango, blueberries, blackberries, cranberry juice and apple juice. Doesn't that sound delicious?
I went to the website to find a pic, and got some nutritional info. It's got almost 300 calories, which sucks but it also has over 5 servings of real fruit so I guess thats good. Its also got tons of Vitamin C. And I love it. I will definately be inclined to go to this place more often when I am in the mall and I recommend it for you all to try!

Speaking of the mall, I spent quite a bit of money this weekend. I was looking for something new to wear for my friends birthday coming up, plus the warm weather we have been having lately got me in the mood to buy some summer clothes! I spent about $200 on clothes which is definately over my monthly budget but hey, it's not like I am spending money like this a lot, so I don't feel to guilty about it.

I have to mention I am doing really well this month with bringing my lunches to work. Its funny how when I don't officially make it a goal to bring my lunch x number of times, I end up doing it more than I ever have! Weird.

The Purse I Almost Bought

Yesterday I was out shopping at Winners and I spotted a really nice purse. It was by Jessica Simpson and it cost $59.99. I fawned over this purse for so long and I even put it in my cart so that nobody else would pick it up. It was really nice, the type of style that I like, big enough to hold lots of stuff but not so big that its like a suitcase.

I didn't get it. Can I afford $59.99 for a purse? Yes considering I have been using the same purse for over a year, so it's not like I am out buying expensive purses all the time. (Plus it is regular $88) Have I ever spent that much on a purse before? NO. I think that is the main reason why I didn't get it. It works that way no matter what I want to buy...if I have never spent that much on that particular type of item before, I feel like I'm spending sooo much.

I am still thinking about that purse. LOL. I decided that since I'm almost done paying my OSAP, I am going to treat myself after that is done. I will get myself a really nice purse or like a really nice pair of jeans or something, as a treat to myself for getting out of debt! I personally think I will deserve to treat myself to something really nice then!

Oh..p.s...I also discovered Fendi sunglasses....can't afford the $100 they cost at Winners but oh they are to.die. for. ♥

I ♥ MAC Lipglass

Ok, so the $82 I spent on makeup mentioned in my December Expenses post? That was because I ordered a few things from MAC. I had not gotten anything from there in awhile, and since they were having a 25% off sale on their holiday stuff, I decided to place an order. By the way, they never have sales. So it was a big deal.

So I ordered:
1. Dame Edna lipstick in kanga-rouge (awesome colour!!)

2. Little Darlings 5 warm pigments set

3. Little Darlings 5 pink lipglass/lustreglass set

(couldn't get pics of those cause they are no longer available on the site, and I lost the cord for my camera to connect it to my computer)

I've never actually tried the lipglass before ( I know, I'm way behind here). I would test colours on my hand but it always seemed too sticky for me. Well turns out I love them!!! The lustreglass is also great but I like the lipglass a little more. I will definately be getting more of them in the future.

Finished Christmas shopping..

Yesterday I went out to Walmart to finish my Christmas shopping. I had to get my parent's presents, and I knew exactly what I wanted. I was really hoping I could find them at Walmart because otherwise I would have to drive to the mall on the other end of town, and I really didn't want to do that.

I ended up finding everything I wanted, so I was totally relieved that I didn't have to drive up to the mall. I ended up spending about $170.00 and that concluded my Christmas shopping. I used my new American Express Air Miles credit card, which I used for all my Christmas shopping this year. In total I spent about $265.00 on Christmas presents, for 5 people. This works out to be 13 air miles, since it's 1 air mile for every $20 spent. And the best part is, I already had this money set aside to spend, so no worrying about how I will pay that bill. YAY ME :)

A Small Christmas List..

So I finally came up with a small Christmas List to give my mom. While I was at the mall doing some shopping yesterday I was looking at boots, and decided I would like a new pair. So I found a few pictures online, from stores in the mall and printed them out to give to her. I found three for her to choose from, I figured I would give her a bit of a price range, and some she may not be able to find.

$79.99 from Spring. These are my faves I think.
$69.99 from Spring

$59.99 from Sterling

Then I also found this cardigan from the Gap called the Wintersoft Cardigan....it looks sooo soft and warm. :) It said it was regular $48.00 on sale for $33.00 but who really knows once you get to the store..Plus I think that might be american pricing...oh well.

All I want for Christmas is..

Nothing really!!
This is the first Christmas where I really can't make a list of things I want! No matter how much I think about it, I can't really think of any particular items that I want. The only thing I really want is car. But my parents definately can't afford that. :S
I asked for a MAC gift card, there is a certain upcoming collection I am excited about. I also asked for some pyjama pants and mentioned I wouldn't mind the new Taylor Swift cd. Other than that, I think I would rather just get gift cards for stores I like! When it comes to things like clothing/accesories etc, I would rather pick it out myself. Plus I live with my parents, so I don't need any household type things or anything like that.
This year has gone by so fast, and I can't believe that Christmas is only a few weeks away. I really don't feel Christmas-y this year! I guess the fact that I can't really think of what I want, contributes to why I don't feel really excited. I guess it's just part of growing up....

What about you guys? Does your christmas list keep getting smaller as you get older?