Extreme Couponing!

I have been obsessed with couponing. It's not just saving money, it's has become a game. Quite addictive actually. This is my most successful trip yet.
Target:

Champagne:(3) the price was marked incorrectly at  $6.98, so the store had to honor it, originally $14.99.
Napkins:(1) 600ct, on sale for $3.29, $1 off any $3 Up and up purchase
dog food:(9) $5.99/3.5lbs. $5 off coupons
body wash: (2each)$5.49 large and $3.49 small, buy one get one off coupon
total before tax: $93.04, after coupon, $47.20(including tax on full amount and REDcard saving.)

Breakfast and Laundry

I love eggs benedict, but it's so pricey having it at a restaurant. It's quite easy to make and you can tailor it however you like.

My take: 

2 english muffins, split in half and toasted with some butter

4 slices of british style uncurded back bacon, browned in the skillet

poach 4 large eggs

Hollandaise sauce: 

2 egg yolks

2 tsp of lemon juice, wisk intensely with egg yolk to thicken and slowly pour in melted butter

1/4 cup of melted butter 

pinch of salt and cayenne pepper

and this is what you get: 

I remember now why I don't want to buy cashmere, the hand washing is a hassle. this video really helps

how to wash cashmere

I don't own a mesh drying rack so I put mine on a dry towel in a well ventilated area.

Russian Chicken deal

I just made a pact with my Fiancé that we do not go out and eat until our trip to New York at the end of June. this is an effort to cut our expenses to the minimum so we can save for the wedding. This may feel a bit impossible, but he's a pretty good cook. There are some exceptions however, I still have a Groupon I gotta use before it expires and maybe we might celebrate my birthday and eat out.

This Russian Chicken is AMAZING! He won't share the recipe. The chicken is cooked in the oven for about an hr and 15mins  with the sauce. We made the no eating out deal while enjoying this delicious meal.

Still enjoying the purple Coach bag.

Happy new year!

Happy 2012. I wish only the good things for everyone!  :) 


The holiday season is all about cooking and spending. With all the gifts and sales, it's really hard to not buy anything. I went to the Coach Outlet and bought a few things, among them is this lavender purse. it great for work and the weekend going out and running errands, very functional. 

the bag goes with the BR sweater I got recently. 

Since my dad had installed the oven in my kitchen, I've been doing a lot of cooking.  I didn't even notice that I don't eat out as often as I used to. That's a good thing on my wallet and my health.
Salmon fried rice and lasagna are stables on my menu, simply because they are easy to bring to work for lunch the next day. 


This year, I have made turkey 3 times, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. This is truly the perfect turkey. It's the only turkey I ever made and it's perfect every time.  The gravy is made from the juice. it's really simple, just strain the juice in a pot and use flour or cornstarch to thicken it. One important note, I always put the cornstarch or flour in a bowl, mix it with some water and bring it into a liquid form and then pouring into the juices. I learned some hard lessens before when the cornstarch clumps up when it was directly into the pot. 

this is the 22lb Turkey I made for my grandpa on Christmas, I had a extremely hard time flipping it over.  But doesn't it look super delicious? 

This is the New Year turkey, made by request from fiancé's mom. this one is only 13 lbs.  My arms thanks it. 

it's been a while

I find that I'm better at finding food than finding fashion. My budgeting really restricts any weekly shopping trips. My trip to China has set me back a bit on my savings, but, no regrets there. It was the most fun seeing my grandma and my cousins and uncles. The best thing about being in the country side is the fresh food!!! pick from the farm fresh.

took a detour before getting hot dogs and stopped by a small pumpkin patch in front of CVS.  New top from Forever 21. 

Today we went to The Slaw Dogs to tried out some gourmet hot dogs in Pasadena. It was good, a few mins away there is the Dog Haus (tried that a few months ago). both have interesting take on their dogs. Ultimately Dog Haus tasted better and they use italian sausages instead of traditional hot dogs.

I got the Thai style hot dog, it was good.

that's a large jalepeno filled with cheese and wrap in bacon on top of a hot dog. 

just gotta have the sweet potato fries

as we walk to our car, we saw a cupcake store, and I just have to go in. pistachio cupcake.

Something cool I bought from China. This is actually tea. it came as a dried up tea bulb and opens up to this in hot water.. so lovely. 

A dress I just ordered from Forever 21 along with the pink blouse up top. it's cute, so i'm keeping it. 

Have a lovely weekend.

double take

when it feels right, you must have two, or three... there are some adorable items that totally work on me so I had to get more than one.
These dresses are old. I first bought the purple one and loved how it accentuated the bosom area and was ecstatic when the style went on sale and then went back for three more.
being that it was from Old Navy, the prices were decent, however, my only complaint was that it shrinked a bit.

these lace sleeve shirts work great for layering and tugging into shorts, jeans and skirts

Forever21-super cheap

These asymmetric tops go well with jeans, just put it on with some skinny jeans and a pair of heels and you're ready for a night out. 

My outfits are usually minimal and casual. 

Wednesday's work attire: Grade: C

Debuting my AE top for Thursday's work attire, I really like the pink florals. Grade: B
Also wearing my jeggings... love jeggings. They are from Holister.  

Friday's work attire....

..... thought I should put on a jacket. Grade B-
This skirt is from Forever21, shrinked a bit after wash. :(

Have a nice weekend.

copy cat

This picture of Zoe Saldana was everywhere, as it should, because she looks flawlessly effortless-express.com.  I was going to make my way to Express and see if it's still available. Instead, when I was browsing for dresses at Forever21,  I found the blue stripe dress  and thought I can create a similar look at a fraction of the cost. A fraction of the Express price? yea, it was really cheap. 

(photo credit)

Monday's work attire Grade: C

Tuesday's work attire Grade: C
Everything on me is old