Saves vs. Splurges

A few weeks ago, maybe months, Sharon of The Tiny Heart inspired the idea for this post. She was talking about what products she liked to save on versus what she splurged on.

That got me thinking about my buying habits - what do I save and splurge on?

Handbag / Running short / Sandal

HANDBAGS: I very rarely buy expensive bags. I have lots, but none are designer or real leather. I hope to invest in a great leather bag soon, but ultimately I like having a large selection.

GYM CLOTHES: Well... they're going to get sweaty anyways. I have been extremely happy with my mostly-Costco gym clothing and some Old Navy thrown in there. An exception to cheaping out on gym clothing is running shoes. I do buy a good quality pair, cause support is important.

SHOES: Contrary to my comment above, most of my footwear has been purchased on sale or clearance. I was even able to swing 30% off my Converse. I had an amazing pair of moccasins from Giant Tiger (had = dog ate them) that I bought for $15. They were my favourite shoes in my entire collection. Note to self: must replace them soon.

Jacket / Moroccanoil / Blazer

JACKETS / OUTERWEAR: If I can save, I will, but if I'm going to buy anything full price it's usually a jacket. Winter jackets have to be good quality up here in the Great White North, so it usually means forking over a couple hundred dollars. Though I can't say I'd be able to fork over $700 for that Canada Goose jacket. Darn.

HAIR PRODUCTS: I use the kind of shampoo that's $20+ a bottle. I also will splurge the extra $$$ to get the brand name. Hair is one place where I don't like to make sacrifices.

BLAZERS: Blazers are something I have learned you can't go cheap on. To get a decent fitting one you usually end up spending at least $50. To most people that's probably not expensive, but considering I don't usually buy jeans for more than $30 means it hits my wallet pretty hard.

What do you save or splurge on?

Wedges, humidity and dogs.

Dynamite top; American Eagle pants; Target wedges

I want to address a few things in this post:

1) These wedges from Target are incredible. Only $30 and I can wear them all day without any aches and pains. I can even sort of walk in them. They're a miracle for my feet.

2) For the past two weeks I've pretty much let my hair do it's own thing. I shower at night, sleep on it, wake up, go to work. No styling, no product (except some argan oil). It's been too humid to even try styling it.

3) These are the first outfit photos I've taken outside at my new place. And there's a dog taking a poop in the background. Cute.

And we all know what's happening with Google Reader soon. If you wanna follow along on Bloglovin' you can find me herrreeeeee!

Fresh ink: Live.

I always knew I wanted a tattoo, but I never really went for it because I couldn't decide on what. What did I want on my body forever? And where. Where could I put it where it's generally covered up? About a year and a half ago, I started seriously thinking about it.

Words are special to me. There's so much meaning behind one simple word, that I knew my tattoo would be a script of some sort. But I didn't want anything too big, either, because when I'm older, I didn't want to worry about falling out of love with it, or it being too specific that it didn't mean anything to me anymore. I wanted to be able to grow with it.

So I chose the word "live". I hope for it to be a daily reminder that fear should never make you say no; that you should never become complacent in life; so that you never stop exploring and learning new things. A few years ago I was stuck in a life that I can't believe I was able to justify. I did nothing, I was sheltered, I never lived. When I got out of my relationship, I started to realize the world around me that I had kept out with my own barriers. It's like I opened my eyes to a new life, one that I truly wanted to experience or, well, live.

The placement was easy. Ribcage. It's hidden except when I'm naked or in a bathing suit, which made it a sort of intimate location and I wanted it to be special to me.  The font, however, was another story. After seeing this font on a picture I loved, I went searching for MONTHS. I couldn't find it and resorted to Twitter. Some awesome people helped me out and we figured out what font it was. I was finally able to pull the trigger and get it done.

My newest problem? I think I've broken the seal; more tattoos, please.

The mosquito dance.

I went out to take outfit shots with my brother the other day, and I guess I disrupted this huge group of mosquitoes. We didn't really get good shots, but we did get what I call the mosquito dance.

The "scratch your head" move when you first notice them coming for you.

The "swat" move when they start to land all over your legs.

The "walk away in a pose" move, where you are trying to get as many possible blog-worthy shots without looking defeated. 

Total fail.

Oh well, it was a good, comfy travel outfit?

Hope.

Via

Thanks again, TKG, for putting some of my thoughts into words. Again.

5 Reasons why living alone is fab.

So you all know that I'm living alone now. Well, it's fab.

Those of you who have lived alone will probably agree with me on some of these reasons why:

1. Underwear is not shameful. Yeah, if it's left on the ground because you're too lazy to pick it up, no one's going to come around and be all "uhh... you dropped something...". Embarrassing moment avoided.

2. No one eats your food. Seriously, dunno about you but I have lived with peeps who ate my food. I used to keep a secret stash in my night-stand because if I didn't, it'd be eaten. And not by me.

3. Fridge space is heavenly. I actually have ROOM for my food! And in my freezer! No more sharing. Ever. I can buy all the ice cream I want. See above.

4. I can decorate however I want. If I want to plaster kitty posters all over, I can. I won't, but the option is there in case I ever decide I want to be single forever and wake up to cuteness every morning (cuteness guaranteed not to fade over time).

5. There's no one else to use my toilet paper. Have you ever had a roommate that you swore ate your toilet paper? How the heck does it get used so fast?! I am saving some serious dough by using it alone! Bonus.

... Off to discover more reasons why living alone is pretty stellar.

Happy Friday lovelies!

White + pink + leopard

Happy "Hump Day" everyone! 

If you don't like the term "hump day", I probably don't like you.

:)

Weekend recap: Friends & weddings.

This weekend I took a road trip to meet up with a friend, and then went to another friend's wedding.
Here's a quick re-cap of what went down.

Friend & I went shopping. 

Where I met a cute mannequin and bought a Jones soda.

Then had my very first Target (said with a French accent) experience. 

I was thoroughly excited.

Bought this dress excitedly. And some shoes. 

Went back to the hotel and celebrated: 

a) being awesome

b) seeing each other more than once a year

c) ... being awesome

The next day we had a wedding to go to..

We tried to take some cute selfies in the mirror. Those sucked.

So we ventured outside. Much better.

Me & my hot date. 

The wedding happened. Bride was beautiful, ceremony was beautiful, venue was beautiful.

All around beautiful. 

And then I ate dessert.

The end.

How was your weekend?

Road trippin'.

Via

Tomorrow I'm getting behind the wheel and making the nearly 5-hour drive to the big T.O. A friend is getting married on Saturday, and I'm heading up a bit early to spend the weekend with another one of my BFFs! I don't see her nearly enough, so I'm pretty gosh darn excited for this weekend to kick-off!

I'll be back to regular programming on Monday. Have yourselves a fantastic weekend and keep it real, yo.

We deal with it.

Dynamite faux-leather jacket, sweater; American Eagle jeans; Walmart shoes; GT tee; Gap bag

So the weather around here has been stupid lately. There's no word other than stupid. Cold enough for a jacket one day, warm enough for nothing the next.
Whatever. We're Canadian, we're used to "dealing with the weather".
But I think Canada needs to learn that one should not need to wear a faux-leather jacket in the summer.
Seriously. Not cool. And boots? Whaaaaaaat.

Suburbia.

Suzy Shier denim jacket; Gap button-up; American Apparel leggings; Walmart boots; eBay bag

I'm using anyone and everyone to take my photos these days. A quick visit to my aunt/uncle's with my family meant dragging my little brother out (again) to take some outfit shots.

Thankfully he's forced to love me :)

Fixating.

Via

I'm currently here listening to my next-door neighbour using their water and my upstairs neighbours watching TV. Before drifting off to sleep, I've decided to write down some thoughts.

I fixate on things. This is a problem of mine. I don't know why, but as soon as I have a new goal or challenge on the horizon, I tend to obsess over it.

Sometimes it's productive - like moving into my new place. I was obsessed for two months trying to find the perfect furniture and layout for the place. It was so fun trying to create my own space and I'm glad I wasn't left scrambling at the last minute.

Other times it's a little less meaningful. I sit there and think about certain things I can't control or change. When there's nothing else going on in my life, I tend to go back to the same thoughts and let them stew. This rarely does any good, and never allows me a clear perspective.

I feel like I'm always thinking. My mind never takes a break.

I think it's time to start bringing silence and peace into my life. Turn my brain off and stop thinking for a few minutes each day. Now the question is how?

Do you have a hard time turning your brain off?

Exploring.

Coming from a small town, it's nice to explore other small towns.

And that's what a friend and I did last Sunday. We took advantage of the sunny weather and went exploring.

We ended up at a local coffee shop called Palms. Their chai lattes are to die for.

{me w/ the inventor of basketball himself} 

This what I love most about summer. Spending time with my favourite people, visiting my favourite places, and throwing in some new places too. It's the perfect way to spend a weekend.

Does summer give you the desire to explore?

Scarves in spring.

Scarf c/o Louis Jane; Dress from Old Navy; Sandals from Call it Spring

I'm a sucker for a great scarf.
Like in the fall when all you want is something cozy to bundle up in? Yeah, that's me.
But I've never grown my spring scarf collection, which makes me a little sad. I mean, they're the PERFECT accessory to spruce up a minimalist outfit. This plain black maxi? Now spiced up with a gorgeous and feminine scarf.

I was gifted this Painted Lilacs silk chiffon scarf from Louis Jane. Louis Jane's designs connect light and energy to fashion, to bring our everyday outfits to life.  The artistic designs are unique and meant to embrace our soul and spirit. This particular scarf stood out to me the most - the lilacs and colours evoked spring, making it a perfect beginning to my spring scarf collection. The silk chiffon fabric is super light-weight and feels smooth against the skin. It's just a beautiful scarf, and a perfectly feminine addition to my wardrobe.
I am definitely in love.

Looking to grow your scarf collection? Louis Jane is generously offering 20% off your purchase with the code Save20.

Beach weekend.

This weekend a couple girlfriends & I had planned to go to the beach. With a thunderstorm in the forecast all week, we didn't move forward with any concrete plans. Saturday morning, I made the last minute decision to go by myself. My mom and pup tagged along, and it ended up being a pretty great day. Above 30C, overcast with sunny periods, and a lovely breeze coming off the lake. No thunderstorms until we got home.

{for a while, I was the only one on the beach}

What did you do this weekend?