Thrifty Thursdays

As a reformed shopaholic, I often am actively thinking about the things I do to save money, or at least be more efficient with it. I still have to de-privatize my blog post that talks about my history with this, but I will just say that years ago I was very irresponsible with money. I am still a shopaholic and will never stop loving makeup and clothes. But over the years I have found a much wiser and thriftier way to do it. A girl can still shop and be girly and have nice things; you just have to be smart about it. I will try to blog about it every Thursday; for myself and for anyone else who might find help from my ideas.

Todays Topic: Beauty Products, household items... in other words; TARGET

I have talked to many women who say they could easily walk into Target and spend $50-100. My sister once told me about a Facebook group called, "I went into Target to buy shampoo and spent $100". This hits home for me. When I was a new nurse making 5 times what I made at any previous job I had, my spending got a little out of control. Since we had just bought a house I was actually going to Target and spending $50-100 about once a week. That adds up! Given, I was buying essentials like curtains, but I could have been thiftier. I could have gotten something way nicer and cheaper at GoodWill or Craigslist. Better yet, I could have MADE them myself and they could have been 50 times cheaper and prettier.

What else did I waste money on? Clothes, beauty products, and household supplies. I recently cleaned out my closet and cupboard and got rid of all the useless crap and failed beauty products. I mouned for a moment as I calculated in my head the hundreds of dollars I watsed on eyeshadow (which I have an addiction to, but rarely wear anything other than Stila Kitten or something taupe-y), sunscreen that I already had, and conditioner that claimed to make my frizzy hair unfrizzy. If I knew I would never use it, it went in the trash, goodwill, or for other donation. If I knew I could still use it, I put it in to rotate with my favorite shampoo/conditioner/bodywash just to use it up so I could recycle the bottle and be done with another plastic container polluting my life. This process has been very therepeutic and helped me learn a very valuable principle:

Minimal is better.

Some of the nicest homes I have been to haven't necessarily been full of fancy decor and expensive items; they have been tidy, well kept, and minimal. I am on a quest to obtain this in my home. My goal is not to spend money on items to make my home and life nicer; but to actually use what I already have (along with some elbow grease) and get rid of the unecessary.

Oh an as for clothes? I consigned a bunch of stuff I don't wear anymore and made over $100! I noticed that the things I DO keep for years I hold on to are from Nordstrom. The reason for this is because they are quality and classic items that tend to stick around season after season. Do they cost more? Yes. But a few Nordstrom shirts are better than 20 shirts from Target that I end up tossing or just wear out after a few months (which requires buying NEW ones). Does it sound like I am trying to make a case for shopping at Nordstrom? Yes :) BUT, its true. But if you think about all the money spent on crap, consider this:

$100 at Target can get you:

a few makeup items you may or may not use but look worth trying out: $18.50
2 bottles of shampoo/2 bottles of conditioner that smell nice: $17.96
antifrizz serum? Thats a steal compared to salon prices!$5.99
3 "super cute" shirts on clearance:$19.97
a skirt you HAVE TO have: $12
Coffee at the Starbucks inside Target: $3
US weekly Magazine: $3.50
Sparkly baby sandals! AWW perfect for summer...$9.98
Maddy needs more onsies, right? $12.99
Picture frame: $13.99

Okay, what am I at? Oops; $116.88 already? See how fast those "bargains" add up? Especially considering those shirts really aren't that great, I don't NEED new makeup or hair product, I can brew coffee at home, I can get onesies for Maddy at a garage sale for $0.25 apiece, and I should concentrate on hanging picture frames I already have.

So for anyone who can admit to making the same kind of shopping mistake I did, consider the above paragraph, and consider this:

$100 (without going over) can buy you:

-An almost new pair of ultra flattering and comfy Citizens of Humanity jeans (that retail at $149) at a trendy consignment store (here's an example of these jeans, mine are a slightly lighter wash. I paid $45 for them):
http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/3029147/0~2376780~6009391~6009808~6009811~6012045?mediumthumbnail=Y&origin=category&searchtype=&pbo=6012045&P=1
-This jacket in "storm grey" (I actually only paid $32 for it, because I got early entrance to the Half-yearly sale, though it retails for $52): http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/3111307/0~2378467~2378483~2383026?mediumthumbnail=Y&origin=category&searchtype=&pbo=2383026&P=1

so here you have a nice jacket and jeans you can enjoy for years (I have jeans I've had for 5 years that still look nice) and you still have $3 to get a mocha if you please :) The other benefit is you don't have extra crap lingering around your house! As for the baby, she will be fine without that pair of sandals. I ended up getting her some unused ones at a garage sale for about $0.50
edit to add;*dude- i just re-read this and why didn't anyone inform me I cannot do simple math?! $45 plus $32 is actually 77$, not $97. So even bettah- now I actually had $25 leftover to get a couple nice shirts from Nordie's at their anniversary sale!*
-OR-

even better yet: you can put that money into your savings account every month. It may come in handy in case your husband loses his job right before you have a baby and go on maternirt leave ;)

This may seem irrelevant if you are good with your money, but from talking to friends and others, I think a lot more of us suffer from this "buy more" mentality that plagues our culture. I obviously am still guilty of being a consumer, and I won't give that up. But since I have been shopping garage sales and consignment and cutting out unecessary household and beauty items, my bank account, my house, and my husband have been MUCH happier.

Next topic:
Costco: Thrifty Friend or Foe?

this weekend

This weekend has been a pretty good do-over of last weekend. Madelyn is healthy and strong again, except for she has reached another milestine today:

She cut tooth #6! #7 is right behind. She is finally getting her "eye teeth" (central incisors) which means bye bye to a gummy toothless smile. This is both exciting and sad. What can I expect; she is 11 months old in a few days!

I spent a lot of time outside this weekend- in the shade, mind you. Not only am I paranoid about my baby getting sunburnt and dehydrated, but my crappy irish skin doesn't do well in the sun, either. 2010 does not need to be the summer I get 2 heat rashes! Ross played guitar for our church worship group this morning which was so nice. We sat toward the front and Madelyn loved watching her daddy play on stage. I stood her up on the [vacant] chair in front of us and held onto her sides so she could dance. And oh how she danced! No one could help but smile and giggle at my little cutie. I love being the mom of such a sweet girl!

I spent a lot of time with my sisters and old friends this weekend, which was so great! I love how months and years can go by and we still have as much fun together as we did in high school. I rarely meet people who make me laugh as much as they (and my sisters) do. We watched The Runaways with Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning. It was....actually pretty good!

At the urging of many people, I bought a small container of coconut water and just tried it. Maybe its the gross bacteria lingering in my throat from the nasty illness I just got over, but that stuff is nasty. I will finish it ONLY because I paid nearly $2 for 8 oz, and because I was outside a lot today and need to drink water right now. But eww.

I will leave you with one of the great sources of laugher this weekend. Goodnight!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaRXbnKvwSo

And in the End...the Love you Take is Equal to the Milk You Make...

Just writing this "out loud" is causing the reality to sink in and a tear to form. Even though this has been long coming...

Breastfeeding Madelyn is officially over.

Like a high school sweetheart that you stay with for months after it is really "done" just because its SO hard to let go even though both of your hearts aren't in it anymore...we are going to stop fooling ourselves. Did I just compare my nursing career to my first serious boyfriend? Oh yes, I did. Hey, it worked, didn't it?

Madelyn stopped showing real interest in the boob at 9 months and so we dropped down to 2 feedings a day and supplemented with bottles. A couple weeks ago it went down to morning feedings only. Recently, it seemed as though the morning feedings were becoming a charade. Madelyn happily obliged her mama, even though she would wiggle and giggle while nursing; stopping after a couple minutes, crawl onto my stomach and say, "da da, da da...doot doot doot".

Translation: "Mom, there's not really anything coming out, but I can play the part of a nursing baby who's bonding with you. But only because I love you".

I had the hardest time knowing I would be shutting down the factory to Madelyn, only to be up and running again for the NEXT Lumsden baby. It was the end of an era I didn't know if I was ready for. I completely realized I was in denial, but I figured that no one else had to know about our sacred morning feedings. Ross would smile and go downstairs and quietly make her a bottle, because we ALL KNEW that should would need to eat afterward. I ultimately convinced myself it was a good idea to keep nursing, even if it were just a tiny bit, because she would still get my antibodies and nutrients that only breast milk can provide.

Last night was the 3rd night in a row that I couldn't fall asleep because of my sore throat and cough. At 11pm I came downstairs to have a big ol cough fest without waking my dear husband and baby. I eyed the medicine cabinet, and a novel idea popped into a lightbulb above my head:

"Coouuuggggh Syrup"

Alcohol filled, cherry flavored, cough surpressing, milk supply dwindling COUGH SYRUP. (Tangent!- Does anyone remember the Simpson's episode with "Flaming Moes" when Homer reveals the secret ingredient of cough syrup? Well thats the voice I'm using when I say COUGH SYRUP" Okay,Tangent over. ) The expiration date was from a year ago since I haven't been able to take most OTC meds in FOREVER due to pregnancy and breastfeeding. I held the bottle and had one of those defining moments. My heart was pounding. Not really, but I love making this sound so dramatic. But in that moment, I said to myself,

"Well, you made it just about 11 months. And that ain't bad."

And then I chugged down 30cc's, got on Facebook while I waited for it to take its effects, then slept like the dead for 10 hours. I have no guilt today. The over-anxious mama who already obsessed about how horrible it was that I didn't make my goal of nursing her until at least her first birthday has been clubbed and dragged into the trunk of an imaginary car to be driven of of an imaginary cliff as I dust my hands of her (I need viusuals; sorry). What does a number matter? My girl is healthy and happy, and I did what was best for her AND me. This morning when Maddy woke up, I we skipped the charade that the morning nursing sesh had become, and just enjoyed some morning cuddle time (sans boob) while Ross made her bottle, which she happily chugged. How funny is it that I am the one who needed weaning.

I am pretty sure I am not going to have to deal with engorgement or leaking like most weaning mama's have to. All the supporting actors to this saga were ready: Madelyn and The Girls (lefty and righty, respectively). It was all on me, and I'm finally emotionally there (oh, I forgot to mention Nasty Upper Respiratory Infection for his integral part in this decision. Thank you). Its time to put away the nursing bras (which really, I have only been wearing when I was behind on my laundry and had nothing else clean). Time to get out the lacey Victoria's Secret push up bras and try to enjoy my boobs again. They are not what they used to be, but I'm sure with a little firming cream and clever bras, we can make it happen.

Ladies and Gentlemen; I am weaned.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LkH-1JiA-E&p=A7B4975C944F8062&playnext=1&index=44

The Progression of a Woman from No Kids to Mother

Topic: Restaurants

2008: My feelings were best described in a quote from Miranda on "Sex and the City", when she is eating dinner at a restaurant with Steve, and they spy a loud messy baby at the next table:

"Since when did it become acceptable to bring babies to a restaurant? Please, God invented babysitters for a reason."

2009: "Well, we just won't eat at restaurants. I wouldn't want to burden the other people trying to have a good time.:

2010:
-"I want to clean up the mess Maddy made. I always hated it when I was a waitress and people brought in their kids and left a huge mess on the table and floor
-"Ross, be honest. Would it be inappropriate to nurse her right here?"
-"What, you don't allow minors in the bar? She's only 10 months old! How are we supposed to get Happy Hour prices?"
-"You know, its kinda a relief to eat at a restaurant, because at least I don't have to deal with the huge mess Madelyn leaves on the high chair and floor..."

I'm a tad ashamed of that last one, but its so true. I tipped the girl really well to make up for it. Sometimes something like not having to sweep the floor for the third time that day just makes a mama's evening!

Taking a sick day to recover from my "vacation"

Life: I called my manager and told her I would not be making it in to work tomorrow. Usually, I would have to be bed-ridden to call in sick (using the ridiculous rationale that if I can walk, I can work) but I called my co-worker to find out what patients were coming in tomorrow. She read off a list that included very frail people, including those I knew would be immunocompromised. My throat feels like I swallowed nails; or rather in such a way that I wish I could swallow nails to scratch the constant burning and itchiness; but instead I keep clearing my throat (like my mom- "eeeggghh-mm!" except about 30 times more than she does. I'm surpised Ross hasn't killed me yet). And I can't stand up for more than 5 minutes without having to sit or lean against something because I get too dizzy. I was hoping it was a day full of simple lab draws and iron infusions, and I could wear a mask and call it good. But there's no way in hell I'm subjecting my sick and frail patients to the nasty bug that has plagued my hosue. So I kicked that over achieving/anxious about looking like a slacker /crazy mentality to the curb and called in sick. I deserve a pat on the back for that one. Every day I am conciously making decisions to relax and cut myself a little slack.

Madelyn is getting better. This morning was rough; she wouldn't eat very much or take a bottle from Ross (who let me sleep in until 11am), and then just as he put her down for a morning nap, she got into a coughing fit and BARFED IT ALL UP. We got her cleaned up and she drank an 8 oz bottle from me. Its so cute how she has become such a mama's girl since she's been sick. After cuddling and feeding her, I set her in her crib for a nap. About that time, her pediatrician called us to check in. This was SUPER nice. Either he's a really great doctor who really cares, or his nurses begged him to call me since I have been bugging the crap out of them for the past 6 days. Hmm, nice move, peds nurses. I use that one myself. Its quite effective, yes? Dr. Stoeber confirmed that Mad's chest X-ray was normal, and seemed a little concerned that she was still coughing. He wants to test her for Whooping Cough on Wednesday if she doesn't improve. Whoop, whoop! Hopefully she's all better by then so we don't have to have any unnecessary and possibly traumatic tests.

I have been too sick to care about my messy house, and in a way that has been liberating. I am learning that life can go on if there are a few dirty dishes in the sink before I go to bed. We may have survived Madelyn's first real illness, and I have come out on the other side with the wisdom that she will be okay. I don't have to worry 24/7 if she will be alright, because we take good care of her and she will be alright. Every day, since I realized I am too anxious, things have gotten a little better.

Now on to milestones:

MK- 9 days away from her 11 month birthday (what the crap??!?!?!?!)

-Still cruises while holding on to furniture (or people- she LOVES grabbing on to my or Ross's legs and putting her head in between our knees). She is a very cautious little girl. She does not like me to encourage her to stand on her own. She can tell I am about to let go of her hands and she gets this really freaked out look, like "whoa whoa whoa! Mom, what are you doing??! I don't stand alone yet!", and gently bends her knees and intentionally and carefully lowers herself to the floor and sits or crawls. She will walk like crazy if I give her her Alligator push toy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MVcA_sTzio

Its not like I want her to grow up and walk yet, but I know she CAN, and want her to have the confidence to go ahead and try it without being afraid to fall. Maybe I'm reading into it too much, but I can see her being super cautious and it reminds me of ME. Cautious is good, but overly cautious means you sometimes don't even have the confidence to put yourself out there and really shine, when you have such great abilities to. I think parents always want their kids to have things better than they did. Even though I think I turned out alright, I just don't want my downfalls to be passed on to my little girl. I have a pretty good singing voice, but I will never sing in front of people unless I've had at least 2 drinks and am doing karaoke. I don't ever want her to be afraid to see what she can really accomplish.

Now to be a little more light hearted on a Monday night....

Beauty: I got my nails "shellacked" on Saturday and they are looking fab. "Shellack" is something I'm not quite sure I am spelling right and am too lazy to Google it. Essentially, it is a nail polish/top coat where you have to put your hands under a UV light to harden it; and then it doesn't chip for at least 2-4 weeks. It dries/hardens instantly, which is perfect for the accident-prone such as myself. Also nice for nurses and mommies who dirty their hands quite often. At $15 for a color change (assuming I would only have to do that once a month?) it seemed like a worthy splurge to make me feel purty. I have never been able to do regular mani's and pedi's because they just didn't feel cost effective to me. We'll see how this goes.

Efficient Living: On those nice sunny days we had last week, I dried ALL my laundry on the line outside. Not just diapers anymore; but towels, sheets, jeans, underwear, etc. It was really nice, and it forced this busy working mom to get outside and enjoy the sun while being productive. PLUS, not running the drier all day (I did 4 loads) kept my house cooler, so I didn't have to run the AC. I can't think of a better way to save power and get Vitamin D. And my sheets have never smelled better! Madelyn was napping, but if she were awake, I would just put her in the Pack n Play with some toys while I hung laundry. It made one of my stay-at-home-mom days a little nicer, since I tend to use my stay at home days in the house cleaning (tsk tsk tsk).

Baby's First Upper Respiratory Infection

Its's as fun as it sounds, I swear.

It all started on tuesday when I got home from work and noticed that Maddy felt hot. Sure enough her temp was 101 degrees. Ross told me that he felt a new tooth, and sure enough, I felt a molar or pre-molar poking through. The next morning she woke up really fussy and hot still. Her temp was 102, but still no other symptoms. I gave her some baby Tylenol and went to work. While I was at work, my mother in law called and let me know that Maddy's temp was 103.2, and she was acting "sick". No symptoms, just really tired and quiet. So I called the pediatrician and they asked to see us that day. He saw her and found absolutely nothing wrong with her. He wanted me to call if the fever didn't resolve.

Thursday: My 5 day weekend arrived! Maddy's symptoms arrived at 5am on Friday morning with a runny nose and cough, fever of 101-102 continued. Called the pediatrician and he ordered a chest X-ray. I was surprised he suspected pneumonia, but pleased that he was being thorough. I didn't think a CXR would be a big deal, but holy crap it was. I guess I forgot that you have to stay very still for a chest X-ray...which you can't exactly tell a baby to do. They had to strap her upright into this little apparatus that was like a baby bicycle seat with a plastic cyliner on top that the baby goes into; complete with leather straps to really, strap the baby in tight. It was seriously like a baby torture device. Ross had to put on a lead apron and hold her arms above her head. Maddy was PISSED. She probably thought she actually was in a baby torture device. I hid behind the sheild with the imaging tech while she took the pictures. The nice thing was that I got to peak at the images myself as the tech checked them for their quality. While I'm no expert at reading chest X-rays, I have seen my fair share (including my own when I had pneumonia) and hers looked perfectly clear. (We still haven't gotten a call about the results, so I can imagine there's nothing to worry about).

Last night, Maddy kept waking up coughing and crying. Each time she inhaled to cry, she made this aweful wheezing, gasping sound. I panicked. Yep, I did. I've never had a sick baby before. I felt like I was back to the day that I brought her home from the hospital and I had no idea what to do with my 7 lb bundle of crying mess. This was unknown territory. Forget being a registered nurse; I work on adults. The only thing I recalled from nursing school about babies and kids, was that they have a much different range for their vital signs, and I conveniently remembered that when things start to go wrong with babies, they can get bad very, very quickly. Great. In fact, I think that as a nurse, I know just enough to be a very bad thing. "The burden of knowledge", as Ross calls it (but he can't take credit; we heard that on Scrubs when Perry's son has a cough and he's freaking out).

After an 11pm phone call to the advice nurse with Oregon Pediatrics, I found myself doing very obvious, simple things that I should have been doing instead of panicking and calling the on-call help: running a hot shower and creating a sauna to open up her airway, putting a pillow under her mattress to elevate the head of her bed, and putting the humidifier in her room. The things I could have read in "What to Expect in the First Year". Seriously. I willingly surrender my medical expertise when it comes to my child. I turn into a shaking, trembling mess when something is wrong with my baby. The only good it has done me so far is being able to listen to her lungs with my stethoscope and look at her X-ray and pretty much know she doesn't have pneumonia. That's something, right guys? .....GUUUUYS?!?!?!?!

Anyway...here we are on day 5 of this mess. No fever today. Terrible cough and super fussy and needy. She wants to be held and hugged ALL.THE. TIME. I will admit; i have enjoyed that last part. She is such a girl on the go that I can't remember the last time I got to cuddle and hold my baby so much. Today for about 2 hours straight she was just unhappy. She would cough, which would cause her to cry, which would cause her to cough more and make it hard for her to breathe. We made about 20 trips up the stairs to the upstairs bathroom where I had the shower running with hot water to create a steam room for her. After a while, it got to me, and I started crying for a moment. As I closed my eyes and started to cry a little, I heard her cries turn to laughter. I looked down, and through her tears, she was laughing! When I stopped crying, she stopped laughing and started crying again. Then I started crying more, just to release all my frustration, and she officially stopped crying and was just laughing her little head off. I hope that our relationship remains that way forever; cheering each other up when we both feel at our lowest.

What's in a Blog?

I've been struggling with this blog, lately. I have written in it a lot more than you can see, but I just have them saved privately, because I'm not prepared for who I might be sharing it with. let me back up a little...



Years ago (I mean like 5-6 years) I had a LifeJournal account. It was semi-private; I didn't publicly post the web link anywhere. I had 4 friends, all of whom were old friends/acquaintences from OIT. They were people who weren't involved in my inner most, intimate circle of friends, which was nice, because it allowed me to let down all barriers when writing. They all offered really great, supportive comments. Two of my best friends also followed my blog, which I was happy with, too.



In one post, I ranted about a group of people who were frustrating me at the moment. It had everything to do with disagreements about politics and ultimately the way we see the world. I belonged to a web forum with them and was always the odd man out, as the only person with a conservative view. One night I got tired of seeing my values and views critisized on an almost hourly basis, so I vented on my blog. I didn't name names. To my LiveJournal buddies, these people would be annonymous figures and no one would get hurt, right?



Wrong.



An old friend had been reading my blog without me knowing about it, and told one of the people I had ranted about. This led to an angry email, and I'm sure a lot of hurt feelings I had never intended. Boo :(



As a result I stopped being honest and saying what was on my mind. Obviously, I didnt want to hurt people or cause drama. So years later I opened this account and blogged about butt cracks with paint on them, embarassing trips to the car wash, and the happiness of a new pregnancy.



This is not me, people. Well...it is a big part of me. Goofy and Happy. But I don't just emulate the 7 dwarves; nonono. I have a darker, much more serious side, too. And I like to talk about it. I'm sorry, I just do!

I love honesty, and people who are honest. Its nice to talk about the good things, but how can we all relate and feel like regular people if we can't talk about the bad and what upsets us? I know its perfectly normal and healthy to share your dark side with only those intimately involved in your life, and maybe I overshare by blogging about mine. But I even want those who aren't close to me to know I am a real person dealing with these things; so that if they are experiencing them, they won't feel so alone. When Ross and I first got married, two of my best girl friends (who were marriage "veterans" and had both married 2 years before us) were not afraid to be candid about how sometimes, marriage SUCKS. How even though its a blessing and they love their husbands, it is one of the hardest thing they have ever done in their lives. Most people would be too prideful to say that. I, on the other hand, felt so blessed to get a small touch of reality and to know that marriage isn't all fun, happiness, and sexy times. It made me respect them both even more as wives, and was a big comfort to know that I would have someone to talk to if Ross was being an a-hole, and tell me that he's not an a-hole. Honestly and reality is so rare in this world and I appreciate it more and more every day.

...I totally rambled....

Maybe a blog isn't the best place to air out one's dirty laundry? I have a nice little ranty blog about work drama and the things that grind my gears sometimes about working in an office with a staff comprised of 15 women. It was a goodey! But then I thought- "ehhhh, what if someone from work happens to read this and is offended?" and it went in the "private" box. There are other juicies, but most recently there was a post where I opened up a little more about my discovery of my struggle with anxiety, possibly post-partum related. I put my heart and feelings into words and then when it came time to hit that "publish" button, I thought....."wait...seriously, just WHO IS READING THIS???" I put a link to my blog in my Facebook, and have been delighted at the old friends and accquaintences who have emailed me and told me that they enjoy my blog, or that my blog has helped them in some way. Seriously, I really appreciate that :) But what about those who just glance at it occasionally, or read it more often that I don't know about? What if someone would think poorly of me, or even judge me for what I write? Or even worse; what if I write something that hurts somebody's feelings. Like if I rant about someone who secretly reads this blog (annonymously, of course, but they would know I was talking about them by reading it?).

Food for thought, I say. Food for thought.

My next step is to go through my private, unpublished posts and edit some of them to make them more presentable. The main one I plan on, was a post in which I felt I needed to defend my hard work at becoming a more frugal spender when my financial integrity was called into question. The result was a very long blog about how I save money, and I have even considered producing a blog spin-off of it. Saving money and being more efficient (and dare I say it, "Green" or "Eco-friendly"? Eeew, no lets keep it as "Efficient and Economical")has actually almost become a hobby of mine, and I love to share it :)

Okay, now....time for some editing. To my 6 or 7 readers (that I know about ;) be on the lookout for new/old blogs...