Monthly Archives: August 2010

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Blue jeans blues

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I practically live in blue jeans. Year-around, they are my favorite item in my clothing collection.

However, they are also the one thing I hate trying to purchase. Why? Because I am 6′ tall, and my inseam is 36″. Do you know how difficult that is to find at a price that won’t make you choke?? When I find a pair I like, I will wear them until they literally fall apart.

Which is precisely what happened when I got into my truck Monday night to go to work at the hot dog stand. Yup. I ripped my jeans in the butt. Not just a little rip. A long, gaping rip. The kind you can feel the air hitting your exposed rear through.

I was just glad it happened before I left home and not after I got to work!! I went to change, cursing the fact that I was now going to be down to ONE pair of blue jeans and would need another pair.  I have one pair of khakis, one pair of jeans and one pair of black slacks. That is the extent of my pants collection. A little depressing, to say the least, and, yes, I wear them atleast twice between washings. I make it work, but I draw the line at only one pair of jeans.

So, tonight, I logged into my favorite site to order jeans: Victoria’s Secret. They carry jeans that are 36″ inseam, reasonably priced, and in styles I like. I literally have a VS Angel card to buy jeans. If the day ever comes that they take my card away, I will cry. A lot.

I carefully went through each pair of jeans and narrowed it down to one pair to replace the pair I split the night before. On sale, I didn’t feel TOO bad about the order. Dark blue wash. And I threw in a $4 v-neck t-shirt to my order. It’ll be in sometime around mid-month. I’m excited to have a new pair of jeans! I don’t order them often, because buying pants just overwhelms and frustrates me. But, hey, you gotta do what you gotta do. And I had to order new jeans today. They are my favorite clothing item. They are the bane of my existence.

me time

At-home pampering

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242: Nail colorWhen the economy takes a turn for the worse, people tend to look for ways to cut expenses while still boosting their mood and looks. A few months ago I read that when the economy is low, sales in home hair color and lipstick goes up.

Today, I officially fell into that first group, along with other at-home indulgences.

Let me start by saying that I love getting my hair highlighted, and pedicures are a wonderful treat. However, lately I’ve nixed both in an attempt to keep my monthly expenses as low as possible. That doesn’t mean that I can’t still pamper myself at home.

For years, I’ve given myself my own version of a pedicure. I get a huge boost out of painting my toe nails, and I have fun using stickers to decorate them. I recently purchased a nail color pen. (You can find it in the “Favorite things” widget in my sidebar if you are interested. I do recommend it!) Its like a sharpie for nails! Its so much fun to draw my own hearts, or edge my nails like a French Manicure. I can be as silly as I want to and change it often without feeling guilty about the cost.

When I first started to color my hair (10 years ago!), I started with at-home hair color. However, I eventually moved on to getting highlights in the salon. I always called it my one big splurge on myself. However, recently, I’ve not been able to justify the cost. Its made me sad to see my highlights grow out and fade, but I just couldn’t go get it fixed.

Last night, I asked my Mom if she’d help me color my hair at home. We were both nervous, but we decided to go for it. And wouldn’t you know? Not only did it come out great, but it was time that I wouldn’t trade for anything with her. Plus, it ended up costing me 10% of what it would have cost in the salon. SCORE!

I also enjoy giving myself facials, convincing my husband to give me a back and/or foot massage, and a pair of tweezers can shape my eyebrows just fine. Lots of other little pamperings.

Does it mean I’ll never get another pedicure or never go to the salon again? Not at all! I keep in mind there are people out there making a living providing these specialty services. I like to help my fellow wage-earners! Plus, it IS fun to go be pampered. However, right now, I’m trying to cut costs left and right, but I am doing so without cutting out various personal wants. I’m just doing them for myself for awhile, and there is a lot of satisfaction in that.