Friday favs – April Showers

Friday favs – April Showers

 

Happy Friday, friends! I missed doing a Friday Favs post last week and the week before because the first Friday was just one of those Comedy of Errors kind of days and last week I was computerless (see below!). It’s been ages since I’ve written any regular posts, but I do try to at least get this one up every week so that my poor blog doesn’t gather dust. Thankfully, the weather is getting nice and my bank account is getting less sad, so I should have some fun adventures to post about pretty soon.

Here’s what I’ve been loving this week!

 

1. NEW LAPTOP!!

I mentioned recently that a new laptop was at the top of my must-buy list. I’ve been picking up extra work so I could order one on my next (end of April) paycheck.

Oh, the best laid plans…

Last Tuesday, I was curled up in my usual comfy chair at the library, working away, and got up to take a restroom break. When I got back and picked up my laptop, the little thingey (technical term) that my charge cord plugs into CAME APART. It would charge if I physically held the pieces together, but that didn’t seem like the safest thing to do, so I finished up what I was working on as quickly as possible, e-mailed myself a few important files and passwords, and then went to my car and cried like an adult.

To make a long story somewhat shorter, I stopped at Best Buy the next day to look around a bit, even though I had already picked out a laptop on Amazon and it was just sitting in my cart waiting for me to have the funds. I told the Best Buy dude exactly that and he asked if I’d considered applying for financing. I laughed and told him that my credit score is like 2 (Ok, in honesty it has recently moved up from “poor” to “needs work”. I aspire to mediocrity!) and he told me he got approved with a score that was like 200 points lower than mine. The concept of being able to grab a laptop that very day won out over my hate for debt, so I applied and got approved for $1,000 credit instantly. YAY.

The original laptop I had picked out was just over $300, but I ended up getting one that was $500 (on sale from $600, though!). Being able to make payments (and zero interest for 12 months, at that) meant I could actually invest in what I really wanted instead of just getting what I could afford, and I don’t regret it for a second!

I did end up having to wait until that Friday for it to arrive, because the one I decided on wasn’t in stock. I spent all dang day waiting for the UPS guy because I had to accept it in person, so of course it didn’t show up until 3:30. But it’s here and it’s lovely! I mentioned that I wanted a large screen, and I did in fact get just about the biggest you can on a laptop – 17.3″. My old one was 15.6″, and it’s funny how much more luxurious that extra little bit of size makes it feel!

It’s so nice and fast and everything WORKS (my old one was in such bad shape!). The only con I’ve noticed is that it is louder than my old one. I can hear it “thinking” fairly often, and there’s a general “I’m running!” sound, whereas my old one was basically silent. But that compared to having to deal with a space bar that only works sometimes? No contest!

I got this HP with an 8 GB memory and a 1 TB hard drive if you’re curious!

 

 

2. Last week, I discovered that I can fit in kids-sized t-shirts from Target!

 

 

I spotted the Ravenclaw one in the boys section and had to at least TRY. Turns out the kids XL is pretty on par with a women’s medium. You can’t tell from the photos, but my boobs are smooshed like pancakes in there, but otherwise they aren’t bad! And they’re like NINE DOLLARS.

Pro tip! My local Target only carries up to XL, but I discovered that Target.com had XXL! I returned the Ravenclaw tee and ordered the bigger one,(The XXL Hogwarts Letter shirt was out of stock online) and it’s not significantly bigger, but it seems a tiny bit longer and roomier. (I guess no shirt made for a boy child is going to fit double D’s.)

Here are easy links to the boys Gryffindor shirt, Hufflepuff shirt, and Slytherin shirt, too! For some reason, there’s a cute girls Gryffindoor tee, but no other houses in the girls section? The shirts are on sale for $7 each right now, too! They’re officially licensed Harry Potter merch, and I’m sure if I was buying them at Universal Studios or something they’d be at least $25. (I mean, a chocolate frog is ten bucks.)

Sorry to totally nerd out about something that won’t work for everyone, but given that I’m 5’10” and broad-shouldered and large-chested, I definitely never thought kids shirts would fit me, so I wanted to share! There were SO many cute shirts in the kids’ section – Disney and Marvel and NASA and all kinds of fun things. And $8.99!!! Life changing, y’all.

 

 

3. I’ve had some really awesome luck with the Walmart clearance section this week!

 

 

Yes, you’re reading those correctly – $1 each. I was just thinking the other day that I needed to get a new permanant marker, but ONE Sharpie is $2, so of course I was thrilled about a dozen for a dollar!

 

4. When I got home yesterday, my kitten greeted me so enthusiastically that I whipped out my phone to take pictures. I laughed SO HARD when I saw this one in the stream of photos:

 

I still laugh every time I look at it. She is beauty, she is grace.

 

 

5. I’m going to leave you with the best thing I’ve seen all week:

Seriously, y’all… watch this woman SLAY.

 

 

 

By the way, if you missed it, my monthly book review post includes a giveaway for a fun book perfect for reading outside in the beautiful spring weather!

 

It’s supposed to rain all weekend, so I picked up some hours working at the thrift store because money is good. Actually, I’m planning to trade my car in later this month (CAR SHOPPING IS TERRIBLE), so I want to pick up as much work as possible so I can ease some of the anxiety of having a car payment again! (I haven’t had to worry about that since like 2014… it’s scary! I hate debt.) I also want to get as much writing done as possible because I have a little one night getaway planned in just over a week, and I’d like to just chill while I’m away instead of working the whole time! (Totally excited to share everything about that with you guys when I get back!)

Heading out to enjoy the sunshine while I can! Have a lovely weekend!

 

Linking up with Bright on a Budget and A Little Bit of Everything