Best $5.47 EVER spent
The week before I left to pick Oscar up in Vietnam, I made many a run to T*rget. On one of those trips I happened to see a package of swim diapers on clearance. Feeling compelled to be prepared for anything on my upcoming adventure, I grabbed a package and added it to one of my two ginormous pieces of luggage. Can I tell you how brilliant that instinct was? That package has traveled with me (now us) from San Francisco to Hanoi, to Nha Trang, to Da Lat, to Ho Chi Minh City, to Hue, back to Hanoi, to Kuala Lumpur, to Bali, to Ubud, back to Kuala Lumpur, back to Hanoi, to San Francisco, to Lanai, back to San Francisco and now to the Big Island. Now that we are down to the last diaper in the package, I thought it time to express our thanks. I am pretty sure I will never spend $5.47 as wisely again.
Fruit of my labor
I’m still seeing the dividends of my spending spree (economic stimulus plan) last week, which is fantastic. Not as fantastic? I’m betting that will be seeing my credit card bill. Ouch. Anyway, that’s for another day.
Today for show and tell I’m sharing my new, fabulous earrings. When I went to Russia a few years ago the “police” at the airport in Moscow absconded with all of my jewelry, which was in a jewelry carrier in my purse. Yeah, not my favorite travel story. Ever since then I’ve been trying to restore my collection, but it takes time to acquire unique pieces, and add that to the fact that I really hate to spend money on jewelry (since, you know, the police might steal it), and I really don’t wear much anymore. I always have my eye out for great stuff, though. Last week, I found this designer on Etsy (shock of shocks), and I actually shelled out the cash for a couple of sets of earrings. Have to say, for a girl who doesn’t like to spend more than $40 on an article of jewelry, I’m not minding that I paid far (far) more for these. . .
I adore both, but I uber love the first pair because they remind me of some great jewelry my grandmother had when I was a little girl. The blue-green of the stones are almost exactly the same color and clarity. Made me almost cry when I saw them. And I love the second because I have always loved the combination of blue topaz and peridot. So happy.
What would you do?
I’m a little frustrated here. My car dealer just called to tell me that the rate they gave me in my contract is not actually valid for Mini convertibles, so they’d like me to sign up for a higher rate (2.3% higher than what I had – still a really good rate, but not a fantastic rate like I have in my contract). I’ve convinced them to drop the price of my car a little and give me an accessory I wanted for free, but I know I could have gotten more. In fact, I could have forced them to give me what I have in my contract. Since IT’S A FREAKING CONTRACT.
When I asked the sales manager what would happen if I simply told them they had to honor my contract, he said that basically everyone involved would have to give up their commission and the dealership would have “a black mark against it” with BMW finance. What do you think? Was I too easy on them? I mean, if I had called them today to say, oh, gee, turns out I can’t actually afford this car, think they would have worked with me on it? [that was rhetorical, of course.]
My one-woman economic stimulus plan
Since clamping down at Christmas on my spending, I’ve gotten into a pretty good groove where I don’t really think much about shopping anymore. I haven’t bought an article of clothing for myself since September of last year (I don’t know whether that’s a good thing or just kind of pathetic), and I have become a marvel of shopping the sales at Baby G*p and JCr*w for Oscar, although aside from the after-holiday sales, I wasn’t buying for him either. Ladies, things have changed.
It started innocently enough. A quick trip to Baby G*p that resulted in my walking out with Oscar’s entire wardrobe for Hawaii taken care off – it’s a short trip, so he needed very few clothes, all of which I got on sale, but I wasn’t thrilled with my behavior. Then, a few days later, I lapsed again. This time in a kind of bigger way. I bought a car. I sort of had to – my car was leased, the lease was up and I didn’t want to buy it, given the fact that the brakes had failed twice – way to go V*lvo. But I guess I could have been a bit thriftier. This is what I bought, with a few kind of pricey upgrades . . .
As a result of this expenditure, I had to buy a new stroller, since my current one is too big for my car, which is ridiculously small for a woman with a child. Whatever, it’s super cute, and at least for the time being, it’s just the two of us, so there. Anyway, I bought the stroller, which, thankfully, was significantly discounted from the price I almost paid for it last year. So, I’ve got that going for me. I would post a photo of it, but, as you know, Oscar broke my camera. And this leads me to my next purchase. My new Sony Alpha DSLR. Egads, but in for a penny, in for a pound, as they say.
I wish I could say that the madness ends here, but in fact, I still need to book our condo in Hawaii (BTW, thank you to everyone who chimed in on that – we’re definitely going the condo route – way too scared to have Oscar next to the water just yet). After that, I’m done. Well, once I get my sunscreen. Oh, and my pedicure. Hmm, well, you see how this has spiraled out of control.
Anyway, there is an upside in all this. First, I had been terrified that I wouldn’t be able to buy a new car – all of those news reports of extremely tight credit markets with people not able to qualify for car loans really freaked me out. That was definitely a waste of energy (on a number of levels). I got a better rate on this car than my last (one of those “teaser” rates that I just assumed I wouldn’t get), so I took that as a sign that there actually is credit available out there. Second, there seems to be a consensus in the thought that we need to start spending again. I can attest to having done my part. Let’s see if my stimulus plan actually bumps the consumer confidence number this month.
My Mother’s Day Gift
Oscar is such a great shopper – and I just love how he enjoys finding treasures on Etsy. What a clever child. My Mother’s Day gift from him arrived last night, and I really like it (although I don’t love it since the stamp with his name and our G&R date is kind of faint). I do love the design and the copper, though, and when I replace the chain I think I’ll like it much more.
obviously, this is not my necklace, but a photo from the designer’s site. . .
What I do love is this pendant from another designer on Etsy. It’s the Vietnamese word for Mother, and I love the color of the glass (which is far clearer and more vivid than the photo).
It’s official
I’m one of the world’s leading consumers. My dossier is not even certified yet (just waiting for my homestudy to be notarized) and I’ve been shopping. I fear this is only the beginning of a very expensive few months as I wait for my referral and court date . . .
I can’t even pretend that this is something that she’ll need at any point in the next few years (okay, ever). But it looks so pretty hanging on my armoire . . .
Help me settle an argument?
Is this too girly for a mom to carry a little boy in? Please do not be influenced by the pink attire of the model.
Stop me before I spend again
For yet another reminder of why this wait needs to be over, I present to you my latest “travel-related” expenditure:
Yeah, that’s right, the new, super skinny, Macbook Air. In a moment of weakness, I ordered this using as a justification (among many others) the fact that it has built in wireless, takes up almost no space and only weighs three pounds. Since I’ll be carrying an infant and a huge diaper bag and likely pulling a large suitcase through the airport, I thought the four pounds this machine cuts from the weight of my work laptop justified the cost. If that wasn’t enough of a justification, I figure that the fact that I really shouldn’t take my laptop from work to VN is sufficient (you know, what if it gets lost or stolen or something). Of course, I know this logic doesn’t hold, given the fact that there are many MANY other laptops out there that cost hundreds (if not over a thousand) of dollars off the pricetag.
This, sadly, is not entirely out of the ordinary for me. These binges used to only occur, though, when I had worked too much (say, over three hundred hours a month). I haven’t done anything like this since last June, so maybe I was overdue. For now, that’s good enough for me.
Moderately green mommy
So, I’ve decided to give these gDiapers a shot. They’re almost a hybrid of a cotton diaper and a disposable. The outer layer is cloth, but it has an inner liner that can be taken out and flushed.
I first read about them in Vanity Fair last fall, where Julia Roberts mentioned she was using them for her youngest child. If only the actually had a photo of Ms. Roberts flushing the inner liner with the special stick the company provides. Would’ve been priceless.
I also decided to go with glass bottles. I’ve been bothered by the reports of chemicals leaching from plastic bottles (although I have no idea what the health implications of this are), and again I don’t like the idea of continually using the disposable liners (convenient as they may be and as lazy as I am). I’m also thinking of buying either those silicone Siliskins or the Wee-Go bottles. Both are pricey (Siliskins are a bit cheaper, but less convenient since you need to buy the bottles separately – BUT, you can get Wee-Gos at scandinucci for $3 off per bottle right now), but I am fairly clumsy at times and even though Evenflow says the glass is safe, I’m still a bit concerned about breakage.
Shopping Assistance
Hello everyone! I haven’t been here for a while, but that was because I was sulking while our friends in HCMC were wading through other applications before confirming receipt of my I-600. Now that I’m able to count down the days on the 60 day meter (and I hope lots of you can, too, or have actually been approved!), I’ve decided I need to get serious about some shopping.
Since it’s been many many months since my referral, I’ve actually accumulated quite a few items for Oscar – you know, all of the cute / stylish / fun ones. Unfortunately for me, I’ve kept the most difficult shopping decision for last. I truly cannot decide which formula I should use. Do I use the premium (super expensive ones) because I’m afraid that I won’t be giving the best option to my child (which, I’m sure is exactly what these formula makers want us to believe)? Or, do I use the store brands (Costco, Target, etc.)? From what I understand, the major difference is how finely the formula is ground (resulting in a smoother beverage for the more sophisticated palate). The core contents of the formulas themselves are federally regulated, but that leaves the additives, which are not. Are those in Similac / Enfamil that much better than those in the much cheaper brands?
The odd thing here is that I’m not a penny pincher. I splurge when I think a brand is superior to another. I do, however, hate to be a fool and taken advantage of and I really hate to be manipulated into believing that I’m doing someone harm (whether it’s myself, my dog, or now, my son).
After the brand decision, I’m going to have to come up with a decision on whether to use organic formula and what do I want added into the formula (ARA / DHA I take are a must). Any advice on any of these things?
Easier questions:
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how many crib sheets do I need?
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where can I find plain white diapers (all of the diapers I have purchased have some sort of cutesy design – worst case is the Winnie the Pooh design, ugh)?
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is there anything wrong with using those Avent bottles with the disposable liners long term or do people simply use them for traveling?
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how many pairs of pyjamas do I need, or should I simply use those sleep sacks?
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any recommendations on baby sunscreen?
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do I need to wash all of Oscar’s clothes in Dreft or some other baby detergent before he wears them?
Any assistance (from the BTDTs and the first timers muddling through this with me) is much appreciated.
Oscar’s first present!
I adore my baby brother (and you, too, J), and I would even if he hadn’t been the first to buy Oscar a gift. But, since he bought Oscar the cutest high chair in the world, I just wanted to let him know how much it means to me that he would even think of shopping for him (he’s not a shopper – and especially not one to shop before he absolutely has to) and that he didn’t relegate his only nephew to sitting on 20 pounds of plastic. Thank you, Uncle P (and soon-to-be Aunt Lauren)!
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Etta’s Hats
Where I’ve Been
