Recovering
Wednesday, November 18, 2009 | By pamphyila
Got over what I think was the flu & then caught what seems to be a cold. Bummer. Taking my Chinese Jade screen pills with astralagus - good for the immune system...Plus the ginseng I usually take and LOTS of vitamin C. My body is just eating it up. (You will see it in bright yellow urine if it's not, forgive me for being indelicate...)
Stopped at out favorite Sta. Paula Goodwill - in addition to ANOTHER new Goodwill in Moorpark & found things on the dollar rack - including a nice salmon colored golf shirt for hubby. I have some pants hubby urged me to buy - which I haven't tried on yet - but they were on the dollar rack, too. I also got some lovely Clark slipons in a blood red leather for $3 - and in Sta. Paula I found gold flats and some nice golden leather loafers. (They had damage at the heel - so I glued down the leather rip and then colored the worn areas on the heels with colored eyeshadow of the right golden color. Worked fine.) Also picked up lots of $.50 paperback mysteries in Sta. Paula.
Hubby is pleased with our $500 Thunderbird - which seems to be running fine. Maybe we lucked out. I am sure we could now sell it for more than we paid for it & invested in it to clean it up. The old truck is being recycled/sold to a friend who needs transport and only drives locally up in Ojai.
Found a great bargain site - www.dollarextreme.com - where they have gadgets for under $2 with free shipping. Great for gifts. They even sell some jewelry - so I spent some of my PayPal $ on a ring for under $3 - we will see how it works out. Had my Pinecone research $ transferred to my PayPal account - They said so many checks were being STOLEN that they couldn't take responsibility for them, so this is the better way, and very FAST. I got my $3 for the survey within days in my PayPal account - which is linked to a PayPal Mastercard, which makes it very easy to pay for things on the net....I also have my little Associated Content royalties paid into my PayPal account - It's all pin money for me. (The dollarextreme referral came from www.wisebread.com - which is a great source for frugal inspiration.)
Hubby found a whole chicken for $3 which we cooked all day in the big new vintage stainless steel pot I found last weekend. Added rosemary - yummy. Lots of soup left to eat. Oh, also picked up a slew of spoons at Sta. Paula - because I am so tired of us running out of them between dishwashings! They are mismatched stainless steel - but who cares? I don't think anything but my dress silverware has ever really matched! As long as it sort of coordinates. Same with my dishes.
Oh - yesterday I also download CC cleaner - a FREE registry cleaner - as I am trying to clean up my relatively old computer to make it run faster. Also defragmented the hard drive and got rid of old cookies and my web history. It is a bit faster now.
So that's the update. I am still under the weather and watching movies etc. on TV. Not even knitting - altho my buddy Eldon has found a lot more yarn for me, which I am looking forward to! But the rest was probably good for my wrists, which were a bit overworked. Also made 2 rings out of black rubber Halloween rings I got for practically nothing at a yard sale - and shaved off the top and then inserted a single pierced earring I had - and taped the back shut with black tape. So now I have 2 black pinkie rings - one with a amethyst stone - the other a red stone. The amethyst one is particularly nice. A nice use for orphan pierced earrings! Especially when fashion rings cost $7 to $10 for plastic ones at the stores.
Oh, I did pick up a nice large brass fashion ring at the Farmer's Mkt. for $5 - and I saw in Ojai that the rayon shawl I had picked up for a dollar or 2 actually cost $16 retail! That's why I have my bargain scarf and shawl collection! Wore several of the checked ones I had gotten at the dollar store last weekend to coordinate my outfits. Also found a $4 grey/blue fleece jacket with a zip down the front in Sta. Paula - which is perfect for the boat. It was chilly up there last weekend. But we do love to get away...
Signing off - We picked up cranberry jelly and stuffing mix at the Dollar Tree for when we cook our turkey - but we may just go to a restaurant this year....
It is beginning to be the holiday season - no? But no Black Friday here! And you?
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A Nite Out
Wednesday, November 11, 2009 | By pamphyila
Had a sortta business networking cocktail party last night & went out with hubby. It was fun to go to a place we hadn't been to before - very classy - & we parked around the corner on a surface street rather than valet park (the car probably ended up in the same place, anyway - as valets usually just park in the neighborhood!)
It has been fun dressing up & dolling up - just to show hubby & myself that I still know how to DO it. Resurrected a batik jacket of mine, added the new jeans I had bought last season for practically nothing - added my silver jewelry, and a light yellow sweater tunic underneath, and wore my "new" thriftshop leather shoes - A nice ensemble if I do say so myself - my uniform = a nice jacket/jeans (or nice slacks) + a top + a scarf + my good jewelry. Works almost every time.
Used the new mascara that I had somehow gotten in the mail from L'Oreal along with a full size eye cream! My oh my, these new mascaras DO lengthen & don't clump! I have to say, I was impressed with this Telescopic Explosion mascara - it DID noticeably lengthen. (This is one of the freebie mascaras I have snagged recently - I also have Cover Girl & even a small Chanel...) The cosmetic cos. seem to be giving away LOTS of great samples! I also have a full-size Olay 2X moisturizer, and some Clearasil sensitive face wash....not to mention the little packets that arrive...
I also have a TON of magazines! I have never had so many in my LIFE & they are all FREEBIES, too!
Back to our evening. It is nice to get dressed up and go out - and all things considered the evening wasn't TOO expensive. I stuck to light beer - but $7 each? (Hubby remarked that you could buy a 6-pack for that!) But all the other drinks were worse - But I wasn't there to drink....
I spend a lot of my time nowadays in my old comfy jeans & tshirts or sweatshirts here at the 'puter...So It's nice to remind myself & hubby that I still clean up nicely! And a change from the routine...Mix it all up occasionally, I say! Even that can be done more or less on a budget!
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One More Postwkend Update
Monday, November 09, 2009 | By pamphyila
Hubby & I had recovered enuf from the flu to spend a night at the boat on Sat. night. Yeah! Still gargling with hot salt H2o & tking a LOT of Vit. C....Gotta totally lick this thing...
We stopped off at what I call the "old ladies thrift shop" in Camarillo - that supports a senior meal program - & has senior donors. No yarn - which is what I was looking for - but found a brand new white cotton spa robe in a big size which fit Hubby, I always grab those, & he does need a new one. And I also found a large vintage Revereware stainless steel stew pot with lid for $4.50! We are making lots of soupy things now that it's cooler - & this pot is perfect. Using it to make turkey soup right now. (Add cider vinegar + salt to bones/carcass to start off a nice frugal & yummy stock...& cook & cook & cook....) And I snagged a whole bunch of $.50 classic murder mysteries, my secret failing...There was one Chico's ensemble that tempted me, but I was trying to stay with the budget. Now I am still thinking about it! But I did get a Liz Claiborne hot pink cotton top & a light yellow sweater tunic, both $1 each + a pr. of vintage earrings with mother of pearl chunks for $2....We also stopped into the Dollar Tree & I got hubby some of his non-Alcohol cough medicine (he's been coughing, me not) - and various sorts of glue to fix everything, and throat drops & 10 relaxation CDs they have as extra Xmas gifties (Very nice music & I had to grab them, as they tend to go fast). Some folks will get CD + scarf....
Proud of myself that I embellished a "jelly" ring (of the same material as all those bracelets) with a little orphan single blue gem stud that I had been given. I poked a hole through the material, & bent the prong to hold it to the ring & it's fairly sturdy. Now that I look at the stone closely, I think it could be a tiny opal (I had thought it was a turquoise)...If I could figure out how to get more rings like that, perhaps I could do the same for my other studs which I received at the same time...I like the contrast between the gem stone & the "rubber" of the ring...
Also want to glue the art glass stone back to the ring blank. I have another one - & perhaps I can manage to glue another art glass piece I have to another ring...It's feeding my ring mania - as I have taken up the style of wearing multiple rings...& you have to have larger sizes or adjustable sizes to wear on fingers other than the ring fingers...Bought one for $3 next door to the thrift shop - wonder if I paid too much! They had the rings I had gotten at the Oriental bargain store in Sta. Paula for $7 & mine were only $.99....It's ok if they are base metal, because I won't wear them all the time, unlike my other rings - which have to be sterling or stainless steel...
Speaking of vintage - much to our surprise, our "$500" car is turning out very WELL. Hubby worked on the exterior & detailed the interior & touched up the paint job and so on & I can't believe the results! Runs pretty well, too - rough at the beginning, but I don't think it had been driven in a while & there was gunk in the works, which seems to have burned out...It's an 80's Tbird with some sportscar still in it (do they still make Tbirds?) & it turns out that there is a reverse "cachet" in having an almost vintage Tbird (another 10 years & it will really be a classic!) Hubby loves the car, as it has a big engine & it reminds him of his sportscar bachelor days. Good. I like to see him happy. And me? I am simply astounded that the thing cleaned up that well (it was grodie when we got it.) And it's a nice looking car. Whew, they made them sturdy then - real steel..Makes you realize the changes we have gone through since the 80's - That was the tail end of true American craftsmanship, I think....(which makes me think back to the stainless steel soup pot - probably from the 50's or 60's & made to LAST.)
What we have seen - If I get cooked by solar radiation in 2012, I will have lived a full life (although I would prefer that the calendar just coils back on itself & any changes are on a spiritual plane!)
How are you guys? It's always nice when you check in.
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Tking Care of Health Biz, etc.
Monday, November 02, 2009 | By pamphyila
Hubby & I are slightly ailing - so we are taking all of our resistance nostrums - that is, Wellness vitamins(using the leftover drops I got once by accident) - lots of Vit. C - and ginseng, astralagus and so on. I even took some the Chinese Gan Mao Ling remedy (which is for colds that begin in the throat - it's so inexpensive - but strong, so I save it against the time I need it) and Echinechea and Goldenseal! And I am also gargling with hot salt water for my scratchy throat. And we are resting a lot. Especially in the flu season we need to take care - Although at 50+ I think I have had all the flu bugs going around - We have them every winter! So at least we have probably developed immunity....
There are so many mechanical ways to deal with flu symptoms, too - you can clear your lungs with a tea made up of Chinese Five Spice seasoning from the grocery store plus thyme - serve hot with honey (honey also has antiseptic qualities). That will serve to break up the mucous in your lungs and help you to expel it. You can also inhale steam - I have a facial steamer I picked up at a yard sale for that - but you can also just breathe in the steam from a mug of hot tea - or put your head under a towel over a steaming wash basin of water, and inhale the steam. It's sort of a diy nebulizer. Allergy sufferers will know what I mean.
Keep on taking your vitamins - the B's and all - and eat regularly and well and sleep enough - all to keep the system up and running in a healthy way.
Knitting away - mixing the cheap dollar store yard with my thriftshop wools and so on. Thinking about getting a Knifty Knitter for hats - Have any of you used one? And what size? I don't need the set of 3 - because I rarely knit for babies! But my baby "blanket" is done - I do hpe everyone likes the scarves they are going to get!
All for now - going for a nap....See ya...
/+-+
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Wkend Shopping
Monday, October 26, 2009 | By pamphyila
Turns out I rarely do any shopping except on the weekends with hubby - so it does look as if I am going a bit mad buying stuff - but I suppose when you balance that out with not spending ANY money during the week (not even for Starbucks or fast food drinks!) that it all evens out.
We stopped off in at a NEW Goodwill on the way to the boat - and I landed a nice tweedy cotton sweater - perfect for fall in So. Cal for 99 Cents - and a fab wool vest with fox-like fur trim for $3.99 I think and a basket and some crewel yarn and a few books - for about $10! The Dollar Tree had more of the long scarves in black and white, which I got and spot remover -
In Sta. Paula I remembered that what I call the Oriental Bargain Store has bargain yarn - and I bought $20 worth (at $1 a skein) - Utilitarian - but nice and the price was RIGHT. My buddy has asked me to make a baby blanket as a gift for a couple we know - so I was glad to get more acrylic yarn in the right colors for that project. Also picked up some lavender yarn at the 99 Cent Store - along with MORE scarves! And I got more books at the Sta. Paula Goodwill - I just looked at the categories I needed and nowhere else not to be tempted! - so I was very good.
Found a lovely vintage wool sweater at the new Goodwill for $1 - which was too SMALL for me - but I will mend it and put it in the winter things to sell to the vintage store. Should be able to make $ on it.....
And of course, eventually the books can be recycled at Bart's Books in Ojai....So it's OK if I spent $1 for some....
Bought a thrifty book at Goodwill to give myself inspiration. That's how I initially honed my pennypinching skills - having first learned some basics from my mother - I then really made a study of pennypinching literature! My favorite book was HOW TO LIVE ON NOTHING - which seemed to have been written in the 40's in a sort of "back to the country" movement - I like the older books because they offer intriguing tips about older ways to save/conserve/repair and so on....Maybe someday I will finally write my own.
I do have better tips on wardrobe than the Yankee thrift book I read through -because I suppose Yankees are not much on style and more on utility! But here in L.A. - one has to be a bargain fashionista to keep up - even with my low profile lifestyle! That's where all the scarves come in...
Oh, I also picked up a burgundy L'Oreal lip gloss at the 99 Cent Store - great on top of my regular lipstick fro Wet N' Wild.
In the mail received some facial wash from Clearasil - which Glamour has asked me to try as part of a beauty panel trial - I am getting products all the time from my panel memberships. If you remember, I received Olay's 2X moisturizer last week and some pricey shampoo, too.
Brought some business magazines to my writing client - and asked him for a scalpel - since he works for some surgeons and has them around - Thought it would be good for tearing apart some sewing projects I have to do.
Also my buddy showed up Friday to help me go through my closets - We actually made some PROGRESS and have a box to recycle - and he took away a bag to give to the Out of the Closet thriftshop around the corner....
So, so far, so good - after registering our bargain Tbird we are broke agin - but my Social Security check is supposed to hit the bank on Wednesday -we will see how prompt they are!
More later - How are you all coping? Hmmm?
P.S. A note on mending jeans. Even though we think of jeans as BLUE, there is often a lot of GREY in that blue, especially when they are worn. When they stretch or have to be mended - the underlying white cotton shows up and highlights the mend - I have found that using GREY washable marker (or even eye shadow) tones down the underlying white to blend in with the rest of the worn denim - and it gradually fades irregularly to blend in even more - masking the mending - You always want your mending to fade into the background as much as possible!
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Anxious - Thrift?
Wednesday, October 21, 2009 | By pamphyila
Ok, this is a confession - I have been finding great bargains - but a few too many, perhaps, recently! We are on the edge financially and waiting for some checks to come it, which will help - and here I am SHOPPING.
I have been using mall walking as a lure for my walking as exercise - and yesterday after I rode along with hubby to the W. side so I could hand in some paperwork from my French commercial job (he was at a W. Side school, working) - I then decided to walk up and down Main Street in Santa Monica - which has a nice upscale shopping area. Actually, I thought everything would be SO expensive that I wouldn't be tempted by anything except what's at the lone church thrift shop - but - alas I found lovely BARGAINS - and bought a lovely heather knit shawl/vest, and a ring with a garnet 1/2 off for $9! I suppose I was a little nuts to get the knitting thing - & I was persuaded by the fact that it HAD BEEN $88(?) The ring was a great deal - the only one there in jewelry & is perfect for wearing on my middle finger - as my new look is sporting multiple silver rings.
So, I was looking great in my thriftshop Polo bright pink top worn with jeans and an ethnic scarf - (& my pink Topsiders) - & I got carried away. Had lots of fun, talked to the shopkeepers and so on - and walked up and down - But, ouch, Pamela. I joked that I will be the best dressed homeless person - not that it's gotten to THAT.
Let's see - I do have an image to maintain as an actress in L.A. and I do have to dress "up" for certain appearances, like the one at the production office on the W. Side. And I DO DO it on the very cheap - But there is so much wardrobe to be gone THROUGH. Waiting on a buddy to help and then will take the vintage to be recycled at a vintage store on Vermont Ave. where I have been going for years. (They said they won't take winter things until after Halloween).
Help! What does one do as a female? You just have to have clothes and so on! I manage to get lots of beauty freebies (just received a month's worth of Olay's 2X moisturizer (@ $30 worth?- from Vocal point) - and I seem to have WON some fancy shampoo from Allure). And I get discount lipstick and other makeup (I also got some Covergirl makeup and mascara - gratis.)
I don't have manicures or pedicures - and I manage to have nice hair without spending a fortune on it a(Hint - I use colored shampoo + conditioner and stock up at the dollar stores when available). I am still working though the moisturizer collection I bought up in Ojai for $9 - & that included 2 lip glosses!
My hair is very long and needs to be cut, but I am thinking of trying to SELL it on the internet - there's a site for that - Why not? I have at least 7" and it's in great shape....Very O'Henry, no?
Used my Associated Content money on Paypal to buy a knitting kit on sale from Lion Brand yarn - Have to write more articles for pin money!
Oh, all this stuff makes me feel good, and since I have a depressive tendency, I veer towards pleasurable enterprises....And I am well dressed and have a yarn stash acquired on the cheap and nice facial products and makeup and...and...Rings on my fingers, if not bells on my toes!
But, I confess that there is a bit of bravado in the face of being strapped, which is counter -intuitive, since I should be avoiding ANY purchases, bargains or not - but don't you find that when your purse is the slimmest that the BEST bargains pop up? (I found nearly new Talbot's loafers at the thrift shop for $6! such a nice buttery color - after I got them hubby noticed wear on the toe (?) - but I fixed that up with an application of my yellow coverup stick! - You can use makeup on shoes, too! And looking them up on line - I found they would have been $99!!) My weakness -
I did phone hubby to see if any purchases were permitted - (which they were) - And I DID get a nice walk out of the shopping expedition - It seems when I have worked and made some money, I feel I have the right to spend some - I did the same thing last year with a stylish print chiffon dress - another steal....
Hubby said that would mean we couldn't have dinner out - but I replied that I would much rather have clothes than food - so we went and ate at home - and saw some great horror flicks on TCM - including THE TINGLER, with Vincent Price. Tuesday is old movie night on TCM, and I gorge myself on them - I almost stayed up to see another one, but was just too beat.
Finished an orange scarf last night- using big needles and the advice of a shopkeeper who knits that orange + pink work together - of course! I have SO MUCH orange - so I have to think how to put it to good use....Oh, and a knitting store site said I could just cast on 150 stitches to make a long scarf/shawl laterally - size 15 needles, which I have. I suppose that's my next project!
So bear with me - no saint, I - and you - what's your weakness??
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Broke but happy?
Monday, October 19, 2009 | By pamphyila
We had car troubles this month, which has left us terribly broke. So I found it heartening to be able to waltz into Victoria's Secret with a coupon from their Club Pink and get a pair of deep pink bikini underwear GRATIS. (They were marked $7.50 - imagine.) They had $45 bras, and the other coupon wanted to lure me, as it was $10 off a bra - but even with $10 off they were still TOO expensive. Fun to look, though. And the coupon got me to the mall for my weekly mall walk.
I also bought a knitting kit on sale on line from Lion Brand yarns with the bit of money I had in my PayPal account. I thought I was supposed to get a discount of $25 from the PayPal Buyitnow option - for something else - but ??? Still checking on that. The Buyitnowoption of PayPal is great for grabbing internet bargains - you can just be billed later (when you know you will have the $.)
Made $ on the Fr. commercial I shot Saturday in downtown L.A. - and I brought home some rolls, fruit, and cookies which I didn't eat as a little treat for hubby. (They had lovely craft service catering on site, and I enjoyed a nice hot lunch and lots of coffee.) Waiting for THAT check - have to submit all sorts of paperwork for the French government, so they don't take a third for their taxes....It was a curious pleasure to be able to enjoy a fairly picturesque downtown street in L.A. and be totally relaxed because of the presence of the cops for the shoot, and so on....
Received freebie magazines, vitamin samples and Philosophy samples through the mail this week! Always look forward to the mail nowadays...
Have to rack up some more Paypal $ - Another article about something? Seem to be getting back Associated Content royalty payments??
In the mall we talked with a Cash for Gold vendor at a cart - They are really looking for old gold to melt down & a chain that they had as decoration, would have been almost $500 in the same weight in real gold. They are only paying about $.35 per unit for silver, though...I do have some gold rings, etc. I could recycle if I felt I had to...But one's jewelry is a sort of bank account, as one can always pawn it/sell it. Getting divorced? Pawn those diamonds to get some getaway $.
Hubby is working on our "new to us" 80's Thunderbird he bought from our mechanic for $500. Do you know you can use regular spray paint on CARS? Hubby did that to touch up the trim, and so on (from the $.99 Store, by the way, along with engine/oil additives.) I told him to spray the interior with Febreze to freshen it up - which he did with great effect. The car is almost old enough to be a classic, and so far everything seems to work. Mark replaced a bad speaker in the sound system with one he had found in a thrift store...I have to admit the car was a bit scuzzy when hubby first got it - but now - it's amazing, it looks FINE! And I really would rather drive that on the L.A. freeways than a crackerbox tin little Japanese car that crumples at the first contact. We won't be going far - this is for around town - so mileage isn't paramount here. Think hubby is actually enjoying this renovation!
A colleague of mine seems to think we are a bit mad - I told hubby that and he agreed - we ARE a bit mad. But to quote Quentin Crisp (Saw the flick An Englishman in N.Y. about his last days on cable last night) - if madness is you - it's your style!
And surprisingly the T-bird has a certain retro chic which appeals to me!
Looking forward to my first Social Security check at the end of the month....
How are you all?
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Bacon Bits, etc.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009 | By pamphyila
I joke with my husband that he brings home the bacon and I bring home the bacon BITS. Got published on Associated Content & made some pin $ that went into my PayPal Mastercard - THEN I got an email about a deal for $25 off if you paid with PayPal and used the Bill Me Later Option - So I sprung for a Native American silver ring at Overstock.com - which,with $25 off + free shipping + my Pay Pal $, should only end up being about $3 directly out of pocket. I splurged.
Oh, and hubby and I went to Target to get reimbursed for the item that never made it into our bags. Whew, they had a lot of receipts for similar errors. A whole file of them! Gee, all that lost stuff. At least We got reimbursed with a gift card - so I went right back to the same department and found a similar dress on sale - actually I like it better than the other one I had lost, because this one, while filmy like the other one, has a lining. (Oh, I heard my mother's voice in my head when I found myself telling hubby that.) It 's an autumnal color - and since I lived in So Cal - I will be able to wear it in the coming months.
- That's a shopping tip - look for transitional clothes on the sales racks. A lot of clothes are really not determined by the season - especially if you don't live in a very cold climate! For fall/winter here I can wear lighter weights in dark colors and be just fine. The other day I saw someone walking in the brilliant sunshine in W. Hollywood with some sort of fur around her neck, and October or not - it did look out of place! But then, I rarely find it cold enough here to wear my boots.
I GOT the commercial - so now I am rummaging around for summer clothes to show the stylist. That's one reason my bedroom is jammed with clothes of all sorts! Hubby is happy because I will be bringing in some more $ - bacon chunks, this time! And it justifies my hours at the computer and so on - looking for WORK.
- Received a very generous sample of day cream from Clarins for joining them on Facebook - I sign up for all the panels and so on - as I have gotten some nice products from them - gratis.
- We are doing a lot of car stuff - as our aging cars, well, AGE - and we have traded off the truck to a friend up in Ojai to use, and have bought a VERY cheap little car from our mechanic - that's for my use, although I haven't driven it yet....The Mercury seems to like the transmission goop we put in, and has very few clunks - If the little car doesn't pan out for our use - we know several people who would be happy to buy it. Wouldn't it have been nice to have been able to do the Cash for Clunkers thing - but it, alas, was only for a new car - and we can't really afford those monthly payments right now.
- Found hundreds of dollars worth of yarn at the thrift shops up in Ventura last weekend! So now my yarn stash is renewed at about $.20 on the dollar, Nice stuff, too - better quality than I could otherwise afford - or that's how I justify me buying all those bags of it. Now or never sort of thing.
- Also found hubby some tshirts for $.50 at a sale at one of the old ladies thrift shops. He needed them, as his are getting ratty - and these were just the right size. In addition, found some nice $.25 paperbacks and a $1.25 fashion ring with a glass "stone". They were having a sale!
- Hubby found a practically new Bill Blass golf shirt at the thrift shop in Ojai - and I found more yarn - and at another one at pair of very nice navy knit pants, and a silk scarf and a couple of visors.
I don't feel too guilty about it all, because we do almost all of our shopping at dollar stores and thrift shops, with occasional forays into real stores for sales if there is a coupon. I have a new coupon for a pair of pink underwear from Victoria Secret, of all things - to justify my next mall walk. (The weather here has turned rainy. )Ha! When I told a friend that hubby had grunted at spending $40 - he laughed and said that I had turned hubby into as big a cheapskate as I am! (Well - $40 is NOT what it used to be....)
At least we do most of that sort of shopping at these thrift shops on the weekends - and during the week will only buy food or medicine! One of my new prescriptions has a co-pay of $40, as there is no generic - ugh.
- We also used a coupon for 2 for one iced coffees at McD's - hazelnut - sweet, but nice.
- Another clothes secret - some maternity clothes fit me just fine! I didn't notice that the peasant dress from Target was from a maternity line until I brought it home (I did black out the maternity on the tag, though!) And the navy knit pants had that maternity elastic, too - I find that there are very nice things on the maternity racks sometimes, because there is all this stylish maternity wear - and they have barely been used, too! I am sort of boxy in my physique by nature - never had much of a waist - so things cut for expecting mothers fit me just fine. But don't TELL anyone...
- Exchanged a small pile of newish books at Bart's (the used bookstore in Ojai) for trade credit and received a $9 credit, most of which I immediately spent on their $.50 books. The books I exchanged had been expensive new (one marked $25) - but I hadn't spent that much, as they all came from thrift shops and so on & the $25 one had cost me $.50 - so I got the better part of the deal. Nice to exchange books, as it were - all with NO money and a bit of hunting.
That's all for now folks! No pix because I am at hubby's laptop & no pix there, sorry....
P.S. I think the economy is making everyone cranky - what do you think?
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Comparisons & Deals
Tuesday, October 06, 2009 | By pamphyila
Had a $10 Target gift card, so hubby and I did a mall walk (it was smoky from some brushfires outside anyway...) and I thought I had gotten a tunic which was about $10 off the sale price with the gift card - which made it about $10 - and hubby found $2.99 pillows (elsewhere they had been $7 on sale), so we got 2 new ones- BUT the filmy tunic never made it into the pillow bag - and we never got it! Called Target - luckily we have the receipt - and they say they will make good. We will see....
Found some more thrift shop yarn, and a nice pair of pants for $3. But my odd coup was to make a ring out of a $.25 hoop earring with a dragon fly on it - it was made of silver wire, so I bent it around my finger & broke off the part that goes in your ear. Very cute. And it fits on the middle finger where I want to wear it... Gee, the plastic rings like the one I got at one of my Oriental cheapie bargain stores for $1 cost TEN DOLLARS at Target!!?? And the silver-toned long chain necklace I bought for $2 at the thriftshop cost almost $20 at Target, too - and mine is of a better quality. (But another silver wire ring flipped away when I took it off my finger last night before knitting, and I CAN'T FIND it! I did find my blue plastic watch I had gotten for $1 - similar ones in Target were $12.)
Another find - a woolen/acrylic blend sweater on a dollar rack. It was pilled - and I had to take off the the furry tufts, but for $1??? It's in fashion with a hood to wear as a sweater jacket, too. And a great fall color.I think I will be wearing it A LOT. Funny how that goes....
Hubby steered me into a Ben Franklin for more yarn....I showed him the prices even with some off - so he would realize why I grab at bargain yarn wherever I find it! (I got a ball at a thrift shop for $.25!) And now I have some accent colors so I can continue to make my scarves. Heaven knows how many I have by now. HOW do people pay $80 just for YARN for a sweater?
Oh, the pink/grey sweater from another dollar rack I thought I was going to rip up for yarn turned out to be a cape of sorts - so I am opening the seam in front (it's just thread) and will actually wear it. Another fashion item. I am also taking out my grey sweater coat from the closet.
I have boots to wear - but it's never really COLD enough in So. Cal. The Hollywood sylphs wear them - I don't know how they manage....
Received the package of 3 "shape/underwear" garments from www.graveyardmall.com yesterday. A great buy. I pick up those sort of things when I see them, because otherwise they are dreadfully expensive...but at $3 each, not so bad....
Unexpectedly found a couple of nice new hardback books at the Dollar Tree of all places! Bought 4. They will make nice Xmas presents, along with the scarves, of course. And my brother's birthday is in December, too....(By the way, I saw a sign at the checkout that they will have vintage clothing??? I will check it out at their website, now that I think of it....)
Did I mention that I mended my knee length jeans? one pair was good enough to wear to that audition and I forgot all about the mending....
My weakness is that I can't seem to manage a "one in, one out" policy for my clothes - so I continue to accumulate. A buddy says he will have time to help me out next month after getting through a move. I watched a TV program about hoarders the other night, and hubby made some knowing wisecracks - but my accumulations are MUCH better organized than those undifferentiated PILES. And they have HOUSES, too - not just a one bedroom apartment! But the emotional aspect hit home for me. There is a strong emotional attachment to things, which some of us have....and the fact that you probably can't do it without HELP - if you haven't been able to tackle it - & you know, that's OK. The women seemed really so sad somehow. And therapy is almost always in order.
I have the added justification of my checkerboard life as an actress besides everything else. I could use a closet the size of my bedroom, like the stars have! I read an article about having only 30 outfits of quality - but that's for a business woman - it would never work for me. I have jeans/tshirts/sweatshirts, etc. for home and writing and computer work. Then upgrades for going out - and costumes for auditions (I save old ugly clothes I wouldn't wear otherwise!) And clothes to wear up at the boat where it's beachy....
Still haven't started the yoga classes, yet. Found my mat,though...
Can't believe rich women pay their dermatologists for regular skin care. (I was looking at book about being classy.) I would only go with a bad rash! It's not that hard to tend to your own skin if you pay attention. My skin used to be oily, but has dried out - so, I change my regimen...And even then there is leeway for climate, etc. There is so much info out there on the net - there really is no excuse for ignorance. And so many great drugstore brands, too.
For some reason my nails are like rocks nowadays, and I can't figure out WHY, as they have always been weak. The COQ10 I have been taking? The glucosamine for my joints? I really don't know, but I have nails for the first time in my LIFE.
Checked up on a letter we got from Blue Cross about my psych's bill - turns out we don't owe anyone anything, so I don't know WHY they even SENT it. But perhaps the phone # will help me find a practitioner within the system, as I can't afford my outside therapist anymore....
Still nervous about getting my Social Security early. I am going to get some $ by the end of October - I had no idea it would be so fast, as I had read that it would take 3 months! But, you know, we really need the money - and I am practically retired anyway. You can't call writing $4 articles for Associated Content WORK, really - it's just pin money. But it does go on my Paypal Mastercard, so I can use it to order things on the net.....
Had an audition for a FRENCH commercial. Americans throwing snowballs in the summer - for France? - Would be nice $, though. But you are warned to file paperwork with the French government or they will take 33.33% off in taxes. (And the teabag folks complain here!) But that includes one's healthcare, so it's probably a deal in the long run....As for me, I try to stay as healthy as possible.
So that's the news from not-so-Lake Woebegon! (No lake, though....except Lake Casitis which we drive past every once in a while....) Ha! I saw a 1950's scifi flick on TCM and they were using the beach at Zuma Beach N. of L.A. for Chesapeake Bay?? and they blew up L.A. buildings that were supposed to be Washington, D.C., too. I had forgotten that there was an actor in it I met in the 70's - he had become a writer to support the family, but still missed performing...Me? I chose to starve, I guess - and pennypinch!
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Frugality Marches On
Wednesday, September 30, 2009 | By pamphyila
Here's the ongoing saga of my frugality in short:
- Participated in a swap meet up at the boat - and I sold a lot of little things and Mark sold an engine he hated and got some line for the boat (otherwise quite expensive). I set out my scarves, but none of them went - probably because of the hot weather - but everyone is getting one for Xmas, like it or NOT.
- Sold some old sunglasses I don't use, gave some away to my swap meet buddies who didn't have them & also had my old reading glasses I can't use now that I am just that much blinder - After the sale I took the bag of them and gave them to one of the old ladies thrift shops. It's nice to be able to donate a bit.
- We went shopping after the swapmeet and allowed ourselves to go into the 99 Cent Store. We got lots of bottled sauces - such a good deal there - and really 1/2 of it was food - but how quickly the profit from the swap meet flew away!
- I also allowed myself a peek in to another thriftshop - and found 4 skeins of different colored baby fine acrylic yarn - for $.25 each - and I did splurge on some lovely leather shoes (VERY pricey in their first life) - and a coat and long vest made of ultrasuede & some books. How could I resist the ultrasuede at $2 each - and the shoes at $3??
- Plan to do a big book swap up at the used bookstore in Ojai when I next see my doctor there.
- A woman was moving out of the apt. complex next to the boat & I scored 4 large pink acrylic yarns for $2.
- And on the way out of the beach, I stopped at the less-frequented 99 Cent Store and found MORE yarn. I can proceed with my knitting. Boy, my stash was getting LOW. (OK, they also had great scarves, and a bought a few of those, too.) Found a way to hang my scarves by the rings of plastic or cardboard they come with - on an old chain with hooks I had...
- At the Dollar Tree I found some car additives - injection cleaner so on - and we put it in the truck. It seems to have liked it and didn't buck the way it usually does when I took it out to a last-minute audition yesterday. Hoorah for additives! The car's transmission is chugging along, too - so it seems, after the application of transmission goop. So we are not panicked about the cars for now...
- Mended my denim capri jeans with iron-on patches. Also worked on another pair which I will have to sew up. It's not as hot - so these are better now than the shorts I have been wearing in the heat wave.
- Looking online at buying a clothes press for hubby's pants. It we could press them in a large format that way, it would really be a labor-saving device! (And get hubby off my back about IRONING all of them, which is a DRAG!)
- The computer has been very slow - but when I decided to switch to Google Chrome, all of a sudden it's fast again - any explanations???
- Mixing heavy handcream with a lighter one - and mixing lip balms/glosses, too - Sometimes products seem just to work better when mixed together - and it rescues product you might otherwise not use a lot.
- Saw that Dove has a program for donating ponytails of your cut-off hair for use in wigs for cancer patients. Isn't that a great idea. Maybe my hair is long enough....(They need 7 inches of it.)
- Got a sympathy card out of my card stash for a friend whose husband died unexpectedly - in his 50's! It's nice to always have cards on hand - but it's usually for birthdays - not the opposite.
That's it for now - Who knows what other gambits will arise? How are you all doing? Around me everyone is getting very cranky about being financially pressed - & I fear some employers are taking advantage of the high rate of unemployment to squeeze their staff just that much more - almost to the point of demanding work that in the end is not paid for - (according to the law, not strictly legal, either....)
And you guys?
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