I was thinking about the upcoming month in terms of spending on my bus ride into work this morning. I know a lot of people set monthly spending goals ($1000 a month for everything above rent or something similar), but it's not something I really want to get into yet. I feel like my months are still quite variable in terms of spending, and I don't want to put off doing something because of an arbitrary figure I've chosen for myself. It's awesome if it works for everyone that's doing it, I just don't think I'm ready to hop on the bandwagon yet.
Especially not this month :s
Anyway, I was thinking about the spending because I realized that this was going to be a kind of expensive month for me. I need to get 3 things: A weedwacker, a bra, and moisturizer. It doesn't really sound expensive at first, but if I can't find cheaper alternatives it's going to set me back about $500 (minimum) for those 3 items.
The moisturizer is kind of a non-negotiable item for me. Some of you might remember back in December when I was struggling with the price of the stuff. Well, fast forward a few months and I can honestly say I'm not going back. My skin doesn't hurt when I wash my face anymore, and I don't have to avoid touching it for fear of rupturing something. The cyst I spent over a year trying to get rid of finally disappeared, and the scarring is slowly healing. The jar is almost empty, and I'm going to have to switch to the lotion as the cream is getting to be a bit too heavy as it gets warmer out. It's cheaper per ounce, but comes in a larger container. This is going to set me back at least $240. I'm going to try to time it to line up with a gift with purchase or something, because the stuff doesn't go on sale.
The bra is a bit of a contentious issue for me. You could say that I developed early as a kid. I started wearing a bra in grade 6 or 7, and by the grade 8 I was easily a C cup. That would have been fine and dandy if they had stopped growing then (and why not? That's when I stopped getting taller), but they didn't.
Above is a bra sizing chart. The areas outlined in green are approximately your standard bra sizes. That little red splotch over to the left? That's me. I don't even make it on to the chart. I spent much of my teenage and early adult bra shopping years crying in change rooms because nothing fit, and anything that came close looked like something your grandmother would wear. My mom has the same problem. A few years ago after I moved to Edmonton to go to University I found a bra shop that carried my size.
HALLELUJAH!
The shop specializes in bras and specialty sizes. They order their stock in from Europe, where you can actually get a wider range of sizes. Not only that, for the first time in my life I could get a pretty bra. I think I cried tears of joy in her fitting room. Unfortunately, they do come at a price, and the last time I bought bras there they were about $160 a piece. The exchange rate has gotten better, so they may have come down in price a little, but I'm not holding my breath on that one. Two of my current bras have underwires that are about to give out (trust me, they hurt when they're stabbing me), so I know this expense will be hitting me soon.
Last but not least is a weedwacker. This is the one where I should be able to get the most pricing wiggle room from. I've only checked 1 store so far, but they're sitting at around $150-$200 for a gas powered one. I'd like to find an electric one, but I'm not 100% set on that. I tried to get by without one last year after I bought my place, and I can tell you it's not going to happen this year. I bought my house during the winter, and come spring I realized I had bought "That house". You know, the one overflowing with weeds in the neighbourhood of pristine lawns. I spent a lot of time last year fighting the weeds, and I'll be doing it again this year. I need to keep the upper hand on them as they can get away from you REALLY quickly, and the city will fine you if you don't keep them under control. My lawnmower doesn't reach everything, so this year I need to get one. I'm going to check out Kijiji and Ebay as well for a used one. The snow is melting here quickly, so I need to get on it soon.
I'm glad payday is Thursday.
