Small Successes

While it wasn't a cheap weekend, this past weekend was a weekend of small successes.

I went down to Holt's on payday to pick up some moisturizing lotion for my face. I have some cream left, but with the weather changing it was beginning to feel kind of heavy. My face was starting to break out, and I was hoping to kick that before it got out of hand. They have a sales "event" coming up, but it's one where they give you 10% back in gift cards, and you have to spend $350 to qualify. Not happening. I asked the lady at the counter for a bottle of lotion and she launched into a sales pitch on how I really won't see the full results unless I also use products X, Y and Z with it. Great. My skin is a gleaming beacon for sales people, screaming: sell stuff to me! *sigh* Anyway, 10 minutes later I've left the sales counter without the bottle of lotion, but with a handful of samples! I know from last time I used their samples that I'll be able to get a couple weeks worth of use out of them before I run out. So, it doesn't appear that I'll be spending money on moisturizer this month. If I get the sales pitch again next time I go in I may just order it online.

Spring is coming in a hurry right now. Where I had snow up to my hip 2 weeks ago I now have a patch of sad looking grass that is about to turn green in the coming weeks. I did a little online hunting for a weedwacker, because the $150-$250 for a gas model wasn't really an option. Success! I went on to the Canadian Tire website and found a little electric model for $40. I'll have to drag an extension cord around behind it, but I don't care about that. I have to do that with my lawnmower already anyway.

I spent probably a good hour Sunday evening making breakfasts and lunches for the week. I now have a stack of peanut butter bagels, salami and cheese sandwiches and containers of salad for this week in my fridge. I spent  a little too long in the shower this morning so I didn't have time to boil water for tea, but having my breakfast and lunch ready for today means that my spending will be limited. Extra bonus is the fact that since I've been focussing on eating my veggies again rather than reaching for easy carbs (scones, muffins, buns), I've been feeling better. I don't feel bloated, my skin feels better, and I'm not dealing with the hunger swings and crashes. Fewer crashes = less spending. Even better is that I'll probably be able to curb the recent migration of pounds to my midsection again.

I said sayonara to the dry cleaner and handwashed a couple of my dry clean only items last night. The result? Well, I'm wearing one of the items right now and it looks and feels the same as it does when it comes back from the dry cleaner's. Minus the chemical smell. You can consider me sold. Maybe now the money I set aside for clothes will actually be used on new clothes rather than on cleaning my existing ones. Score.

I FINALLY picked up an iTunes card when I went for groceries yesterday. Now I can download music without using my credit card. That only took me... oh... 2 and a half months... Oops. The important part is that I did it.

Did any one else have an small successes this weekend?