IWIW – 4/17/13

I think I found my new couch or at least 2 possibilities.

Let me back up a minute.  When I was moving into my apartment 5+ years ago I was fortunate enough to be gifted a couch.  I was telling the parents of Princess’ BFF at the time that I need to purchase living room and dining room furniture.  They recently bought a couch that they could not get up their stairs and offered it to me.

I agreed, couch unseen.  The first time I saw the couch was when I went to pick it up to move it into my apartment.  It was not my style but the price was right.

Over the years I bought a slip cover in an attempt to make the couch more attractive, but that proved to be more trouble that it was worth.  I was constantly adjusting and tucking the slip cover back in between the cushions so I gave it up all together.

I went looking at couches back in July but didn’t/couldn’t commit to anything.  I still continued to look research as the want/need has not disappeared.

Recently I went to a friend’s new apartment and it inspired me to try to make my place more like a home rather than a pidge podge of hand me down furniture.

I have no decorating skills so I am hoping that new couches would help make the room look like some thought went into it.

I have narrowed it down to 2 different couches.  I sent pictures to a couple of my friends and they offered me differing options.   So I thought why not ask you?

Couch 1

(Source)

The first time I saw this set was in my cousin’s house.  It is comfortable.  My BFF thinks it looks too formal for my living room.  I am not sure where she got that idea from, as it doesn’t look all that formal to me.

Couch 2

(Source)

A reclining loveseat with cup holders!!!  How could one go wrong?  Well according to one of my friends the cup holders are exactly why he doesn’t like it.  Boo.

The brown couch and loveseat are on sale until the end of the month.  My plan is to take the friend whose apartment I like with me to the store and get her opinion.

Until then which set gets your vote?

IWIW – 4/3/13

It’s been a long time since I posted about my wants.  Mainly because while the list of things I want is long I tend to forget about them once I put it on my mental list.  It’s working very well for my bank account so far.

Unfortunately I can only put off buying certain things for so long.

High up on the list right now is a mattress.  It’s been on my list for some time.

The interest has been renewed since I got an email last week from Costco about a gel memory foam mattress on sale.

 (Source)

It’s $110 off until April 7.  So I have a few days to make up my mind. Plus if I don’t like it I can always fight with it and take it back to Costco.

It is the if I don’t like it part that has me hesitant to push buy.  This mattress is 82 lbs and will probably not fold easily once it has been unpacked.

What to do?  Right now, I’m leaning towards shut my eyes and buy it.

What would you do?

IWIW – 1/23/13

 

 

 

I want some heat!!  This cold weather needs to turn into this.

Even at its coldest it still beats this.

 (Source)

IWIW – 1/16/13

I have always liked pretty things.  And I am getting good at not accumulating any more stuff, however I have been lusting after some of the sewn masterpieces that Carla creates.

I don’t recall how I found her website but I am sure glad I did.  She is awesome and I sometimes refer to her as my not so secret shero.  I think being a home-schooling SAHM is the hardest job in the world.  My hat is off to all of you who do it and do it well.  I have always said I think the only way I could do it is if my kids were in school ALL day!

Anyhoo, I’ve lost my point in all of this.  Oh yes, Carla makes some really cool wallets and whatnots.

I am a huge believer in the independent small business owner.  I am a big supporter of women.  So an independent female small business owner I will always try to support.

BUT I am on a get out of debt path and try hard not to stray from it … until this unexpected pay-day!  With it I decided to stop drooling over pictures of Carla’s creations and get some of my own.  I decided to also get something for my girls.  As I suspect if I got something pretty just for me it would somehow disappear into the clutches of one of my sweet little thieves.

So I ordered a couple of things.  Then I won one of her give-aways.  And they all came today!!

Without further adieu, this is what I got.

Ok, the above picture is no fun.

Inside that silver bag was a treasure trove of goodies.

Here’s the front view.

Now the other side.  (I originally wrote back side but that has a whole different meaning to me. lol)

This is my new hexie budget wallet.  Since I am supposed to be on a cash only diet, I figure this wallet will assist with that.  I will be putting my budget categories on the dividers inside and then taking out my weekly allowance, divvying it up accordingly and that’s all I will have to spend.  Isn’t it so pretty?

A purple mug rug.

A blue mug rug.  Both are perfect size for resting a cup of coffee on with space for a snack.

My girls gave Carla the colours that they wanted their wallets to be.  The top purple, pink & blue one belongs to Princess and the other to Diva.  Both of them are so happy with their new wallets, they are asking me for money to put in it!! LOL

This is the tea towel and pot holders that I won.  They are so pretty I don’t want to use them.  But I will, because I will not become “that” person.  You know the one that saves all the pretty things for special occasions and then dies before using them.

The pictures do not truly let you know how beautiful these pieces are.

I am so glad that I finally ordered.

IWIW – 01/09/13

I was in the middle of this post last night when the internet died.   I thought it was only me but I was wrong.  Rogers had an outage that affected a great many people.  I tried calling customer service last night I got the “thank you for holding someone will be with you shortly” message … for over 1 hour.   I tried again this morning, the wait was said to be over 15 minutes.  I hung up after 20.  I hope by the time I get home tonight everything is back to “normal”.

Back to last night’s thoughts.

(Source)

Over the course of the holidays I discovered The Food Network.

They were running marathon sessions of Diners, Dive-Ins and Dives.  OMG I have a new love.  Diva and I spent countless hours watching my new BFF, Guy Fieri eating his way across America.  There were lots of fattening amazing looking dishes that made us think we should go there.

Of course neither of us wrote down the names of any of these places somewhere we might find it again.

At the end of most episodes, we both say the same thing, “I want his job!!!”

How cool would it be to travel all over to eat food and get paid for it?

IWIW – 12/12/12

I have been at home since yesterday taking an online course which will last until the end of the week.

This is my very first experience “working” from home.

I never really thought about working from home before BUT these couple of days being home have me pondering.  Granted I believe part of this is because the course is run like big business.

Right now I work for a small company.  I got to work for 9-ish and stay until 5-ish with usually only a 20-30 minute lunch break (unless it’s all you can eat sushi lunch day ).  Big business starts at 9, goes for a 15 minute morning break, then a 1 hour lunch break followed by another 15 minute afternoon break.

Since I am at home, I use my 1 hour lunch break to workout. Then I eat my lunch while sitting on my couch in front of my computer listening to the instructor.

I can see him, he can’t see me in my mismatched sweats and crazy hair.  I’m sure he’s thankful for that.

I am really enjoying “working” from home.  I am now more open to looking at work from home opportunities or at least suggesting I telecommute.

Getting paid to be home in my sweats/pyjamas rocks.

Why didn’t anyone tell me about this before?

IWIW – 12/05/12

Now that I know I have plateaued, I want off this plateau … without having to do any real work.  LOL  Delusional much?

Seriously though, I am in a bit of a quandary.   I spoke to my Dad on Monday and he would like to know what I want for Christmas.

Visions of man servants and exotic trips immediately jumped into my head.  And then I remembered I am speaking to my Dad who is very frugal, sometimes to his own detriment.

I looked back through all of my old IWIW posts looking for inspiration.  Unfortunately I have a lot of expensive wants. Wants I don’t feel comfortable imposing on anyone.

I am having trouble coming up with something that is less than $40, that I want, that I haven’t already bought myself.

The only thing that I can think of that is on the cheap frugal side is a kitchen scale.  I don’t need one.  I have lived perfectly fine all this time without one but it would be a nice to have.  I was thinking a simple one until I saw this.

 

(Source)

 

It has nutritional values in it so it will calculate the calories of the food weighed.  Kinda cool.

Do you have any other ideas?

IWIW – 11/21/12

Today’s want is brought to you by the letter “T”.  As in travel.

I have always wanted to see the world, experience other cultures and definitely eat the food.

The list is long of places I want to go.

Recently I was talking to my BFF and she decided we should start to make a real list of the places we want to go to and what we would do/see while there.

Yesterday she sent me this list.

1: Pamukkale…Turkey..cottoncastles

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uqFUc_K5wk

2:Iceland

http://www.viator.com/Iceland/d55-ttd?pref=02&aid=g2980 

3:European Riverboat Cruise

http://www.bargeconnection.com/bluedanubediscovery.html 

4:Costa Rica

http://www.govisitcostarica.com/travelInfo/10-top-destinations.asp

I think this might just be the beginning of her list …

Feel free to send me all your spare change and/or pay cheques for the next few years.  LOL

IWIW – 11/14/12

Confession time, I am a camera addict.  I’m not sure if I really like taking pictures or just buying new gadgets.  But I have 3 functioning cameras right now, but they are all point and shoot.

I would really, really, really, really like a DSLR.  Like REALLY.  But I have yet to justify the high price.

I have always wanted a Canon Rebel.  I am a Canon fan.  All my current cameras are Canons.

Every year I say “I’ll get last year’s model and be happy” and then the next model would come along and I would think “Oh my … feature blah blah blah is really nice maybe I should wait until the price drops on the new version and get it instead”

This has been going on for 4, maybe 5 years.

Last year I said I would stop at the Canon T3i as it has the flip out screen that I find handy to have.

But then I started looking at the Canon T4i … and it has a touchscreen … blah blah blah.

 (Source)

Isn’t it pretty?

Anyhoo, I started researching lenses and I came across the new 18-135mm STM lens that would allow me to do close up and a longer zoom without having to change lenses.  It will also maintain autofocus while in movie mode.  And that is where trouble started.

The Canon T4i and the new 18-135mm lens bundled with a few extras are on sale.  I have until Nov 21 …

I have avoided going to look at it as I feel like I would finally give in to temptation.

I have to confess, that at least once every couple of days I look at it online.

What do you think, spend the money and stop torturing myself or continue to lust from afar?

 

 

IWIW – 11/7/12

It’s “I Want It Wednesday”!!

For those of you who are new to the party this is a day where (when I remember *blush*) I post about things I want.  Sometimes they are crazy outlandish wants and other times I am a bit more down to earth.

Today is a down to earth day.

Today I am lusting after … a massage.  A full body massage.  It’s on my to do list.  This is not the first time this want has appeared on this list.

In fact I have decided that when I lose my first 10 pounds this will be my reward.

Unfortunately I regained 3 of my lost 7.

But I will keep hope alive.