Upgrades
When my husband and I got engaged, I was showing off my ring to a relative and she said, “Don’t worry; you’ll get an upgrade.” Hmph. Not exactly the words a newly engaged girl likes to hear. However, it did get the idea of “upgrades” in my mind. Lately I have learned that, although we are just starting out in our young married life, there is always time and space for upgrades if you are patient. Allow me to walk you through some highlights of my weekend.
Friday:
This is the TV we have been using since we moved from the UK. It is my little brother’s old bedroom TV, which definitely dates back to the ‘90s. Personally, I have no problems with this TV. I am not one for needing to see the blades of grass on a football field while watching a game (who am I kidding? I don’t watch games. You know what I mean.). Really, I just need Oprah, and I don’t care what size she comes in. Pun intended.
Alas, that poor thing wouldn’t fly for very long with Matthew. I knew it was coming, and on Friday afternoon, he got an upgrade:
He got another one for dinner, too. This was requested:
This was served:
Ellie Krieger’s Macaroni and Four Cheeses? I’d call that an upgrade.
I “upgraded” further by using wholewheat noodles, lowfat cheese, and almond meal instead of breadcrumbs.
Saturday:
On Saturday I got to take my new and improved gym towel to the gym for a morning body sculpting class! This was a gift from my lovely friend Michelle, and it is definitely an upgrade.
I’m pretty sure my old gym towel was uh, borrowed from the Hyatt Honolulu. And it wasn’t pretty.
I played a game with myself at lunch and tried to cram in as many vegetables as possible.
Between my tofu stir fry and leftover Tuscan Vegetable Soup, I counted TEN different kinds of vegetables. I was so proud!
Yup, all for me!
We went out to dinner on Saturday with Matthew’s boss and colleagues. This event definitely called for upgrading my sweats and ponytail.
I believe this is a look that Tyra might call “fierce!” When Matthew saw me ratting my hair, he grabbed the camera and proclaimed, “You’re starting to turn into your mother!”
Hey, I consider that an upgrade 
Sunday:
After we enjoyed lunch with Linda, we went shopping at new (to us) mall and picked up a few much-needed goodies. Remember my broken scale? For a while I thought it was fixed, but after waking up and seeing that both Matthew and I “gained” ten pounds overnight, I had to accept it was toast.
I also got a yoga mat (in case you couldn’t tell, I’ve added “try new exercise classes” to my list of resolutions!), and A BLENDER!
I have been without a blender since we moved at the end of November. I have been desperate for one but haven’t been sure how much we could afford to spend. After much deliberation and research, we decided on a Breville Ikon. Let’s hope it stands the test of time or I’ll be upgrading to something bigger and better.
We came home tired, out of money, and hungry. Enter: Cheap, easy dinner:
Who knew Boboli made wholewheat pizza crusts?! Awesome. We topped ours with tomato sauce, lowfat cheese, spinach, onions, peppers, and ham on Matthew’s sections.
I had two slices with my leftover seafood cobb salad from lunch.
A pizza dinner, just in time for Superbowl Sunday!
Do you sometimes buy things with the intention of upgrading later? Right now, for us there are certain things that are worth “investing” in and certain things that are not. We splurged on a TV and cookware, for example, because we figure we will have those for many years. Whereas we have bought much of our furniture (dining table, sofa, coffee table) from Craigslist, because we know we will want to “upgrade” when we eventually buy a house.
Possibly related posts:
- What’s For Dinner? My meal planning resolution is going well so far! On...
- Mommy & Me Can I just say how happy it made me that...
- Start to Finish Saturday was a lovely day from start to finish! It...
- A Sunday Dinner and Not-Wedding Cake One of the traditions I have come to love since...
- The Hangover As you can imagine, the rest of the weekend was...
That pizza looks AMAZING! I’m going to look into the already made crust now
we totally do that…we actually did it with a car last year, and are in the process of seeking out that upgrade now! we just got a TV, too, and it’s awesome
love that fierce look…go get ‘em
Hehe, love the upgrades.
I have bought things before with the intention of upgrading later. In fact I think the only thing I didn’t do that with was my laptop, which I love. There is a lot to be said for buying what you really want NOW instead of waiting for an upgrade. I think things you use a lot or will use for a long time are worth getting what you want. The rest? Ah. Get what you can and if the time comes when upgrades are a good idea, do it then.
Hahah I LOVE this post. We are all about upgrades too – especially my hubby since he is 10 years older than me.
I like you new gym towel – super cute! When we moved, we upgraded our TVs too!
Great to hear you found your blender. Can’t wait to see what you make with it in the upcoming days. I’m seriously considering trying out the $25 Bullet-knockoff set from Target.
I’ve never seen a gym towel as lovely as yours. Do you know where it came from?
I love this post! We save for upgrades most times. It just seems like we go through periods where stuff breaks or wears out all at once and we can’t afford to get the level we want on all of them!
The Breville was our 2nd choice!!! Let me know how you like it
You do look FIERCE in that pic 
I have that blender, it works very well.
Hi! I just wanted to let you know of a giveaway I am having on my site for Glass Dharma straws. They are beautiful glass straws that are so fun in green smoothies, juices, or even just lemon water. Perhaps your readers would be interested?
Here is the link to the giveaway: http://justaudreyblog.blogspot.com/2010/02/glass-dharma-straws-giveaway.html
Thanks! : )
Audrey
justaudreyblog.blogspot.com
Yes, I bought a blender that is just ok, definitely want to upgrade when I have more funds!
We don’t /buy/ things with the intention of upgrading, we “inherit” them. Pack rat grandmas and parents are so handy
Hunni told me I could upgrade my ring when he bought but I don’t want any other. I like that it fits me and my personality.
We need to upgrade our TV since it is one I’ve had since college and our cookware since it was handme downs.
Hahah to your Oprah pun! That woman amazes me in more ways than one! Woohoo for the upgrades! That towel is really pretty – I love the fun pattern!
I didn’t intend for this to happen but, since July, I’ve upgraded ALL of my electronics (except for TV) and it’s definitely nice
Ten different veggies in one meal is VERY impressive! I think my max has been five or six…so perhaps I need a veggie upgrade!
What a great post! Our DVD player recently died so we bought a cheapie until we can work out what new one to buy! I couldn’t believe that we could buy a cheapie for $49 – which is almost as much as it costs us to both go to the movies once….
beyonce’s upgrade you song is now in my head for the remainder of the night. thank you very much
that towel is SUPER swanky and i’m pretty sure i play the see how many veggies i can fit in my belly game every day…its the best game in the world.
Really enjoyed this post! I like your versions of upgrades, and it’s really sweet that you consider being more like your mother to be an upgrade
I don’t have much room to talk about upgrades since my parents still fully support me financially, but I do think in these terms at times.
i love all the upgrades, in all the different ways you posted about! esp the mac and cheese! hehehe!!!
i don’t know i have much to upgrade in my life right now…maybe just my still mostly high school/college wardrobe. but i have no style, so that probably won’t happen any time soon!
Love all of your upgrades!
The mac n cheese is DEFINITELY an upgrade. Also, we share a mutual love for stir-fries. They are truly the perfect meal, and anyone who does not partake on a regular basis is missing out, big time
The mac n cheese is DEFINITELY an upgrade. Also, we share a mutual love for stir-fries. They are truly the perfect meal, and anyone who does not partake on a regular basis is missing out, big time!
The following paragraph I absolutely love…sheer writing genius…”Personally, I have no problems with this TV. I am not one for needing to see the blades of grass on a football field while watching a game (who am I kidding? I don’t watch games. You know what I mean.). Really, I just need Oprah, and I don’t care what size she comes in. Pun intended.” Love it Lara.
Are you actually “TEASING” your hair? Can you show me how to do it b/c I don’t think I’ve ever done that and I need to learn. Cool that you are turning into your mother- what a compliment (to both of you).
That is the prettiest towel I have ever seen- that was so sweet of Michelle! I’d just hang it and stare at it and keep using the Hyatt towel to wipe my sweat!
well, when I read this subject I thought of course that it had to do with airline travel….as I am married to a man who is obsessed with the highly coveted ‘upgrade’.
Upgrades: we buy a lot of stuff on the cheap but don’t expressly say that we’ll trade up. And lo and behold- we don’t! haha!
Great post! And definitely a theme for us as well at the moment, what with the buying a house and a baby on the way: there’s no room for splurges! I bought a really cheap iron, we got a second hand cabinet for our cd-player and other audio and we’re buying a very cheap shower cubicle thingy for our new house – all with the intention of upgrading in a couple of years. There is something very satisfying about being thrifty – sometimes when you splurge too much you (at least I) feel the same as after indulging too much in food.
I love this post and your upgrades!! And I also have the Breville Ikon — so far, so good, but I don’t really use it for anything crazy haha. Yay for tofu veggie stir fries, too. Sooo tasty and healthy!
Neat post!
After 25 years, I sometimes think about upgrading my wedding rings… Their gold, and I wear all silver jewelry now… but SOMETHING has to remain sacred. This is the ring that he gave me 26 years ago, that started this great journey we’ve been on, so it’s not how much it costs, or what it matches that matters. It’s what it means that matters most. Don’t upgrade your ring!
I still haven’t broken down and replaced my scale. I want to, but can’t bring myself to spend the money on something I really shouldn’t have anyway lol.
I gave in and let the hubbie get a 50 inch plasma when we bought our condo. The thing has practically paid for itself though with the amount of times we’ve stayed in to veg in front of a movie or good show
ps I have total blender envy…that thing is purty!
I’m constantly upgrading. It’s important to live in the “out with the old, in with the new” mentality. It keeps life fresh and new. Love your upgrades!
Boys ‘n their toys! That TV from your brother would have suited me just fine, too!
My old TV from 1993 finally died right before Thanksgiving. I could really care less, I have Hulu. But God forbid my son can’t watch Power Rangers, and I’m not giving up the computer! So I bought a cheap 22 inch flat screen to get us by. Eventually, the small TV will go into the bedroom and I’ll get a larger screen for the living room. No upgrade for now!
Oh my goodness I can’t believe someone would say that to you!!!! That’s truly horrid. I don’t care how trendy different rings get as I age I love my ring that my husband gave me and will never want a new one. This one is to special to me.
That’s definitely not something to tell a woman about her engagement ring!! Oddly enough, I was just discussing ‘upgrading’ my hubby’s wedding ring – the finish is fading and he electrocuted himself on a car battery yesterday and burned a spot into the ring! It’s not even a year old yet…
We did the TV upgrade a while back & next on the list is furniture. All the stuff we currently have is old, mismatched college furniture that definitely doesn’t match my color scheme.
I’m loving that veggie-filled meal!
I love all your upgrades!
There are definitely some things I plan on upgrading…
I like the tv upgrade.
I felt the same way as you did, but decided to splurge on a flatscreen after the holidays (finally gave in when the sound started going in and out- something I’m soooo not cool with). Trust me, you’ll love your new one and realize everything you’ve been missing! I sound like a guy when I say that…
Ha ha – I totally have that Panasonic TV Lara! It’s upstairs. In our living room, we have CD’s old TV. It’s not much better. We talk about upgrading, look at the flat screens every week at Costco, but never buy them. I prefer to spend money on kitchen appliances.
No Vita-Mix.
However, happy to see you bought a good blender. I’m sure it will hold up, but when you do decided to upgrade the Vita, I promise you will never regret it.
Love the almond meal in your mac & cheese. Definitely a HEAB friendly upgrade!
*do decided to upgrade TO the Vita
Ugh…*decide. Sorry, I’ll stop now.
haha I LOVED this upgrade post!! I bet you are loving that new TV as well as Matthew! I love the upgraded mac and cheese AND how you are “turning into your mother” haha. grea tnew blender, scale and yoga mat! yoga yoga yoga!
Gotta love upgrades! There’s just something about knowing that better things will come that makes waiting worth it.
ooh, this is such a fun post Lara
I’m most impressed by the upgrade from breadcrumbs to almond meal – that’s such a good idea!! Although, I also love the mom upgrade. I’d be lucky to turn into my mom too (mostly 
)
I love the schmancy gym towel! I always bring my crappiest stuff to the gym with me, but really I should be bringing my nicest stuff
Oh, wow! When did Boboli start making Whole Wheat pizza crusts? I don’t go to the regular supermarket often, so I miss these kinds of things, especially in the summer when the farmers’ market is open.
Defintely have to make a trip there to see if those are available here!
Every time I skim through your blog and see this post I get a massive craving for mac & cheese!!!!!