My $5.45 Thrift Store find

I'd love to go to thrift stores and  get lucky enough to score all these great vintage finds, but my ADD kicks in when I walk into one and spy the long, multi-colored, overcrowded racks of clothing. At that point, I have enough patience to peruse the shelves of mismatched dishes, tchotchkes and shoes. Sometimes I manage to sift through the purses and bags. I had something to do near the Park Avenue Thrift store so I decided to drop in. They generally don't have much, probably due to the area they're in, so I wasn't expecting to walk out with anything. As I walked to the back of the store where the coats are, I happened to look up and see this robe in the men's robe section. I saw the price and HAD to get it- it even had the sash! It's made in Japan. It's a men's 100% cotton yukata and taller than me at 56" long, but I'm fine with that! These things go for $50-$75+ on different sites.





Tokidoki Ragazza Leo Print @ TJ Maxx $49.99

4220 Summer Avenue Memphis, TN 38122 Phone: 901-682-1124 Get driving directions
Sun: 11a - 8p Mon-Sat: 9:30a - 9:30p

I hope I see some other prints & sizes. These are on clearance elsewhere for over $100.

Don Heffington/Heffington Management, Slumlord.

**WARNING! WARNING!! DANGER, WILL ROBINSON!!! **
        I first moved to my apartment in Jan of 07. I moved here b/c someone I knew lived in these apts and I thought they were cute. For the 1st yr, this place was OK and no drama- I would call the (now) slumlord and get a response or action. Everytime someone would move out after that year, they were replaced by some shitty white trash loser. Since I live in a converted house, we have a front door- for reasons obvious to everyone except these KDRs, it's to remain locked. More often than not, I've come home to the door open. Leaving a note on the door doesn't help b/c someone tears it down. There aren't supposed to be dogs here, and now there are 2- a yippy little rat and a larger dog. They both bark constantly and the SL knows about it. SL also, at one point, tried to get me to clean up the front entryway & in turn, he wouldn't raise my rent. I did it for a month then said fuck it- I don't like cleaning up after these people, although there were a few decent ones that thanked me. They've long since gone. I also realized he couldn't use that as the basis to not raise my rent.
          SL has this shit stupid lackey that he gets to relay messages.She called me to tell me he didn't want me to clean the entryway ... LOL. She also tried to tell me that he said cats can ruin hardwoord floors.. OH HELL NO!!! HAHAHAHAH!!!! Mine doesn't even have front claws!! Anywho, you can't raise rent without a notice. Because he's let these young fuckers & drunkards move in, all the decent ppl are or have left. There's a lady above me that has been here longer than me. She's nice &amp, but states she's moving out in Oct b/c of this shit. Previously, the cops have NEVER come here- they've been here twice & busted the door down once b/c this drunk asshole was yelling 'help me' out his window at 7am & there was nothing to help!!! The 2nd time had to do with the guy next door to me that is a complete drunk- he and his addict boyfriend were arguing- no doubt about the same thing they'd argued about before- the one accused the other of only coming over to buy drugs (which their dealers deliver in front of the bldg) with his SSN money. One Saturday, he fell down in the floor & was sitting there panting like he'd overexerted himself. I asked if he wanted help and he declined. When the lady upstairs moves, if the situation gets worse, I'm going. My shit is up Jan & I'm about to start school in the fall.. I don't need this shit! Another reason not to rent from this fucker- if you call him, he NEVER answers. You leave a msg and hope for the best. The ONLY time he ever picked up was when someone busted the front door glass & he thought maybe I heard it since I live downstairs.

I love free things

In this case, I just got $50 from Vitamin Shoppe for some class action lawsuit I had no idea of. I'm very grateful for that since I will have to buy some supplements soon.

Silk Naturals mineral makeup and Asian skin

Thanks to genetics, I inherited oily skin. It's not just a little bit, either. The forehead gets so shiny it's like I shellacked it! Talk about EWWWWWWWWW!!!

The one and only time I went to a dermatologist, he put me on Glytone Gel wash and Rejuvenate Facial lotion. The kit they put together also included Afirm 2x Retinol. This combination has cut the shininess down by like 80%. Prior to this, I didn't really have a skincare regimen per se, but I did use DHC's Acerola Kit for awhile. I didn't stick with it because it smelled like soy sauce!

I use mineral makeup when I DO wear makeup, which further helps to eliminate the shine. I don't use BareMinerals or any drugstore brand- I bought some on Ebay from SilkNaturals. It was really inexpensive and allows you to mix a little at a time in case you need to change shades or you just don't want to have a bunch just sitting there. Since the makeup comes in 2 seperate shades that you mix, it helps keeps the price low because you can just buy what you run out of. I think it's worth it, especially if you tan. From what I've heard, the commercial minerals have an ingredient that makes your skin shinier (no thanks!)and can irritate sensitive skin. A kit like the one pictured is $11.95. They have alot more products than they did when they were on Ebay. I haven't tried anything else, but I plan to. In addition to the foundation, I own their 'Date Bait' and of course, the mineral veil. I've been very happy with it all so far. Next time I order foundation, I think I will try the medium coverage next since I don't have the best skin.

Romano's Macaroni Grill Chicken Alfredo

Apparently they have this all boxed up like Hamburger Helper, but slightly more expensive. I bought it the other day at my local Kroger store for $4.99+tax. You add chicken. It's fairly simple like Hamburger Helper and pretty tasty, too! I added chicken and broccoli. The one thing I would change is the amount of liquid. They call for 1 1/4 Cups of milk. It was a little too liquidy for me so next time I think I would do 1 Cup. It comes with noodles, seasoning, creamy sauce, and cheese to top it with. I forgot about the cheese before eating..lol! Oh well, I have leftovers so I will try it later.

8-3-08

It's better the 2nd time around. I'll try shrimp next time.

You say cheap, I say frugal.

In this day and age when EVERYTHING is going up, up, up, I've started to come up with ways to make my money go further.

1. Instead of buying snack packs of pudding, I buy a box of mix and make it per directions, then divide them into the little Gladware 1/2 cup containers. $4 for the Gladware(one time), $1.00 (est) for the pudding. You will get more or the same amount of servings as the snack packs for less - you also get more of a variety, and you can make your own flavor combos . I do this with gelatin, too. I'm going to do this with cake mix as well. Instead of buying the Betty Crocker Warm Delights bowls- I wonder if it will work? One box of cake mix at $2.50 (ish) vs. $1.99/bowl for the Betty Crocker. I'll have to get a box and see.

2. I LOVE Claussen pickles, but they can be pricey. I will buy a 1st jar, but when it runs out, I will buy a cucumber and cut it up and put it in the leftover juices. The flavor is generally more mild than the original but I still like them regardless. I started a batch of bread and butter slices last night.

3. I work from home, so I don't use as much gas as I would. I currently only put in $20 (half a tank) every week and a half. I also try not to drive around alot during the day b/c this Memphis heat isn't playing. If I do, I run the AC b/c I don't want to walk around smelling all funky, but after about 5pm, I won't run it. Since I work from home, I also don't have to spend money on clothes and whatnot.

That's all I have for now...