I'm all growed up now.

I got my first paycheck from New Job! Woohoo! I went and splurged! I went on a shopping spree! I was so excited!

What did I buy?




Mouthwash!

Yeah, that's right - mouthwash! I was so excited! I haven't had mouthwash since May! Not that I needed it. I had an appointment with my dentist just last week and they said that my teeth and gums looked great. It's just that I love mouthwash. I feel a little more confident with it. But when you're on a tight budget, it's one of those things that you take off your list of groceries to save a few bucks because, well, the dentist can tell you that your teeth and gums are great without it.

Of course that's not the only thing I splurged on! Don't be ridiculous, I bought other things too. I bought a new toothbrush! It was exhilirating - I'm not gonna lie. I also bought face cleanser - hadn't had that since, prolly August. Course, that was really more cause they stopped making my usual face cleanser and I was investigating which products would be best.

It's just that I was living on such a tight budget that I really did have to deny myself the simple luxuries, like mouthwash, a new toothbrush, face cleanser, and face lotion. For face lotion, I dug out all of the samples that I'd had from Old Job and started using those. Interesting tidbit: Estee Lauder makes me break out. Who knew. Fortunately, all my other toiletries lasted through my fiscal crisis.

I did run out of multi-vitamins. Didn't go buy new vitamins. I definitely need to get some of those, though. I'm a big believer of vitamins, ever since my 3 month jaunt around the world (with vitamins) prevented me from getting a cold for 2 years.* What did not run out? My Flax Seed Oil and my Gingko Biloba, NEITHER of which HELPED one iota the way that they were supposed to. Am I smarter? No. Did my blood pressure stop being too low? No. I wish these HAD run out so that I would have the pleasure of NOT buying them again. Hmmph!

I had cut back on the drycleaning also. I hadn't had a thing drycleaned since May, maybe April - I can't remember. I dropped all of it off this week = $99.50!!! That's actually not too bad considering it's 6 months worth of drycleaning. Although I really shouldn't tell you how many times I rewore some of those things.

AND I finally got my boots repaired. I took them to London with me and that's when I noticed that the bottom of the heel on the right shoe had fallen off! I still wore them. This is a no-no, as it wears down the heel more than the other one and then replacing the little rubber nub is not enough to even out the wear. I knew this having been in the shoe business. But what can you do when you're on a tight budget? Well, you wear your boots in London, that's what you do.

I just thought it was a monumental moment when I went to the grocery store and spent over $60. During the Ginger Russell Fiscal Crisis of Ought'10, my weekly budget at the grocery store was $30. Now I'm half-Korean and I knew I could make that work, so I wasn't worried. But that was meals for a week. No eating out. I maybe could sneak a coffee in or so. But no more eating out.

I wasn't always so good at sticking to the budget.


Thank God the crisis is over.

*I never told you about that? It's true.