Lovin' Ukay

okay.  so i didn't exactly shop less as i have mentioned in one of my first posts for the year but i actually saved more.  how come, you ask?  it's because i've been buying stuff from thrift shops aka ukay ukay shops!  yes, i actually do wear ukay ukay items, believe it or not.  hahaha.  my love for these "vintage" treasures started when my mother bought several blouses and pants for me.  she has this friend who visits her and brings pre-selected and washed ukay items - blouses, pants, skirts, jackets and even children's clothes.  what amazed me was the quality of these clothes.  they look almost brand new and even prettier than those found in some shops in the mall.  plus, wala kay kapareho!  hahaha. it's such a nightmare to walk around the mall or in the office and bump into somebody who wears the same blouse, in the same color! 

since i didn't buy anything last december, i was planning to buy at least 3 blouses or dresses for officewear for the 1st quarter.  call it an excuse but my work demands that i wear something presentable everyday, even if i am in jeans.  i don't really do the slacks and blazer combo but i'm more of the just-blouse-and-jeans or just-dress-paired-with-flats girl.  i wear skirts and high heels at least once a week though.  i know of various ukay shops uptown but lately, i've only visited two stores and they're in raintree. on my first trip there two weeks ago, i found three blouses - one priced at P150 and two at P80.00.  and believe me, you wouldn't know those stuff were ukay-bought.  hahaha.  

i wasn't planning to go back until march or april but yesterday, out of boredom, i asked my tita who's here in cebu to get some docs from PRC, if she'd want to do ukay ukay.  of course she wanted to!  so we trooped to raintree and went out with 3 plastic bagful of stuff.  i bought blouses for my nanay and sisters and four items for me.  all items were priced either P150 or P180, kinda expensive by ukay ukay standards, but all were "new arrivals" and i reckon we were among the first ones to browse through the stuff because there were lots of pretty good ones.  the next time i'd go vintage clothes-buying, i'm thinking of visiting this shop across cebu doc. a friend says they have good items as well.  

i guess it's not bad to spend P500 on 5 or 6 or 7 blouses, is it?  i used to spend P1000 on one blouse or skirt alone!  maybe when you have the money to spend, it's all right to splurge on branded clothes.  but if you're dirt poor like me yet still wants to don fashionable outfits, the ukay ukay shop is the best place to go to. 

Setting and Resetting Priorities

ppip and i planned to visit at least one new place every year. and supposedly this year, we're going either to boracay (i know, i know, loser-sounding kaau that i haven't been there yet! hahaha), baguio and vigan (new for him at least) camiguin, or davao.

but now, thinking of the critical situation we are in, i am having serious thoughts about not pushing through with our initial plans. i reckon this year's not the best time to travel even if we have the budget for it. for one, we have decided to do another semi-major house job. the interior flooring we had spent on last december had disappointed us and we're thinking of having it re-done. second, my nanay has prettified our garage/garden (her christmas gift to us was this landscaping job) and now, we find it a little off that our exterior's beautiful but our interior's still in shambles. hehe. and since we're doing this floor renovation, we might as well fix some parts of the house to make our pay to the carpenter, who we're importing straight from bais city, sulit. i've had it with local workers who bleed you dry yet don't even produce satisfactory results.

thinking about it now, i'd rather spend on and do house construction while andi's still not here instead of dilly-dallying for a few days and continue to be miserable (a bit) about the house's condition. anyway, if by the end of the year, we still have have enough (after putting something on our savings account - we now have one yay!), we can decide what to do or where to go. it sounds pretty reasonable, doesn't it?

i can't wait for this renovation. it would make our house look half-decent. then we'd save up some more for the paint job and kitchen overhaul. really, owning a house and lot is just half the story. furnishing and making it livable according to one's standards is the other half.

It's A Deal!

so, i made a bet with friends Y and G. or rather, they made a bet with me. because they couldn't believe that i wouldn't buy anything for myself this christmas! hahaha. if they win, i have to treat them to a dinner buffet at marco polo. but if i win, i can choose wherever they would treat me for dinner.

this is gonna be fun! i do intend to prove to them that i actually have self control when it comes to shopping. and what's so funny is that for the longest time before and after i gave birth to raf, i didn't buy anything for myself! it was my mother who bought stuff for me because we were too poor to buy a pair of shoes or a bag. and it went on for a year. so i surely wouldn't have any trouble keeping tabs on the things i have to let go for a month right? hahaha.
and secondly, as i mentioned in my post yesterday, budget is really tough for the next months so even if i'd want something, i wouldn't have the moolah to buy it because really, andi is drinking so much milk! hehehe. they are so confident because in the past months, i accumulated so much shoes and books and clothes that they think i am this obsessed shopaholic who'd die of heartbreak if i can't buy that purple flats. i am proud to say that yes, i am a shopaholic but i know what i must buy first before anything else. i also splurge when i am rich, not when i am cash strapped. that's why i didn't go to ayala's mallwide sale. i know when to spoil myself, and i also know when to stop the urge.

however, the bet doesn't cover the things i'll buy for ppip, the kids, and my friends.

so now i am already thinking which resto they can take me to when december 31 rolls around and all i have are actually just gifts from family and friends.

Of Budgets, Lost Mirrors and Kaith Sashes

Budget Blues
i've always dreaded doing budgets - may it be personal or business. although i am quite good at it. i never miss anything out and i often end up saving on something. the thing with budgets though is that almost always somebody wants and has to slash it. and you have to re-do it and scrimp and save every single centavo.

i did our househould budget for the remaining months of 2008 and for the first quarter of 2009 and boy, was i slumped. we have to do major belt-tightening until april, especially that we'll have andi by january and raf would start school by june. therefore, i super seriously resolve not to buy anything for me for christmas. this is the least i can do. and i'd tell my husband also not to give me anything fancy or expensive because my mind can't help but whir and spurt figures as to how much we could have saved if he didn't get me this particular item. hahaha.

i know this will be real challenge but i'd rather have more food on the table and a comfortable and renovated house than splurge on some "wants" this christmas. anyway, my parents will be here by december so maybe they can spend on some of my wishlist items. hahaha. if not, i'd stop the urge to sulk. i mean, just the fact that andi's with them and they're more than willing to shell out some amount when her monthly allowance isn't enough is already a great help.

so now, tell me, who wants to be in my shoes?

Mirror, Mirror, Where Are You?
i change pressed powder brands every month but it's only between maybelline, clean and clear, neutrogena, and the body shop. i am quite lucky that my face isn't that choosy and sensitive that i can try any new product in the market and be not afraid of waking up with horrible skin the next day. although i'd know after a day or two if this particular powder is great for my face or not.

a friend recommended the new pond's pressed powder and always-itching-to-try-new-stuff me immediately bought a compact last week. well, the color and texture is perfect and it has a really nice smell so i thought i hit jackpot the first time i used it. although when i saw its price, i was kinda turned off because it is quite expensive considering that it's just a local brand. okay, it's only P200 but clean and clear is only P100+. and maybelline is P199. yes, i am a spendthrift like that. hahaha.

it has always been my ritual before i leave for lunch to retouch. working on emails and phone calls has a way of leaving my skin oily and blech. hahaha. now when i opened my new pond's powder earlier, i was flabbergasted to find out that it doesn't have a mirror! my gawd, i can't believe it! a pressed powder without a mirror! and at P207! maybe i am overreacting but hello, even a cheap fanbo at P80 has a mirror! ahm, please don't mind the exclamation points. i was that surprised actually. hehehe.

so now i couldn't think of having a compact without a mirror. or getting a teeny weeny mirror and holding it up while i powder my nose. it's just...wrong.

Kaith Sashes Over at BoredAndCrafty
a few months ago, i asked yam if she can make me sashes or ribbons that i can use to accessorize my plain dresses. i have several ones that need a little splash of color not only to brighten them up but also to create shape. so she came up with her very own Kaith Sashes!

check these sashes out as well as her other new items over at her online shop: http://boredandcrafty.multiply.com.

Happy November 17th All! :)