meal plan #6

Since my boyfriend has been eating a lot of my food lately, he agreed to take me down south to stock up my pantry. I now have cans of tuna, canned tomatoes, three kinds of pasta, udon, coconut milk, tortilla wraps, a huge bag of cereal, canned clams, taco seasoning, frozen pizza, cream soda, soy milk, and ground beef. For me, free :) For him, $44.

Now all I need to take care of is the cooking and the fruits & veggies! Last week's meal plan:

recette de la semaine: spicy mayonaise

From White on Rice Couple

I remember when I lived in Korea and scoured each large supermarket for Sriracha rooster sauce. I couldn't find it. Then I took the subway one and half hours out of town to a Vietnamese neighbourhood and scoured their stores. Couldn't find it there either.  I was devastated.

Since I've returned, I might be slightly ODing on this stuff. It's so versatile - it's great on pizza, in noodles, fried rice, soup and hotdogs - virtually anything I cook.  And it's cheap.

My Cashless Envelope System

If I ever try to keep up with an exercising regimen, it'll last 3 months max. Why? I'm a lazy person. If I have a goal, but it's entirely inconvenient - that is, gets between me and my couch - there's no chance I will ever reach it.

And that is why I stopped using cash and envelope system. Do I see myself keeping every little receipt from every little purchase I make? How about consistently inputting my purchases into a neat spreadsheet? Nope and nope. Do I see myself regularly going to the bank for cash, separating them into labeled envelopes and placing them into my Louis Vuitton wallet? Ha! I'm not cramping my style.

Generation Y is Cheap?!

Just a silly meme. This does not reflect my political standings! Or does it?

I find it amusing when the older generation tries to debunk us youngin's mysterious behaviour using expert analysis, advanced statistics and marketing alogrithms. Take the recent article, The Cheapest Generation, for example.

 In 2010, adults between the ages of 21 and 34 bought just 27 percent of all new vehicles sold in America, down from the peak of 38 percent in 1985. Miles driven are down, too. 

And because of this, the author labels the milleniums as cheap.

Hmmm.

My Cheap Road Trip: Ideas & Tips You can Use

A few weeks ago, a couple girlfriends and I drove down from Vancouver to Oregon for two nights and three days. We each shelled out less than $200 for a trip that was luxurious, adventurous and novel. It was so wonderful, I still look back with banana smiles.

This is a huge feat for me; the road trip was cheap, but it didn't feel cheap. 

The breakdown:

    Gas - $55
    Groceries - $15
    Lodging: $28
    Touristy stuff: $40
+  Dining out - $60
Total - $198

Olive Oil as Make Up Remover

Oh surely you remember my frugal beautiful pledge, right?

Yes, I'm working on cutting down on costs.
Yes, I will look fabulous doing it. Therefore, I am not giving up make up.

But no, I will not spend $15 on make up remover if I can use olive oil.

Meal Plan #5

Here I am, home on a Friday night. Skipping a girl's night out and a birthday party to meal plan. Not nerdy or loserish at all.

Lo and Behold, last week's meal plan.

What I have: Chick Peas Rice Coconut Milk Wheat Torillas Garlic Cucumbers Chicken Breast Lemon Tomatoes Mayonaise

What I bought:  Mushrooms Frozen Chopped Spinach Nectarines Soy Milk Tahini Grape Tomatoes Green Pepper White & Purple Onions French bread Jalapeno Pepper = $18.62

What I'll make: Egg Salad Sandwich Greek Salad Creamy Mediterranean Linguine Tum Yum Chicken Chicken Salad Sandwich Paprika Chicken Breasts & Salad

DIY: 52 Reasons Why I Love You

Today is my three year anniversary with my boyfriend. What did we do today? We went to McDonalds, and then he returned me  home.

Sigh.

Okay, I made it sound worse than it really is. He's working a late shift today, and we will be the celebrating this weekend in Washington state.

So here I am, on our anniversary, alone, with a part of his gift. In the past, I would spoil him with Beat Headphones, and designer clothes. But this year is different. This year is the year I try to be financially responsible . Hence, my first attempt at a homemade gift.

Here it is:

An Ode to Duct Tape

Oh Duct Tape, so adhesive, so nice
Today I found you and you were useful thrice.

I couldn't find anything to fit my tub hole smug
My sister said bathing impossible, and left with a shrug
But you my friend, became my bath tub plug

Canadians aren't ready for rainy days

On tonight's Global News, the latest polls show that about 45% of Canadians have no emergency funds.

Scary.

You need a steady job to have money. 

And I believe that factor is one of our culprits. At least for me. How many positions do I need to fill this year before I get a steady job? It looks like four minimum.

But Canadians have it good compared to our southern neighbour. We have medicare.

Sunday Night Chit-chat

Time for another chit-chat with Carla! 

In Korea, a favorite past time on the ferry is to feed the seagulls Shrimp chips out of your hands. This picture is from my last ferry ride. 

What am I reading? 

Job postings. And my cover letters before I send them off. Yup, I'm back on the hunt. *shudder* Hopefully tomorrow there will be more positions for me to apply for on charity village. 

What are you watching?

My e-mails from prospective employers. Haven't turned on the TV or downloaded anything for days. Must. Get. Job.

An apology to father

Dear Wonderful but High Expectations Father, 

You came to Canada, a land of opportunity, to provide a better future for your children. You made every effort to make sure that my sister and I didn't go through the same hardships that you and mother did. In return, we'd go to school, more school, meet a rich Chinese guy to marry, then become a doctor or engineer. 

Debt Free & Fabulous

I am going to be fabulous while I live the frugal life. I might have to hide at home and divert dinner dates to coffee, but I'm going to look good while doing it. I'm not going to sell my arm for a designer bag, but there is no way in hell am I going to frolic about town in the same pair of holey sweats. And no matter how poor I get, a good night cream is mandatory. Cue the:

Oh why oh why haven't I been writing?

Since I've moved back to Canada,  I've been catching up on my old life and going through some personal things. But I'm back, this time in full force! Let me explain why.

It took me two months to finally finish an interview process for a school that's looking to send me to Korea (this time with better pay, location and conditions!). I haven't received their answer, but it doesn't matter much.

I've decided to stay in Canada.

In the name of love.

Extremely Simple Mango Pudding Recipe

I was craving mango pudding, an East Asian dessert that sells from $5 - $10 bucks for a little bowl at the restaurants. I decided to make my own and delightedly discovered that a serving is way under a dollar. It's ridiculously easy to make and tastes ridiculously good as well!