Monday & Tuesday Damages (8/30 -8/31)

Monday

• $0

Tuesday

• $0

Soooo, I handed in my last paper and sent in my master's project. Woah. I'm not really feeling out of the woods yet, my adviser suggested that I make a couple of changes, nothing major. Should have it all done by Friday. AND there's still time for something to go catastrophically wrong, but compared to how I have been feeling I'm feeling more like this now...

You know, only I'm not a frog.

Weekend Damages

Saturday

• $24.40 - Home Depot (tagged along with the landlord while he bought a new faceplate thing for the AC/Heat, and got distracted by the pots)
• $4.28 - Red Mango (after dinner deliciousness)

Sunday

• $2.45 - Dunkin Donuts (medium, black, iced)

 I have survived the weekend, and managed to get a lot done. Nearing the end...

Thursday & Friday Damages (8/26 - 8/27)

Thursday

• $0

Friday

• $25.84 - Hess (feeding Veruca)

We're in the home stretch folks...the plan is to turn in my master's project on the 31st and my last paper on the 2nd.  Needless to say this weekend is going to be one big ball of stress. Purchases you can expect will most likely include ice coffee, and some sort of feel good item.

Time will only tell if being done will school will return any semblance of  my sanity.

Temptation Stricks Again

If there's one purchase I can justify, it's jeans. Particularly, Joe's Jeans...the Honey Cut, to be exact. They fit like a glove...aside from having to have them shortened, but such is the plight of a short girl. AND they don't stretch out an hour after you put them on, leaving you looking like a frumpy, disheveled mess....because really that can just kill a day.

$81.99 from $163 on Piperlime.

Oh yeah and there were some others too...

  Scott Kay on the La La. $399 from $800

Scott Kay on the La La. $479 from $975

Smith on the La La. $59 from $119.

Slane and Slane on the La La. $299 from $575

All resisted...

Tuesday & Wednesday (8/24 - 8/25)

Tuesday

• $0

Wednesday

• $28.71 - CVS - (Odds and ends and some sleepy time meds.)
• $30.14 - Rue La La (FAO Schwarz Boutique)
• VEGGIES FROM FARMER DAVE

I know you're probably confused about the toy purchase from FAO Schwarz...well just about every one of my friends/relatives seems to be popping out kids these days. So the little number below I plan on sending to the bub of one of my friends in Baltimore. I was torn between this one and the wheel o' monkeys (as I said there's a lot of babies being slung around out there), but the monkeys sold out so the decision was made for me. Jungle Safari it is!

Monday's Daily Damge (8/23)

• $75 - Williams-Sonoma 

So my brother and I are usually pretty laid back about birthdays, actually my whole family is really...and by laid back I mean people could really care less that you're another year older. Having your birthday forgotten all together is a common occurrence, as my brother learned this year (usually it's just my birthday they forget, which is truly amazing seeing as how I was a scheduled C-section and share a birthday with my uncle...but that's besides the point). So I'm just now getting around to sending him a gift card to celebrate his march towards incompetence. His birthday was August 16th, so it's not really all that late. Actually it's quite early for me. Good for me!

Anyways, this year he requested a gift card to Williams-Sonoma...random. Maybe he's be making gourmet meals in some fancy new pan he plans to buy himself? Or slicing up a storm with new top of the line knives.

OR MAYBE he's been eying a fancy acorn shaped baking sheet thing? As to better make his world famous homemade maple candies? Is that what this thing is?? Why would anyone actually need this?

Needless to say I didn't see this one coming. I think he needs to get out of California, it's changing him. If he becomes a republican he's dead to me.

Weekend Damages (8/21 - 8/22)

Saturday

• $15 - CVS ($$$ to Aaron to cover the items I threw in with his purchases)

 I refuse to get seasick in Greece on the ferries. REFUSE!

Sunday

• $78.95 - Rue La La

Cave city to the La La...I bought two new dresses. One that I can wear to work and one that hopefully will work out for Greece and nights out on the town.

Max and Cleo, $39 from $108

LinQ, $39 from $148

Thursday & Friday Damages (8/19 - 8/20)

Thursday

• $30 - Not Your Average Joe's (dinner with D.C. Steve and Court)

Friday

• $0

This is what my weekend will look like....

Crunch time, I have to have a final draft to Audubon and Antioch by August 31st. Gulp. 

Needless to say I'm not expecting to break the bank.

Wednesday's Daily Damage (8/18)

Wednesday

• $214.70 - Finger Lake Lodge (Rooms for Shaver's weddings)
• $30.78 - Steap and Cheap (Prana Sundress)

Ohhh yeah, and then there was that sundress that I got too. I caved, it was a poor showing, I realize this. I justified it by telling myself that I need cute and comfortable dresses for Greece. I mean let's face it, they're easier to pack and you can just throw them on and go...perfect. At least that's what I keep telling myself. This makes the second new sundress purchase this summer, and while part of me likes this little number, part of me also thinks the tie-dye is kinda a bit much...or a lot much. We'll have to see what it looks like when it comes in. Stay tuned.

• Veggies from Farmer Dave (free in my mind b/c they're prepaid for)!

Food for Thought

Holy relevant Batman.

The NY Time recently published an article on whether or not our purchases will make us happy. I for one, think NO...hence this little blog here. What are your thoughts?

"New studies of consumption and happiness show, for instance, that people are happier when they spend money on experiences instead of material objects, when they relish what they plan to buy long before they buy it, and when they stop trying to outdo the Joneses"

Here, here! I am all for spending money on experiences, and looking back at a lot of my big purchases since I started this blog, a lot of my purchases have been on just that. Granted I lump eating at new restaurants and going out with friends as an experience, so maybe I'm not quite interpreting that quite right?

Thanks to Agatha for sending me this article.

Monday & Tuesday Daily Damage (8/16 - 8/17)

Monday

• $10 - Groupon 

I got a voucher on Groupon today for Weston Nurseries, a locally owned nursery that my company also happens to have as a client, so I have worked with the Mezitts (owners) for a couple of years now. Nice people. The deal was $20 for $60 worth of nursery goods, BUT I had a $10 credit on my account for referring a friend, so it only cost me $10. Amazing.

What will I buy you ask? Flower bulbs to beautify the new abode. Beautify indeed.

Tuesday

• $19.09 - Roche Brothers (fixins for my second eggplant parm, eva)
• $2.34 - Dunkin Donuts (Iced Coffee)

Impending Purchases

There are some purchases you can be expecting from me in the coming days/months/sometime in the future...

New rain coat. Every time it rains I think about how much I need a new raincoat, mine is useless. 

Hotel room in Skaneateles, NY for a wedding in September.

Birthday gift for my brother. (gift card)

Plane pillow. I have decided that I will need one of those pillows that people are always lugging around the airport. I managed to mention that to Aaron every time we walked by one in the airport this past weekend. So clearly I will need one for Greece. The pillows you can buy (lame) on the plane gross me out.

Now I realize that these things are ridiculous, so I will most likely get one of those much cooler little pack pillows that smoosh down to nothing. Then I can take it camping too. More bang for my buck. 

A robe. Clearly I will need a robe so I can let Maggie Mae out in the morning. Don't be alarmed...I will not be one of those people walking their dog in their robe. I am talking just opening the door so she can go out to the bathroom before I hop in the shower. That is all. 

I will have you know that I passed up a deal on Rue La La today for a robe. I decided that I need to do more research before making a decision. An organic cotton, fuzzy, hooded robe would be ideal. All this one is missing is the hood. It just popped up when I googled robe, google knows me so well.Plus the site is called "Sustainify," love the name and they are 1%ers, AKA donate 1% of profits to environmental charities.

Thursday, Friday & Weekend Damages (8/12 - 8/15)

Thursday

• $2.25 - Scrub-a-dub (vacuum at car wash, sadly I had no cash...other than quarters, so Veruca still needs a bath)

Friday

• $4.92 - Dunkin Donuts (Iced Coffees for the plane to Charlotte for a wedding)
• $14 - Howl at the Moon (Cover the for the evening festivities)

 Spent the weekend in Charlotte, NC for a wedding. 

Great weekend...clean city, got to see an old friend, danced my face off at the wedding (literally still sore, which proves my lameness and inability to hang with my former self)...good times. PLUS, it was a wedding for Aaron's friends so it was an inexpensive weekend for me, for him...not so much.

Saturday

• $10.60 - CVS (items forgotten while packing)

Sunday

• $10 - Car to the airport 
• $25.98 - JFK Jet Blue Terminal (lunch)

Wednesday Daily Damage (8/11)

• $2.43 - Dunkin Donuts (Iced Coffee)
• $10.92 - Johnny's Market (Olive Oil & Vegetable Oil)

Edible Loot from Farmer Dave

• Green bell pepper
• Tomatoes (cherry and slicing)
• Corn on the cob
• Jalapeno
• Pablano pepper
• Garlic
• Yellow onion
• Green beans
• Basil
• Beets
• Eggplant (I see more eggplant parm in my future!)

Between Farmer Dave and my own basil plants I have basil coming out of my ears so I'm going to make some basil oil, hence the olive oil purchase today. I figure it's a good way to keep it from going to waste. 

Jammin July

So I warn you this month is going to be shocking. Just remember though, I paid for all of the hotels for the Greece trip this September, which definitely has something to do with the shock factor of the final tally. AND I paid my first installment of my India trip.

Here goes...

July's total spending is,
$2,709

Guh.
Here's the breakdown...

Travel Expenses - $1,393
Health and Beauty - $310 (remember that haircut?)
Bars & Restaurants - $297
Random Crap - $180
Gifts - $141
Clothing - $130
Gas - $116
Groceries - $62
Moving expenses - $50
Coffee - $20
Snacks - $10

So as you can see, I'm thoroughly broke. Time to buckle down until Greece.

I should note...I am NOT 34! FYI.

Monday & Tuesday Damages (8/9 - 8/10)

Monday

• $0

Tuesday

• I.O.Kiki $2.49 - for some delicious macaroons she picked up for me at Russo's (the local grocer in Waltham, with the best salad bar in the world). Sadly I was too busy at work to tag along myself for lunch. :(
• $45.55 - Roche Brothers

Not a bad start to the week. I mean my biggest purchase was food, and a girls gotta eat. 

Horrid Omission

I made a frightening omission from the weekend loot!

My mother, the modern day Martha Stewart...who smokes, tells you exactly what is on her mind no matter how painful it may be to hear, dislikes small talk, has never been imprisons for insider information, and bakes and cooking like a maniac...brought me some goodies.

• Key Lime Pie - with heavy cream (apparently she expects me to whip up some fresh whipped cream topping to go with said pie...riiight)
• Sugar Cookies with Butterfingers
• Cappuccino Crunch Cookies
• A Dozen Allie's Donuts

While I have been enjoying the cookies and I'm sure I will enjoy the pie as well...the Allie's Donuts have been crucial to my sanity. I even managed to come home from work today and get a little done on my master's project...super productive if I do say so myself...and I attest my productivity to Allie's. Let me explain. Allie's Donuts are the most delicious donuts ever made, AND they're made locally (well local to my parents in RI). Bonus! They are made in North Kingstown, RI by the Drescher family. Oh yeah, and I used to work there. The fact that I am not completely turned off by these donuts based solely on the fact that I used to be immersed in the reek of fry-o-lator and elbow deep in donut filling (I can no longer each jelly donuts, they disgust me), and frosting (no issues eating frosting, none at all) should tell you something. Hmmm....donut....

Oh yeah, and the eggplant parm from last week...freaking AMAZING! I was by far the best thing I have ever cooked, ever! AND it looked way better than the picture that I posted, I'm not even being dramatic. For serious.

Weekend Damages

Saturday

• $5.03 - Dunkin Donuts (Iced Coffees for moving day...all moved into Aaron's place, it's official)
• $1.00 - USPS (change of address online charge)
• $27.58 - Homegoods (stuff for Maggie Mae)
• $35.03 - Pet World (more Maggie accessories)

It should be noted that Pet World is NOT a corporate chain like your standard Pet Smart or Pet Co. I actually called a couple of local places in the area to see if they had what we were looking for (raised pet dish...which Aaron bought, I just got her some toys and raw hide, a.k.a. chewies) before we went, I was determined not to buy anything from a corporate giant, Maggie hates them. Even the bowl itself was made by a man in Maine. Success.

She's a very conscious consumer.

Sunday

• $57.82 - Nordstrom 

Today I went on a bit of a shopping spree...well technically my mom and aunt went on the shopping spree. I was just the happy recipient of their spree. I walked away with about $380ish worth of Banana Republic clothes, which was needed...my work clothes are old and terrible, a Max Mara dress, Anne Klein flats, and my very first pair of Tom's shoes. The Tom's shoes were the only thing that I paid for myself.

Here are some of their fabulous features.

• Vegan friendly, using no animal products
• Made with recycled and sustainable materials
• Insole features EVA cushion, latex arch support, and a canvas cover for breathability
• Outsole utilizes recycled EVA scraps

How's that for conscious consumerism!

Wednesday, Thursday and Friday Damages (8/4 - 8/6)

Wednesday

• $0

Thursday

• $6.57 - Exxon 
• water, chipwich, gatorade...it was a long day in the field and this was all necessary to keep me standing until the end

Friday

• $21 - Charlie's Kitchen...Katie's going away party :(

Really Target, Really?!

Okay so yesterday I got an email from moveon.org asking me to join in the boycott of Target. This was the first I heard of it. So I had to do a little research. This is essentially what I found out...

Target donated $150,000 to a conservative right wing political campaign in Minnesota...AKA Anti-Gay.

I am for NEITHER of these aspects of the problem.

1. Corporations need to stay the hell out of politics...ALL corporations. Buying your vote is not democracy. Read the definition. Thank you supreme court justices for your recent decision to entitle corporations to personhood. Super. 
2. I'm against anything anti-gay. period. Mind your business Target. 

So in summary, yes I will be joining the boycott.  BUT I'd be lying if I said that I can boycott Target without getting a little teary eyed. I mean I have already stricken Walmart from my life (not really all that hard, that store is my hell), and while I realize that Target stands for pretty much the same principles as Walmart (a big box mega corporation with too much power who is leading the charge in globalization, absolutely nothing local or sustainable about it, end of story), I will miss it. I have always turned to Target for my random life needs. Let me explain, it's just a great place to go on a lunch break to pick up everything you need and don't need in any way shape or form in one, single, beautiful shopping trip. I mean it's just so freaking convenient to buy your toilet paper, greeting cards, excessive amounts of toiletries, kitchen gadgets, and endless odds and ends under one roof...but I suppose that's their business model, eh? Jerks. They got us/me.

So friends, I will most likely be spending a bit more dough more for my trinkets and hair dye (yes, that's right I said hair dye...I inherited my father's silver locks, and am not at all ready to fully embrace it, not at all...sigh). It's probably good that this happened, it's time for me to take my conscious consumer experiment one step further.

Screw you Target, I'm out.

Monday & Tuesday Damages (8/2 - 8/3)

Monday

• $1.25 - Diet Pepsi
• $0.80 - Snackwells Cookies

I was in the office today, a rare occurrence during field season, and being in the office makes me depressed, therefore I need snacks to get me through the day. 

Tuesday

• -$38 - Nordstrom (return...there's been a lot of returns lately, which may have something to do with the plethora of purchases...hard to say) 
• $23.65 - Hess
• $13.37 - Roche Bros (dinner fixins...I'm making eggplant parm people! This is a milestone, for you see I don't cook. Wish me luck.)

I expect it to look something like this...

Totally realistic, right?

Weekend Damages (7/30 - 8/1)

Saturday

• $6ish - Panera (bagel and an obnoxious frozen drink with an over-sized and unnecessary straw)

Sorry for the inaccuracies in my spending lately, I keep losing my receipts and when I pay for things in cash I can never remember the exact amount.

Sunday

• $0