Back from travelling & Spa Experiences

Phew...all this travelling has made me tired but the last trip (in Montreal) was very rejuvenating! On the downside, I spent WAY more money than I wanted to, but luckily everything I bought was heavily discounted apart from the products at Kiehl's.

My Montreal trips are usually filled with shopping trips, because where I live they are still pretty behind with a lot of things so I stock up on clothes (end of season), herbs and other new-agey stuff that is not available here.  Breakfast was included with our accommodations and my friend and I were frugal with other meals. We went out one night for a nice dinner which cost about $40Cdn for both of us. It was an indian restaurant and included lots of veggie dishes, rice, naan and dessert. It was worth the money! I also picked up an Eco-Green coupon book for $20 (Similar to the Entertainment Guides but a more new agey version) and included lots of 2/1 restaurant /cafe coupons. I only used 5 coupons during my trip and already got my money back. There are about 10 yoga coupons (free) which I will use when I go back in May.  Since I go there 4-5 times a year and the coupons expire in December, I'll definitely get my money's worth: www.conscienceverte.ca

I also booked two services at a holistic spa and was glad I did. I was still sick with a bad flu when I arrived and the massage I received really made me feel  better. I purchased my services here: www.spaandtravel.com which saved me about $50. I also had a coupon (code: wholelottalove). For example, I got a Warm Honey Jasmine Wrap which they list for $75 on their website. On Spaandtravel.com it's $60 and with my coupon code I saved another 15%. I saved about $30 on the service. If you rate your experience, you get another $5 coupon! Also try www.wayspa.com for more spas. Since I enjoyed my honey wrap so much, I am in the midst of creating a concoction similar to it and will post the recipe when I've perfected it. In the meantime, here is a nice Chocolate Body Scrub recipe:

Chocolate Body Scrub

Mix together:
1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup white or cane sugar, 1/2 cup canola oil & 1/4 cup cocoa (organic if you have it on hand). Scrub  your body and rinse well. 

I got a free facial at Kiehl's (www.kielhs.com) (we all know they do this to sell products) but I was surprised that they didn't push me into buying anything. I loved the men's scrub, foaming face wash and some eye concentrate so much that I did splurge. Because they knew I had a limited budget and that I expressed interest in other products I couldn't afford, the woman threw in tons of samples for me, one which is an eye cream I liked. She told me to poke a hole in the sample pack, use a tiny bit and it should last me a year!! I wanted to get something for my friend's birthday but really all I could afford was the small tube of handcream...the woman again threw in tons of samples for my friend of other expensive products I was looking at for her and wrapped it all beautifully in a box. So for the $15 I spent on the handcream, she's getting tons of goodies! I was pleased :)

Since there are no fashionable men's clothes in my city, I shop for my sweetie too. I ended up at Mexx and they had 75% off  alot of their winter clothes. I purchased two pairs of pants and a shirt for him. I also ended up at Banana Republic and bought three things for $30!! A tie that had been marked down from $75 to $9.99 and two white t-shirts for $20. My sweetie keeps his clothes a long time so I always buy quality stuff that is heavily discounted. He was so thrilled and loved everything. I must admit, I prefer shopping for men's clothes than women's!

On a good note, I am now earning twice the money i used to make as my job hired me on separate from the temp agency till the end of July. So with all that money I spent, I should be able to pay off my credit card bill with one cheque, so things could be worse!

So being  back home, I am tightening my belt. My boss is gone for a week so I am getting extra hours as well. I purchased a transit pass so I don't have to limit my bus trips as well.

Stay tuned for more :)

0 Comments

Kiehl's Facial Fuel Energizing Scrub

Kiehl's Facial Fuel Energizing Scrub

Eco-Green Coupon Book for Montreal

Eco-Green Coupon Book for Montreal