Pam's Pennypinching With STYLE

Tking Care of Health Biz, etc.

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 23:23:40 GMT

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

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 22:25:23 GMT

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!

Anxious - Thrift?

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 20:24:16 GMT

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??

Broke but happy?

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 22:47:08 GMT

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?

Bacon Bits, etc.

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 22:54:39 GMT

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?

Comparisons & Deals

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 22:31:55 GMT

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!

Frugality Marches On

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 20:29:59 GMT

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?

Swap Meet/Recycling

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 20:19:45 GMT

We are going to share a space with a buddy up at the boat for a "boater's" swap meet. Dragging up the cardtable and display items - like shallow containers for jewelry and miscellany. Also going to try to sell my handknit scarves - and plan to drape them over a piece of cardboard. Hubby assures me that folks will like them enough to buy them, we will see. I just want some more $ for my yarn stash, as I am running out of nice colors! (The rest will be Xmas presents - everyone is getting a scarf this Xmas!)

It works that way with my old books, too - I try to recycle them to pay for my book habit. Recently found an outlet that will take them - oh, goody! I am good at gleaning books, even nice hardbacks,from thrift stores, etc. - so I can almost profit from taking them to a used bookstore.

Checked with a local vintage clothing store - and found out that they are taking in winter merchandise after Halloween. (I did buy a vintage huipil which I mended nicely....I do love those things & have several in my "collection". They have gotten expensive, so I grabbed this one when I saw it for about $20 bucks.) I have a few vintage wool things to take in them. There are also two designer dresses I should take to a high-end resale shop.

Trying to go through the little tsochtkas (odds & ends) I have around the house for the sale - Have filled a box with all that stuff. It's amazing what ends up selling.

So - wish me luck! A recounting of how it went next week -

What I have done Frugally Lately.

Sun, 20 Sep 2009 20:28:22 GMT

What have I done frugally lately? Well -

I had the optician put lenses into a nice pair of vintage frames I had found at a thrift shop - so it would cut the cost so my insurance would pay for a 2nd pair of reading glasses. I was warned that it might not work - but I have used old frames before with success & these fit well & were very sturdy.
Using my mall coupons as an incentive to go mall walking! This time my $10 off coupon from Sears didn't WORK, alas (it was only good online) - but we did get a nice walk with A/C. (& I did get a pair of leggings on sale, anyway.)
The accessory stores are having sales on the summer merchandise - so I scored 2 scarves for $2 each on one visit & $4 for one on another (Originally $16-18 each?!?)
I found a NEW tshirt dress at the Goodwill for $7.99 - It's the perfect weight for the Indian Summer Days of autumn here in S. Cal.
Found another Diane Von Furstenberg tshirt dress for $4 at a different Goodwill - and & hubby got a lovely new-ish camel corduroy jacket for $12 -
We are having trouble with the transmission of our car - so hubby bought a transmission goop for $14 to put in and hopefully coax a little more mileage out of it - We are driving it gently and listening for every clunk - Hopefully we can nurse it along a bit further....(I believe in additives because years ago I had a little car that periodically wouldn't go into reverse - but when I added transmission stuff, it cleaned out whatever dirt was sticking and it would work for another 6 months or so - the $ THAT saved me!!)
Did all the math & finally decided to apply for my Social Security (Yes, I am that old - eek) - We plan to put some of the $ into hubby's retirement fund, because they MATCH IRA contributions...) (My mother always asked me if I were getting Social Security & making my contributions - and hubby & I have, and the outlook there isn't too bad....But I have friends who, well, I don't know what they will do...) The online application process is FAST & pretty EASY, and the $ goes straight into my account with direct deposit. (Remember the old days of standing in line at the Social Security office?) Oh - fyi - the process seems to take 2-3 months - so you could apply 3 months BEFORE the time you qualify to get your benefits right on time - I will get my $ by Xmas.
Going to transfer my private therapy to someone covered by my insurance to save $160/month (it was cheap, but even that is pinching nowadays....)
Still getting my FREE magazines. I applied for more through Mercury (I found it on freestufftimes.com, I think)...Was on a set & read through 4 or 5 of them...
Transferred my purse things over to a satchel hubby found for me at an Out of the Closet thrift shop - It's a jungle theme in black & tan is perfect for fall....
Knitting away at my scarves with CREWEL yarn that I had been given. The strands are short, but I can knot them together, and they are fine wool which I am combining with a background yarn for a tweedy effect. - They will be Xmas gifts - and I am thinking of selling a few of them at a swap meet next weekend.
Gathered up books to recycle - but didn't get within range of the used book store this time...
Will collect miscellany for the swap meet up at the boat next weekend -
Received a gratis lip balm, a small tube of acrylic paint and sample of laundry detergent in the mail...(from my freebie sites)...
Also received a $10 Target gift card from another freebie offer...
On another mall walk brought in the birthday coupons I got from Aveda and received a purse-sized hand creme - and a scented oil with atomizer (refillable) - and a hand massage to boot...
Let me strain my grey matter - anything else? Oh, I found a neighborhood FREE Sr. Citizen yoga class 3x/week - & FREE. I may be with octogenarians, but, hey....I can WALK to it! They also have a book exchange, and I picked up a book & will bring some in...
Did I mention that I swabbed myself with cold black tea when I had a reaction from an antibiotic last week? that & I took LOTS of Benedryl - Called into the nurse hotline of the insurance co. to check on what I should do....but the cold tea compresses were MY idea....A call to a nurse-manned line may very well save you a trip to the M.D. or to the emergency care center....(There's also web research...)
Got my new Paypal Mastercard debit card. Do you know that you can get one for FREE with a Paypal account? You can load it up and then use it to buy things online...(.In the past I have made bits of $ online that would go into my Paypal account,)

OK - that's all for now - we are more frugal than ever - and even though it's fun windowshopping in the malls, and walking about - we don't know WHO pays THOSE PRICES! Not us, for sure....

Happy bargains, everyone!

Frugal Update

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 21:58:36 GMT

We are frugal as usual - especially since my husband the teacher hasn't been getting full salary over the summer! Went on a mall walk to entice me to get my walking in (and it's air conditioned, too) - Picked up some samples I had coming from Aveda - a sample of hand cream and some scented oil - plus a nice hand massage! And I found 2 scarves on sale for $2 each - which I treated myself to.

Oooh, the prices! I had made a trip to Goodwill the day before when we finally found a good hassock with storage inside - and I found a brand new salmon knit dress for $7.99 - Dresses are perfect for the transitional weather here in the fall & salmon is my color. Gee, similar dresses in the department stores were at least $20 - if not more....The T-shirts were $18!?! As I write I am wearing a new one I got a while ago for attending a spa event.

Still knitting away - Saw a very long knitted scarf in a boutique while mall walking made up of multi-colored squares, with hanging threads at the corners - which I tried to copy sitting watching TV with my yarn remnants. Turned out very nicely. My friends are urging me to SELL them, although, I don't know about that....They are intended as gifts, and I gave my first one away today to a friend who takes public transport, so needs a scarf to stay warm as it gets chilly out there.

The other scarves I am trying to make light for the S. California climate...A friend gave me some crewel yarn, which is in short,strands, but I am managing to knit it in my wabi-sabi way, anyway....But I am going through the yarn stash....

Still getting my free magazines, which hubby has taken to putting in the bathroom for HIM to read. I have to grab mine first or they disappear.

Had a bad reaction to generic Bactrim, an antibiotic, and was covered with a madly itchy rash. I looked it up on the net, stopped the antibiotic, and took Benedryl AND Zyrtec and slathered on cortisone cream. Some times it was so bad, all I could do was put on cold black tea compresses, which did ease the swelling and itching for a while. That's how my neck area recovered so nicely...But on Benedryl, all one can do is sleep a lot...

Whew, it's over - and NEVER AGAIN!

Still religiously checking freestufftimes.com for samples - and should be getting some skin care samples soon...I put the hand cream sample from Aveda in my purse. One could spend $1 or more on those little tubes - but I use samples and freebies instead...

Otherwise all is quiet on the Western Front as it were...a buddy is going to be coming in to help me go through the accumulation here - that's going to be something, as he can be a nervous neat freak - but I will try very hard to do it - and put together things to sell off - I find that if I SELL my clutter, it becomes very motivating....And there is a yard sale up at the boat 9/25 - so I should put together some stuff for that, too -

Trouble is I am a collector at heart - and it's a wrench to recycle - Just lost a nice rug to bugs - ugh - but easy come, easy go, as they say...How are you guys?

Birthday and so on

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 22:29:11 GMT

Sitting here enjoying the gratis little lipglosses I received from Sephora for my birthday. Nice generous mini tubes in 3 colors. Boy, was the variety of makeup and skin care at the Sephora store overwhelming! I noticed the dry shampoo from Bumble & Bumble - I use scented bath powder myself!

I do save $ on skin care and makeup by supplementing my stash with samples - and by keeping a lookout at the Dollar Tree and the 99 Cent Store for national brands like Revlon and Maybelline. (I got a nice makeup selection at Big Lots, too...) To me, even $8 for a lipstick is a LOT - and at Sephora they have $20 ones. I pointed that out to my astounded husband. (Check out freestufftimes.com for free samples - there's one of mascara now....)

In fact, all through our mall walk, I pointed out to my husband the mall prices of items I have - like costume jewelry - which in retail stores cost a bundle. Who can afford this stuff? (I have a silver cuff I bought at a thrift store for $1 because it was black with tarnish!)

I don't want to pay more than $20 for a dress! (And just got one on sale at overstock.com - Their shopping is $2.95, very cheap as those things go.)

A lady at one of those freestanding kiosks at the mall tried to sell me $35 handcream - but in the process buffed up one of my nails with one of those modern 4-sided buffers. And yes, my nails did look shiny - (I can't wear nail polish due to allergies!) I dropped into the drugstore later

that same day and found I could buy a buffer for $4! So I did learn something....And saved $, as I have all sorts of handcream which works just fine. Just got a new big tube that's scented lavender from hubby for my birthday...And there is some free cuticle cream I got from a promotion around here somewhere...

We also went to the Hollywood Bowl last week. They used to have $1 seats way up in the back - but I paid $8 for ours & ended up way up there anyway. The place is never full for the classical concerts, though - so we just moved down to an empty section. We brought a picnick dinner & and only extra was PARKING. Still an inexpensive evening for an orchestral concert!

Otherwise knitting like mad - only scarves for Xmas, tho - I find the simple knitting very relaxing in front of the tube (while I hopefully am watching old classic movies on Turner Classic Movies)....Using up yarn from my thrift shop stash & I have found that I can even use little extra bits for accents. I like coordinating the yarn colors to produce a tweedy effect, and I can use big needles to make them FAST by combining several yarns together into one strand to knit....I think it's an interesting "wabi-sabi" look - sort of rough but pleasing. Machines can knit very regularly - so I think handwork should look, well, made by hand...

SO grateful for our thriftshop portable AC we got a few weeks ago, as it is VERY hot here....With the 2 units going in the windows & some fans, at least the living room area is nice and cool., I also have a bowl of water in front of one of the fans on the desk & I do believe it helps, too... We have a pocket door, so we can isolate the main area from the bathroom/hall/bedroom. And at night we put on the bedroom AC & I put on the window fans to cool off the rest of the apartment - Luckily in S. California we have cool nights, unlike the East where I grew up.

UPS just delivered a set of 6 steak knives I ordered on line from Oneida - (the ones we have are cheap ones) - They were about $4 & the shipping was more than the knives - really nice ones,

I see how one could get hooked on ordering online - but I only go for rockbottom bargains. AS I do elsewhere, too! But it seems a bit silly when the shipping is more than the items??!!

How are you doing? Any great deals lately?? Remember that there are all sorts of goodies for one's birthday out there....

Faking a Cocktail Ring!

Sun, 23 Aug 2009 20:19:35 GMT

I looked at hsn.com at all their cocktail rings - so pretty - but couldn't really spare the money for one.

Today, working on a tip from the thrifyfun site, and inspired by the stretchy bead craft rings I have seen in stores - I REALLY TOTALLY FAKED ACOCKTAIL RING!!

You need: metallic elastic cord in a loop @ 3-4 inches wide (I save mine from gifts)
clip earring
some surgical tape

You twist the metallic cord around a finger until it is snug - then clip on a clip earring, the clip of which you have already wrapped with clear surgical tape (for a better grip & to protect my skin against irritation from base metal). Trim tape if necessary.

VOILA! THAT'S IT. The earring is just the right size for a flashy cocktail ring -

Go ahead - raid the drawers of your mothers, aunts and grandmothers & you will have rings galore.

Enjoy.

Back from VACATION

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 23:40:28 GMT

In Europe everyone just takes the month of August OFF and they all go to the beach or the country. Well, our variation of that was to go to the boat and the ocean for most of the month of JULY. And I found that I took a TOTAL vacation from media and blogging and TV and everything. Just read lots of books and wandered around the Oxnard/Sta. Barbara area. One day we went up to the area known for Michael Jackson's ex-Neverland - Whew - it is MUCH fancier than I had imagined! Looked at the boutiques which had the sort of things I LOVE - but I don't spend $50 on a jacket even if it's on SALE. So I just observed. The fun thing about pricey shops is that you can go in without the fear of buying anything, because everything is SO out of your price range! And then I go and try to duplicate the look(s) on the cheap. (Got my jackets for upscale casual from the Salvation Army Store in Pasadena for something like $7 each!)

We also visited the great church thrift shop from when we used to live in Carpinteria, CA near St. Barbara - and Mark found a great deal on the Hooked on Phonics set which he will use for his work with inner-city schools! (And his company will reimburse him, too.) Sometimes what you find surprises you.

Of course, I always look for reading material - and on my last weekday trip to Bart's bookstore in Ojai, I thought I would try to trade in some of my reading material - (I had some nice new hardbacks in the bunch.) Lo and behold - I got a $16 credit for books, and they took EVERYTHING. And wouldn't ' you know, I turned around to their old bargain books and quickly used up the credit! But no $ changed hands, so it was a good deal. I get those books for $.25 and $.50 each - no more than $1 - when I comb the thrift shops and so on. Who in the name of heaven PAYS $6-8 for a paperback? The the hardbacks had listed prices of $20 and more! But in this day and age, paying that much isn't necessary.

I also downloaded some old books from the Gutenberg project and burned them onto CDs so I could read them on the laptop on the boat. And then there was a free download of a contemporary novel from Oprah's site - which was interesting, too. Hubby has revived the old Mac we had found and I am going to use it to read my e-books - I have to at least have them in my lap. I have to say that I do prefer holding a book in my HANDS - but you can sometimes enlarge the print at will - which is a nice feature of an e-book format....

Trawling the internet on the laptop, I came upon a deal from www.graveyardmall. com. The site has final, final sellouts - and I bought "infinite" convertible dresses in lycra - one black and one red. The whole idea of a convertible dress certainly intrigues me. These were CHEAP - $9.99 each - so I bough TWO. Subsequent research has told me that what seems to be those very same dresses are sold \elsewhere for $50 to $150! My my. It really is a big tube of lycra with a triangular top off the left side that can be wrapped for all sorts of different looks. Maybe I could make another one on the same model - but I haven't even worn THESE yet. They are a bit bare - but I plan to wear them under my fancy jackets/kimonos, etc. Ha! I am dressed up with no place to GO.

(By the way, I DID run into a pattern for a very similar dress - but with a circle skirt at rostichery - Look up "rostichery + convertible dress." ) Donna Karan is featuring her own "Infinity" dress this season - but the description from the Nieman Marcus site (I think) says that the convertible wrap parts come out off the outside seams of the sheath dress with small capped sleeves. And the neckline is much rounder than my version....But the price! $1900 - can you imagine paying that for a jersey DRESS with absolutely no tailoring - I don't CARE if Donna Karan made it! But looking up these thing on the net is a pastime of mine).

Oh, for frustrated fashionistas out there - in the fall edition of Marie Claire (one of my free subscriptions) - they have a booklet "The New Way to Shop" which has a long list of fashion sites on the net. I know a few, but I will have fun investigating the others, even though their idea of a bargain is and $800 dress that has been marked down to $600.

I also got some sample, mostly of lotions, from Macy's at the Clarin counter - and others at my favorite Oxnard healthfood store - Lassen's - I even got one up at the Rainbow Bridge in Ojai. I take the packets or "sachets" as I saw them described today on the net up to the boat. They are great for traveling. Would be wonderful if you flew anywhere...Flying used to be fun,but it's more and more of a hassle, and I am glad I flew as much when I did.

Of course, I visited my favorite thrift shops on Main St. Ventura - and added to my collection of long scarves for casual wear. The fact that these scarves are in fashion is an inspiration to me and I have been using them to jazz up my usual t-shirts and cropped pants. But I WON'T pay $20 for one - so I stock up in the thrift stores for much less - even though I have to SHOW hubby in a walk-through in a department store what they COULD cost if I hadn't bought them at thrift stores!

Also knitting away. Acquired some more yarn at a thrift shop and went back to get enough to to make a long vest. I am getting a sense of how much is required for a project - even though I have just been making do what what I have picked up. EVERYONE is getting scarves this XMAS - I knit away watching TV, and all the practice is making me a better and better knitter. It's fun to mix and match colors and different sorts of yarns. Even though that's dictated by what I have on hand, it has turned out very nicely, in ways that I couldn't have foreseen. Also downloading free knitting patterns from the net. Just got one from www.favecrafts.com for a shawl knitted on circular needles, which I haven't tried yet...

Well, there were also some free meals at the clubhouse - and because we were there on Thursday, we got to receive some of the free produce and fruit that one of the residents always leaves there to be shared. There were even raspberries - and lots of fresh bell peppers.

Money is tight, so we mostly ate picnic style on the boat - It's really like camping without the bother of a tent. I did have to go see my doctor - but he put me on some meds - which did make me dizzy - but I think I have finally gotten used to them.

I suppose it was business as usual at the boat - but it's so nice up there, who cares? It's like a long sunlit dream - which does make it hard to come back to the city, even if I DO have a tree right outside my window.

The city has its charms, though. And I got cheap tix for hubby and me to go to the Hollywood Bowl. We were in the nosebleed section for the Thursday classical concert - they used to be the $1 seats, heaven knows where they are now - but it was very easy to move down where the sightlines were better. We will see where the $1 tickets are - because I got some for September. We are back in town, and Mark has been asking about the Hollywood Bowl all summer - It is lovely to see the sun go down over the Hollywood Hills....but bundle up, because it gets very chilly.

So readers out there, all's well. I am flattered that you missed me! How are you guys doing? As Shakespeare said "All's well that ends well." No?

Sortta Vacationing

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 00:09:59 GMT

Been off blogging becaz we have declared ourselves mostly on vacation! On July 4th we were up at the boat & made music for the celebration at the Paz Mare clubhouse - which the mgmt. provided food for - We even made some pin $, always nice.

Back here catching up on my freebie offers, as it's harder to do on the biz laptop (& no printer, besides). I have coupons for free Arby's BBQ burgers (you hv to buy a drink - check it out on the Arby's website) but hubby is on a mostly liquid diet due to problems with his innards, oh well - He's having lots of soup & loving it.

Coloring my bare legs with the sample facial moisturizers w/self tanning Lotion - it's light, but my legs don't look deadly white, either. (And I don't use it on my face anyway...)

Got some moisturizer w/SPF 28 on sale at the drugstore for 25% off - (The spf 15 I will save for the winter.) Still have a lot of sunscreen - including the freebie spray I got and the freebie lip balm w/ spf, too)

Have all my bargain bathing suits - all new ones from thrift shops - did they not fit? And one oldie but goodie in good shape. Even fit into the one which was a bit tight last summer. Yeah team! Using my 3/4 jeans plus tshirts witht my coordinating visors (from thrift shops) - and adding scarves. Boy, the color coordination and the scarf really add a finished touch to a rather plain tshirt! And I am wearing my bargain boat shoes in pink and green. The tan nylon purse was picked up by hubby on a sale table at an ofc. store & I added tassels. And, of course, my bargain sunglasses.

Gotta bring the wraparound sunglasses I picked up to the boat, as they really help me with the glare of being out in the water with the sun shining like mad! You can tell, I DON"T tan & avoid sunburns like the plague. For you younger ones, remember to put sunscreen on the back of your hands when you put it on your face to avoid age spots later on! And get some eye cream or eye makeup with some spf, too!

I use my samples of cream cleanser to better wash my face on the boat - and keep samples of hand cream and lotion w/spf to put on (the spf becaz I sweat off my sunscreen more often than not). Also, always lipstuff for hubby. Good to have dollar store sunscreen in the car. We always leave some on the boat. It may weaken somewhat with age - but still seems to work...

A friend came up & we all played tourists & showed him around Ojai & downtown Ventura. We even hit the thrift shops, and he managed to come up with a Victorian chair for $7!! And a real cut glass lamp for $5 - I just picked up scarves & little summer Michelle Obama sweaters...& dollar tshirts. We also found some 2 prs. of great loafers for hubby - surprise! They are top quality & at $7 each!!!! So you can find men's things, too.

The Rite-Aid up there is moving, so they had a big sale - 75% off - & we got a bunch of stuff, from fiber supplements to vitamins to hair clips to underwear! We usually stock up when we run into opportunities like that! Everything was $3 and under...

So, we are budget vacationing and playing tourists in our own home territory - but we live in a great area here in So. Cal. - so it's hardly a sacrifice - & the beach is MUCH cooler than inland!

Playing Event Planner, sortta

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 21:41:45 GMT

A dear friend planned a celebration to honor the 40th Anniversary of Stonewall - with a Celtic Communion Service conducted by an Archbishop who was there - I was singing, but I got involved in setting up the event, too. There were pretty organized, but the outdoor plastic tables & chairs had to be washed OFF. Luckily my boy scout husband had some soap in the car, which I put in a bucket I found & I used that to clean off everything.

I "fluffed" by taping colored tissue paper to the white plastic tabletops - and for the really dingy tables, I put pieces of the tissue paper under some sheer fabric (old sheer curtains). It's amazing how elegant that looked! We also had some signs I could put on the tables to decorate them. I also filled the top of the dry fountain behind where we served with colored tissue to make it "pop" a bit.

Instead of brewing hot tea for the ice tea, as I had been told, I just put the teabags in the urns we had, added water and put them in the sun to make "sun tea." Worked fine, and as it was a not day, there was no need for any more heat....Ice tea and lemonade are really nice and economical beverages for the summer. Our lemons came from the tree of one of our circle of friends, too. Fresh real lemonade is so good. Ditto fresh ice tea. (I have also made it and put it in punchbowls.) A spring of mint, also from the garden, adds a bit of class.

I wore a linen Donna Karan blouse I had picked up somewhere - which I had had to treat for spots with bleach, and mend the collar slightly - but great for the heat! And I added a nylon scarf I had gotten at the 99 Cent Store. (Nylon can be great in the heat, as it refuses to WILT.) And I just had to spray my crinkly rayon pants with wrinkle spray - no ironing required and even better for the crinkles as ironing flattens them out too much. Rayon is a fabric which really suits the D.A. climate. I put my hair up and added a metallic Dollar Tree headband and wore my thrift shop silver vintage bracelet and my Goodwill black satin ballet flats. (And again, who knew but me- and now, YOU.) Outfit total $5 pants/shirt $5??/Scarf $1/headband $1/bracelet $2/shoes $5 total of @ less than $20. Not bad.

I also discovered they were having a bookseller at the library where we held the event, and being a book addict, scanned the shelves, and brought home 10 very nice paperbacks for $.50 each!

There also was a raffle associated with the event, and as the odds looked good, I entered and WON a package with a dress,earrings, and a nice bracelet! - I learned from a woman's magazine years ago that you should always enter "local" contests as the odds are better - and sure, enough, as soon as I put that principle into practice, I, who had never won anything, started to win prizes. I even won new TV once at the opening of a fancy drugstore!

After the event we broke down, and I saved some flowers from the arrangements that they had had - which otherwise would have ended up in the trash. I love fresh flowers and greenery and try to get them whenever they are a good deal - and free is always good. I find that if I take them home and re-cut and re-arrange them, I can make nice arrangements that will often last a week afterwards.

I am known among my friends for not being able to throw anything away - One buddy said, "Watch her, she will take home everything." Not quite, but I did recycle some tissue paper besides the flowers and some leftovers. And we pored the excess cold tea into a jug and took that home, too.

I have also helped out over the years with other events my friend has organized - putting final touches on the flower arrangements and so on. That event was quite posh and in the back garden of a Beverly Hills home built on the model of the Petit Transom palace! (and I ended up with skin care samples and pens and a magazine subscription!) Who knew that self-taught flower arranging would turn out to be such a useful skill?

I also sometimes can cut the roses from our little garden plots here at the apartment. We have a bed of mint, too!

I was really there as part of the choir for the Celtic Service they had. I have really gotten so much pleasure out of all my music over the years. I hadn't sung for a while in a choral group, and it was really nice to get back into - and with such an accomplished bunch, too! Now that's a frugal pleasure. Sometimes they even pay YOU.

And home in the evening, I realized from the reaction from my muscles that an added benefit had been a bit of a WORKOUT. (I recently saw an article entitled "Is your housecleaned making you fat?") Let's remember that any activity, housecleaning included,can get you moving...And I was in a lovely shaded garden area, which made it quite nice - and cool...

Lots of freebies and deals and frugalista goings on!

Cobbling Together

Sat, 27 Jun 2009 22:17:42 GMT

A minor bug hit me this week, and so I have been taking it easy, doctoring myself with lots of Vit. C and wellness vitamins of all sorts and reading the funny old $.50 books I pick up from that great outdoor bookstore in Ojai, CA - Bart's. They have bargain racks outside - & all the books there, mostly hard backs, are $.50 - it's amazing the assortment of topics you can find there - from diet books to classics.

I wanted to rest up because I have to sing for an event on Sunday. Whew, it's hot here - so I have also been thinking about what to WEAR, because I just found out that the singers have to wear black & white. (And I had another lovely outfit planned, too!)

I am getting the last of the spots out of a Donna Karan linen shirt I picked up somewhere with bleach on a cotton swab on wet material until the spot bleaches out. (Same idea as a bleach pen - but MUCH less expensive!) I think they say to DRY CLEAN the shirt - but linen can be washed, so I don't know what they are talking about. I also have to do some minor mending to the collar - Think in my other life I was a ladies maid or something, since I actually enjoy getting out spots and mending things so it doesn't show! Labels like Donna Karan DO make nice things out of fine materials, but I could never afford that first hand!

Also cobbled together (see title) a closing for my blue National Geographic watch - I got that one with a sky theme and another one, which has a greenish map pattern for $1 each as gifts - but I had to open the packaging and replace the batteries, so I ended up keeping them myself. The weakness of these watches is the BUCKLE of the matching plastic watchband - which is flimsy and breaks. I reversed the buckle on the greenish watch - but the blue buckle went missing - so I picked up some buckles at the thrift shop for $.10 each. Alas, none of them fit -but I did extract the little fork-thing in the buckle & attached it to my watchband with those wire twisties - and found I could make it work. Also added another closure with those little hair elastics - which I colored blue with a magic marker! So now, I can wear it & no one will be the wiser except me (& YOU). They are pretty fashion watches. And the sky blue band of the blue one really makes the watch - so it would have been a shame just to get another band in this case...And it came just at the time my regular watch has to go to watch repair because one of those spring things that held it on to the band flew across a restaurant while I was having lunch & is lost forever.

Hmm, what else? I got a really nifty little pen knife through the mail from one of my freebie offers. Sharp, too. And more magazines, of course. Have to recycle those. And some hair care samples. Walmart.com ALWAYS has samples - so check it out. (I usually wait until my freebie sites alert me to them.)

I also signed up for some more preferred customer plans - they send you samples to try, sometimes. I have had good luck with the ones with the fashion magazines in terms of getting free products. And the fast food sites offer coupons and discounts. We got a 2 for one Carl's Jr. Chicken sandwich on a coupon last weekend - good sandwich and cheap at the price, too. (That coupon came with the newspaper - I save them for hubby, since he sneaks into fast food places on the run....) I also got a $2 off Subway CARD, which I think hubby used the other night to buy sandwiches for dinner.

I did get the $25 gift card for barnesandnoble.com to work and ordered a book for hubby's birthday. (Hubby hadn't been able to get it to work for himself, somehow.) Did I say that I also got some very reasonable books on amazon.com for him? He likes sailing and adventure books. But actually, I think the one he likes the best is a $.50 one about Byrd at the South Pole from Bart's! And the guy I work for keeps on passing on bags to hubby & me - & hubby does love BAGS. The latest one is a black nylon computer bag - Another birthday present, I say!

Oh, a note - my nails, which have always been soft, have suddenly become hard as rocks?!? - Can't think what I am doing differently - unless it's the glucosamine samples I have been adding to my vitamins? Now, I will have to keep on taking THOSE. Also read it helps to keep skin from sagging internally???

I find it amusing to read beauty surveys asking if I am still getting salon manicures and treatments - as I never DID - except the time it was a freebie! But then again, I have become very allergic to regular nail polish - but I will have to look into the new health food store brands that have different ingredients...

Gee, have all those people really been spending all that $$ on all that stuff? No wonder they are broke! For me, it's always been that I just have never been paid handsomely for being an artiste and persevered anyway...

I am the kind that looks at the prices of the free Cover Girl/Olay makeup (which I got from being a bzz agent) and the mascara I got as a freebie to see how much money I COULD have spent. To save $20-$30 is a lot to me. And I am glorying in all the nice new bargain undies I scored at the 99 Cent Store!

I DO have to rub hubby's nose in it, as he was squawking about my undie spree - when I saw the equivalent in Macy's at $7-8 each! See! See! Some people spend $8 for undies. Not me. (And if I hadn't found them there, one can always get them discounted from the online Hanes site!)

Oh, such a frugal and fashionable wife hubby has! My favorite lipstick is a Wet N Wild brand which costs $1!! And I scored more brand new skin care at a thrift shop for $7 for 7 items - which will keep me going for a while in terms of night cream, etc. (Usually $10 a jar, even at Avon online!)

But Sunday, decked out in my DKNY linen shirt and so on - NO ONE will be the wiser. Go team!

Tshirt Scarves & More

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 21:49:34 GMT

I am reminded that brief posts are also oK - Now I know what I am - according to a new people's dictionary (mentioned in an L.A. Times article) I am a frugalista - that it, frugal but fashionable!

My tshirt cowl/scarves have turned out very well! It's so easy. Just buy a tshirt in the right color (I got $1 ones from the thrift shop) - larger for more fabric - fold tshirt over lengthwise in two - cut strips (mine were about 2" wide) - pull loops & the will curl into themselves - Bind the loops with another piece of tshirt fabric - fold over once or so & put on neck! (You can glam them with beads, fabric paint, etc. - or make strips very narrow for a necklace effect.) I like mine (one grey and one washout blue) to glam up regular tshirts when I go out. It's amazing how nicely they work.

And hubby really liked the robe tie/sash I made him. It was like a skinny scarf - but I used 2 strands of yarn (dk blue & white) on my big needles. Why do we all LOSE the ties to our robes?

Got some more glucosamine samples in the mail. I had been working through generous samples from other makers - I bought some, but will take the samples instead until they are out! They seem to be giving away lots of glucosamine & fish oil products right now. Again check out www.freestufftimes for the most updated freebies. (Although I also signed up en espanol on the Univision site to get my free deodorant sample! - Yahoo Babel Fish will translate it into ingles for you!)

See ya - also check me out at www.zannel.com/pamelamunro for more L.A.-based tips!

The On-going Thrift SAGA

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 00:29:54 GMT

We stayed home last wkend due to grey & sprinkly weather & explored the neighborhood on our walk. Up at Hollywood Blvd. I noticed a flyer for a yd sale at a local retirement home a block away - so we went over there, even tho it was supposed to be over. Sure enough,there was STUFF all over the place that they were beginning to pack up.

The common thought is that to get good ydsale stuff is to get there EARLY - but in my experience, to get the really CHEAP deals, arrive just at the END, when they just want to get RID of everything! I found a Chico's Indian chiffon jacket, a nice craft pendant, some scarves, a tape for hubby, some greeting cards, and a stack of paperbacks that must be review copies and a bag for $10 (hubby negotiated). And then I saw 2 pairs of those large "Jackie O" sunglasses that are so in vogue, and I handed over another $1 for them! Just the jacket OR the scarves OR the books were worth that! And they were so grateful to have a little bit more cash & less to pack up!

We walked over to our neighborhood coffeehouse & treated ourselves to coffee (& cake for hubby). All those young people sitting around solo with their laptops. Hubby & I, and a senior citizen couple were the only ones not alone. Notice a book swap shelf, and got 2 books. Plan to bring some of my many oldies over this next week. Me love book swap shelves!

We walked along further to the Out of the Closet thriftshop - and I landed a few $1 tshirts and even a $1 sweatshirt & a classic novel in paperback. Even thriftshops have sales & markdowns. Look for them.

Sunday, I decided to go to Macy's up in Topanga near my Sun. gig - becaz I had a coupon for a Clinique eyecream from freestufftimes.com - I met a charming elderly lady having her face done at the Clinique counter, and found myself talking about fruit acids and newer skin care. I must say, after she had a few moisturizing products applied, her skin was markably improved! (But I can get the same results for a lot less, myself.) That little mall is very nice for walking - not so crowded.

When we passed thru the Macy's furniture dept. hubby cried "Who BUYS this stuff?" Well, not us. OUR recliner chair & wing chair were considerable less than $400+ each! (one from Goodwill & one from another thrift store...& perfectly nice...) Actually, I think it's therapeutic in its own funny way for hubby & I to walk thru upscale to regular shopping venues - He is entirely TOO used to the frugal habits he has picked up from ME & sometimes even beefs about MY purchases. I had to gloat a bit when I pointed out the underwear in Macy's at $8-10 a PAIR almost identical to the ones I had picked up recently at the dollar store in quantity. SEE why I bought all that underwear? SEE?

Recently read a mystery story in which one of the victims (there always are some in those) was being categorized by his CLOTHES. It made me wonder what would be said about me...I wear high end labels, such as Bill Blass, and Rampage and Chico's etc., not to mention my Minnetonka moccasins I had on Sun., which w/their fringe are very trendy & "Boho." They would be flumoxxed, to be sure, especially with my new underwear! Who would know where they came from??

We may not have a lot of $, but we have very nice things. My Calif. impressionist oil painting came from an Animal Rights thrift shop in Ventura - on sale for @ $15 - not hundreds of thousands, as the paintings cited today in an article in the L.A. Times! But mine is quite good enuf for me!

Ooh - also recently rec'd a sample of the new scent Delices de Cartier in a convenient little spray bottle. And also in the mail were samples of bodycology from Walmart, shampoo, and moisturizer. I put the Walmart samples in my purse, as one was a hand sanitizer, the other fragrance + a moisturizer. Handy - those samples are also great for the traveler. Know someone who is still able to take planes? Gather up those samples for a gift basket. The big containers are confiscated by Homeland Security, you know! Lost some spa goodies destimed for me that way, when my buddy forgot to pack them up!

Hubby's birthday is tomorrow, and I have been gathering things on my very ltd. budget. Earned a $25 gift certificate for barnes & noble.com online - which I handed over to him & ordered a book for him. Also found some excellent values at alibris.com! Last night finished knitting him a sash for his robe(s) - what can one knit for a guy when you are at the scarf level?? I have seen some tie patterns, but they are still beyond me. Well, I wanted him to know that SMTHING I had knitted was for HIM.

Also have some vintage books I have picked up. And cards, etc. It's a secret, but someone I know has sportsteam associations & a "tshirt vault" of freebies he gets and I sorta begged for a couple of tshirts for hubby. Hubby also was handed over a lovely vintage LEATHER briefcase & I got a bag to hide the tshirts in which is nice enuf to use as a sporty purse! Do you know someone who gets swag regularly? It's no big deal to them - so deals can be made to get that stuff as presents for YOU to GIVE. (For ex., I used to know a lady who was into dolls & had extra ones lying around she didn't care about- which were great for the kids I knew.)

Oh, and hubby got $ back from recycling all of his ink cartridges thru Staples and he put that coupon to use against buying another expensive ink cartridge for ANOTHER printer. We do use them a lot in our home ofc.! (He has 2 more coupons in the works.) By the way, the clearance/sales tables at ofc. supply stores can yield nice things for yourself or to use as gifts....I am sure I have told you all about the nice bags hubby has picked up for me on those clearance tables....

NOW - gotta take our daily walk - up to the OUT OF THE CLOSET thrift shop again, because one of the tees I got on Sat. was very large & BRAND NEW & perfect as a gift & there were several more, which I would like to get for the gift box, if they are still there! See ya!

My frugal week/Bye Bye TV

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 23:02:24 GMT

Hi guys - I have been busy this week & a bit under the weather - so forgive me for not blogging & neglecting you all.

Kept on with my freebies - www.freestufftimes.com is the best! What did I get this week? magazines, shampoo samples, and a nice metal water bottle for Earth Day.

Been crazy with scarf knitting. Everyone is going to get scarves this Xmas, that's for sure! I even put out TWO one night! Nice to experiment with combos of eyelash yarn + color of background yarn.

Seem to have succeeded in healing a flare up of my gingivitis - It was on a front gum, so I was worried. With gums it's heal & shrink - but dentists cut, too. That wasn't necessary, as I used hydrogen peroxide and mouthwash with tea tree oil - and then tea tree oil tooth picks + floss and an herbal gum mixture. And I took a LOT of Vit. C (4,000) and a reiki sp? mushroom mix for immunity (before I found that I used golden seal...) So the gum has calmed down - & I am watching it - it did shrink - but alas, that's what gums do after inflammation...I have had gums cut, so trust me, this is a better way to go if I can manage it...

Saw instructions on instructables.com on the net for a tshirt "necklace" neck thing which I am dying to try - and also found a new site www.dollarstorecrafts.com - all sorts of thrifty craft ideas - even dying with pieces of colored tissue paper. I want to try that, too - (Apparently you put the colored tissue paper on a wet t-shirt & dye it, then set the color by rinsing with vinegar and ironing. ) These are referrals from www.threadbangers.com -

Saving the plastic "string" from my newspapers to see if I can get enuf to incorporate in my knitting....

Hope you all have gotten your coupons for your converter boxes, as TV goes bye-bye tonite - Due to hubby we have cable, so our old TVs are OK. (I won one of them way back when!) No room for flat screens anyway. Wonder how that's going to turn out. I just know that many poor & elderly are going to be left out in the cold TV-wise...Our TVs are just fine. I have seem HD & am not impressed. Big screens make sense for fanatic sports fans to watch games - but otherwise we are OK. Just the way we keep our "old" TV-like computer monitor. Use it until it's busted, I say.

Found a wine place with free jazz on Fri & Sat. from an internet newzletter. Always keep in touch! Sorry we had to miss the FREE Ford Theatre music workshop last Mon., as my brother was in town & we all had dinner. But I have the workshops for the rest of the year on my calendar & am planning to make the one next week.

Actually, our social calendar is filling up! My manager is having a party at a Hollywood nite club hot spot place - so I have been wondering what to WEAR. Luckily I have a silk kimono-type jacket with a tropical theme in bright colors I picked up a while back & never have had a chance to wear. That & some basic bottoms + some of my pearl craft jewelry & there I go.

I wore a pair of red ballet flats to dinner with my brother Mon. w/ a sweater I had gotten a while ago and a top I just got a Good Will for $1.50. Nice outfit.

Wearing the $1 cotton sweater I got a few weeks ago in an "old ladies thrift shop" (plus a 99 Cent Store scarf) - perfect for June gloom here in So.Calif., as they call it - cloudy skies & even drizzle here!

It's the weeked, so off I go. Have a good one everybody!

Holiday week/wkend

Thu, 28 May 2009 21:42:39 GMT

Sorry guys, I really took OFF & even neglected my blog over the holiday week/wkend of Memorial Day. I didn't even pop open the lap top until Monday! Sometimes it's good to just take a BREAK.

Not that the bargain activities have ceased - they are too much of a HABIT. Been finding bargain undies of good quality at both the Dollar Tree & the 99 Cent Store here - so I have been stocking up - These are the sort that have tags for $7-8 dollars each (some up to $10!) - so I have been amassing $100 worth for $10 - That should keep me for a while. (But so people really PAY $10 for underwear? All right, I know they DO & MORE. Which is what I try to explain to hubby when I go on these periodic buying sprees - becaz you have to get them while they are THERE.) It sounds silly, but I have had great luck over the years getting bras & underwear at the local 99 Cent Store- Hanes & other good brands. (This time I got a Lily of France sports bra, too.)

A sneaky tip on dollar stores- when they are a chain, like Dollar Tree or the 99 Cent Store - you will find parts of different lots at each store. So sometimes if the items are a really good deal, it will pay to shop around to different branches of that chain to see what ended up in that particular store, as the choice will vary.

Just got 2 nice charms from the Hong Kong tourist bureau, from a freebie request - They are both on red cord - and might make a nice necklace? or other decorative tassel?

Also signing up for various skin care samples thru the listings at www.freestufftimes.com - They have the best freebie links!

It's getting warmer - soon I will have a chance to wear the lovely swim suit I bought this winter in a thrift shop - never been worn?? - The best values are always off-season.

Oh, I even got a free novel from I think it was a Random house giveaway - Other than that, I have piled up summer reading from a library sale...

Hubby & I visited the Ojai Art in the Park art faire & actually GOT something - which is amazing, considering how much everything COST - they were probably the only BARGAINS in the place! Strangely, one booth had a basket of LARGE stainless steel rings. I have been looking for one for hubby - but none of the ones we had seen had been LARGE enough for his Norwegian farmer's fingers - & THERE was a whole selection for $5 each! The other ones we had been looking at had been $80-100 and up...So I was able to convince hubby to get one (he also got a spare) because we got married with an improvised ring of florist's wire & I have wanted him to get a ring. Can't imagine how those rings ended up there so inexpensively. Must have been an odd lot of something due to the large size. I think they were being sold as jewelry components rather than rings per se. Very nice, tho.

And OK - I got a lovely Chinese turquoise pendant & the next day ran into an abalone necklace - both bargains - There are really good deals on artisan jewelry up here in Ventura at these art fairs. In L.A. they would cost 3 to 4 times as much, at LEAST. I always say that when I am a REALLY old lady, I will hold a massive jewelry yard sale & sell it all off - who knows?

I am not as frugal as I might be - but I do have occasions when I have to put on the dog & haul out my finery - as tonite when I go to the party for the microblog I write on - www.zannel.com/pamphyila - I am in the L.A. Stories section & they fête us with these charming cocktail parties at bistros around Hollywood. So out comes a recent jewelry purchase to glam up.

Tired due to my allergies - but these events always perk me up - (& I will convince hubby to stop off at the 99 Cent Store to get more yarn for my wabi sabi shawl I am knitting in a kind of sampler pattern).

Bargain Sport

Fri, 15 May 2009 20:42:16 GMT

One of the glories of this E. Hollywood neighborhood is that we are 5 min. away from Griffith Pk - one of the largest urban parks in the U.S., I understand. We went walking in the charming Ferndell and beyond - and it felt as if we were camping. Hubby was looking for tents, he said!

Trust hubby to find secret hideaways - and one is the golf courses here - There are 2 - and both have putting greens & a driving range & a cafe besides the course itself (which is only $9)...We had a lite dinner on the patio of the Roosevelt Golf course - soup + sandwiches - on REAL plates - & GREAT soup!

And then hubby putted. We are resolving to get back into walking daily + more SPORT. We have these golf courses available to us midweek - and tennis court(s) - so we are going to get BACK into IT. Hurrah for municipal sports facilities!

It's really lovely to watch the sun go down over the hills in the park - and then there are city views, but it's hard to believe that we are in a big city like L.A.

The ancient philosophers recommended a bit of green daily - and a trip to our lovely park really raised our spirits. We have been working hard - but the end is near for hubby, as the school year winds down...

Off to the boat this wkend - it's been 2 weeks & we both have boatitis!

Onward & upward

Thu, 14 May 2009 22:42:28 GMT

Worried that if I washed my hair without my usual color treatment from colored shampoo(s) it would be dull - but the color was in there anyway. Can't really change it too much until the filming of that role in the indie feature is over - as everything should MATCH. Using moisturizing treatments for my dry scalp.

Oh, a shampoo co. sent me a whole body of special conditioner! And I just got a sample from Murad's pricey skin care line, too.

Took out the "new" raspberry terry thrift shop beach cover up for after my shower- nice! It's my way of drying off. (I always look for those, as terry robes can cost a lot....)

Rested my arms from my knitting projects. When they feel funny, I lay off. What to do next??

Started in on resolution to WALK DAILY - partly due to the fact that the HBO documentary on Alzheimer's and aging scared the bejeezus out of me! Get that aerobic exercise and pump that blood thru your veins & arteries and clear them OUT for another 24 hrs.

Other than that, it's a slow day - but hubby & I are pledging to get back into golf & tennis - We DO have a municipal golf course & tennis courts at our disposal...He was talking about the water skiing of his youth - but I think walking and tennis, etc. are more our speed at the moment. If he wants that thrill - I would encourage him to rent one of those noisy personal watercraft! (which I otherwise despise...)

Saving for our summer vacation to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan - hubby's home town....Are you in a union in the AFL-CIO? I saw good deals on car rentals on their Working Advantage site...among other travel discounts...

How are you guys doing???

Working!!

Wed, 13 May 2009 20:44:59 GMT

Spent last week mostly working - first on a video for a Healthy Lifestyle Inst. and then on the weekend for an indie feature called LOOK IN THE MIRROR, in which I have a very nice part, for once!

The great thing about shoots is that there's FOOD - so I always EAT on the set! One day they ordered Subway sandwiches & a ft. long arrived for me - so I munched a bit on it & brought the rest home for DINNER.

Hubby even got involved in the party scene on one day of the movie shoot - and made some $. Working as an "extra" can be a good way of making extra $ and relatively painless most of the time. It's summertime and movie shooting season - so keep your eyes peeled for local shoots. Our bargain store spray on sunblock sure came in handy!

In one case I used a sample of mineral makeup that was too dark for everyday at the shoot - and in another some tinted moisturizer that was also too dark. They darken my light skin just enough for video so I don't look like a zombie! So if you are going to be before a camera, save your too dark makeup for that! I had to buy some sleepwear for the health inst. shoot, as I was supposed to be in a sleep lab - and hubby & I went to Good Will and got some great stuff for very little.

I also found a shorts set somehow in the sleepwear section - Jones of NYC mind you, for $3.99!! (Remember that in thrift shops clothes can be miscategorized - so keep your eyes open to miscellaneous sections, too! I have found purses mixed in with minor luggage, for example.)

Now I have hubby looking out for yarn for me - & found some on that shopping trip, too. Now I have to figure out what I can make out of what I now have on hand! Just finished a small stole out of blue/white fuzzy yarn I had gotten in a big roll for $7 - not bad...

And hubby says that the beige artificial mohair stole I knitted on big needles is the best one yet! It is versatile and cozy. (And the yarn was from an old ladies thrift shop, too!)

My bargain ($15) pinkish Topsiders are breaking in nicely. They did feel tight at the store, but I knew the other pair a 1/2 size larger had stretched to be almost floppy, so that these would stretch, too. Now I have a variety of casual shoes for summer!

We are off to the boat this wkend - as we have been working for 2 wkends straight and we both have boatitis! (They may be making a movie up there - so I hope to check it out...)

Found out that there are FREE days at L.A. Co. museum this month 5/26 & even registration for a FREE admission to their Pompeii exhibit (otherwise $25!) at lacma.org starting 6/1 - I am signing up. I even found myself writing a letter to the Calendar section of the L.A. Times after I read about the exhibit and its cost - saying that to some people (me included) that $25 was lot of $! There was an article today in the same section quoting some visitors all of whom said that it was worth it & that they didn't mind - but I grew up on FREE museums & I don't think they should be money-making enterprises! And why should I have to PAY for the audio tour if I dislike that sort of thing? Didn't there used to be an optional rental? When did they become mandatory? Couldn't I have a paper brochure and lots of labels?

The free days for the exhibit on seem to have popped up after my blistering letter to the paper - so perhaps I in my small way had something to do with the appearance of the gratis entrance times??? The squeaky wheel does sometimes GET GREASED. Remember that, folks.

Mid-Week Get Away

Sat, 02 May 2009 00:13:53 GMT

Had an audition for an industrial way down in Manhattan Beach - and as hubby had a free afternoon more or less, we decided we would drive down and spend the rest of the afternoon there, as we don't often get down there....

Early for the audition, we stopped in at the local 99 Cent Store - There I found MORE YARN - and some flirty undies in my size - and some knee stockings I wear with pants sometimes...Oh -also got two nylon scarves (purple & green) that are sort of curled at the edges - and are long enuf to twist around my neck...(The price tag said $9 each!) - And we stocked up on sauces and such - a good deal there...

It's all so beachy - we had a FABULOUS burrito made with black beans - I don't like them usually - but this was the best I have ever seen!

Then we walked around the Redondo Pier - which needs a power wash - reminded me of Coney Island somehow...

Mark drove us on to Palos Verdes, where he lived before we met. Oh, the peninsula is loverely - it looks like Monterey in spots. People were whale watching at the Interpretive center...& I learned that Palos Verdes was the 8th Channel Island before it was attached to the land by eons of silt from the mountains...A lighthouse, too...

We continued to San Pedro - formerly a fishing town (with its own lighthouse) - and looked around. One of my discoveries was Old San Pedro - which is an old downtown, complete with vintage mini movie palace! There are coffee houses, including Sacred Grounds - and antique and thrift shops. Just my speed.

I bought a pair of shoes at the Sal Army - and what I think is an African implement - and some classical tapes and a pair of earrings - all of which ended up costing me $8! And I bought a beautiful bone necklace at the antique store - more than I usually would pay - but MUCH less than current retail for a big necklace, now back in style....

We had dinner at 23rd St. restaurant overlooking the marina/harbor. Nice fish place - It looks old, but the waitress assured me that it had only been there since the early 90's....reminded me of the fish restaurants in Brooklyn when I was little...

We came back refreshed and it was like a mini-vacation. With the wonderful new technology, hubby was able to field phone calls on the go - and even pulled out his lap top when I was auditioning....Why is it so much FUN to play hooky, if only for an afternoon?

I worked some extra hours on Friday - which covered some of my purchases while playing hooky - and I managed to avoid the traffic by timing it just right.

Wearing the purple scarf now with a grey t-shirt w/collar - and I must say I feel very classy. I know that cotton scarves are IN - but light nylon ones make a certain amount of sense in warmer weather - and they don't WILT. So I am hunting for all my nylon scarves for the summer! Those coordinated with my various newly-acquired visors in all colors makes me feel very put together....

Laid Back Wkend

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 21:41:38 GMT

Another weekend on the boat - which had a shredded jib sail due to the winds of a week or so ago. Luckily we had our posse at the clubhouse who alerted us to it before it was fit for the junk pile!

Hubby "jerry-rigged" (the origin of the term, I think) another sail for our jib for the time being & thinks the other one can be saved to be cut down if we can find the right person to sew it...

We got out early Sat. so that hubby could make a 10 AM rigging seminar - & with the sail problems, we needed that info! As usual, automated rigs are harder to maintain than manual ones. (Now we are having trouble with an automatic window on the car, too, ugh. I prefer plain old-fashioned crank handles! ) My motto is usually get something lower tech that is easier & cheaper to FIX.

While hubby was at the seminar, I took off for the local Dollar Tree dollar store - & wouldn't you know it, they had that eyelash yarn again - for $1/ball - whereas anywhere else it's $5-7 each! So, of course, I had to stock up and went over budget buying enuf yarn in different colors for several projects. How could I resist? A lady I once knew called the Dollar Store the $30 store, as she always spent at least that much $ there...

But one can find good deals, and if you can stock up! There were more camisoles in different colors - and hand cream and so on...The ladies & I had great fun talking bargains as we sifted through the offerings there! (I also got MORE reading glasses - I have them scattered ALL over.) And I got some cute novelty ice trays with the shapes of shells & flowers - they stack four in the space of one regular tray, and will surely freeze quickly - an asset in the summer, although there is only enuf ice in a little tray for one drink. But the shapes are so pretty, my inner child loves it! Who need a party as an excuse? I can use them every day if I want. [I read about proms deleting ice sculptures becaz of budget cuts - They used to have rubber MOLDS to make them in the frig. I had a fish mold which I have lost track of...but there must be some out there & it could be diy.)

The girl at the bank was terribly nice when my ATM pin code didn't work at the ATM & she helped me reset it quickly & easily. Suburban branches are so nice & quiet!

Then it was just reading away - and noodling on the laptop -

To go back to promo time. The times of outrageous prom outlays are over. Imagine spending $1000 on a crummy prom dress you will only wear once? I have had to bring out the formal attire here in Hollyweird and I scored designer duds at thrift shops and resale shops for less than $100!!! (which I wore several times...) Check out my www.associatedcontent.com article about Cheap Prom Dresses for more info.)

You can easily get evening bags at thrift shops - or borrow one from an elder. (Ditto rhinestones.) - and just get Payless shoes for the one night...Frankly, teenage boys aren't going to know the difference & neither will anyone else for the single night's use.

And you better get used to doing your own hair! (Altho you could splurge in a comb out). Up dos aren't really hard to do - and there are lots of instructions on the net. (Ditto makeup.)

Sure, it's nice to feel pampered - but sometimes the profs don't end up giving you what you want anyway - and then you are STUCK with it. My wedding day hair was on the helmet hair side - but it was so HOT that was the only way it wouldn't fall in a wet mess...

Broke down & ordered some frownies from www.frownies.com - they are things you stick to your wrinkles to smooth them out - & they do work. I used to use them a lot - but then they became hard to get & I switched over to the cheaper version - layers of transparent surgical tape over my brow wrinkle. But it's gotten BAD again - so it's back to the big guns. We will see how that goes...{Hubby was actually looking at it and saying botox?} I am glad that even Brooke Shields has admitted in MORE magazine that she doesn't like aging (she's 40 now).

I joke that I can look the way I always have - but it takes twice as much work! (Not to mention outlay - altho I AM a bargain queen - & even tho I continue to get hi-grade samples of moisturizers and such, the better drugstore brands are quite good, and will serve...& I have even scored nice facial products at the 99 Cent Store, where I stocked up...) Remember the price reflects the ad budget - so go GENERIC whenever possible!

That's all folks - how are you guys doin'?