Road Trip Bargains

Im sorry..

It was just too difficult.

I was in a strange town with unexplored Op Shops. Lots of them, ones that were advertised as amazing.

I hadnt been to any for ages, I was in withdrawal.

Plus I had a 9 month old baby, it was raining, he needed warm shelter and toys to play with.

He practically begged me to visit them and buy him fun, preloved things, let him crawl around the floor and encourage sweet little old ladies to fuss and fawn over him.

See look.. how could i possibly say no to this little face?

So I nabbed me a flour sifter, a load of olive buttons and a portable Stratton ash tray. Oh and a little plastic book for Riley.
All for $8.10

How the All Blacks are making us poor

Last night after a recount I found I actually had $24.50.
Which is just as well as i had an emergency that we all know well – the missing vital ingredient to a recipe.
Its always these little things that trip us up.
Now did you know that all peppers are not created equal?
I saved a whole 40c by weighing the peppers and choosing the lightest. I cant believe i have never thought of that before.

Today.. Forgoing my usual $5.50 I spend on lunch I took my frozen bread roll and soup to work, and snaffled a couple of chocolate biscuits going free on the table.
The big lesson I learnt today, thanks to a teenager that the two All Blacks flags fluttering on my car increase my fuel consumption by 12%. I wondered why I was using so much.
Im all for National pride but not when it is affecting my paltry bank balance.
So they had to go. Sorry Ritchie.

Then, good news.. my son couldnt see his maths tutor so i got to keep the $20 I had budgeted for him. That means i now have $40 disposable income.
I celebrated by blowing $7 on takeaways. Thursdays are takeaway nights, so i augmented the chips with an egg from my lovely backyard hens – if this week gets really bad i can just live on eggs.

I am a bit worried about tommorrow. I go on a road trip to Wanganui.
Me and road trips mean only one thing…. Op shops. my road mate has already asked me to scope them out. I know Im not going to be able to say no. Is there a twelve steps for Op shops?

I cant promise that Im going to stay strong, is borrowing money cheating?

The Penny Pinching Project

I am a big project girl.

In fact if you ever want to get me to do something, call it a “project” and Im in.

So this week I am faced with the task of making $20 last an entire week.

This is due to the misguided purchase of concert tickets, so dont feel too sorry for me.

I am a credit card lover and as that is no longer an option am training mysefl out of the ” I want it and will buy it right now” mentality.
So a project it is..

I will approach it as a nod to the depression era, war rations and all round make do and mend vintage ethos.
And of course blog daily about my efforts, struggles and creative approach.

I have a 15 1/2 year old who inhales cereal and milk at least twice a day and I forsee this as my biggest challenge.. that and the incessant requests for money for all kinds of teenage necsessities.
I have food in the cupboards and petrol in my car, a cell phone and sky TV so its not like Im really doing it hard.
So lets see.

Is living on the equivalent of a teenagers pocket money really acheivable?

Very Odd Photos..

I was cleaning out my vintage postcard collection and look what i found…

These extremely odd photos.

I was very pleased because I have wanted to contribute to the “Fedora Lounge’s” 50 unexplainable photos thread. If you havent seen it yet please go to http://www.thefedoralounge.com/ and check it out.

So what are they all about?

Any ideas?

Any witty captions spring to mind?

Baking, Dancing and Having Fun

It was my friend and soon to be business partner Mandi Lynn’s big weekend.
Mandi is A La Mode and has just moved in to a beautiful studio in Petone.

So it was decided a big party was needed and it must be girly, pretty and oh so vintage.

So after some frantic baking..

and general prettifying the fun began.
Full Swing started off the celebrations with some lindy hop

Miss La Belle held a glove peeling workshop ( very popular I might add, even with the kids..)

and a wee PG rated performance.

and I held workshops on how to find and apply the perfect red lipstick.

Talk about fun, everyone looked so amazing and it was great to just how many people love the vintage asthetic in this little city.Thanks so much to everyone who came, here’s to much more fun in the future.

Photo’s by Mandi Lynn – lots more on http://www.lamode.co.nz