My haircut yesterday cost $8.95 after the $5 coupon, and I gave the stylist a $3 tip. At first I was a little wary. The stylist didn't speak English very well, and when I told her I wanted it shorter in back, longer in front, she nodded vigorously and said, "Longer in back, shorter in front!" Uh no. But she ended up giving me a very nice cut, so I think she just misspoke.
Then I went to the mall -- my mission was to find something cheap at Lord & Taylor to activate my $8 credit on Discover. There were long racks of sale items marked 50% off the already-discounted price, but I didn't find anything I wanted. I looked all over for anything that was even reasonably-priced. Finally I stumbled onto a kiosk of deeply-discounted Christmas items. I bought a glass ornament -- a pair of yellow boots -- for $3 (marked down from $13). I think my DIL will love it.
Fueled by that success I went to Barnes & Noble to buy an acrostic book. There was only one - $10 - which I paid for with my gift card. I looked around at the discount tables but didn't see anything I wanted to buy.
I came home and ate my leftovers from last night's dinner for lunch.
Mall shopping has completely lost its charm for me. I used to like going to look around, dreaming of what to buy even if I wasn't buying. Now nothing interests me. My experience at Lord & Taylor did make me appreciate my Goodwill finds. I saw brands I regularly get at Goodwill -- Anne Klein, Jones New York, Ralph Lauren -- and even after being marked down several times the prices were still ridiculous. I knew I was getting good deals at Goodwill, but I don't think I appreciated just HOW good.
Even shopping at Barnes & Noble was flat. I rarely want to buy a book, when there is so much access to free books. I enjoyed looking at the toys and games, but with the grandkids' birthdays all in the fall, I wasn't interested in buying. Evidently lots of people ARE buying, though. The parking lot was packed -- I had a lot of trouble finding a space, in fact.
Speaking of the grandkids, I had the boys over for the night last night so Mom & Dad could have a date. They slept on aerobeds on the floor. We played card games, watched "Wild Kratts" (over and over), and they got very involved in an imaginary game with little flashlights. Such fun. Of course, I'm ready for a nap today.
My new couch and ottomans will be delivered on Thursday. I am SO looking forward to having a couch again! Then my next task will be to shop for a carpet that pulls it all together. At the same time I will look for a dining room carpet and two runners for the halls. I might get a couple of throw rugs for the bedroom, too, if I find a bargain.
Once I get the rugs in place, it will be time to start thinking about a new TV and a new desk. My TV is a tube TV (I know I'm the last one in the universe!) and it's developed a light spot, so I know it's time. As for the desk, I am currently using a small rickety Target desk that was donated to Goodwill -- it has certainly paid for itself, but in my new home I have room for a much larger desk which would be more useful, especially if it provided storage.
But I also want to upgrade the dining room. Both the sideboard (a revamped dresser) and the table set are pretty shabby. I now have room for a bigger, expandable table, and that would be nice.
Most of this is still at the dreaming stage, but I'm so glad the couch is almost here and the rugs will not be far behind. Then I'll get the pictures on the walls and start feeling like I'm really living here!
Sunday Musings
January 13th, 2013 at 04:35 pm
January 13th, 2013 at 06:09 pm 1358100548
January 13th, 2013 at 07:30 pm 1358105424
January 13th, 2013 at 11:36 pm 1358120176
January 14th, 2013 at 02:30 am 1358130634
January 14th, 2013 at 03:39 am 1358134767
January 14th, 2013 at 03:53 am 1358135596
I lived many years with the Kratts on Zaboomafoo which my oldest two watched at 5:30 AM when they were little.
Yay for the new furniture! Pictures when they arrive?