JUST SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
“Today, of Americans officially designated as ‘poor,’ 99 percent have electricity, running water, flush toilets, and a refrigerator; 95 percent have a television, 88 percent a telephone, 71 percent a car and 70 percent air conditioning.
Cornelius Vanderbilt had none of these.”
–Matt Ridley
WHY YOU SHOULD SHOP AROUND FOR THINGS
WHAT LOVE IS…
LOVE THESE! I wish I knew who the artist was..
Here are my two favourites:
See more via Meta Picture
THE THINGS THAT TAXES GIVE US
This is why I don’t mind paying taxes at all. I know what it should pay for, although when I hit a pothole in the road, I’m wondering where the money really goes. 😛
U.S. STATE STEREOTYPES
Okay, for the record, I do not believe these but I do find them cute.
The dive bars & serial killers section makes me think of a conversation I had with Fabulously Fru-girl (whom I adore), who out of total concern told me to avoid small towns in the U.S. because on CSI and crime TV shows, that’s where everyone ends up dying. 🙂
HOW TO FOLD A FITTED SHEET
I now have this saved on my iPod Touch for reference. Once I do it a few times I’m sure I’ll be all right without the diagram 🙂
Via Meta Picture
INCOME: $0
- ZEEEEEEEEROOOOOOOOOH!!!!
- No blog or blog-related income included because I end up donating it, so why bother recording it?
- It’s getting easier to type my income, but I’m getting bored.
- Time to get some work on!
EXPENSES: $2195.97
It says $2384.49 because the Wardrobe category is inaccurate: I will be returning about $200 worth of wardrobe stuff.
See below.
EXPENSES IN PICTURES:
Okay so it looks like I went nuts in the Wardrobe department this month but it was mostly buying nude underwear and slips.
I really don’t think I need quite so many, so I need to do a little fashion show with my current outfits to see what I’d like to keep and what I am going to return.
I am thinking of returning 3 items, which will bring the total down to something a bit more palatable, like in the $175 range rather than the $375 number sitting up there in my spreadsheet!
Keeping this one for sure: Hanro nude tank top — I ended up liking that it was a full nude tank that I wouldn’t need a bra with, and it’s a darker nude which is better for my skintone. It also has a plunging neckline which means it doesn’t interfere with my shirts that are a bit lower-cut.
Both of these are going back
DKNY Fusion Shaping Cami or the Spanx nude Thinstincts tank top
The DKNY was VERY comfortable without being too tight, and the Spanx one really covered the straps with its wide band.
I liked both of them but they were too high of a neckline for my tops in the end., and I have to wear another bra under either of these and the Hanro one (above) eliminates that extra layer.
Plus, these colours are too light for my skintone.
‘Nude’, my butt. 😛
The nude Commando Cami slip — I am keeping the black one because it looks better even if it peeks out under a dress. Black matches better with all the colours than this too-pale nude.
I like that it won’t sag or droop underneath my dress, which will defeat the purpose of a slip.
I’d need to try the Dark Nude one, or something in between the two, but really, I don’t really own white or sheer dresses. I always buy things that are lined…
Also, I made a jewellery purchase that I really like, this Ornamental Things Gothic London Necklace, made in Austin Texas!
It hangs to my navel and is very, very cool.
And I really like the Sephora Moonshadow Baked Nude palette that Rae of theNotice recommended (you can see her swatches there)!
All the colours work very well to complement and fill in the gaps in my Urban Decay Naked palette.
NET WORTH: $157,089.11 or + $3921.00 or + 2.5%
- Cash: $400.78
- Savings: $2285.41
- Retirement: $39,609.30
- Emergency Fund: $114,793.62
NOTES
- Wow! No drop this month… probably also due to the fact that I’m trying hard to clamp down on my spending
- Thank goodness the US dollar went up a bit because some of my investments are in USD 😛
- ….and retirement in general is picking up for me. Finally.
- This will be good motivation for me to continue my “spend less.. SPEND LESS” push, after a year of spending a lot
BEST POSTS OF NOVEMBER 2011
- FB 2011 Gift Guide from low to luxurious!
- Should a freelancer look flashy or frugal?
- Is blogging a waste of time and money?
- 30 things to do before the age of 30
- Where I shop in Toronto
- Cut back in your spending without cutting something out
A THOUGHT ON DESIGNER SHOE LUST
I have never paid more than $100 for a pair of heels.
I still own them, wear them everyday when I work and they’re very comfortable.
They’re comfortable also because they are 2″ high, because anything higher than 3″ in these brands, tends to be pretty painful to wear, so I never even bothered.
….. but after going into a store and trying on Manolo Blahniks and Louboutins, I am starting to see why women shell out $700 – $1000 for a pair of 3″ or 4″ heels.
So if you do NOT want to start lusting after very expensive heels, do NOT try on these shoes. EVER.
They are seriously comfortable.
These designer shoes are like the Birkenstock sandals of heels, they are comfy because:
- They have a heel cup. A HEEL CUP!
- They have slight arch support — OMG. Huge for me!
- Structure of the stiletto heel right in the middle of your heel is divine — really gives a center of balance
- 4″ actually felt doable to me. TO ME! The girl who has never worn anything above 2″ comfortably
- My ankle doesn’t wobble in them like in other cheap 3″ heels
It will be so worth it to wear them to a wedding or event and not have to sit down every 2 minutes because my toes are going numb.
I’ll have to pay full price for these shoes, but the ones that go on sale are usually sandals or items that aren’t ‘classic’.
I’m thinking of buying ONE of these pairs once I get a job. Maybe. I haven’t decided yet because it’s just a lot of freakin’ lettuce to be shelling out for a pair of SHOES.
May not end up buying a pair at all. I’ll just stare at them and drool.
I am leaning favourably to the second row, middle pair of tan heels. Practical, will be used often (work!) and will have the most cost-per-use for the high pricetag.
Just a girl trying to find a balance between being a Shopaholic and a Saver.
I cleared $60,000 in 18 months earning $65,000 gross/year.
Now I am self-employed, and you can read more about 
This is very useful information shared here. I am
really thankful for this. 99th.co.in
I LOVE that quote at the top of the page 🙂
I’m also drooling over the shoes, but those are a one-day-when-I’m-done-paying-off-debt-and-have-money-saved-up kind of shoes. In other words, not right now, lol.
I’m thinking those shoes will be a NO in the end, because I’d rather have skinny jeans to tuck into boots and a Clarisonic face brush.
I say go for the nude. That’s usually what I go for with expensive shoes and it’s true — you just end up wearing them more often because they go with everything! Also, thanks for the review on those slips/tanks/spanx. I’ve been thinking about getting one but I’m not sure which one to go for either. Look like I’ll still have to look around!
I’ve been reading your blogs for a couple months now and love your story. You are an inspiration. Now if I could only find a job that would pay enough to get out of debt.
Love the photo about taxes. Its too true. Those that oppose taxes are usually the first to rant about the roads, lights, police, etc. Where do they think that money comes from? Thin air? Kills me.
Thank you very much.
I am not in love with giving away my money to taxes, but I am proud when I can say: I pay my taxes, and I see it in the roads, the lights, the sidewalks and how clean the city is kept.
When I don’t see that (*cough*Montreal*cough*), I wonder where the heck the money goes (politician’s pockets, no doubt)
I don’t know the artist’s name, but this is his website! He updates often and all artwork is dedicated to his wife.
http://hj-story.com/
OMG SO CUTE! Thank you
Love the bottom right black heels. I need basic pair of black pumps but I will sadly NOT be getting a pair of Loubies. But I probs will be shopping the sales for a decent leather pair that will last longer than my old cheap ones *glares at Target heels*
We have opposite problems with nude tanks, I struggle to find ones that are pale enough. I need a nice shade of off-white 😉
Wow you could go for an ivory then 🙂
1. I was considering trading in my Williams Sonoma GC because there’s just not much there that is reasonably priced, seems like the same amount of money would go further elsewhere.
2. Small town boredom is usually the worst danger 🙂
3. The shoes are awfully tempting if they are as comfortable as you say! I wonder if 3 inches are as low as they come, through.
That WS gift card is only good for stuff like Le Creuset to be honest. Everything else is v. Expensive
I tried on a pair of Loubies and was surprised at how uncomfortable I found them – maybe too high? But I’m open to trying on another pair…. I can’t get over how great these fashion bloggers look in heels!!!
Manolos. Apparently Loubous are v. uncomfortable. Choos and Manolos are better.
Correction to the reader above: I tried on the 4″ heels, not the crazy 5″ ones.
Go for the black and brown shoes in the middle!! So cute! ;-D
I used to buy “cheap” shoes, wear them out in a few months and buy new ones, until I reached about age 32. After that, I started noticing my knee and hip joints ached when I wore the cheap shoes, but not the pricier, better quality shoes. Since then I only try to buy quality, and yes sometimes they have been over $100, but I only buy them if they are at least 40% off, and they last me years instead of months now.
What do you mean by they have a heel cup? lol I’m confused. Also I’ve tried on a couple of Loubs & Manolos that weren’t very comfortable for me due to the pitch/incline — I have very small feet (size 5) and I felt very unbalanced in the 4-4.5″ heels. I think it depends on the style of the shoe and how “rigid” your foot is (higher arches tend to not mold as well to shoes in my experience). I’ve certainly tried pairs that were supremely comfortable though, and the quality one can find with designer shoes can be divine.
The Manolos I tried, had a bit of a deeper section in the heel compared to my other heels that feel VERY flat.
This is what I call the heel cup, because you have an arch in your foot and a heel cup to balance it
I should note that the ones I tried on were 3″ 🙂 Not 4″!
Sorry I meant to write ‘*4″, not 5″ *’