I've been shopping!

I'm on a very tight budget at the moment. I've been keeping to $20 a day for the last month and it's not as tough as i thought it would be. I mean, I now see how ridiculous it is that last year, when I was earning more than double what I am now, and I didn't have a $50/week fee to pay for a correspondence course (which, incidentally, I haven't started working on yet.) I was spending pretty much everything. I could have been putting $300 a week into my savings, and still be living off the same amount of money I am now! If I had done that, i wouldn't have all this pesky debt stopping me from enjoying any windfalls, like extra work shifts.

That said, I was so proud of myself after my first fortnight of budgeting- I was paid about $520, which leaves me with $420 for transport/food/alcohol and I managed to not spend $65. I have no idea how I did it, but I figured it made sense to reward myself. So I spent it (+$10) on things I WANTED (oh God I've missed that)

What did i buy? I hear you ask. Shoes of course! Last year, I fell in love with the Tony Bianco "Nemesis" wedge shoe boot. They're beautiful- but at $190 I really couldn't justify it right before a trip to Europe. Then I discovered Betts "Poppie" which is pretty much identical to the Biancos, for only $90. What luck, I just happened to have a 45% off voucher that my friend gave me. So I spent about a quarter what I would have, had I succumbed to the beauty of Tony Bianco, for a shoe that, from afar, looks the same. The are of course, faux suede as opposed to genuine, but that just means I can panic less when it rains, yes?

I have to tell you, they are THE comfiest shoes I've ever worn. Well, the comfiest shoes that make me 4-5inches taller than I actually am, that is. I mean, wedges are, of course, more comfortable than say a stiletto heel. It's just logic- there's more foot support which puts less stress on the ankles, balls and calves. Also, as the have a rather thick platform, there's none of that burning pain in the ball of your foot that you get with most shoes. I feel like I'm wearing flats! They're perfect. And they look good with pretty much anything- jeans, skirts, stockings, bear legs, socks- anything! I'm pretty much in love with them.

Now my other significant purchase recently was that of the Ebay variety. I had a brief love affair with Ebay a few years ago, and when I fell in love with an incredible shade of MAC lipstick, I wasn't too keen on the idea of paying $36 for something that can be bought in the US for just $13.50. So, to Ebay I went. Including postage from NY, it was only about $23- well worth the 10day wait for arrival. I was a bit nervous about buying a lipstick without testing it first, but I'm pretty happy. The colour, Girl About Town, doesn't make me look like a hag, and though it's a bit glossier than the Sephora Maniac Matte I'm used to, it doesn't disappear in 5 minutes like many others.

(Please ignore the fact that I look like a stunned mullet. And yes, I really am that freckled)

As for the colour, the pictures don't show it perfectly because I took them in my bathroom and the light wasn't fab. It's basically fuchsia. I've had my eye out for such a brilliant pink for a while- after seeing plenty of it on the runway. I think it's amazing, and when I saw the profile photo of a facebook friend with the exact colour i was looking for, I had to ask. It was no surprise to find out it was MAC, and in fact it was the same girl who suggested I try Ebay.

I'm feeling pretty poorly right now. I woke up this morning feeling like I'd been hit by a bus filled with mucous or something. Which sucks because I'm working tomorrow and the next day and I get the feeling that it will probably get worse. Right now, I'm functioning on a fairly regular level, with only the slightest hints of delirium. Tomorrow could be a different story.

Tonight I'm off to my first Ramshackle gig since last July, and their first since September. I just wish I wasn't sick because it's cutting into my enthusiasm. And I can't decide what to wear!

Expect photos soon, they're beginning to build up.

-m xx