On vacation this week + Clothing Porn + Link Love Sunday, May 4, 2008

Couple of ‘admin’ things I should get out of the way first!

On vacation this week

I won’t be accessing emails or anything internet-related from Mon May 5 to Fri May 9. So I’m going to leave you with a couple of thoughts and some clothing porn to tide you over…

Kind of lemming after

… some of these ASOS.com pieces. Mmm.. pretty. There’s something really simple and fun about the first piece.

It’s feminine without being too ruffly, and I adore the peach colour. I also like the one-strap piece…My other favourite is that bright cobalt blue ruffle top. Would look so sexy with some jeans and heels.

Thinking of a celebratory debt repaid present

To myself of course. Once I clear my debt, I want to splurge on ONE totally unnecessary, desired item that is NOT practical in the sense that I was gonna buy it anyway.

So far I’ve come up with a list of the following and I’m going to pick one item from the list (I didn’t go spendthrift crazy yet!).. and keep in mind, my budget is about $500 on anything, even any ONE thing:

Diane von Furstenburg dress (she’s my heroine!)



A thin, supple leather jacket in the softest leather possible


Ridiculously whimsical designer top / purse / skirt / shoes

I have no pictures because I don’t know what I could possibly be attracted to.

Gorgeous piece of jewellery

I like statement pieces.. so something like this would be up my alley.




A thing or two from J. Crew..or ASOS.com!!! (See above)






Something electronic

We all know my weakness… but surprisingly, I don’t need anything. I have a camera, a good iPod, a new laptop, external harddrives up the wazoo… But I’m sure I could find something, like a Bose speaker system – but I don’t really listen to music in my bedroom often.

Or I could be responsible..

And just save the damn $$ in some bonds or something equally boring. :)

HELP! :) Any suggestions? What do you think?

Blog Link Love

Shana from Smart Easy Money reminds us that gas is not that expensive in North America…compared to the Europeans.


The Sartorialist posted this wonderful picture of a chic French woman on the steps in the South of France. Just HOW do they walk on cobblestones in heels that high, and in a skirt that short? :) (Credit: The Sartorialist)

Need to know how to tie a belt without that excess flapping about? Kasmira of What I Wore Today shows us how it’s done… from studying a Charlotte Russe mannequin.

Blunt Money is a lifesaver with her Gmail Decluttering Strategy for Spam. I really hate seeing unread spam too! I always want to delete it.

And what would you do if your income was posted online with your name, sorted by municipality? That’s what happened in Italy, and it was done on purpose, but interestingly enough, NY Times reports that some Americans are not shy about sharing their income with friends, which is one of the last taboos left in polite society… Excerpt: “If we can talk about how many orgasms we have with our mate, why can’t we discuss how much we make?” Good point.

If you ever had doubts about leaving a job, check out Single Ma’s story, because she is LOVING her new gig!!

Wondering about your FICO score? Gail Vaz-Oxlade gives the lowdown on your credit score calculation, which taught me one thing: don’t have too many credit cards open with high balances, even though you clear ‘em off each and every month. Point taken… But what if I lower the credit limit?

E.C. of Not Living on Ramen, explains why $7000 in an EF is enough for her…that’s 7x more than what I’m keeping, only because I have debt as my priority..


Mama loves her a pair of shoes!! G.G. doesn’t help my dormant-so-far-shopping-addiction by posting the latest 2008 Loubous… Check out the blue pairs..totally droolworthy. But if you are on a budget and going for a rockabilly style, G.G. shows you that too….

Angela of angelaboration talks about questions written on her face, and I have to say, I sometimes feel that exact same way…..It’s a great reflective post about self-image and the minor flaws we think are HUGE but really go unnoticed by others, or are actually your lover’s favourite parts about you.

Along the same lines of reflective posts, charmingbutsingle did an extremely heart wrenching post entitled: The Love you don’t feel when you hold me, and trust me.. it’ll make your stomach jump, as it did mine… Everyone has gone through what she has, and we all know the feeling.

SF Gal posts about the horrible $250 rent increase… I hear your pain. I hate renting too, and sometimes landlords are a bunch of vultures.


From a man’s perspective about the perfect girlfriend, Stranger Danger of Whatever and Ever, Amen, did a wonderfully written piece about his perfect dream girl who was killed….. And it’s an interesting thought that people are beautiful because they’re imperfect rather than the opposite…

Notes from Frugal Trenches from the blog of the same name, gives some fab tips for affording a yearly vacation… and they come at a great time too, since I’m on vacation next week!! And along the same lines, NFFT posted about financial mistakes in 3 parts…. Great post idea, I may have to jack it.

Ikea Hacker posted about the cutest (easiest) little daisy rug for your kids. What a brill idea!

The Chicagoist asks How Old is Too Old?, and apparently you’re supposed to take your age, minus 7, and double it to gain an acceptable dating age range…. But seriously? I’m clicking with someone who is a decade older and things could not be better between us, so I’m not sure that rule of thumb should dictate your dating life. But I do worry about age a bit… however, it’s just a number in my mind. I’ve never had a qualm about dating guys who were much older than me.


Do I hear wedding bells? If so, I've Paid Twice For This Already posted some very good frugal wedding tips to defray the costs.. And Living Almost Large must've had the same idea, because she posted her 5 tips for a frugal wedding as well!!!

Speaking of vacations, Linsey Knerl of Wise Bread tells us to take a vacation to save money... Amen sister! I'm already on it. :P

Ginger from Ginger Won't Snap reveals what's in her purse.... dun dun dun. I did something similar a while back.

And it's that time of season again, to Put Up, says Mama Bear...! And she means canning and preserving fruits...

Krystal from Give Me Back My Five Bucks, says that her boss called her greedy because she asked for her papers (for a raise) to be filed before someone went away...

Seriously? My response would've been:

Yeah that's right. *sarcastic* I'm greedy. I'm greedy becaue I want what's rightfully mine. I'm one greedy mothaf*cker (optional word usage) because I have a lot of debt to clear, I have a mouth to feed and bills to pay.

The only way to 'teach' these guys is to make them feel ashamed for saying something so rude to you, and make them realize that money IS important to people and that they have no right to make someone feel guilty or ashamed for asking for their due.

Paul Michael of Wise Bread posts about some pretty amazing junk, and I have to agree! Photo credit: Wise Bread.

Ms. Miniducky urges her readers to come out and comment, and/or comment about what you'd do if you were to give a windfall to someone else...

Do you hate something about your body/self? Well, SF Gal laments about how anyone can afford to be superficial, such as getting lipo, hair removal, their teeth fixed, etc... and I've been there, done that.

And truthfully, it's not worth the agony or the stress about how you look. All that matters is that you've got food, friends and family who love you, and a great outlook on life. No one can be perfect, and no one should try to be (read that article above that says what makes us beautiful is our flaws)...... I know everyone goes through this stage (or never leaves it), and I wish I had a magic phrase to change your lives, but I don't. It's just something you have to come into...

Have a great week everyone! See you Saturday May 10th!