Thursday 21 May 2009

The Snake Made Me Do It!

OMG - there was a snake spotted in the office yesterday and sent the girls (and some boys) into a screaming frenzy when it was FINALLY discovered!

The snake traumatised me so much that I had to go shopping during lunch time to calm myself down.

Ok, that was just an excuse. I went window shopping during lunch yesterday, and couldnt help myself, I bought yet another pair of shoes I liked - paid $39 - on sale!

How am I supposed to resist the Great Singapore Sale, I wonder?

Friday 15 May 2009

Shopping this week... so far...

Bought a pair of Hush Puppies sandals - on sale - $39

Bought three CVDs, each $6.95, which makes that a total of $21.

Why cant I stop!

Sunday 10 May 2009

The addict just cannot stop herself!

Yes, I shopped again this week, even though I'm broke and pay day is a week
away!

Bought a dress on Monday. It's for work so it will always be useful. Paid
$69 for it - from a new shop in Tanglin Mall. Who says I'm not supportive
of local businesses, although the shop is owned and run by an Aussie! :-)

On Tuesday, I bought a 2-in-1 foundation/compact powder. I havent used one
for ages, but with weddings to attend in June, which means slapping on the
war paint, I thought it was wise to invest in one. Bought a Maybelline one
for $25 (I think), definitely under $30. That'll probably last me until...
until it expires!

Also, since my vanity knows no bounds, so I bought a cream to reduce
under-eye dark lines and bags. My fr-hens recommended it, and I did pay
$20 for it, so I hope the bloody thing works!

Came down with flu the next day, so the only thing I spent on was on my
doctor's fees and medication! Have not shopped since then, which is good
news for my wallet!

So, total amount spent this week: $114.

Oh dear.

Tuesday 28 April 2009

half an hour to go before I get to go home....

Damn it, damn it, DAMN IT!!!

A pen leaked ink into my handbag! Fortunately, the spill was contained to only one corner of my handbag - so only my keypouch got the brunt of the spillage! Even so, it was quite the disaster, I got ink all over my fingers during the key pouch rescue operation.

Also, fortunately, it wasnt one of my precious leather handbags! Because if it was, I would get really mad and will be forced to go out and buy a new handbag this very day!

Grrrrrrrrr!!!!!!

Monday 27 April 2009

KL

OMG - Ms Shopaholic went to KL during the weekend and DIDNT shop!

Ok, I did spend almost RM$600 on pendants, but that's only for stock for my online store (yet to be opened!) :-D

I also bought a pair of silver ear-rings for RM$39, an old issue of Cosmo bride (as reading material on the bus) for RM$13, and lots of snacks from the rest-stop, like dodol (yum!), muruku and mentos!

But no shoes, no clothes, nothing else! Even though my friends did try to tempt me into buying jeans and discounted designer wear! :-)

Please, let me keep this up and not shop anymore!

Though that said, I do want to buy a cupboard/cabinet for my handbags and shoes - it's a complete mess at home! Might have to pop by Ikea one of these days....

Friday 24 April 2009

Self Control



Well, well. Ms Shopaholic does have self-control!

I didnt go to the Club21 sale yesterday after all! The BF enticed me home by telling me what he was going to cook for dinner - crab and prawn pasta! Food, that's my other addiction! It was super-duper yummy, and in the end, I was so glad I didnt go shopping that evening!

But the BF did! We went online together to pick out a ring for moi! The BF has placed the order (from a webstore in Texas!) and it should arrive in Singapore in the next 2-3 weeks!

Hurray, hurray!


Thursday 23 April 2009

Why did she have to tell me?

Oh-oh... my colleague has just told me that Club21 is having a really good sale - up to 70-80% discount! Why-oh-why did she have to tell me this? Now, instead of going straight home like a good girl, I just know I'm going to the sale instead!

Damn!

I really shouldnt, since I'm off to KL this weekend and I bet I'll do some shopping over there. But will I listen to myself?

I doubt it!

Wednesday 22 April 2009

Bad Shopaholic

So much for being good.

Went window-shopping yesterday, and wouldnt you know it, I found myself in the shoe department of Isetan Wisma. And wouldnt you know it, I found another pair of sandals that fit really well and was made of soft comfy leather, so needless to say, I splurged! $82 for a pair of sandals, but I think they're worth it!

And then today, I saw an email from Kate Spade which offered a further discount of 20%, even on sale items, but only through Friday. What's a shopaholic to do? How does a shopaholic resist such temptation? That's the thing, shopaholics cannot resist temptation, which is why I bought a lovely little leather handbag.

http://www.katespade.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3515557

Original price: US$595
Sale price: US$298
I paid: US$248 (inc sales tax)

I actually picked another bag, which was more expensive but fortunately for me, it's made of boar skin so it wasnt fated for me to buy it! :-)

Oh, and no, this isnt going to eat into my 'Saving for a New Home Fund' - I have a couple of dollars left in my US bank account, well, after this purchase, not a lot left, I have to say!

So I am satisfied! And yeah, a little bit guilty. How do I tell the BF about my latest purchase? Especially since I promised not to buy anymore handbags!

Saturday 18 April 2009

No shopping!

Ms Shopaholic's been quiet lately as she hasnt been shopping!

Ok, not entirely true I guess. I bought two tees from Zara on Friday, but they were only $11.90 each.

I admit, I was tempted to buy a handbag too, and I kept picking up the same bag over and over again. But I gave myself a shake and kept telling myself I have more than enough handbags at home. And it worked because I didnt buy it!

Yeyy!

Lets see if I can continue this good behaviour next week!

Friday 10 April 2009

Shopping in Siem Reap

Ms Shopaholic is in Siem Reap right now!

I am absolutely loving it - Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom - amazing amazing structures! But there are too many temples to visit in a week, me thinks!

One last one to go today, then its SHOPPING time! In case you're wondering, no, I havent shopped (much), aside from a few scarves here, a few t-shirts there. But all that might change this afternoon and tomorrow when its going to be all out shopping and NO MORE TEMPLES!!! :-)

Does shopping while on holiday count? After all, I set aside and brought enough cash specifically for shopping, so I think I'm not going to count the shopping I do on this trip. Doesnt matter if I've bought 5 or 500 sillk scarves, a few bottles of delicious smelling lemongrass cream, or silly tees that say 'Same Same But Different' - its all part of my holiday budget.

Unless of course I start whipping out my credit card and start buying gemstones - then that's a different story!

Wednesday 1 April 2009

Withdrawal Symptoms...

I think I'm suffering from withdrawal symptoms.

It's been two days since I last shopped, and today, I received an email from bluefly.com, one of the online stores I used to buy stuff from when I was in the States. The subject of the email was: "We've Missed You, Ms Shopaholic!"

And I had the sudden urge to hit the reply button to say, "I've missed you too, Bluefly!"

The scary thing is, I really, really do miss Bluefly. And Amazon. And cutesyshoes.com (dont ask!). And Victoria Secrets. And all the other online stores I used to shop at when I was in the States. Online shopping sucks in Singapore, I dont think there are any Singapore websites that I'd use to order stuff online, except for maybe MacDonalds....Sigh Sigh.

I suppose its a good thing I cant shop online in Singapore. Otherwise, that's exactly what I'll be doing now, wasting money, instead of wasting time with blogging. I'm saving money here people!

Of course, like all whatever-aholics, I do have a spare American credit card which I couldnt quite bring myself to cancel when I left the States... which means.... if I fall off the wagon, out comes the American Express and HELLOOOOO Bluefly!

Oh and no use cutting up the card either, I have the card number, expiration date and security code written down somewhere...

Which reminds me, I did fall off the wagon today actually. It wasnt a massive fall, more of a stumble. I went to M&S in search of lingerie, but ended up not buying anything because I kept telling myself, I do not need this bra, I do not need more knickers, and I certainly do not need the ultra-comfy looking pink PJs. See, this blog IS helping me! Besides, M&S is so expensive in Singapore, I might as well wait until I'm holidaying in London to load up on M&S stuff.

So, didnt spend anything in the lingerie department. Well done, Shopaholic! But when I went to the food section - I ended up buying some redcurrant jam biscuits, which are not for me, I'm meant to be on a diet! I actually bought the biscuits for my colleagues. Another good investment, buy food for colleagues, make them happy and so they'll like me and wont mind doing favours for me, and at the same time, by stuffing their faces with the biscuits, they are sharing the calories and growing sideways, just like me. I then feel better about myself because I wont be the only fatty around in the office. See, win-win for me!

But what I did buy for myself today, and I am really addicted to these things, was a tube of Sour Cream and Chives Potato Chips... They are to die for, even better than the equally-addictive Sour Cream and Onions Chips from Pringles!

But buying food cant really be counted as falling off the wagon, so I shouldnt even have mentioned it in the first place.

My stumble was when I went into a bookshop and found trashy trashy books for only $11. How to resist, I ask you? But I did exercise some form of control and bought only one book - Confessions of an Air Hostess - how do you not buy something like that?

So that was the only thing I bought today! Not bad, only spent $11 today!


Happy New FY Day!

OMG! To kick off the new FY, guess what Ms Shopaholic did yesterday evening?

You got it - I did what I do best - I went shopping!

Let's see now, I bought yet another pair of shoes, I couldnt help it, I thought to myself as I stared at them in the shop window, "my feet would love fantastic in them!" Lovely red pair of 3-inch heels, only $189! On sale! Also decided I needed a red bag to match my shoes, so bought a large red leather handbag from....

Haha, fooled you! Happy April Fool's Day!

This time, I can proudly say that I did not, I repeat, DID NOT shop at all last evening.

In fact, I got into a little tiff with the Boyfriend. As usual, he had one beer too many, was in an argumentative mood and was trying to pick a fight with me over the phone. I, on the other hand, had just had two very stressful daya at work, and all I wanted to do was to unwind at home and not get into a stupid argument over nothing. I tried not to lose my temper, but failed, called him an arsehole and promptly hung up on him! What irritated me further was that when I got home, I found him asleep! At 7pm, for God's Sake!! Obviously, the name-calling didnt bother him one bit!

Anyway, since he was asleep, I decided to go for a walk instead to clear my head. Oh-oh, you might think to yourself, going for a walk = going on a spending spree? Not this time! Instead, I had a quickie dinner, then went to watch a movie (yes, all by myself!) all shopaholics should watch - Confessions of a Shopaholic!

At least, I thought it was a movie all shopaholics should watch. The beginning was promising enough, I loved the beginning sequence - I knew exactly how the protagonist felt when she walked past shops, and all the mannequins in the shop windows seemed to beckon to her, entice her into coming into the shop to buy something. And I felt the same way when her eyes lit up at the sight of a bright red 'Sale' sign in the window. And the horror she felt when she opened her credit card bills. Yes, I understood completely. This movie was speaking to me in a language I could understand.

Except that the movie couldnt maintain its early wit and sparkle, and at the end of the movie, I felt rather disappointed. The feeling was similar to buying something which looked great online, only to be unpleasantly surprised by how bad the quality is when it arrives. Anyway, the shopping scenes were great of course, I mean, which shopping scene isnt? Think back to Pretty Woman, when Julia Roberts was spinning around in a beautiful polka-dot brown dress and she had a big ol' grin on her face, with Richard Gere looking on approvingly. I mean, wasnt that a feel-good moment!

But yes, back to the movie, some parts were funny, but for most part, I found the movie to be a bit disjointed. And very predictable. Just another crazy girl meets serious boy and falls in love, The End. I know this is a chick flick, and I LOVE watching chick flicks and rom-coms, but I just couldnt get into this movie all. Give me Love Actually or Four Weddings and a Funeral - any day of the week.

Isla Fisher was trying waaay too hard to be funny and bubbly and likeable, and to me, she ended up being a bit irritating, quite slapstick, and manic. Also, I thought the character Becky was meant to be English, not American? As for Hugh Dancy (is that his name?), he was just boring boring boring! And horrors of horrors, Hugh reminded me of a Boy I once dated, who was also boring boring boring. So, as far as British actors go, I'll stick with the other Hugh - Hugh Grant, very naughty and sexy, and Hugh Jackman (who isnt English but has played enough English parts) who is macho and sexy. Of course, there is also Mr Darcy, I mean Colin Firth and also Matthew MacFadyen... yum....

Sorry, got distracted there.

So, if you want to spend money on mindless entertainment - go watch this movie. But I think you should save the $8 movie ticket, add a few more dollars to go shoe-shopping instead, and wait for the movie to be shown on TV.

But if you really really have to watch this movie - dont! Buy the books instead, they are definitely more entertaining than the movie!

Tuesday 31 March 2009

My name is Imelda....

Imelda Marcos. That's my nickname at work, as my colleagues have noticed the ten or eleven pairs of shoes peeping out from under my desk. And that's excluding my flip flops and roller-blades.

And I probably have a total of 30 or so pairs of shoes at home, I dont actually know as I've stopped counting.

I dont really deserve the nickname. I mean, unlike dear old Imelda, tai-tais around the world, and other fellow shopaholics, I do not own thousands and thousands of designer shoes. I own less than 50 pairs (I think), and none of them are designer shoes. I think I've only owned two pairs of 'designer footwear' in my life; one was a really comfy pair of walking shoes from Prada which I picked up on sale in Rome, and I have used them to death; the other was a not-so comfy pair from Bally, (also on sale in London) which I also used to death because I was young and vain and achy feet didnt matter as much then as it does to me now.

Now, I buy shoes from CK (that's Charles & Keith), NineWest, EasySpirit and Aerosoles (when they're on sale - they are overpriced in Singapore), Hush Puppies, Clarks, Crocs, and favourite Malaysian el-cheapo shoe-shop, Vincci. Oh how I wish I was back in the States, where I could buy shoes like Kenneth Cole, NineWest, etc, at a fraction of the price here in Singapore!
The thing about buying cheapo shoes - like from the Charles and Keith outlet - is that they are sooo cheap, for eg, I bought a pair of sandals for S$11 - that they act like disposable shoes. It doesnt matter if you get caught in the rain and your shoes are destroyed, just throw them away and buy another pair! You've only worn it three times and it now has a huge gaping hole? It doesnt matter, you can always buy another cheapo pair!
Oh I know, I should be thinking of quality, and not quantity, but when you are broke but have a shopping habit to support, you go for the cheap stuff.
Think of it this way:
$1000 for a pair of designer footwear which will last you a lifetime, but you'll have to wear the same boring smelly old shoes also for a lifetime;
vs
4 x $25 pairs of shoes, and with $900 in change, you can pay for a holiday in Thailand/Malaysia/ Indonesia, and even have a little extra left for spending money!
See the logic? Four pairs of new shoes AND a holiday too?
Enough said!

Monday 30 March 2009

Shopaholic Speaks Too Soon!

Sad to say, I weakened during lunch.

My feet were killing me, so I went window-shopping for shoes to make my feet feel better.

Except that window-shopping became actual shopping - I found a cute pair which fit nicely and even better, it was on sale!

So yes, I bought a pair of shoes today.

$32 (after discount) - but it was a necessity, my feet were killing me and I needed a new comfy pair of shoes. The shoes can be worn for all occasions, including work, so really, it was a good buy!

(Yes, I know, excuses, excuses!)

I'm so proud of myself!

And why am I proud of myself?

Because I didnt shop during the weekend. Yup, didnt spend a penny! Oh hang on, not entirely true, I went to the Thai Embassy Festival on Saturday, and did buy a hand-painted tee... only $25!

What can I say, I am a shopaholic!

At least I didnt buy anything else - there were lots of accessories and bags and all the things I love, but I controlled my urges!

Also, the Boyfriend and Shopaholic's Sister were also shopping alongside. I think I tend to spend less when the Boyfriend is with me, but when left to my own devices.... watch out!

Friday 27 March 2009

I'd rather lose money than hair!

Ms Shopaholic went to the hair salon last night and did more damage to her credit card!

Thu, 26 Mar 09

Haircut - $35 (though you cant really count this, since this is a necessity!)
Pedicure - $42 (again, not counted!)
Hair treatment - $168 (not counted, it was a treatment!)

So what's really counted is:

Hair products: $80 (to help with my problem scalp!)

Oh God, did I really spend $325 yesterday?

Total amount spent for the week, 23 Mar: $1131

Unfortunately for me, the week isnt over yet - here comes the weekend!

I seriously need to stop spending so much. I'm beginning to feel scared!

New FY, new blog.. update!

Just to update, I totally forgot about the shopping I did on the evening of Tue, 24 March.

No, I didnt buy any shoes or handbags, although that was the intention when I went to the mall, but ended up buying pillows and bedlinen instead! As someone commented on my facebook status - how domesticated! Indeed!

So my purchases for Tue, 24 March are:

3 books: $10

2 x nice firm pillows: $39 x 2 = $78 (original price: $99 per pillow)

Reason for buying: My other pillows have gone mouldy - like everything else in this damn country! So I needed them! And since they were on offer, best to get two!

Bedlinen, includes bedsheet, duvet cover and pillowcases: $99 (original price: $289)

Reason for buying: That's almost $200 off, as if you wouldnt!

Hmm, that means I've spent $806 in four days. Gulp!

Right, if I went for a haircut and had a pedicure at the same time, is this also considered as spending unnecessarily? After all, its for health reasons: I'm tired of having my bangs poke me in the eye, and my toenails are in a desperate need of cleaning and painting, and my feet needs a good scrubbing.

Like I said, purely for health reasons!

Thursday 26 March 2009

New Financial Year, New Blog

With the current recession in Singapore, you'd think Singaporeans would stop reaching into their wallets to buy unnecessary things like handbags and shoes and clothes, and spend their hard-earned cash wisely on whatever that is important to them in life, hmm, like, paying their electricity bills, paying for their kid's education, and whatever else responsible people spend their money on these days.

Not me. I like handbags and shoes more than having electricity (unless of course it disrupts my online shopping!). I dont have kids. And I'm not very responsible.

I am a shopaholic. I am addicted to shopping. Shopping is really like a drug, I get such a high from buying stuff. And for a junkie like me, it doesnt matter if the stuff I buy is cheap or expensive - though I especially like it when I get them at a discount. When I'm down in the dumps or have had a fight with the boyfriend, a trip to the mall makes me happy again. And even if I'm feeling ill, shopping takes the pain away and makes me feel human again.

True story: I had to recuperate at home after having surgery to remove my gall-bladder. I felt so bored, all I did was watch telly, sleep and sleep some more, no thanks to the painkillers I had to take everyday, and I also constantly irritated the boyfriend with my patheticness. A week after the surgery, I couldnt take it anymore, so I ventured out - bandages and all - to the mall for a bit of retail therapy. Ended up with a lovely little cocktail dress and a pair of matching shoes, and wouldnt you know it, I felt no pain after the shopping trip. So I stopped taking painkillers, I showed the BF how not-needy I was, and everyone was happy!

So, with the recession and all, I should try saving some money. Ok, the truth is, I want to save some money because there is something I really, really want to buy this year.

A flat. A four-room HBD flat. I am over 35 (did I just say that?), and I (think) I have enough clothes, shoes and handbags to last me a lifetime, unless of course I put on weight, my feet starts to swell and my handbags get eaten by moths.

In order to afford a HDB flat - do you know how expensive these things are!! - I have to save money, and in order to do that, I have to stop shopping. Ok, maybe not totally stop, but cut down a little. In order to kick my shopping habit, I think I should list down all the things I have purchased during this FY. I'm hoping if I actually have write down what I've bought and how much I've spent with reasons on why I've bought them, it could shock me into not shopping so much! Hence, the purpose of this blog.

So, let's start from this week:

Mon, 23 Mar 09
Silver sandals, Crocs: $54 - I need a comfy pair of walking shoes for my holiday in April!
White blouse, Forever 21:$43 - For work!

Tue, 24 March 09
3 books, Anchorpoint Times Bookfair: all 3 for $10! Bargain!!

Wed, 25 March 09
Lemongrass bodymist - $22 (I now smell fantastic and it also acts as a mosquito repellent!)
A pair of glasses - $500 (I need a new pair because my eyesight is deteriorating, and also my current metal frames keep poking the BF when we're trying to cuddle)

Total: $629.

Eeek! Not looking good for my savings!