weekend ramble

ugh. this financial challenge is not easy. i guess i am just stressing over it too much. we spent $93 this weekend at trader joe's, and then probably about another $60 at costco and kroger. ok, granted much of the stuff we got will last several weeks but i'm hoping that this isn't a weekly problem. maybe if the next three weeks grocery bill averages out to be $400 this month, i'll feel better.

...and then to top it off i totally forgot to bring my breakfast and lunch today. it's sitting on my kitchen counter. i made sure to pack myself a proper lunch and forgot it! grrr!!

plus, there are other things that we need or that i really really want that are not included in this new financial plan, and now i feel like a 3 year old at the grocery checkout line and my mom's telling me i can't have that candy. i don't know if i can stick it out!

for instance, an exercise machine. i spent a lot of time researching and thinking about this and finally found the perfect machine. remember, this is a part of my make 2008 a great year campaign. it's a combination rower/recumbent bike by stamina. i found someone selling it on craigslist for $300. i bought it. bad bad heather!

i also want this really cool beverage carbonating machine. johnny and i go through a crapload of ginger ale. if i wasn't around, johnny would drink nothing but soda. there is SO MUCH trash because of soda. bottles, cans, glass, etc. this machine would cut down on trash and we can control the amount of sugar in our soda. it's a win-win! but it costs $130!

i am also itching to get myself a new pair of really good mary janes and brown knee-high leather boots. i am not one of those girls that has a shoe fetish (like KIM) and i pretty much wear the same pair of shoes everyday but they are target shoes and will not last forever. i need some really good shoes. they will probably cost me from $60-$100. i also want to get myself some really good day and night cream. right now i don't really use anything, i tried oil of olay regenerist but it made me break out in hives. i recently got myself a really good facial cleanser by dermaE so i want to get the matching lotions. that's almost $40 right there. i placated myself by making some homemade skin oil out of grapeseed, jojoba, evening primrose and bergamot. my skin soaks it up pretty well but i can't go out in public with a greasy face!

the good news: we got a lot done this weekend. we hung out with some old friends we haven't seen or talked to in a while - basically got to socialize! imagine that! so saturday was all fun and games. i got my first official post ankle-break pedicure and now i want to wear open-toed shoes. not happenin' but oh well i still LOVE french pedicures. then sunday was all business. we cleaned a lot of stuff in the house, including steam cleaning the couch (which was nasty because of the dogs), cleaning the bedroom thoroughly, and cleaned out my car. plus, johnny bathed all three dogs and i finally caught up on laundry. i don't think our household has ever been this clean. i still have to clean and organize my office and guest room, though. i just didn't have enough time for that this past weekend. perhaps next weekend. it was a pretty good weekend and that's judged by having a good fun-productivity ratio.

it's been really warm all week but a cold front is coming in and now the 7 day forecast has temperatures below freezing. good grief!! can we at least get some snow?!?

have you ever heard of blackle? i didn't know anything about it until this weekend when some friends mentioned it to me at a dinner party. it's a goggle search engine but with a black background so it uses less power on your monitor. pretty neat, huh? also neat - this website. go play some trivia and spread the word!

and lastly, i found this nifty link to a pocket-sized seafood selector. it will help you when you are shopping for seafood to remember what's safe and what isn't. hmmmm....

oh i just have to add one last thing - i just found out about tesco.com, a carbon neutral retailer...? but damn, they seem to be in australia....and as of 2008 Dell is carbon neutral....wow.