Shopping

For someone that loathes shopping, I sure do a lot of it, although it may not be the most conventional form of shopping.  Instead of hitting the malls, outlets and online stores, I tend to end up in Salvation Army, Value Village, and searching through the online ads on usedottawa.com and ottawakijiji.com.  This month, I was horrible at sticking to our budget and splurged on a few things for our family.  Although I bought nothing new, I was still able to get the girls some things that have already brought a lot of fun and happiness to our lives, while not paying ‘new’ prices or promoting senseless consumerism.

Here’s someone else's surplus that became our treasures:

 Everything here cost less than $20.

What sent us over budget were the skis, boots, and helmet for Jill; snowboard and boots for Hannah; and a snowboard and boots for myself.  I haven't been able to get out on the bunny hill to try with Hannah since I don't have a helmet yet and very little energy by the late afternoon.  I just think they are great investments since we will be living here a long time, and guests can try them out as well.  We purchased them at Play it Again and off Kijiji to a total of approximately $380.