Tag: $$$

#3010 Just exercise and dance

I was hit with this conundrum a while ago.

I wanted to get fit.

But I was time poor.

I was money poor.

How on earth could I fit in an exercise routine of any kind? It felt too hard.

Then, it occurred to me!

I could get fit by dancing.

I could stay at home – tick. ✅

I could do it using an app we already have – tick. ✅

And I could be spending quality time with my baby girl in the process! – tick tick tick. ✅✅✅

😁😁

So tonight that’s what we did. It’s been a while since we logged into Just Dance on the Nintendo Switch, but baby girl set us up and picked the Dua Lipa song ‘Physical.’

And we sure did! Jumping and turning and spinning and laughing our heads off too while we competed against each other, oh my lordy lord… and my legs, they definitely felt the burn by the end of it.

So I’ll be getting fit, dancing, AND having fun?

Someone sign me up to be a Just Dance ambassador. 🤣🤣💃🕺

#2842 The very spendy caterpillars

I couldn’t help but think of the classic children’s book ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ as I thought back to our shopping trip earlier today.

Hubbie and I went to Target with baby boy because I needed some more navy blue leggings for baby girl’s school uniform.

We got a lot more than a few pairs of $7 navy leggings. 😬😬😬😬

So you know how in the story, the caterpillar eats through food, after food, after food, after food?

Chocolate cake.

Ice cream cone.

A pickle.

A slice of Swiss cheese.

And on and on?

Well, I felt we were a bit like that caterpillar, but instead of eating, we were BUYING.

‘On Wednesday morning, Hubbie, baby boy and I went to Target, and we bought…

3 pairs of navy blue leggings,

A matching Chicago Bulls top and short set, size 1,

a new Bonds onesie,

an ACDC top size XL,

a Cold Chisel top size XL,

and a light-up, spinning, noise-making 6 month+ baby toy.’

All of a sudden, these caterpillars weren’t feeling too good.

They overspent. 😬😬

But I’m sure they’ll come out the other side, all of them beautiful butterflies with their purchases. 🐛🦋

#2541 Presence, not presents

I think I’ve done my job well when my daughter teaches me what I should already know.

Today we headed off to the shopping centre to do some last minute shopping. Tomorrow I may hit another local shop or two, and do some more LAST LAST minute presents.

But part of today’s trip, was to get presents for Hubbie and me.

We left ourselves last this year. He wanted something in particular, but could only find it online, not in store… other hitting a few places, he said “oh well, I’ll get it after Christmas.”

“We can’t NOT get you a present!”

“I don’t care.”

“We still have to get you something.”

I was pondering just what we could get him in lieu of what he really wanted, as we still walked around for my gift. There was something I had wanted, for months and months now… but after some very decent research (this is an expensive item) I realised it didn’t do something quite important that I really thought it could do.

It’s purpose and ability therefore, had changed.

But… it was still shiny. New. An interesting gadget.

With a decent price tag. $$$$.

I struggled with this today. We went to the shop it was in. Spoke to the salesperson. Hubbie and I looked at each other, debating the pros and cons, and he even said, “if you want it, get it!”

But something was holding me back. It’s function wasn’t exactly what I thought it would be. Even though there were so many sparkly things about it distracting me, the price tag was high, and that DIDN’T distract me. Especially with so many expenses for us lately. And with baby arriving soon.

I walked away. But I sooked about it. I said “now I won’t get anything for Christmas.” 😟

And baby girl, said the best thing:

“Christmas isn’t about presents Mum.”

She snapped some sense into me. Mind you, I was still upset, and mind you, she had a list for Santa with about 10 items on it thank you very much.

But she was right. Christmas isn’t about presents. It’s about presence.

Spending time with loved ones. Making memories. Laughing, and sharing, and bonding over good times.

I kept brewing over this fact, amidst appointments and crazy driving and rushing around all day. And then I had a shower, and those are truly therapeutic for me, because answers always somehow pop into my head during those moments.

I had made the right decision by walking away from this expensive, unnecessary present. Maybe it would be essential or necessary at one point in the future, but definitely not now. My intuition had been right. It always is.

I had been so fixated on this external, materialistic present, that I had lost sight of all that was important, and that was, the life growing inside of me.

Cliche it might be, but it really is the greatest present I ever could have wished for this Christmas. I got confused, because I have everything and didn’t really know what to do with myself. I don’t need anything else.

Hubbie and baby girl DID go out afterwards and get me something else… 🤣🤣 I’m guessing, not as stupidly expensive as the other thing.

It’s very easy to lose sight of the bigger picture, even for me, this glass half-full gratitude girl. Lucky I have a mini me to put me back on track. 🥰💖

AND, another mini me in the works.🙏💖🤰🤰

#1507 Day 9 of getting there: the surprise letter

You know, there’s more than one way to reach out to someone.

That’s important to keep in mind during this self-isolation period we are ALL collectively going through.

Self-isolation… together. Now that’s a contradiction we didn’t think we’d see, but we are living and breathing it now.

This is kind of my gratitude, but mostly baby girl’s. I’m just living it vicariously through her.

Because she received a letter in the mail today… from her grandparents.

My parents. ♥

It pretty much said, well done on your tooth falling out, sorry we can’t see you in person, but…

Here’s a little something. ;););)

(Shhh!)

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(It WASN’T the slinky)

Not only was it super sweet, but it showed me just how valuable reaching out, non-physically, can be.

There are so many ways to show people we care, and we are about to get a whole lot more imaginative discovering them during this time.

Join me for the ride. 🙂

#1495 Stay home and work work work work work

Day one of a new kind of normal.

I have the simplest, also kind of the best thing to be grateful for, while also keeping me subsequently busy too. A job. A new job, that unbelievably, I am able to work from home for.

And today, only moments ago…

My first pay cheque!

Cha-ching! $$$

It has been over 6 months since I last had personal income flow into the account, via moi services. And since we’re going to be staying home, A LOT it seems over the next few months, well I might as well spend that time working… from home.

A match made in heaven I think. Win-win.

#1365 The Euro Grocer

Finally, I am home.

We have been in our Sea change destination for 3 years now, but it was not until today that I felt like I was finally one with my environment, and it was one, with me.

I was home.

Because, finally, a European continental grocer opened up at my local shopping centre and I CAN NOT EVEN.

😁🤗

I am ecstatic. Back in our old ‘hood I used to shop weekly or twice-weekly (who am I kidding it was thrice-weekly) at a great grocer deli that was near all the other big supermarkets.

The location and convenience was optimal. I could go to H&G, grab all the fruit and veg I could feast my eyes upon, and then anything I wasn’t keen on I could get at the $$$ supermarkets.

H&G had a huge range, good produce, and was value for money.

I lost ALL of that when we moved here. I have been focusing on supermarket produce ever since and IT KILLS ME. Sure there are gourmet produce places out here, but they are not just $$$…

They are $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.

So it has been only slightly annoying.

But today… today! I was in heaven. The produce was fresh and inviting, and so wide in range. There were some gourmet deli products, European basics (which had become foreign rather than regular to me in our moving here), and we even got a whole pumpkin, for 27 cents!

What? How does one buy a 2.185 kilo pumpkin for 27 cents?

Why, when it is on a daily special of 8 cents per kilo, that’s how.

8 cents a kilo???!!!

Yep. 😏

But that is not all. Noooo.

I was walking by the biscuits and nuts and my eyes came to rest on the most heavenly of boxes.

NAPOLITANKE.

These are the best God-damn wafer biscuits in the world. There, I have called it. They don’t sell it at my local Safeway and when I bought a similar product from a competitor…

They were NOT the same. 👎

Do not buy imitation people.

I proceeded to grab a packet and tell baby girl that these were in fact the best biscuits in the world, while non-Euro pensioners walked by me with curious eyes taking a second look at the Napolitanke.

Yep that’s right. Keep walking. They are all MINE.

I grabbed a papaya for old times sake and Hubbie branched out with gourmet sauce, we got our produce and were out of there…

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I am so happy. Soooooo happy. Oh man. I will have to shop there every day until the novelty wears off.

i.e. NEVER.

#1335 To market, to market

Until I moved here, I didn’t realise how much I enjoyed one very particular thing.

MARKETS. On the Mornington Peninsula, they are abundant in their offerings.

They happen all the time. Every weekend you will find a market happening somewhere. There are seasonal markets, monthly market, and even weekly markets.

The Mornington Wednesday Market occurs on the Main Street every hump day, rain hail or shine.

The Mt Eliza Farmers Market is held on the 4th Sunday of each month.

And then you’ll find something like the Emu Plains Market in Balnarring, open once-monthly on Saturdays through the warmer months, and then hibernates their stalls, food trucks and jumping castle, over Winter.

So many markets. 

There are specialty markets that appear at the same time each year, and there are also new markets being created ALL THE TIME.

I personally, love it.

And yet I nearly missed today’s one. Thank God for social media. Facebook gave me a reminder last night, and so after picking up baby girl from school, we freshened up at home before heading down the road to the –

Soul Market. Yep.

This one is held once, maybe twice yearly. It’s a smaller venue, but so close to us, that if I knew I wouldn’t have to drag a tired baby girl home once all was looked at and oohed and ahhed, we could have a really good walk up and back from there.

We walked the rooms, shared some twisted potatoes, and enjoyed the fact, that hell, it was Friday.

For a small market, it was really high in quality with what I was presented with. I saw a lot of beautiful and special things, and, I couldn’t help myself…

I bought things. 🤭

Can you blame me? I happened across a row of Vintage dresses with the price tag of $25 tagged on the top of the clothes rack, and then I spied a really cute and fun dress, and a familiar tag…

Alannah Hill.

For $25???

I didn’t even try it on. I put it on later at home. 😉

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And that other item there? Natural deodorant. I have seen these things around lately in many forms and brands, and so when I saw the lovely lady there with pamphlets in hand and ready to offer demonstrations (and apply all the different kinds to my skin, now that is personal service!) I was more than ready to buy.

It was a nice and slow afternoon wind-down, a wind-down from this week, this month, and this cold weather…

And to think, I could possibly do it all again, as soon as this Sunday.

Because it’s the Mornington Racecourse Market. 🤷‍♀️🤣

#1297 The Final Paycheck

IT’S THE FINAL PAYCHECK!

Hopefully not my last ever paycheck, as I do plan on working again, and I do plan on earning again… But for now, I am pretty much out the door, with notices signed, papers received, and now paycheck – IN.

It still feels like work oddly enough. I have to keep reminding myself it is my ‘old’ work, not my current work anymore. Google maps keeps telling me how long it will take me to drive to work…

SUCK THAT GOOGLE. And the Monash. I won’t be missing that.

But maybe it doesn’t yet feel like the end because we have a final send-off party at the end of the week… let’s see how things feel after that.