my holiday gifts to myself

Not counting the consumables, groceries, and food we buy regularly, I haven’t bought anything for myself for quite some time now. From what I recall, apart from buying Style, the only major shopping I did last year was during our vacation in the Philippines. Most of the time, I just wait and save my shopping money for when we go home because the clothes, accessories, and other stuff are much more cheaper there than here in Dubai; plus the quality is usually better even though they’re not branded. So unless I see something here that I really, really like or really, really need, I don’t buy anything for myself. However, over the holidays, I decided that I should be nice to myself and get myself some nice presents. So I thought and thought, and finally came up with these things that I wanted:

I’ve been using a black Elle wallet for so long, and although there wasn’t anything wrong with it, I just wanted something different...and it had to be red. I checked several shops and stalls, until finally I saw this purse at Aldo. It had just the right number of pockets for my cards (none of them were credit cards), pouches for bills, a zipped pouch for coins, and another pouch that I use to keep receipts and other slips of paper. I was also particular with the kind of clasp it had; I don’t like the magnetic or button-type ones because they open too easily, and the ones where you have to push or squeeze were just too complicated. This had the lock that you turn. And when I checked the tag, it was on sale at 45% off and DSF hadn’t even started yet! Yaaay!

During our vacation last September, my white flat sandals broke. So I searched high and low for a similar pair, to no avail. Crazy, right? I mean, they’re just white slippers...how difficult could it be? But the thing is, the white ones I saw were always flipflop types (you know, the ones that separate the big toe from the other toes); I don't like those because during the times when I commute between our home and office, I like to wear sandals that I could just slip into without ruining my stockings (commuting in heels is such a pain and I want my feet to relax). And the ones that weren’t flipflop types had heels, had straps or weren’t plain white. So when I saw these at Woolworths, I bought them immediately. They cost a bit more than my old ones, but they’re sooo comfortable! The design is pretty as well, easily matching most of the casual clothes in my wardrobe.

As for the third gift, I needed Hubby's help to get it. I still haven’t received it though, because it’s still in the works and we’ll only know later if I’ll be able to get it. Don’t worry, once everything is confirmed, I’ll share what it is.

So, those are the gifts I gave myself for the holidays. I didn’t go overboard like buying an LV bag, the latest smartphone, or jewelry, simply because it wasn't practical for me to spend so much money on those things. They're nice, but I'd rather wait for the opportunity to get them for free or as a gift. With the purse and sandals, they’re nice, very useful, and I don’t have to worry about someone stealing them (err...except maybe the money in the wallet which I hope never happens).

Anyway, now that I’ve started, I’m thinking of getting myself a gift every year, you know, as a reward for being a good girl and surviving the past year. How about you? Did you get yourself anything for Christmas and the New Year?