prime gods

I went to the mall today! Actually, I never really intended to go there since I have a lot of stuff to do on my own. I still haven’t done my reports and I only have a few days left to finish it. Add that to my usual but very tiresome household chores.

Anyway, I went to all the fancy outdoor furniture shops I can find within the mall to shop for our new outdoor furniture. The good old backyard seats we have are already rotting and it would be very risky for us if we continue on using it. After I window shopped, I now have an idea on what outdoor furniture to select, since I already found out what fits our design scheme and on which shops have the nicest designs at the lowest cost. It was really great, I’m thinking I might window shop again tomorrow..

This summer, Karmina, my old colleague, and her boyfriend are planning to go on an outdoor trip. They have been saving up for it for months now. However, Karmina still needs a pair of shoes… which makes this information really valuable for me because I have no idea what to give her this Christmas.

My friend Alvin, a camper addict, suggested I buy her a Converse Hiking Boots or a LaCrosse Hunting Boots. I’m not that familiar with the specs and designs of good outdoor boots though. It’s a good thing I saw an online boots store, metboots.com, which offers gift certificates. I’ll just give her one of those $100 GCs so she can have her own pick online and of course ensure that she’ll get to avail of their free shipping on items over $100.

This November, instead of going to my dad’s province, my parents decided to book their flights in Qantas, one of the world’s oldest airlines, to visit their old friends in Perth, Australia. The last time they saw each other was in a couples’ week 11 years ago.

My dad was surprised with the cheap flights, and was so happy that he decided to hold draw lots among us and whoever gets the lowest number gets to join them in their trip to Australia. I was not able to get the lowest number though. Oh well, I’ll just secure my next holiday by availing of Qantas special prices on flights next year.

While walking on my way home, I noticed several stores have already put up their greeneries and Christmas trees, which reminds me… the Holiday Season is only a few months away, and I have not started saving up yet!!!

My cousin Abigail requested for the “Sex and the City: The Complete Series DVD Gift Set” from the HBO Store. My parents, on the other hand, requested for the Nautilus NE3000 Elliptical Crosstrainer from BigFitness. Oh, and there’s still gifts for my brother and younger sisters that I haven’t listed yet. *Faint* How will I save up for them in the next two months?!

Oh well, that’s what discount cards and promo codes are for. I’ll most likely avail of the “Free Heart Rate watch with purchase of select Ellipticals” from CouponChief.com and give the watch to my brother who’s keen on trimming his waistline. Hehehe.

I was a very unusual kid when it comes to visiting doctors and dentists. Unlike those kids that you have to drag and bribe just to be able to bring them to the hospital or dental clinic, I love checkups. In fact, I’m the one who sometimes beg my mom to bring me to the clinic for a checkup. There’s just this comforting thought inside the clinic that I’m being cared for and my teeth and health are in good hands. Also, those checkups were free because they’re some of the perks of being a military dependent, so why not make the most of it?

Now that I’m older and belong to the work force, I now have to pay for my own checkup, which is a bummer, really. That’s why I decided to avail of a health insurance and a dental plan, a discount dental plan of course, not the traditional dental insurance (which is generally costly and has long waiting periods before you could avail of a dental check up). I just found out about the discount dental plan from DentalPlans.com - a sort of search engine for discounted but quality dental care plans.

I’m still in the process of selecting a dental care plan. From their more than 30 national and regional great money-saving dental plans, I’m tempted to just apply to all of them! Hehehe…

Now that my last day at work is approaching (it’s on September 14, 2007 by the way), I think I ought to start my freedom from boring five-days a week work with a perfect holiday in Europe.

Though tour packages like Austrian holidays are tempting, I prefer to build my own holiday trip. There’s nothing more relaxing than pampering yourself on a well-planned, personalized trip. It’s a good thing that you can avail of “Build Your Holiday & Pack Your Bags!” on some websites which allows you to create the holiday that you desire. That is, you can book cheap flights to a huge choice of destinations and find accommodation to match your type of vacation.

With cheap customized vacations online, why bother with the usual tour?

It’s almost the “ber” months – SeptemBER, OctoBER, NovemBER, and DecemBER. Do you know what that means?! It’s party time! ^_^

Halloween, Thanksgiving, my 25th birthday, Christmas… I can’t wait for the holiday season. Then again, there is the matter of buying gifts.

Good thing I am “the bargain lady”. I found this website where you can avail of coupons from several merchants. For my nieces, nephews, and god children, I will definitely avail of Nickelodeon Store deals. For my coffeeholic sister, cousins, and friends, I am planning to get them a Barista Thermal Coffee Press or Starbucks Stainless Steel Tumbler using several StarbucksStore coupons codes. Great deals, eh? 0;)

Hugo by Hugo Boss is my cousin’s favorite Eau de Toilette Spray. I must admit that, based from my very sensitive smelling standards, it does smell nice (with his body chemistry anyway).

On my way home, I saw a store with a with a huge “Hugo Woman Eau de Toilette Spray” ad. Curious, I dropped by the store, asked for that particular bottle, and wafted some spray. Its fragrance was pleasantly alluring. I liked it (not as much as Body Shop’s White Musk of course), except for the price. It’s quite expensive.

As soon as I arrived home, I checked out Shopping.com to compare prices of different online merchants. From the 43 stores selling Hugo Woman Eau de Toilette Spray, the price range varied from $65 to $32.99. I opted for the $42.99 because of the free shipping.

My college roommates and I are planning to give Malyn, one of our roommates, a baby shower with a Precious Moments shower theme. Malyn got married early this year and will be giving birth to her first born this September.

Since she’s the first of my roommates in unit G7 of Ladies Dorm to be expecting, we want to make the shower pretty special. Thus, as early as July, my friends and I have been planning the theme and decoration of the party. However, we’re in a dilemma because of some cash shortage. It’s a good thing Ruth, my internet addict sister, found out that you can avail of cheap baby shower decorations online. Now, we won’t need to worry about the party supplies expenses and we’re sure to have a memorable shower gathering this September.

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Disclosure: This post features a paid link.

It’s Marvin and Joedel’s 23rd birthday today! Since they aren’t only my officemates, but also my close friends and future business partners, they each deserve a well-thought of gift.

For Marvin, since he’s very fond of his dogs, I plan on him giving him a Cetacea Blinking Light with Split Ring from PetFoodDirect.com. It is a watertight and flashing dog collar accessory with a quick twist of the cap - a must for keeping track of dogs at night.

As for Joedel, who used to be in the swimming varsity in college but is now complaining about his “one-pack abs”, I think I’ll buy him a Pull Buoy from Speedo. In case you don’t know, a Pull Buoy is soft foam held between legs to neutralize kicking motion and increase upper body strength.

Thank God for the Speedo 50% discount on One Item and the PetFoodDirect.com’s 20% off your order at Coupon Chief. I don’t need to worry much about the combined gift expense from my already tight budget, and I get to make three people happy at the same time –Joedel, Marvin, and me!