Menu Plan Monday 03/27/23

Oh boy. I 'overslept' this morning. I woke up when the alarm went off & fell back asleep again and woke up 40 minutes later. Kinda my own fault. I inadvertently knocked myself out for the night, because I haven't been sleeping well for almost a week. I was so worn out on Saturday, I took a 4 hour nap. I don't even know if you can call it a nap, because it was so long. Thankfully, I wake up way earlier than I need to get up, so I wasn't exactly late. I was only slightly off schedule.  Then the bus arrived 10 minutes early, but we were ready. I have always stressed to DS that we should always be ready early in case the bus arrives earlier. We set everything ready the night before (clothes, pack lunch etc) and I have that extra time built in. I don't like to keep anyone waiting. 

Here's what we're eating this week:

Monday : Lasagna, big salad 

Tuesday : Pesto chicken casserole with veggies and/or salad

Wednesday : Same as Monday

Thursday : Same as Tuesday

Friday : Something from the freezer with salad

There's always a variety of fresh fruit, vegetables & salad fixings available

Dessert : Peppermint fridge tart (icebox cake). I'm blaming Lori for Monday's menu...lol. I love Italian food, so when I read about it, I just had to make lasagna. I wanted to make tiramisu (my absolute favorite dessert in the whole wide world), but the ingredients list made me change my mind. I didn't want to go spend a bunch of money just for dessert, when I only needed whipping cream for the fridge tart (another favorite of ours).  I'm trying to build meals around what we already have in our freezer & pantry.

Here's the simple version for USA folks (I normally use a 13" rectangular dish)

Graham crackers

Heavy whipping cream

1 Can Dulce de leche caramel (or any other caramel brand)

Any kind of mint chocolate

Crush chocolate in blender. Whip cream until stiff. Add caramel and 3/4 crushed chocolate and mix. Layer graham crackers in a square or rectangular dish. Top with caramel mix. Rinse & repeat. It's like building lasagna. Top layer should be caramel mix. Top that with leftover chocolate and refrigerate overnight. Many moons ago, I added sliced banana (I still don't know why I did that...lol) as a layer. I still do it and it helps cut some of the richness of the caramel. 

Tip : If you ever overwhip your cream, add a bit more fresh whipping cream to it and fold in gently. 

Breakfast : Banana oatmeal muffins, french toast (I caved & bought chocolate brioche again), eggs, toast, cereal. Pick your own breakfast.

Lunches : Leftovers or something from the freezer & salad

Have a wonderful week peeps!

Fashion Friday

Hi everyone!

It's been another crazy day. I say that a lot lately...lol, but it's true. The day started out really bad. I purchased a new desktop for myself during the pandemic (2020). We had to get DS a laptop for school and I have needed a new desktop for work. I still prefer a desktop, because I have a nice big monitor that I can actually see things on...lol. The laptop is my backup plan.  As you know, computers were really hard to find during that year, but we finally managed to purchase a laptop directly from Dell. As I've mentioned before. That turned out to be a pos (excuse the french). I also purchased a desktop from them, since it's all we could find. I always use HP products, but hey, beggars can't be choosers. I put off using my new desktop, because the old desktop had a spreadsheet programme (I've never heard of it, but all spreadsheets work the same) that I used for business. This saved me from paying for Excel every year. Well, I finally installed the new Dell yesterday. Set it up, signed up for Microsoft package and downloaded it. Turned on the desktop this morning and the darn thing had system error, diagnosing problem messages. WTH?! This is a brand new computer!!! I tried every single thing they told me to do, including trying to reset the darn thing & it kept telling me it couldn't fix the errors. What errors?! I couldn't even get to the login page. Absolutely nothing worked. I know it's not the Microsoft software, because my devices are synced and the software works great on my laptop. Bloody hell!! Several hundred dollars down the drain. This thing is even worse than the pos laptop we got DS. Now I have to purchase a new desktop. Found one that I liked, but the price made me cringe. It was a bundle (CPU, monitor, keyboard, mouse) and you can't just find the CPU on it's own. Did some searching and found an even better model. I don't need all those extras. I already have that. I haven't purchased the item yet. I hate these unnecessary expenses. I feel like I'm just bleeding money lately. Why does this always happen when we want to save, instead of spend? 

Anyhoo, I thought I'd do something a little different. Rachel mentioned not knowing where to start when it comes to a polished look, so I decided to share a few tips and tricks. I don't know if anyone else is interested in reading about it, but I'd be happy to help with putting outfits together. So, without further ado...

• I don't spend a fortune to look good and neither should you. I buy good quality items on clearance. Many of my items are several years old. 

• Not all of my items come from high end retailers. I often shop at TJM, Marshalls, Burlington etc. Burlington and JCP have provided my 2 wool coats. My JCP coat is about 16 years old and I paid a whopping $20 for it. You can't find good wool coats anymore. Everything's made with polyester these days. I'll have to post a pic so you can see that it's still in excellent condition.

• I don't follow trends, except for color trends. I have my own personal style. 

• For the most part, I stick to simple solid pieces (especially black & white) then mix & match prints and colors to it. 

• I wear no more than 3 colors at a time. Again, I like to keep things simple. Less is always more.

• I don't mix prints.  I don't like my outfit to be too busy. I always wear one key piece that makes a statement. I don't want anything to distract from that piece. 

• I don't shop all the time. Many times I'll add a new piece to a very old piece or outfit. By purchasing classic, timeless styles, I can wear the items for years without it looking dated. 

Here's how to get started. If you don't already own it, get yourself a pair of black dress pants or a pencil skirt. Why black? It goes with everything. Same with white. Some of you might prefer skirts to pants. Either one will work. I would suggest a slim fit (skinny) or boot cut pants. Add a matching black blazer to it. You don't have to buy the expensive blazers. I've seen one for around $25 at Marshalls recently. Please just make sure that the quality's good. You want a blazer that will last many years. 

Then add a simple plain white shirt to it. Here's one at JCP for $20. When I say shirt, I'm referring to those button front shirts. (I hate that they call it button down. A button down shirt is a shirt with buttons at the collar). Then add a pair of black pumps to it. It doesn't have to be 4" heels. You can wear a lower heel, but please stay away from kitten heels. That won't do anything for your outfit. 

If you don't like the stiletto heels or can't walk on it, get a pair of block heel pumps (this is the only block heels I have, but you get the idea). 

Just think of this skirt as a plain black one. Do you see how easy it is to put that outfit together? Well, my plain white blouse has billow (wide) sleeves, so it will still make a statement if I remove the blazer. I'll just wear my plain black blazer (that I posted before) with it. Easy peasy. 

I own exactly 3 skirts. This one, a tan one and a denim one. This is just to give you an idea of what a pencil skirt looks like. It's basically a straight cut skirt (usually above the knee, knee length or slightly below the knee). 

Here's what the skirt actually looks like. It's actually a short skirt with a longer overlay (kinda like a skorts). I paid exactly $7 for it during a Flash sale (pre pandemic). I bought the gingham pants and jacket too for the same price. I absolutely love gingham (it's slightly different from plaid) and paisley. 

I can pair any of the above shoes to the outfit, to create a different look. Again, I'll just add my plain black blazer to it. I can also add a pair of tall black or red boots to it. 5 Different outfits by just changing my shoes. 

If you have colored shoes, try to pair them with your black & white outfit to create a new one. It will kick your plain outfit up a couple of notches. Not all colors will match, but you'll be able to see what does. I wouldn't wear any of my blue shoes with this. Above is a pic of the black pants, so you have a better idea of what it looks like to add colors to it. You can also change your blazer. Mix & match is the name of the game :)

I can switch the blazer for my green velvet one. I have a black velvet one too. I bought this blazer pre pandemic too and just noticed that it's the exact same color as the shoes (which was purchased a few months ago). I love the crest buttons on WHBM blazers. It makes their blazers look expensive. Wait, it IS expensive because they charge over $200 for a blazer these days!!! I paid around $40-50 for my velvet ones. Do you see why you should never pay full price? Everything will eventually go on sale. 

Or I can add a fancy black blouse to the skirt. Again, I can wear black or red shoes with it.

This is the back of the blouse. The pearl buttons add a touch of elegance to the blouse. 

My purchases are always well thought out. When I buy something new, I always make sure that it matches several things in my closet. Shop with purpose. Don't just buy something because it's on sale or it looks good. You can stretch a few simple pieces into a full or large closet, by just mixing & matching. 

I don't wear my pants or skirts that high. I was just trying to fit everything into the pic. Please excuse the crooked pics. I stood on a chair to take pics and tried to avoid hitting the lighting above my head. 

I hope this information is useful to someone. Please feel free to ask if you have any questions or if there's a specific area you'd like me to write about. 

Have a wonderful weekend peeps. 

Odds & Ends

What a day it's been. I've been wide awake since 2 AM!!! I was so tired by the time I had to get up. I decided to pour a 2nd cup of coffee after DS left for school (I only drink one cup a day, but brew enough for 2 cups), only to remember that I drink Decaf (insert face palm emoji). I mix decaf with regular, but it's been far more decaf in the mix lately. So I ended up drinking a pop at lunch time. It was either that or fall asleep on my feet. That's not all. I made a burrito for DS's lunch and only realised afterwards that I forgot to add beans to the burrito. Never mind that the bowl of beans was sitting right next to the rest of the ingredients (another facepalm emoji). Who the heck makes burritos without beans? That's the main ingredient...lol. The problem is that I always toast our burritos and wraps (I use my old little George foreman grill. It works just like a panini press). That way nothing comes apart & no food falls out. Well, DS enjoyed that 'burrito' anyway. Phew! I'm more than ready for an early night. What's been happening around here lately? 

• I went to Kohls and shopped the clearance sale. I used my gcs that I purchased at RA. Spent a little over $100 and earned $20 KC. This was a great sale, because I first started out with the $77 Rakuten check (this is free money for just doing something we're already doing anyway - online shopping). Then I added $73 to purchase $150 gcs at RA. I earned $24 BC on that (I need to make a shopping list to spend that points before it expires). Then I used the gcs to buy items to resell and earned an extra $20 KC. That's an extra $44 in free money that I earned on my already free money (does that sound weird...lol).  See how I kept rolling my rewards and earning extra money/rewards on it? It's my favorite way to shop.
  
  This shirt caught my eye while I was shopping. Isn't it beautiful? I paid a whopping $3.60 for it ($7.20 less 50%). Oh wait, it was free because I used my $10 monthly KC to pay for it. See, I don't always buy name brands. This blouse is 100% cotton (my favorite). I'm not a fan of 3/4 sleeves, but it can be rolled down. I can wear it with blue or white jeans or capris. I can even throw in a white tank top and leave it half unbuttoned. This isn't my size, but the shirt looked big. It was the only one they had and I really wanted it. I figured that if it doesn't fit, then I will sell it. Well it fits perfectly! The tag says 'Pink', but this is definitely coral and to me, coral is orange-ish. You can see the color better on the 2nd pic. 

• I bought a set of 6 coffee mugs at Dollar Tree. They seriously have the best mugs. The quality's great. I found some navy blue ones before the pandemic and had planned to buy more, but then the pandemic hit and the mugs were no longer available. Well, I stopped at a different DT on my way home last week (I'm still looking for Palmolive spray bottles) and saw new navy blue mugs. It's not as pretty as the previous ones, but it still looks good. Well, guess who ended up breaking a mug the very next day. These DT mugs have lasted far longer than my Corelle mugs. Those Corelle ones kept getting chipped. I still don't know how it happened. Then I broke a Corelle one and I only have one left. I had a set of 12 before. 

• I'm trying hard to not shop, but things are rough these days. I've been looking for new athletic shoes for months now. I think my style (that I've been wearing for years), might have been discontinued). I love that style and only have 2 pairs left. Well, one pair that I started wearing a few months ago, is already showing damage at the top. How is that possible? I rotate my shoes and that pair doesn't even get worn as much as the older one (which is in better condition). So, I've decided to try a different brand. This is not easy, because I have high arches and not all shoes are comfortable. I need good arch support or I end up in pain. I found a different brand on sale and Rakuten had 12% cash back. That's double my sales tax back, so I'm happy. Let's hope the shoes work, otherwise I'll just sell it. I'm glad I bought DS 6 pairs when they had men's ones available. You can't find those shoes anymore. I'm so very thankful for stocking up on our winter systems jackets too, because it's now non-existent. 

• I stocked up on some non-perishables at Walmart last week. Holy sticker shock!! The prices are just shocking! Canned mushrooms have doubled in just one year. Canned mixed veggies increased by 38c in just a few weeks - this is for store brand. It's bloody crazy!! We prefer fresh or frozen, but I keep canned goods for those times when we can't get fresh or certain items are in short supply. I need to make a list and stock up on more items. The budget be damned right now, because prices will continue to skyrocket. 

• I've learned that Kroger has clearance bread on a regular basis. How did I miss this before? I'll keep checking for reduced Dave's bread
  
  
• I've started using all the leftover holiday paper napkins, instead of donating it. I should use the plates too. I'm totally loving Jackie's 'use it up' system and am applying it to several different things. 

• I stocked up on deodorant for myself at Wags. Used some rewards and paid $2.xx OOP for 4 deodorants. I need to get 4 more. 

• DS loves Red Robin and I'm on the last of those gcs I bought at Wags last year. I know that Sams sold the $50 gc for $42.50. So I decided to just stock up on a few more at Sams. Ugh, it's now $45 for a $50 gc and it's limit 2 per customer. They never had limits before. I'll take the small savings, because it's better than no savings at all.
  
  I also decided to stock up on my coffee. I'm a Dunkin Donuts girl and Sams only sells the decaf online. Several bloggers have mentioned coffee price increases, but I haven't really noticed. I get the regular DD when Costco has it on sale every year - around $15-16 for 40 oz container. Well, Sams has some weird shipping rates. One container's shipping is $5.xx. 2 containers cost 40c extra shipping. I'm just ordering 2, because it lasts me an entire year. $51 for a year's worth of coffee, is a good price. DS doesn't like coffee, but he loves Starbucks frappucinos. So I buy a case of it at Sams and we mix it with milk, because those suckers are loaded with sugar. It also costs less than getting individual ones at the drive thru. I do have a Starbucks gc, but we save that for treats. 

• I'm a little (okay more than a little...lol) frustrated with house hunting. So far, I've found 2 houses I really liked. One was absolutely perfect and checked all the boxes. I just didn't care for the location. The nearest store is 2-3 miles away. The horror...lol. I'm a bit spoiled. I have everything right on my doorstep. I can be at the closest store, fast food & coffee places in 2 minutes at my current location. Everything is right here, including the mall. The closest drugstore to that house was RA (which I don't frequent much). I don't even know if there's a Wags nearby. The other one was out of my price range. 
  
  The other thing that drives me nuts, is that 'no handles' on the kitchen cabinets. What the heck is this craze? I cannot stand it (almost as bad as having the sink in the middle of the kitchen). How on earth do those people get in & out of their homes or cars? Maybe they should just remove all the handles to see how that works...lol
  
  Every time I find a house I like, it's way out of my price range. I'm determined to stick to my budget, because I don't want to be house poor. Things are far too uncertain in the world right now & I don't want to overpay for a house and end up with too little savings. I see all these $600-800K homes and wonder how people are affording it. I know someone who bought such an expensive house, lost their job and is now struggling to pay that hefty mortgage. I don't want to be in that position. Inventory is low now. I'm guessing it's because of so many current financial factors, that people are afraid to just spend money on new homes, so they're not selling their old ones. Sorry, I just needed to vent. I just hate being in limbo.

I'm sure there are a few more things I forgot to add, but I'm just too tired to think right now. 

Enjoy the rest of the evening peeps!

Meal Plan Monday 03/20/23

 

Is it just me or do the weeks seem to go by super fast for everyone else too? Even weekends go by fast too. I look forward to sleeping in, then end up waking up at the butt crack of dawn. Sigh. Here's what I cooked for this week.

Monday : Beef & veggie pie, baked beans, veggies & salad

Tuesday : BBQ baked chicken breast, baked or fried potatoes, veggies

Wednesday : Same as Monday

Thursday : BBQ chicken breast wraps, potato salad, veggies

Friday : Freezer meal - mexican or pizza

Lunches : Leftovers or protein from the freezer with salad

Breakfasts : Carrot ginger muffins, lemon blueberry waffles, cereal, eggs or omelets, toast

There's always a variety of fresh fruit, veggies & salad fixings available. 

I used some of the leftover roast beef from last week to make beef & veggie pie. I froze the rest for future pies and stir fry. 

A big thank you to my dear friend Lori for mentioning tacos last week. I made a big pot of taco meat and a pot of refried beans on Friday. DS ate tacos & I had nachos. So yummy. Then I made some burritos (freezer) with the rest and froze the leftover meat. 

I stopped at Aldi while out yesterday to pick up brioche rolls for DS (so he can have chicken sandwiches for school lunch) and pie crust. I normally check the freezers with the hopes of finding samosas (not that I expected anything). Well, I hit the Jackpot!!!! My eye spotted the orange box and I had to backtrack. I was so excited, I almost bumped into another shopper...lol. There were about 10 boxes, so I grabbed 6. Nobody's (well maybe the cashier...lol) going to stop me from buying 6 boxes. I haven't seen samosas at Aldi in over a year. I didn't care about breaking the budget. Heck, the budget's already broken, because I stocked up on some things last week.  I grew up eating samosas (it's readily available at all stores in SA), so it's like having a taste of home (well MI is home, but you all know what I mean) when I find it. DS immediately opened a few boxes to bake, the minute the groceries were unpacked...lol. I have to see if I can find more at other Aldi stores. We're eating down the freezer again to make space for more samosas...lol. 

Have a wonderful week peeps!

How I mix & match my outfits

What a week it was. I had 3 days of running errands back to back. My plan was to stay home all week to get some things done, but we all know how well those 'best laid plans' work. I was happy to just stay home today. 

Let's take a break from grocery shopping & give you a small peek into my life. You all must wonder about all that shopping I do. Firstly (for the newbies), let me explain why I shop so much. I'm a pretty simple girl. I don't ask for much. I've always asked for gcs to my favorite store for every occasion. I asked for those gcs when they were discounted or had bonus offers. That gives me more value for my money. Then I'd wait for the semi-annual or flash sales & shop till I drop. No or very little OOP for me & lots of free money (bonus offers) to boot. Plus retailers love me. They're constantly sending me coupons & rewards to spend at their stores. I don't get sucked into spending more than I have to though. I'm a little disciplined in that area. You give me free money, I'm going to spend that free money only. If I have to pay any tax or $1 OOP (some force you to spend at least 1c over the Q value), then so be it. However, I'm not going to empty my wallet, because you lured me in with a reward. 

As most of you know, WHBM is my go-to store. I shop it's sister stores too. There are a few other retailers I like too. My style is very simple. I'm a 'less is more' kinda girl. I mainly stick to solids, but my outfits will always contain a 'surprise' item. Something that makes you pay attention. You don't have to be over the top to look good. My 'statement maker' is usually a pair of nice shoes. I'm a shoes girl. Heels & boots is my thing. I absolutely love pretty shoes and people always compliment me on my shoes. Again, it's not over the top. I just have an eye for fashion, having been raised with it. Years ago, my childhood BFF's (we grew up together and knew each other inside out. we were really close & did most things together), told me that I judged men by their shoes. They said that every time a guy showed interest in me, I would check out his shoes (I still can't believe I did that, but they thought it was hilarious...lol). I was totally oblivious to it, until they pointed it out to me. I stopped doing that long ago though.

I also prefer wearing pants. I don't know why, but I feel very comfortable in pants. I do love a nice dress too. Like HP, I prefer form fitting/figure hugging (sheath or shift) dresses and they have to be knee length. I rarely wear skirts. I have a tiny waist & big behind, so it's not easy finding skirts that fit both of those. I wore lots of skirts when I worked before, because I always wore suits to work. 

My outfits are all mix & match. I can mix & match 90% of my wardrobe (not gonna lie. I have an extensive wardrobe). Think of men. They can wear the same suit all week long and just add a different shirt and/or tie to it and it will look like they're wearing a different outfit every day. I dress in a similar fashion. I won't wear the same suit 2 days in a row (people notice when women do this), but I like to mix things up. Let's take a look at some of my recent purchases. 

This jacket caught my eye immediately. Not just because of the color, but because of that interesting lining. I'm loving these new knit blazers (I'm not into knit fabric. I prefer a more tailored blazer), because of the surprise sleeves. This was $22 after discount. The jeans below was the same price. I had lots of $20 bonus cards (can only use one per order/item). 

This jeans is just fabulous! I don't normally wear printed jeans, but I fell in love with this design. I especially love the dark wash. This jeans hugs in all the right places. Definitely a winner. 

Another favorite of mine is their reversible camisoles. You get 2 different looks for the price of 1. 

Here's the first look with the blazer. I can either wear this jeans or a plain (no print jeans, cause I still don't like to mix prints. I told y'all I keep things simple). I added a white cami, so that the sleeves are the main focus. I don't want anything to distract from that.

Look number 2. Add reversible cami and different shoes. Heck yes, I have turquoise boots...lol. They are sexy and so comfortable. 

Here's a closer look at the shoes. This is my absolute favorite pair (I have lots of shoes. I'm not saying how many, but I'm a shoes girl).  I love the rich color and moc croc print. This is a simple pump, but it speaks volumes. I could wear a plain white outfit and throw in the shoes to kick things up a notch. 

Then I can ditch the jacket and just flip that cami. It can be worn with both blue or white jeans. 

Here's the blue shirt I posted before. This can be worn with blue or white jeans or navy dress pants. I'm a suit girl. I love a professional look. That is totally me. I'll also wear a blazer with jeans any day. 

Here it is with jeans and blue boots. It can also be worn without the blazer. Do you see how I can use one or 2 pairs of jeans to create different outfits? You can switch up a whole outfit by just changing your shoes too.

I mentioned before that I love simple blouses. As you can see, these are all just plain blouses with a surprise sleeve design. I can wear a plain black or navy suit with any of these (I have black blouses like this too). Then when you remove your jacket, people will notice the blouse design. Surprise!!!...lol

I wore the blue blouse once and didn't realise (I don't know why) that you can see through the laser cut holes. Duh!.I only noticed when I got home. Thankfully, it wasn't too showy, because I wore a nude bra underneath. Note to self. Add a cami in future.

More reversible camis. I took a pic of the other side, but it turned out blurry. You can see at the top of the camis what the other side looks like. The bottom one is just a plain pink. I would never wear these camis to church or work though. They are too low cut. I just added it to the blazer below, because it's easier to photograph. I'll always wear a blouse to church or work. I like to keep things classy. I once had a colleague who came to work in a white spaghetti strap cami or tank top with NO bra. I worked in the corporate world, so this was a big No No. We couldn't believe our eyes. A manager called her to his office to talk about her attire. I don't know what she was thinking. At another job men weren't allowed to wear white socks. It was company policy. I completely agree with that, because white socks sticking out from your suit pants, is cringe worthy. 

Most of you know that blue is my favorite color, but I wear lots of black & white too. It's so versatile. I love it, because you can match it to every other color. As a teen, I only wore black & white. My poor mother learned the hard way that if she bought me anything in another color, I wouldn't wear it...lol. That phase didn't last long though.

I love a black suit. Here's how I can wear one pair of black dress pants many different ways. With black blazer and any color shirt/blouse. 

Or add this to black pants. Another one of my favorites. I love these contrast blazers. I have it in white & black too. I bought mine about 5 years ago for about $30-40. They now sell the exact same blazer (same style as my white one) for around $200!! I put a lot of mileage on those poor shoes. They're just simple black striped shoes, but I love them. 

Or how about black & white houndstooth blazer with black pants. Those shoes are cute, but the heel is still a bit too low for me. I feel more comfortable in 4" heels. I'm just average height. 

This is my normal style. However, date night or a night out, is a whole different kettle of fish. That's when I bring out the sexy stuff. I still like to keep things 'classy sexy' (I made up that term...lol).

Now you know a teensy bit more about me. Back to our regular scheduled programming next week...lol

Have a great weekend peeps!

Meal Plan Monday 03/13/23

PSA - Kohls has extra 50% off clearance until 03/19/23. 

Well, I cooked like it's nobody's business yesterday & was exhausted by bedtime. Here's our plan for the week.

Monday : Slow cooker roast beef, mashed potatoes, gravy, veggies, beetroot salad

Tuesday : Pesto chicken casserole, salad, veggies

Wednesday : Same as Monday

Thursday : Same as Tuesday

Friday : Something from the freezer. There's quite a few things, so just pick your meal & add a salad. I know it's St Patty's day, but I'm not cooking. I might make some green milkshakes or green beer. 

Lunch : Leftovers or something from the freezer + salad

Breakfasts : Bran apple muffins, apple pancakes, cereal, oatmeal, eggs, toast. Pick your breakfast

There's always lots of fresh fruit, veggies and salad fixings available. 

I was too tired to fry frikkadel yesterday, so I mixed all the ingredients, placed it into a casserole dish & baked it in the oven. Easy peasy. Doesn't quite have that frikkadel taste to me (fried taste), but the flavor's still good. 

I also made a pot of applesauce, since I bought a big bag of apples at the produce market. 

I'm craving chocolate, caramel & fresh cream cake for dessert. It doesn't help that I have all the ingredients. I'm really tempted to bake one, but I know we're gonna be stuck eating it until it's done, since there's just 2 of us. Our cakes in SA are always topped with fresh cream (in fact it's called fresh cream cakes), so that is what I prefer. Buttercream is used too, but fresh cream is the preferred topping. I still ask for whipping cream when I order custom cakes at Sams. 

I've decided to return my slow cooker. The lid doesn't seal, so there's constant water spewing out of the pot, which leaves a huge mess. The pot also doesn't retain moisture due to this, so my beef is a little on the dry side. We're just slapping lots of gravy & beetroot onto the beef...lol. I'm upset though, cause I normally make melt in the mouth beef. I have to look for a new slow cooker. Recommendations are welcomed.

Have a great week peeps! Stay healthy, safe & warm. 

Bits & Bobs

(Not so) Happy Jet Lag Savings Day everyone! I'm sure almost everyone's bodies are jacked up on Daylight Saving Time. I know that mine is. I sure wish they would just cancel this mess. Where's Cancel Culture when you need them? It takes my body a week to adjust to the new time. I'm about ready for a nap (had a busy day), but I'm holding out for an early night instead. Here's a few things that's happened around my neck of the woods (do I sound American?...lol) lately.

• Received my $200 bonus from my new CC. The minute it cleared, it went straight to savings. How did I not know that this was a cash rewards card?! Duh! It doesn't matter anyway. I'll just save all of this card's earnings and get discounted gcs with the other card. Easy peasy.
  
  

• Received a $50 semi annual reward from WHBM. Whoo hoo! I forgot all about semi annual rewards, because I still have a $30 reward. Now I have $80 to spend and I don't need a thing. I guess this is a good problem to have...lol The downside is that they like to increase their prices when they send out rewards. Ugh! I'm waiting to see if anything good catches my eye before my rewards expire. It's $80 after all. 
  
  
  
• I bought this wool topper at Chicos recently. It's not lined (only the sleeves are), so you can't really call it a coat. It was reduced to $39.99 and I used my $20 reward. Paid the $19.99 + tax with a gc (still have a balance left), so Zero OOP for me. The retail price is $400!!!! What a rip off, cause there's no lining, so it's not really warm. But its 95% wool & 5% cashmere, so I'm happy with my almost free 'coat'. I'm thinking some tall boots with it, because it's a bit long and I'm of average height. 
  
  I'm wondering if the $20 was Chicos' semi annual reward or if they're still need to send those out. I doubt that was the semi annual, because there was no mention of it on their site (like WHBM has). Mmm, that means I might get another reward. Keeping fingers crossed. 

•  I almost let me Madewell reward expire. Good thing I checked it on the last day. I paid $1.05 for 2 t-shirts. I had to spend at least 1c over the reward amount. 

• I went to Costco for roast beef and salad dressing (can't believe I'm out of salad dressing) and left the store $80 later. In my defense, I stocked up on Cascade. I've been buying the limit of 2 whenever Costco has it on sale for $8 (125 oz), cause I'm down to my last 3 bottles. I see the 75 oz now sells for around $6.50 (depending on store) and then good old Kroger has it for $8!!..smh
  
  For the newbies. I bought 24 bottles of Cascade around 8-10 years ago (I can't even remember the date, it's been so long). They were on sale for $2.50 at the time. I'm finally down to the last 3 bottles and the price has more than doubled since then. I don't buy dishwasher tabs or laundry pods, unless it's free. This is just manufacturers' way of getting us to spend more. You get far more use out of the liquid. I've done an experiment and there was a time I used a Cascade bottle for 6 months. 

• I stocked up on 99c Half gallon milk at Kroger. I'm pleasantly surprised to see the sale come around so fast, because I still have 1.5 gallons from the last sale. My milk normally lasts long enough until the next sale date comes around. We used to pay $1.29 (sale price), so I'm happy with the new price. I only bought 1.5 gallons. 

• Look what I found. A cotton sleep shirt. I initially went to Marshalls to stock up on socks & undies for DS. I do this every year, because I know that I can get it for far less than at the department stores. Well, I decided to browse & saw this sleep shirt. Checked the tag & it's 60% cotton. Be still my heart. There was only one in my size. There was also a size M that I considered buying, but it was way too long. I don't need that much restriction when I sleep. The retail price is $49.50. When I got home, I checked online to see if I can find any more. Ugh, only full price everywhere & I'm not paying that much. However, I found some Charter Club cotton ones at Macy's & ordered 2 (I want to see how they feel before ordering any more).  Paid with that discounted gcs I bought last month. I hate that Polyester sleep shirts I bought at Soma last year. I'll wear them until they fall apart, but I've at least got my cotton back up plan. 
  
  I also found these socks. I always buy clearance socks for myself. I'm not too picky (I won't wear FOTL or Hanes though), since I only wear socks with athletic shoes. Yes, they are Youth size, but they fit. I still fit into some kids sizes. Did you know that kids sizes cost less than adult sizes? My BFF and I used to shop the kids section at the high end department stores in Cape Town when we were in our 20s. It worked for us and nobody knew that we were wearing kids stuff...lol It saved us lots of $$$
  
  When I saw the socks in store, I thought that it was navy blue & aqua (light blue). Well, I just discovered that it's black & aqua...lol. I told you all I'm color blind (black & navy only). I still love the socks though. I actually searched online to see if I could find more, but alas. I know for a fact that Marshalls sell overstock and/or pulled items (that retailers can't sell), but I was still determined to find another set...lol. A girl can try :)

• Well, I can't just buy DS any old socks. This is his preferred brand. It's not the style we normally buy at Marshalls. This is trouser socks. Again, I went online to search for this brand. Yikes, department stores are charging more than the designer. So I bit the bullet & ordered his socks from the designer. This will go into the stockpile. Thankfully, we still have 3 sets in the stockpile that I bought last year.
  
  Why did I buy more? I noticed that Marshalls didn't have much clearance (or regular inventory for that matter) like they usually do this time of year. Same with JCP. When supply is down, the prices increase. People will always need clothes so retailers hold all the cards. So I'm stocking up on our essentials so that I don't have to pay higher prices when we do end up needing it. 

• Let's talk about the SVB (Silicon Valley Bank) mess. This is a lesson for people to ALWAYS keep some cash on hand. I've read stories about Etsy sellers not being able to withdraw their funds, because Etsy used SVB (okay, the sellers grossly exaggerated this because all platforms allow you different times to access your money). I always withdraw my funds as soon as they're available. Same with point earning sites. Cash out your funds as soon as you have enough available. I had a friend locked out of her Ibotta account over a stupid mistake (Ibotta's) and she had over $70 in her account. 
  
  The other reason you should keep some cash, is because if the grid goes down for any reason, you won't be able to get cash from the bank. We depend on electronics so much that the country/world would be a mess if there was an attack on the grid (these things can happen. I've read lots about it). Same goes for your stockpile. If the grid is down, you might not be able to buy groceries, because how are they going to scan your items at the grocery store? Please keep some cash and build a stockpile peeps. You'll be thankful that you did, if there's ever an emergency. Heck, we've lived with a mess for 3 years now and things keep getting worse. I'd call that a 3 year emergency. 
  
  I realised that with the exception of bananas, salad greens & eggs, I can go without grocery shopping for the next 2-3 weeks. However, I've decided to replenish my stockpile. My canned goods are way low, so I need to fill in those gaps. The government's not planning on bailing out SVB, so the market's will be affected. So I'm choosing to do whatever I need to, to ensure that we're in decent shape again. I'll be moving with my entire stockpile.

Well the week's meals are cooked, laundry (incl bedding) is done, folded & packed away. We're having the last of the chicken pot pie, Coney's (DS's request) and salad for dinner. 

Enjoy the rest of the day peeps!

Meal Plan Monday 03/06/23

Hi everyone

I'm so thankful for my Sunday cooking, because it's been a busy day so far. I ran some errands and stopped at Meijer for some odds & ends. I cashed in 3 bags of pop cans to the tune of $20.40. Paid $17.01 OOP and earned $2.50 Ibotta for Breakstone doubles. DS loves it. Do you see how I'm trying all kinds of things to keep my grocery budget low this month? I didn't even stop at Wags for a double dip Dove deal. I have points to pay for it, but I don't need any more Dove. On to the meal plan.

Monday : Slow cooker spaghetti & meatballs, big salad

Tuesday : Chicken pot pie, salad, veggies

Wednesday : Same as Monday

Thursday : Same as Tuesday

Friday : Mexican food or pizza from the freezer

Dessert : Haagen Dasz ice cream. I bought a box last time I was at Sams and it is oh so good!

Lunch : Something from the freezer (chicken, frikkadel, burritos) with salad

Breakfast : Pineapple carrot muffins, french toast (we need to finish that chocolate brioche bread), eggs/omelets, cereal, toast

There's always a variety of fresh fruit & veggies available. Same with yogurt.

The Italians might cringe, but I add the pasta to the slow cooker just before everything's fully cooked. I figured the pots already warm, so why waste more gas by cooking the pasta on the stove. 

I like to buy ready rolled pie crusts at Aldi, but I've found the last few ones have broken in half in the freezer (could be because I remove it from the box before placing in freezer). I pulled out a whole one yesterday, but it was all soggy by the time it thawed. Yuck! Has anyone else had this problem with Aldi pie crust? I just bought Pillsbury ones at Meijer. It costs twice as much, but I didn't want to make a special stop at Aldi just to save $2. My time is more valuable than that. I'll use the leftover pie filling to make individual pies for DS.

I'm now wondering if I can have my dessert early. Nobody will know if I eat my ice cream now....lol. I've got ice cream on my mind :)

Have a wonderful week peeps!

This & That

Hi everyone

Just a few things that have happened around Casa Goose lately.

• Received my Rakuten check for $77.  RA had Kohls gc deal. Buy $75 get $12 BC (limit 2). So I did what I do best - take advantage of the free money deal. I bought 2 gcs and will deduct the balance from our side hustle money at month end. That added a free $24 to my RA account.

• I was running low on dryer sheets and Target had a P&G deal. Spend $50 get $15 gc. I took a $50 Target gc from my savings jar, so I didn't have to spend too much cash OOP. Bought 2 large Tide ($21.99) and a box of Bounce sheets. Paid $6.31 OOP  Earned $15 gc and submitted for $10 PG rebate.
  
  I did have a $10 gc from my last Target trip (I like to do their Tide/Bounce deals to roll my gcs), but figured it's best to just pay with $50 (I'm trying to save my March grocery budget...lol). So I just added the $25 ($10+15) gcs back into the savings jar. Technically, I only spent $25 gc after replacing it with the earned gcs. I have Target rewards and a gc balance on my account (over $50), but I need to download the app to use at in store checkout (self scan). Ugh, I don't have any more space on my phone and I'm not paying for extra storage. I also still have a $10 Microsoft gc to use for future purchases. I rarely shop at Target, so I'll save it for a rainy day.

• I received a BBW mailer that included a free full size (up to $15.95) item Q. Thank you BBW

• I had a $15 JCP Q (for being a rewards member for 10 years). If I go to JCP once a year, it's a lot. So I went to the store, bought some clearance items, used my Q and part of the gc I bought at CVS in January. Then listed the items for sale. I wasn't gonna pass up a free $15

• Madewell also sent me a $15 'just because' reward that I need to redeem this week.

• I earned a $10 Kohls Y2Y reward from all that clearance shopping.

• I stopped at Kroger while out on Saturday to buy some Pepperidge farm brioche bread that was $0.99 after rewards (KC & Ibotta). Well, it looks like my store doesn't even carry the brioche. As I was leaving the aisle, I spotted a clearance rack at the end out of the corner of my eye. So I backtracked and they had a rack full of reduced bread. But what caught my eye earlier was the yellow Dave's killer bread packaging. It was reduced to $3.56 (normally $6.99). That's such a weird clearance price. Were they aiming for 50% off and hit the wrong amount or did they get the math wrong? So I took 3 and placed it in my cart. Then I thought 'what the heck, just get the other 2 too', so I did. Nobody was buying the clearanced bread (which had a 03/07/23 expiration date. I toast my bread anyway, so the date isn't an issue for me. I have forgotten how good this bread is) I used my $7 KC and paid $10.80 for 5 loaves. I guess Aldi won't be seeing me for bread for more than a month...lol. 

• About 2 weeks ago, I spotted Old Spice Captain b/w at Walmart. It was priced $7!! Holy cannoli. I paid $4.24 (after discounts) during that Target sale last year and earned $5 gcs back on it. So I basically paid $3 per bottle. Now these things cost $7!!!! Yikes! 

• Fast forward to me checking the item online and stumbling across the body sprays. Whoo-hoo! Happy dance. I remember that the sprays were only available in Canada before, so I'm over the moon to find it here. Even better. Those OS b/w sets I bought DS after Christmas, had Qs attached to the boxes. There were Qs for $6/3 body sprays. I'm one happy girl. I also split those sets and sold the rest (I only saved the b/w for DS) and made over $30 profit.
  
  Now, as I've mentioned before, it looked like this scent has been discontinued. The strange part is that Walmart bottles have new packaging. So I wondered if they just cleared out the old product to introduce the new packaging (manufactures usually do this). However, you can't find this scent at any other big stores (Meijer). It's only available at Wags online and Target now has some. So it looks like they just changed the packaging. I'm very happy to see that this scent is still available, but the price is crazy high. Not to worry.  This girl stocked up like crazy at the $3 price. Yep. There's always method to my madness :) I don't have to worry about paying that $7 price for a very long time, cause DS has 21 bottles. That might sound like a crazy number, but it's almost enough for my 2 year stockpile supply. I figured he uses a bottle per month (I actually haven't tracked it). So, would you buy 21 bottles at $3 each or would you prefer to pay $7 or more (remember, the price keeps increasing) every time you need a new bottle. You do the math :)

• I bought 2 cooked pizzas at Sams cafe for $19. I buy the deluxe ones which contain pepperoni, Italian sausage and veggies. I'm trying to lower our Friday carry out bill (heck, I'd like to cut it out completely). Some of the pizza has been frozen. Now we can alternate between pizza & mexican food (burritos or use the taco meat for nachos) for Friday dinners. I don't mind getting fries for DS to add to the meal. 

• I pulled 2 half empty ice cream containers (different flavors) from the freezer, added frozen fruit & milk and made milkshakes on Friday. We couldn't even taste the difference in flavors. Thanks to Jackie's inspiration for using it all up. 

• I'm doing the same with my b/w. I tend to open a new bottle when I buy new fragrances (especially BBW ones). This results in me leaving half empty bottles, because I'm enjoying the new scents so much. No more. I've started using the old ones. I need to use it all up before I can open anything new. Does anyone else do this? 

• I ordered a new crockpot online. A few hours later I received an email that my item was delivered. Imagine my shock when I saw this big box on the porch. I just wanted a simple small crockpot. Well, this is an 8 quart pot. I had no clue what a quart is... well, until now. I finally googled it and learned that it's 4 cups. I know that 2 cups equals 500 ml. So 4 cups equals a liter. No frigging way! This thing holds 8 liters!!!! As my father used to say 'What the bloody hell were you thinking?'...lol. Well, I at least learned what a quart is. This pot will come in handy for freezer cooking, cause I can cook large amounts in one go. I guess it's a blessing in disguise...lol. I currently have spaghetti & meatballs in the pot and have to say that it cooks fast. 

That's about it for me. I hope everyone had a wonderful Sunday.

February 2023 numbers

Hi everyone

It's been a busy day. We were expecting a winter storm mid afternoon, but schools weren't closed. I made a big pot of taco meat and refried beans before DS left for school. Then made burritos for dinner & the freezer. I also froze the leftover taco meat to be used for nachos or quesadillas. I just wanted to get things done in case DS came home early (which didn't happen). Thankfully, the snow started just before he got home. I was worried about the kids & bus drivers on the road, if the weather turned bad early. 

Groceries/HBA/Cleaning

CVS : $6.24

Wags : $149.56

RA : $12.05

Aldi : $40.77

Kroger : $40.13

Meijer : $65.85

Sams : $170.00

Walmart : $47.87

Produce market : $55.72

Total OOP : $588.19

Earnings 

$12.45 Ibotta 

$7.00 KC

Total earned : $19.45

My earned drugstore rewards are not included in this amount.I count them when I spend it. 

What was it I said about having a $250 grocery budget for the month? I feel like crying. Everything has gone up in price. Even Aldi has become pricey. I mainly buy bread & blueberries there. Look at how much that cost me. Crazy. 

Well, Wags totally broke the budget. I spent almost as much at Wags as I did at Sams. Sams is my 'go to' store, so this speaks volumes. I can't be mad at Wags. They had a lot of double & triple dip boosters (some were MMs). However, you have to spend OOP on those deals. That is what broke the bank for me. I now have almost $250 in rewards to use. My plan is to spend down those points and not worry about boosters too much this month. I can't keep bleeding money like this. Something's got to give. 

MONEY EARNED (SIDE HUSTLE)

GCs Earned $0

Personal items (things we've had listed for the past 2 years) : $108.49

Drugstore items sold : $62.56

Total earnings : $171.05

Those drugstore sales helped offset my high Wags OOP for the month. Let's hope the drugstore sales continue to be good/decent.

YTD Earnings 

GCs (point earning sites) : $10

Ibotta : $53.49

Personal items : $226.49

Drugstore items : $62.56

Total Earnings (excl Ibotta) : $299.05

YTD EXPENSES (Clothing/shoes/accessories, Christmas gifts)

OOP : $58.36

Christmas gifts : $0

Gift cards : $100.00 

Total OOP $158.36

The OOP is for the huge Kohls sale. I used the $100 gcs (purchased last month) and paid the $58 OOP. Those items have been listed for sale. I'm not adding DS's items since he now gets SS. 

I bought the Macy's gc at RA and earned $16 BC. Free money? Yes, please.

YTD OOP (clothing/shoes/accessories, Christmas gifts) : $412.24

YTD side hustle income (personal, drugstore) $276.36

YTD Balance ($135.88)

You will notice that I'm still in the hole. That's because the listed items first need to sell. I also still have some discounted gcs that I need to use to purchase more items for resale. 

Small bills savings

$1 Bills - 120.00+ 43 (Feb) = $163.00

$5 Bills - $240 + $30 (Feb) = $270.00

$10 Bills - $100 +20 (Feb) = $120.00

Total YTD savings : $553.00 

I'm getting close to my $1000 budget, because I still have the $200 Target gcs. That's at least some good news. 

I also received my $77 Rakuten check that I used to purchase another gc. More on that in another post. 

I really don't know what to budget for this month. I've already spent $180 at Sams for March. $51 was for DS yogurt (it cost $34-51 per month). Yes, it's pricey, but food is the one thing that I absolutely will not skimp on. I can cut corners on all other categories, but I refuse to do that with food. I'm picky about what goes into our bodies. My goal is to just come in under $500. Heck, I'd be happy to come in under $400, but let's be realistic here. At this point, $400 is a stretch. No expensive Wags trips. This is a tough one, but I can do it.

I really need to make a list of all my rewards and gcs, so I can use those to keep my March budget low. 

Have a wonderful weekend peeps! Stay healthy, safe & warm

Menu Plan Monday 02/27/23

Happy Monday everyone! Time for another menu plan. I didn't do much cooking yesterday, because we're keeping things somewhat simple by eating from the freezer. What's for dinner this week?

Monday : Slow cooker steaks with onions, peppers & gravy, mashed potatoes, veggies

Tuesday : Chicken stir fry with rice

Wednesday : Same as Monday

Thursday : Same as Tuesday

Friday : Mexican or Italian sausage from the freezer

Lunch : Leftovers or BWW chicken tenders from freezer with salad

Breakfasts : Gingerbread muffins, breakfast burritos, omelets, cereal, fresh fruit

There's always lots of fresh fruit, veggies & salad fixings available. 

I made a pot of refried beans on Friday, pulled fajita chicken from the freezer, added pico I made earlier in the week and had chicken nachos for dinner. Easy peasy. Now if I can just wean DS off Friday night fast food. 

The chicken stir fry didn't happen last week. I made a huge batch of frikkadel for the freezer (it never made it's way to the freezer, cause I eat it every day), so I figured we'd just have it for dinner 2 nights too. I added mashed potatoes, baked beans & carrots to that. No use cooking another meal when we already have food available. So it's on this week's menu. 

I don't know if it's just me, but I don't care much for the instant pot's slow cooker feature. I've tried it on both my old instant pot and the new foodi one and it just doesn't wow me like an actual slow cooker does. I'm added a new a new pot to my needs list. It makes really good pulled chicken too. I might just have to make pulled chicken next week. Something to think about.

It's cold & wet here today. Perfect weather for comfort food. It makes me want to bake something too, like bread or cupcakes. Maybe I should just take a nap instead. I've been wide awake since 2 am and I'm already dragging. It's times like these that I'm glad dinner's already cooked. I just need to make the mashed potatoes later.

Have a great day peeps! Stay safe & warm.

How I shop for ourselves

Hi everyone

As promised, here is a post about how I shop (stockpile) clothes for ourselves. Remember that 'Extra 50% off clearance sale' that Kohls had 2 weeks ago. Here's what I bought DS.  

4 T-shirts. You'll notice different sizes. As mentioned before, sizing is off on a lot of items since the dawn of the pandemic. I normally hold DS's items up to myself, to see if it will fit. It works...lol. It's easier than just buying his size & then discovering that half the items don't fit. 

2 UA sweatpants and 3 shorts. Look at the retail price of the UA pants - $60. I was very happy to pay $18 each. If DS could live in sweats & shorts, he'd be a happy camper. 

A sweater, because his mama loves dress clothes :)

A full zip sweater. I was so happy with the quality (it's heavy) of this item. Please take a closer look at the retail price - $99.50!!!! My total for everything was $111.69 + tax after discount and my $5 KC.

Retail value - $483.00 (a 76.88% savings)

Always remember that MSRP means Manufacturer's SUGGESTED Retail price. That doesn't mean we have to pay that price though. Wait for the end of season sale and stock up.

I would usually just add these items to the spare closet for when it's needed, but it's packed into boxes instead. No use hanging up everything now, just to pack it again soon. 

Now, on to my items. First. let's talk about my FREE $159 suede shoes. You read that right :). I've had these shoes in my cart for about 4-5 months. It's not my usual style, so it wasn't a need. I thought it's cute and it's genuine suede (say no more. I love the quality stuff). The shoes had been reduced to $49.99 over the months (little bits at a time), but my gut told me to not pay that price. It's not like it was a need or a Must Have anyway. I had a $10 Chicos reward in my account (rewards are usually good for at least 3 months). When the $10 sale started, I noticed that the shoes were reduced to $10! No frigging way. I immediately checked out and applied my $10 reward to it. Holy smokes!! I've scored really great deals over the years, but never got a FREE pair of genuine suede shoes before. Happy dance!!

The following items were all reduced to $10. This is not my usual style (too much print and I don't care for those tie neck nonsense). I'm a 'Less is more' kinda girl, so I like to keep things simple. I bought this blouse mainly on a whim. I wanted to see what all the fuss was about their Black Label brand. Look at the retail price - $169!! I'll be the first to say that there's absolutely no difference between this & their regular styles (other than the price). No fancy, extra quality fabric or style. It kinda reminds me of Ralph Lauren's Purple Label. To me, there's nothing special about it. Oh well, I at least have some old  cute shoes to match...lol (I love these shoes. It's the African in me...lol). I can just add a black or brown dress pants or suit & call it a day. All is not lost. 

I almost didn't buy this top. Why? It looked more purple online and the reviews were not all good. Another 'just because' purchase. I figured I can sell it if I don't like it. Boy was this a pleasant surprise. This top is much prettier in person. I couldn't believe it. I guess they didn't style it well online. I love this top, especially the cuffs. 

This is my favorite purchase!!! I couldn't believe how beautiful this anorak was. The fabric is oh so pretty & soft. Who knew that polyester could look so good. The photos don't do it justice. It's a navy & black camo print (I'm color blind when it comes to dark colors, especially black & navy, so the photos don't look too good to me). I could kick myself for not buying the brown one too. It actually has long sleeves that are rolled up. 

A pair of dress pants. Not that I needed any more dress pants, but I liked the fabric.

I bought these capris mainly because of the cute embellishment. This jeans actually hugs my curves in all the right places :)

This is more my style. I have many of these cotton blouses, because they are just beautiful. They usually have 'drama' sleeves (different kinds of lace, embroidery or laser cut). I like the plain items that make a statement with just a simple design. I have this blouse in cobalt blue too (I paid $30 for the blue, because it sold out long before this sale). I can wear this black one with just about every single bottoms I have in my closet. 

This was a 'must have' purchase. I paid $40 for it. This blouse caught my eye, because it used to be a fashion faux pas to mix prints (I still stick to that rule). Besides, it's in my favorite color. How could I resist.

I bought several more items. I think I bought 18 (don't judge...lol) $10 items. That's $180. Heck, that Black Label blouse costs almost as much as my entire purchase. I like to keep things in my spare closet. When I need or want a new outfit, I just hit the spare closet and I don't have to break the bank for it. 

To top it off, I earned another $20 Chicos reward this week, because you earn points for every purchase. I currently have rewards to 5 different stores (that's all I can remember right now) and don't need a single thing. Trust me when I say, I need nothing. But if things go south in the world again (we all know that the last 3 years have been full of 'surprises'), then I don't have to worry about spending any money on clothes. We've got that area covered. 

Please don't pay attention to the sizes. Chico's has a weird sizing system. I can only dream of squeezing my behind into a Size 000...lol

I learned that Kohls has an extra 30% off clearance again (not sure when it ends). I, personally, won't bite since I already shopped. Besides, I'm hoping for another 50% off. If you need to shop, check Rite Aid for a Kohls GC deal next week. You might as well take the extra RA rewards, then use the gc to pay for your purchases at Kohls. Who doesn't like free money?

Next time, I'll show you a bit of my style - how I mix & match my outfits (if anyone is interested). Trust me, I can live on a capsule wardrobe, but I'm not gonna do that...lol. No way. I'm not a high maintenance woman. I don't do all this nails, spas & all kinds of other things that most women do (not that I'm against it. I wouldn't mind a spa day), so I hardly spend money (contrary to popular belief). So spending money on new clothes (especially at 90%+ off) isn't a big deal. 

Have a wonderful weekend peeps. Stay healthy, safe & warm.