Thinning wallet..

Ack; I've been shopping way too much lately, especially online.
Recent purchases include two pairs of high-waisted jeans (one from ebay, another from punk.com), and a couple of basic tops, but those are pretty self explanatory/boring because they're cookie cutter generic/everyone-knows-how-they-look things.
An interesting thing I did buy is:

"Veggie twister"

A spiralizer! Well, a spiral vegetable cutter, or "veggie twister" as deemed by the seller. I was looking for an affordable spiralizer since going raw vegan, but couldn't find a well functioning one for less than $25. No way I was going to spend that much for what is essentially plastic! So I turned to trusty ebay and came across this guy, MUCH more practical (and cheaper!) than the traditional versions. Very very excited for future zucchini pastas. 

To try and save money on contacts, I also placed an order with pinkicon. They're a circle lens distributor based in China, and one of the few that had clear lenses.. Spent ~$55 on a pair of clear Geo yearly disposables and a six pair pack of monthly Neo disposables (just in case I lost the Geo pair, etc). Quite frustrated with the site because when I try to login to track my order, the password is wrong, but when I try to register, they claim that my ID already exists. It's ridiculous that they require logins to track; I just hope it gets to me, if not thank God for paypal claims!  

The most exciting purchase is:

The Ninja Mega Kitchen System with lifetime warranty

EEEEEE! Lol, I'm so super happy about this purchase. I did TONS of research for a Vitamix dupe and was previously set on the Omniblend V, but came across this baby! Though reviews show that the performance of the Ninja clearly does not match up to the Vitamix or Blendtec, the lifetime warranty sold it for me. The problem I have with cheap blenders is not that they produce chunkier smoothies, but that their motors have such a short life span! A lifetime warranty guarantees that the Ninja will be a consistent tool in my life. Not that I don't appreciate the 2-horse power/1500 Watt motor, which is totally comparable to higher cost models. The versatility of the product is another plus; it is also a food processor! I've been wanting a food processor and now I have it allll. Hehe. 

Apparently it'll be shipped out next month because it is on backorder now, but for the price (and lifetime guarantee) I can wait! 

I guess I would be okay with how much money I've spent/been spending if not for what's tipped me over the edge. My iPhone frigging broke.

It was my fault - I was exiting a car in front of my house when the phone slipped out of my pocket. I noticed it was missing right after I got out, so I assumed it slipped out in the car. However, after checking the next morning, it wasn't there! I assumed it was in the one other place I thought it could be, church. So I go to church and search - again, not there. Later that day, my brother gets a call from my aunt who got a call from the nearby Verizon store, and apparently someone turned it in! I was so relieved, until I actually went to pick it up. When I got to the store, they informed me that the touch screen wasn't working, so I didn't get lucky as I thought. The store staff told me that whoever turned it in claimed they noticed the phone because they ran over it with their car. Yeah right.

I'm guessing that whoever picked it up, did so with the intention of keeping it, but since the phone was out for so long it was already messed up. Since the phone was messed up, they decided to turn it into the store. If they ran over it, the phone would definitely not have survived without a scratch. And my headphones are gone too. Sigh..

So I bought a digitizer,  or touch screen, replacement from eBay, only to read the description AFTERWARDS saying that it did not come with the "liquid clear display" - whatever that means. When I looked more clearly at the pictures, it looks like the frame where all the screws are supposed to go is missing. I think I'm likely going to return it once it gets here. I'm bidding on some cheap smartphones so hopefully I'll win one at a low low cost. I'm due for an upgrade, but want to wait for the Samsung Galaxy SIV release so that I can either: 1) have the latest model or 2) get the SIII at a much more discounted price.

I don't think its worth upgrading to the SIII at full price now, only to have the price drastically drop in about a month. 

Arg, just so annoyed that I couldn't finish off the last month financially strong.

I'm definitely going on a budget plan from this moment on til the summer, when I'll have a job. I don't want my savings depleted!

CHARM✌참

Eeeek

Wow, talk about hiatus..
:/

It's so easy to fall off of the (public) blogging bandwagon!
Maybe because there's always a limit to how much can be said and to what extent..It's hard for me to filter myself, lol. ANYWAYS~

Updates:

• Finished midterms - absolutely despising this semester's classes..
• On spring break
• Moved mini fridge to bedroom!
• Changed blog layout (as visible)

and most exciting..

• Transitioning to raw vegan, whoot!

The initial push was when I realized just how little greens I was consuming. It led to a video on juicing and then another on making green smoothies, and the rest is history.
Prior, my breakfast consisted of either savory oatmeal (salt+pepper+sesame seeds) or a fibrous cereal with almond milk. I decided to incorporate green smoothies into breakfast by replacing the norm when I had extra time. It wasn't a radical decision; I still kept the cereal and milk on hand for the lazy days, but they ended up being more home decoration rather than food.
Seriously, the zing I felt was so instantaneous and uplifting it was impossible for me to even look back! I didn't WANT to give processed foods a second chance because this was it, this was AWESOME.
Given it's only been about two weeks since I took this step, but it's something I know will grow into years and years.

One major drawback that I've noticed was my thinning wallet (sigh).
Not because raw veganism is necessarily expensive in the long run, but because it seems to require quite a bit of money at once to benefit from savings. An example would be participating in a local co-op. The one closest to me requires a payment of a minimum of $400 for a month of local, organic veggies and fruits; though that is an amazing overall price compared to supermarkets, there is no way I'd be cough up that much at once. This definitely means a sacrifice of organic goods until I'm out of college.
Another example is a heavy duty blender. Regular blenders can be found for $20-40. However, their motors give in so quickly, it's almost a necessity for raw foodists to invest in a heavy duty industrial machine. The most popular option is the Vitamix; another is the Blendtec. Both of these options require at least $350. Yikes.
Sure if one can afford to, these blenders are great - buying one once is better than buying cheap, short-term ones over and over again afterall. It's just not plausible to hand over that much money in one sitting for many (like moi).

That being said, I did a bit of research and came across the Omniblend; it's on sale for ~$250 and comes with a 5-year warranty. Not too shabby..I'll probably end up purchasing one if I ever do have any expendable income, for now all my money goes to quickly diminishing greens and fruits.

Another drawback is just the lack of a raw vegan community on the east coast!
All the information that pertain to any sort of support group seems to be located in the west or south.
Guess I'll have to start making waves, huh?  :P

On other things, I've been thrifting quite a bit recently - must post haul soon!

Happy passion week! Let's all reflect on the suffering of Christ, and what his sacrifice means for all of us.

CHARM✌참