Gimme, gimme, gimme!

Sometime over the last year, I've transitioned (almost magically) to the "it's better to give than receive" camp. Could it be that I'm turning over a new leaf? Or is that I'm never really impressed with gifts because I'm so damn picky? A little bit of both. I've been fortunate in many ways that finances have been good and that I'm not a spendaholic. No matter how much we'll earn or have saved up, I still always love to get a great deal and get a thrill from paying less for something than others. I don't really save that extra money but just spend it somewhere else (on another bargain). I just can't resist a bargain, even if it's something that I probably won't need!

Monday 12/12:
$7 lunch at pho restaurant
$83 condolence flowers on Teleflora.com

Tusday 12/13:
$8 lunch at Gypsy Den
$23 groceries and dinner at Trader Joe's

Wed 12/14:
$3 lunch at takeout Viet sandwich shop
$15 Shipping for gift
$6 takeout at Quiznos (saved $6 with coupon)
$33 Cal King flannel sheet set and book on Amazon.com (inexpensive sheets!!)

Thurs 12/15:
$10 lunch at Orchid (Persian)
$30 Pizza Hut delivery
$9 supermarket

Fri 12/16:
$7 lunch at Oki Doki
$0 leftover pizza and DVD for dinner

Saturday 12/17:
$23 drycleaning
$236 Marshalls (large wall art, clothes)
$0 birthday dinner party
$116 gift certificate and gifts at Target

Sunday 12/18:
$32 groceries (saved $46 in coupons)
$170 portable DVD player and two digital photo frames from CVS (found the deals on fatwallet.com, called all the local CVS and snapped up the last two photo frames which retail for $200 EACH on Amazon!)
$0 prepared dinner

Monday 12/19:
$10 lunch at Viet place
$0 leftovers for dinner

Tues 12/20:
$16 gas
$12 sushi lunch
$52 surround sound speakers for computer from Buy.com (on sale from $99)
$240 Costco (prepared dinner and booze for gifts)

Wed 12/21:
$7 lunch at Oki Doki
$72 dinner for two at The Catch (saved $23 with Entertainment card)

Damn them Jones!

Keeping up the Jones is expensive. Some days, we feel like the Jones and other days we feel like we need to catch up. We went to a holiday cocktail party in Irvine this afternoon. The look and feel of the gated community was eerily Desparate Housewives. One of the guests was even the nosy neighbor that had complained to the HOA about wind chimes and had them removed. The bar has definitely been raised including now needing hardwood flooring, a pool table and outdoor living area. And the food spread was impressive with sushi, a Greek gyros platter, hummus, kahlua cake, homemade chocolate chip cookies and, best of all, pigs in blankets! Now that's taking it to another level!

Mon 11/05:
$12 lunch at Z'Tejas at South Coast Plaza
$476 new Xerox Documate scanner on eBay with tax and shipping (on Amazon for $1100)
$34 dinner for 2 at Marie Calendar

Tues 11/06:
$7 lunch at Vietnamese pho restaurant
$0 prepared dinner

Wed 11/07:
$7 lunch at Viet place
$ leftovers for dinner

Thurs 11/08:
$6 lunch at Chipotle
$76 floor lamp at TJ Maxx Homestore
$25 book and Jason Mraz CD on Amazon
$23 screensaver software

Friday 11/09:
$0 expensed lunch
$3 Taco Bell
$80 framed caricature for xmas gift

Saturday 11/10:
$5 Lee's Sandwiches for lunch
$430 leather casual chair at going out of business sale
$760 clothes (two pairs of dress shoes, Hugo Buss suit and a few other items)
$76 dinner for two at Wolfgang Puck and autographed cookbook
$200 two Keurig B50 single serve coffee machines and coffee pods (saved $150 with holiday promo for second machine free)

Sunday 11/11:
$2 tollroad to Corona
$0 prepared lunch
$0 sandwich for dinner

The Apprentice.

What is up with The Donald this season firing multiple people in the same episode?? During one episode, he fired four people from the losing team and now with it down to the final four, he fired both people from the losing team! With all of the extra firings, they've cut the season down by 5 episodes. With the contestants being arguably the most talented and successful in their own business dealings before even joining the show, it's surprising that he wanted to shorten the season. Perhaps it was the Martha Effect. Too much of The Apprentice can be a bad thing for ratings.

Note: I had thought for sure that Alla would be the winner. A friend of mine is an architect that caters to wealthy clients in Las Vegas. He is building her an 18,000 sq ft spec mansion next year. She didn't give him any hints either way that if she had won or lost but he had guessed so based on she was flying back and forth across the states a lot.

Monday 11/28:
$26 treated 3 colleagues to lunch at Viet Pho restaurant
$0 prepared dinner
$10 chiropractor co-pay
$35 2 DVDs on Amazon: Superfriends (cartoon classic from early 80s) and Yoga for Inflexible People)

Tuesday 11/29:
$6 takeout lunch at Japanese bento place
$0 prepared dinner
$10 chiropractor co-pay

Wed 11/30:
$11 lunch at Myst China
$30 dinner for 2 at Opus Italian (saved $14 with Entertainment card)

Thurs 12/1:
$8 lunch at Greek place
$46 shoes at Ross
$0 leftovers for dinner

Friday 12/2:
$7 lunch at Trader Joe's
$105 monthly ortho copay
$10 chiro copay
$15 takeout dinner from Trader Joe's

Sat 12/3:
$23 drycleaning
$140 gifts and home stuff Marshall's
$45 home stuff at Tuesday Morning
$14 sushi lunch
$8 dessert and coffee at Denny's

Sunday 12/4:
$16 lunch for two at Lee's Sandwiches
$45 supermarket (saved $47 with coupons!)