The Christmas Spirit

Last night I was truly touched by the generosity and Christmas spirit of a friend of mine.  Not only did he write a heartfelt card that I treasure but he also gave me handmade soap, a new hobby of his that he has been updating me on the past few weeks!  And to top it all off, he gave me a Groupon gift card!  Obviously, he knows my shopping habit very well. 

Gilt City’s new offers came just in time this morning.  I was beginning to doze off.  There are two that look promising.  I definitely want to get the art print from 20x200 and am thinking of getting the Bethenny Frankel cleanse package.  I don’t really think cleanses are that healthy but I love Skinny Girl and want to try it out.  I can always mix the powders with some yogurt!  

Tonight I'm going to Listen to This...

Tonight at promptly 6pm PST, I will be listening to this teleconference, courtesy of ShopaholicNoMore.com 

By the end of the class participants will learn to: 

1.        Create a holiday spending plan so that you don’t overspend. 
2.        Research the shopping apps that make gift-giving less of a burden. 
3.        Provide experience gifts that will outlast any “thing” you might give. 

I probably could have used some of this advice a few weeks ago but I will listen in nonetheless.  I might learn something.

Deals That Catch My Eye

I purchased a Gilt City deal a while back for a membership to Learnvest, an online financial advising site.  The site is pretty cool, you can take online classes about all things financial, budgeting, retirement, etc.  So far, I’ve used the site to enter all my financial information and I’ve had two calls with my Learnvest money expert.  This morning we talked about my long term plan.  Looks like I need to cut my discretionary spending by a few hundred dollars each month.  It’s not looking good for Groupon. 

Speaking of Groupon, today there is a “Lightsaber Stage-Combat Course” at 51% off.  Tempting, but no.  There is a “Survival-Training Clinic” that looks like it would be an interesting course for my husband.  I will file that away as a potential gift, I have 5 days left to decide. 

Something on Gilt City did catch my eye yesterday.  A deal for a bag through Basil Racuk.  It’s pretty stylish but at $100 it’s more than I should be spending.  I’ll mull this one over. 

Deals From the Weekend

This weekend was a pretty good weekend for deals, I used two of them which is pretty average. I think my record for deals used in one weekend is four, definitely something to top one of these days. First up, Saturday morning, kayak tour of Elkhorn Slough through Blue Water Ventures. Very fun! Great weather and the Groupon was easy to redeem.

Second, Sunday evening, dinner at Surf Bistro and Bakery in Seabright. Dinner was pretty good but the ambiance of the place was a bit weird and I don’t think we’ll be returning. This was a Living Social voucher and it was also easy to redeem.

Nothing stands out today as something I want (or need) to buy. I try to look for things that are either something I would have bought anyway or a new experience that is worth the money and something I’ve wanted to try. I am a big buyer of restaurant deals, love those! Some of the best ones I have purchased were on Gilt City and Bloomspot, I especially love the tasting menus that have a select few items to choose from. Some highlights have been a deal for Meritage at the Claremont, Zut and Bin 38.

Some not so great deals… The couple’s massage class I insisted on getting. It was in a pretty sketchy neighborhood and the lady was a no-show (which was actually a blessing in disguise). Major fail. Also, a restaurant in Danville that had a waiter who wouldn’t take my Living Social voucher on my smart phone, I had one foot out the door when the owner came rushing out to apologize and seated me in another waiter’s section.

Some other favorites… Admission to Golden Gate Fields. I loved watching the horse races! Fred, not so much. Finding cool shopping deals is another one that I love. My dad loves Peet’s Coffee and Tea, I just found a deal on Gilt City for a $50 Peet’s gift card (I paid only $38). Plus, I bought the deal through My Points which gives me 2 points per dollar that I spend on Gilt City. How could I pass that up?!

Welcome to my World

So, at the encouragement of my good friend, Rachel, and my husband I am going to be switching gears and writing about something that has a very special meaning to me… Spending Money! But not just any money and not just any spending, we’re talkin' deals! I call it a hobby, others call it a problem, I love to buy Groupons and other similar deals (Living Social, Gilt City and Bloomspot are my favs). So, here it is in all it’s glory, what I’ve bought, what I’ve experienced and the people I’ve dragged along with me.

Seattle - Random Pics

We had such a fantastic time in Seattle. I want to thank Fred's family for hosting us during our stay, it was nice to get to know them more and meet their beautiful baby girl. The wedding was incredible, one of the nicest and most fun weddings I have ever been to. Visiting with Fred's friends was fun too. I enjoyed exploring the city and getting to know more about Seattle. I can't wait to visit again. Here are some pics of Fred and I at the wedding, at Ballard Locks and the view of Mt. Shasta from I-5.

Ashland

We stopped in Ashland on our way home and spent the night there. We stayed at the Ashland Springs Hotel, we really enjoyed staying downtown and exploring Ashland. We went to Lithia Springs Park and drank from the famed fountain with its famous spring water. It's such a cute town and seemed like there was lots to do there. We were glad to be able to spend some time there.

Seattle - Museum of History and Industry

While we were at the library we saw a flyer for an Arts & Crafts exhibit at the Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI). MOHAI is located in McCurdy Park, a short walk across the parking lot and you can see the UW Stadium. Fred said that during games people pull their boats up there to tailgate. MOHAI was a great museum, it had a lot of neat photos of Seattle and fun exhibits, there's even one where you can pretend to be a fisherman!

Seattle - Matthew's Beach

I absolutely loved our visit to Matthew's Beach. It has a protected area for swimming as well as a boat launch for canoes/kayaks. It has a beautiful view of Lake Washington.

Seattle - Wedding

The purpose of the visit to Seattle was to attend Matt and Darrah's wedding. Fred and I thoroughly enjoyed the weekend of festivities. Both the bride and groom have wonderful, welcoming families who were so much fun to spend time with. The wedding was held in Woodinville at Bassetti's Crooked Arbor Gardens. It was a gorgeous setting, the clouds parted as it got closer to the ceremony and we all marveled at the amazing weather. The ceremony was very touching and beautiful, many tears of joy were shed. Afterwards, at the reception we all enjoyed the good food, heartwarming speeches and of course, the dancing! The after-party was downtown at a karaoke bar!

Seattle - Gasworks Park

Fred took me to Gasworks Park in the Wallingford neighborhood in Seattle. Amazing views of the city. Its proximity to the Burke-Gilman Trail makes it a popular spot for cyclists to depart from. Gasworks was originally used to manufacture gas from coal, it has since been converted to a park but remnants of its past life are evident.

Seattle Public Library

We all know I'm a fan of checking out libraries! Fred and I have made it habit to seek them out and explore. We even stopped at the little library in the town of Langley when we were on Whidbey Island. This was my second trip to the downtown Seattle Public Library (SPL) and it was amazing! Just for fun I looked up a couple of books to see if we could actually find them in the stacks. It took a few minutes to figure out where everything was but was easy after that, SPL has call numbers listed on the floor to make searching easier. I also stopped at the gift shop on the way out, lots of cute things!

Whidbey Island

On my first day in Seattle Fred and I took the ferry to Whidbey Island to explore. We enjoyed the town of Langley and then had lunch at Toby's Tavern in Coupeville. The towns had very cute downtown shopping areas and great views all around. We left the island by going over Deception Pass Bridge and driving back to Seattle through the Skagit Valley.

Sacramento - ZTA Reunion

A dear friend from my college sorority was visiting last week from London. A few of us gathered in Sacramento and spent the evening together, a very fun time! Afterwards I walked down to the water and took some photos.

Hiking in Briones

A couple weeks ago Fred and I went hiking in Briones. Very nice day, long hike but the view was well worth it!

Wild Turkeys are Invading

We have a family of turkeys that has been making a few appearances around here. This was the best photo I could get of them, they run away really fast when they see me!

Healdsburg

Fred and I went to Healdsburg on Saturday. Ate at Bovolo which was very yummy. Our favorite restaurant, Barn Diva, was closed for a wedding. We walked around the square, ate ice cream and enjoyed the beautiful day. Also drove up Dry Creek Valley, it was so pretty, harvest time is just around the corner! I'm looking forward to our next trip up there.

Henry Miller Library

A few weeks ago Fred and I were in Big Sur and stopped by the Henry Miller Library. As part of one of the classes I'm taking (Intro to Library Studies) I had to visit a library and write a paper about it. The HML was amazing, a very spiritual place. We spent part of the visit watching a concert that was taking place on the grounds. What an amazing place to hold an event, I've even seen wedding blogs talk about holding the ceremony and reception there (seen here and here). It's not your traditional Library where you can check out books, this is a small community center/artist's retreat/performance space/coffeeshop/meditation space. Very fun, I wish we had more time to visit and hang out there. Definitely worth a trip back.

Alameda County Fair

Fred and I spent the evening at the Alameda County Fair. We ate fried foods and looked at the exhibits. I think the most interesting exhibit was the displays of collections, anything and everything under the sun; matchbooks, bobbleheads, playbills, 'The Sound of Music' collectibles, etc. I think most deserving of the first prize was the Wayne Newton collection, it even had a limited edition Wayne Newton decanter that was never mass produced (only 24 prototypes exist in the world)!

We also checked out the livestock and small animals, they were so cute! I wanted to buy some chicks and baby geese to take home. Another favorite of mine was a plate of cookies decorated with a California theme - poppy, redwood tree, quail, etc. very creative!