Did I tell you ...?

I've got my handbag! Woppee!! (Check it out by clicking the Moochi link, then look under 'collection', and 'accessories'. It's the Alley Bag).

It gets better too! Do you know what the best thing about it is? It didn't cost a thing! Well, pretty much anyway. Do you want to know how I managed to make my handbag appear, and $359.99 disappear?

1. I got given 3 months free access under my mobile phone plan last week (thank you Vodafone!) - $60 towards the bag (amount left to justify - $300).

2. I've just racked up another loyalty credit at the store I bought the bag from (they do a 'spend $500, get a $50 credit' thing) - $50 towards the bag (amount left to justify - $250).

3. I have a birthday coming up - you know ...this year sometime ...and Al always gives me $100* towards something. This year, that 'something' is the bag - $100.00 towards the bag (amount left to justify - $150). (And with a bit of luck, by the time my birthday actually rolls around, he'll have forgotten about his donation** and I'll be able to con him out of something else! Magic!)

4. I decided I could live without one of the tops on my winter clothing wish list (which has been fully budgeted for) - $110 towards the bag (amount left to justify - $40)

5. I actually told Al that the bag was $350, because somehow that seemed so much better than $359.99 - $10.00 towards the bag (amount left to justify - $30).

6. When you think about it, what can you buy for $10 these days anyway? Exactly. Nothing much at all (Ok ...this one is stretching it a bit, but when you look at it in the context of the rest of the spending justification ...well, it pales in comparison doesn't it? It's hardly worth worrying about!) - another $10.00 towards the bag (amount left to justify - $20).

7. I usually buy my lunch once a week, mostly on a Friday when I've given up on being good for the week, and I'm far too bleary eyed by Friday to organise a packed lunch anyway. I can handle not giving in to my bleary-eyedness until Saturday for a couple of weeks - $20.00 towards the bag (amount left to justify - $0 !! )

See? Just like that, the bag didn't cost a thing!

And if you're very concerned about poor Al and his wallet in all of this ...? Don't be. Seriously. I have a shopping list of sorts for big purchases and spends this year. For example, we are re-doing our bathroom next month, and we are going to buy a new dining suite this year. We're practising living off his incomce, and mine is being dedicated towards the big stuff - it's like living off a single income with training wheels. It doesn't matter too much if I cock it up initially. So far it's going OK though ...which is kind of surprising considering half of this partnership of ours is ...well, me!

Anywaayyyyy ...I was going somewhere with that ...

One thing Al really really wants, being an enormous coffee lover, proud home barista, and complete snob (he seriously is ...we were sitting in a cafe at the weekend, and Al takes a sip of his coffee, considers the whole flavour, texture, aroma thing and says 'this is almost as good as one of mine' !!! Snob!), is a new coffee machine ...and guess how many Moochi handbags it takes to pay for the new coffee machine ...?

You don't want to know, and I'm not telling ...but he's not as hard done by as you might think :-)



* This started about 5 years ago when he sent me out for my birthday to get my hair done and and gave me an open budget. Suffice it to say, I got the works, and looked great ...but I've never been allowed an open budget for anything every again. Woops.

** AND that I've just given the blimin game away here. Damn it! ...Maybe he doesn't read the footnotes. Do you think there's a snowball's chance?