Fabulous Financials

After 2.5 months, I finally ended my ‘no shopping’ diet. Surprisingly, it wasn’t very hard. I just said I wasn’t going to do it, then I didn’t do it. Wow, I’m getting good as this financial discipline stuff. Wish I could say the same about my discipline to live a healthier lifestyle, but I’m working on it. Anyhoo, where was I? Oh, the end of my shopping diet…

On March 10th, the official end of my ‘no shopping’ diet, I tried to buy these shoes. Unfortunately, they didn’t have my size (7.5) in the store, so I had to order them. Which technically means, I didn’t really buy anything since I don’t have them in my hands. LOL But maaaaaaaaan, I can’t wait to see them, smell them, touch them, feel them, then put those babies on my feet. Yes, I am obsessed with shoes. Ha! It’s been over 3 months since I’ve had a new pair (remember these?) and I’m loooong overdue! LOL

I don’t intend to wear them right now though, but they fit the bill for my holiday pumps. I’m sure you remember the shoe emergency from last year. Not being able to find the perfect shoe for a holiday party is so not cute. When I saw them, I didn’t have to think twice about snatching ‘em up. Won’t catch me slipping again! No way, un un!

Side note: if you’re wondering, I couldn’t resign today. Boss was out of the office. Lucky heffa! I started to email my resignation so she could read it on her BlackBerry. LOL She called around 11 to see how things were running and she sounded like a chain smoker on crack. I didn’t have the nerve to do it over the phone. Yes, I do have a heart - albeit really small. Oh well…she just delayed the inevitable. I’ve been practicing my speech all day!

Now ok, let’s see…what else did I buy this weekend?

In the spirit of spring, I wanted to add at least two vibrant colors to my wardrobe. But I have to be careful because not everything looks good against my skin tone. So I chose turquoise and orange for my colors of the season - not to be worn together of course. LOL

First up: a pair of turquoise earrings with the matching necklace and coordinating ballerina flats

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The jewelry is from Ashley Stewart ($12, I think?) and the shoes are from Filene’s Basement ($7) - both can be worn with just about anything. I can wear them on casual weekends with jeans, capris, or shorts. I actually had my khaki wrap skirt in mind when I bought them. I can also wear the jewelry with a cute dress or I may even try to pull it off against a white button down if I can wear slacks in my new office on Fridays. The options are endless.

Second up: an orange and gold necklace with coordinating bracelets

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This jewelry is from DOTS ($4 each). I must admit, I’d never heard of this store before. I was leaving one of my favorite stores, Ross Dress for Less, and there it was. My eyes were attracted to the colorful mannequins in the window, so I went in to take a peak. It’s amazing what you can find when you’re in a shopping mood. LOL If trendy is your thing, this is your store! They have LOTS of spring selections - and they’re cheap. I mean, real cheap. Not sure if that’s a good thing, but I don’t think I saw anything above $20. Weird.

I love the way orange looks against my skin tone, so I also bought an orange tank ($12.99, also from DOTS) and an orange blouse from my most favorite-est store, Nordstrom’s ($too damn much.99). I’ll have to reserve the blouse for a special occasion because it’s real sexy cute and the tank can be accessorized with some jeans on a casual day, a girl’s outing perhaps.

Third up: a black handbag

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This is a Liz that I copped from TJ Maxx ($22). Nothing extravagant about it. For some reason, most of my purses are bold, in color and design. I didn’t realize that. So when I was preparing for my last interview, I told myself that I needed a mid-sized, solid black handbag. My only requirement was that it had to be genuine leather, timeless (i.e. non-trendy), and less than $50. This one fit the bill perfectly.

Fourth up: a pair of slingbacks

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What’s a solid black purse without black shoes? LOL These are Anne Klein slingbacks from Filene’s Basement (regular price $89.99, sale $49.99). Not only are they quality shoes at a decent price, but I walked around the store for about 20 minutes and they are SUPER comfy. Oh, and they don’t slip off my feet like most slingbacks, which is an extra plus. I can already envision how many different ways I can wear them. These babies were a steal.

Other things purchased but not pictured:

• a pair of caramel colored slacks - hope I can chuck the suits soon
• a white button down - can never have too many
• two pairs of workout capris - I haven’t given up
• pink and gray Nike’s - gotta be cute when I workout LOL
• brown and white jewelry - I’m addicted to neutral tones
• pink satin jacket and gold ballerina flats for BabyGirl - feel like a bad mom when I buy for myself and don’t buy anything for her. She has a job now, I need to get over this.

By the way, my camera (cheap little Kodak EasyShare) is about to go ka-plunk. And you know what that means? I might have to buy another one of those too. *sigh* Oh well…

Total damage: ~$350

I think I’ve done my civic duty to stimulate the economy. And I did it early!

Aren’t I a good citizen? LOL j/k

Have you bought any cute shoes lately?

I don’t have a lot of time, but I need to tell you something real quick. C’mere…

*whispering*

I made a boo boo. Guess what I did?

I processed a credit card payment using the wrong checking account and now I’m overdrawn by ($2.57). Shhhhhhh…don’t tell noooooooo-bo-dy!

I meant to click the drop down list and select my other checking account but apparently I didn’t. Oops! Thank goodness that same credit card I was trying to pay also doubles as overdraft protection for the same checking account I used by mistake. Isn’t that a crazy web. LOL Oh yea, and the credit card doesn’t incur any cash advance fees either. Whew!

Have I told you how much I love USAA? Ok, I’ll tell you later.

Now check these out?

I’m going to make these babies MINE right now!

It’s March 10th and I’m finally off my spending diet. Yay!!!!

*jumping up and down*

Shoes, shoes, gimme shoes!!!

*wavin hands in the air*

All I want is a pair of SHOOOOOOOOOOOES!!

*calming down and straightening my jacket*

Ok, that is all.

Blog wit’cha lata…

Sometimes I save myself from myself in ways that I never imagined. Fortunately, this time, I saved myself a few bucks - but it left me depressed. Now I’m balled up on the couch watching Devil Wears Prada. It’s my next best alternative to retail therapy. That damn Miranda is fierce. Love her! LOL

Anyhoo, I’m not sure if the depression is due to a guilty conscience or (unintended) delayed gratification. You decide…

BabyGirl collected a little Christmas stash, so she asked to go shopping for a pair of black boots. Naturally, I suggested we go to DSW - the shoe mecca. OMG, let me tell you what I saw! Only the most fabulous shoes in the whole wide world! I can’t find a picture but imagine this:

Calvin Klein pumps
3 inches
Burgundy/Wine
Suede with patent heel
Patent design across top with CK buckled logo
$79.98 with 30% off

When I saw my size, I just HAD to try them on. They were fabulous! Ooh and comfy too. Immediately, I decided those babies were going to be mine. Single Ma’s final shoe purchase of the year! Like it was a monumental event or something. Ha! To make sure it wasn’t a complete impulsive purchase, I tried to think of a reason (any reason) NOT to buy them. Unfortunately, my brain wasn’t cooperating. It only gave me reasons why I should.

• You can wear these with the charcoal suit that has burgundy pinstripes.
• You can wear these with the gray suit.
• You can wear these with ALL of your the black suits.
• You can even wear them with jeans if you find a cute sweater.
• These are so fabulous, Mr. Eye Candy will notice them immediately.
• They’re 30% off!

…and the list goes on and on.

Nuttin’ but the devil. Then I turned to BabyGirl. “Honey, give me one reason why I shouldn’t buy these shoes?” I was so preoccupied, I didn’t even realize she was gone. Ha! I was in my zone and forgot that we were shopping for HER. Oops!

When I located my lost spawn (or was I lost?), she wasn’t even thinking about me and my new obsession. So I walked around the whole store wearing them while she shopped. Just tagging along like a good little mommy.

A few minutes later, BabyGirl didn’t find anything she wanted and was ready to go. I would have been too, except that I was still wearing THE shoes. LOL Maaaaan, I didn’t want to take them off. But eventually, I decided to buy them. Then - all of a sudden - a gazillion thoughts came swarming to my mind.

• Even at 30% off, they’re still $55 plus tax.
• You still owe $276 on your credit card bill from Christmas shopping and the statement will close on Jan 8th.
• Your HOA fees went up this year, $475 due on Jan 30th. When you set your rental rate, you didn’t consider this expense so it’s all out of pocket.
• You just spent $75 on a touch up and layers this morning. You wanted a NEW look for ‘08, remember?
• You just spent $258 on car maintenance this afternoon. Now that your baby is paid for, you wanted to keep her in tip top shape, remember?
• You have about $340 worth of medical expenses coming up in January. Ortho bill, paps, BCPs - you know, important ish.
• Don’t forget about BabyGirl’s emergency dental visit from last month. Yea, the $225 you haven’t paid yet. You insisted on a panoramic xray and the insurance rep already told you the PPO will only cover $22. You filed a claim anyway, but you know you’re coming out of pocket for that one. Smarty pants!
• You just loaned your cousin $200 and you have no idea when or if she’ll pay you back. So subtract it from your cash flow and forget about it.

Well shyt!! After all of that, I didn’t even want the damn shoes no mo’!

Hmph!

~*~*~*~*~*~
Work to achieve, not to acquire.
And as always, BE FABULOUS!

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My intentions are good, but sometimes I just can’t help myself. See, what had happened was…

I was out and about Christmas shopping yesterday, right. And umm…er…uh, I picked up a few things for my ‘other’ babies at KB Toys and two gifts from Burlington Coat Factory. I really did.

• I found one of those ’so real puppies’ for my baby who loves to torture my pooch. This thing will bark, jump up and down, wag its tail, give you a paw, piss on the floor, and everything. LOL
• I found a ‘Cheetah Girls dress up kit’ for my baby who loves to dress in her mama’s clothes. In true mini diva fashion, my girl will have the animal print handbag, shoes, jewelry, matching outfit, etc. A mess, but she’ll love it! LOL
• I found another Bratz doll with an actual curling iron and accessories for my baby who loves to do hair. If I hadn’t seen it for myself, I wouldn’t believe a 3 year old could style her own hair. I’m talking straight parts and all. Word!
• I even found a little something for my boys who love to ruff play and dang near kill each other. Now they can punch, wrestle, and dive until they’re blue in the face or at least one of them surrenders. Hmph, that’ll never happen.
• From Burlington, I picked up a gift for my office party: a ‘bar butler’ that dispenses shots of 4 different kinds of alcohol. You can probably guess that I work with a bunch of middle aged men whose idea of a great time must include lady liquor. LOL
• I also found my brother a ‘p.imp’ robe per his descriptive request (i.e. long, extra thick, and belted). After searching all the major department stores, I noticed the prices ranged from $25-$99, but I finally found one in Burlington for $17.99.

And all of this was within budget too. *pat on the back* But then…I uh, ventured into Macy’s, and uh… Aww hayle, I saw these shoes and couldn’t resist!

There, I said it! Whew, it feels good to confess! LOL

As soon as I saw them, my brain immediately recalled sections of my closet, zeroed in on a gray suit, scanned the perimeter for a pink cami, then searched my jewelry container for complementary accessories. In a matter of seconds, I was ready for Monday morning. Ha!

Thank goodness I only have 3 more gifts to find. Otherwise, I’d be in a lot of trouble. *sigh*

~*~*~*~*~*~
Work to achieve, not to acquire.
And as always, BE FABULOUS!

I need red shoes for the holidays!

I’m having no luck and it’s making me sad.

I’ma need to call in some backup ‘cuz this here is an EEE-MUR-JENT-C!!

Help me, help me puh-leeze!!

Life would be wonderful if I could find something like this…

…in a deep, dark red.

Any ideas? K’thanks!

ETA: Can’t afford ‘em but I’d love to have these.

~*~*~*~*~*~
Work to achieve, not to acquire.
And as always, BE FABULOUS!