Viva Las Vegas

We recently embarked on a trip to Las Vegas, NV. It was a special trip as we met my mother who had endured over 20 hours to get from England to Las Vegas to join us for a week long 'once in a lifetime' strip trip.

Cory on the way to the Mandalay Bay

The Mandalay Bay

The Mandalay has a GIANT fish tank in the lobby

My mom and I at Raffles Cafe

Eggs Benedict

Cory and I enjoyed the February sunshine

On our way to New York, New York

Outside of New York, New York are shirts signed by fireman in aid of 9/11

us again

The Statue of Liberty

Man hole in New York, New York

Just like the streets of New York

The fabulous Monte Carlo

recreating the statue, with clothes on

the Monte Carlo

My mom and I in the Aria

Each hotel was decorated in some way for Chinese New Year

Kiki and Cory in the bird chairs outside the Aria

My mom and I in the bird chairs

The Cosmopolitan

Beautiful view of the strip

Inside the Bellagio atrium

the year of the Dragon

very impressive water features

We had lemonade and a fruit platter at Cafe Bellagio

Lovely service and incredible surroundings

My mom in the Bellagio

and me too

Trust Cory to pose

The Bellagio before the water fountains went off

The gorillas

Lioness at the MGM. We were glad to be there on the last day. They are taking the lions out and putting a nightclub in place instead.

Later that evening Cory and I went to the Lynyrd Skynyrd bar at the Excalibur, where we were staying

The served beer in mugs and 1/2 a chicken is just that

Cory at the Riviera. Another tourist couple saw what we were doing and stopped to do the same

Mom and I in the Wynn

At the Venetian, it was a tad windy that day

Lovely architecture

Fantastic ceilings

Cory and my mom by the fountain

My mom and I by the fountain.

At the mirage

Cory and I at the Mirage. If you haven't seen the Volcano show outside, it's a must. Incredible

The strip at night

View from the walkway

We ate at PF Chang's in Planet Hollywood twice. Delicious

Monte Carlo at night

Our hotel the Excalibur at night

As our tradition goes we had breakfast at the Pyramid Cafe in the Luxor on our last morning. We love that place. And we even sat at the same table.

It was a fun filled trip.

We had a Eggs Benedict at Raffles, where I cut my finger,

watched the spectacular water show at the Bellagio,

figured out the free tram, and had it down by the end of the week,

we saw not one but two lionesses,

a volcano erupt,

a cheesy Circus Circus performance,

had the all British lunch at the Queen Vic at the Riviera,

only lost $20 and $10 of that was not even ours,

had our food served on a baking sheet at the Lynyrd Skynyrd bar,

still didn't get to see the Treasure Island show, probably never will,

walked miles and miles and got sore feet.

Luckily, my mom had a supply of plasters (band aids) in her purse,

we even encountered a snobby waiter, who frowned upon only ordering coffee at a cafe. So we went elsewhere.

We went in EVERY hotel on the strip our favorite is still the Bellagio,

googled how much it costs to stay in the Bellagio penthouse,

$6000 if your interested. PER NIGHT,

were happy to come home, yet had an equally enjoyable time.

We live on percentages

We are by no means wealthy, yet.

When I moved into the household almost 8 months ago, I evaluated mine and my boyfriends finances. At first we had separate accounts and spent here and there, until the day I opened his unopened envelopes.

He was in some debt, but was never going to get out of it because he was borrowing from Peter to pay Paul. So, I took matters in my own hands and with a simple calender wrote everything we owed down.

Now only 3 months later we have everything finally taking off. We have money in savings and in our holiday account.

Here is a pie chart showing how we divide our money:

50% household {any household bills inc. car payment}

10% savings     {used in emergencies or for our home projects}
10% vacation   {we shop for the cheapest times to travel online and use this account well travelling}
10% food         {we withdraw the cash and keep it in a mason jar}
10% cars          {used for gas, oil changes and car repair}
10% spending  {we split this, we each only get to spend 5% of each paycheck}

If we can do it, anyone can.

Menu Monday

Today I'd like to share our menu and shopping list this week.

The List:

Frozen fruit which we use to make smoothies

Bagel Thins

Butter

Spaghetti Sauce

Chicken, whole cooked

Mayonnaise

Peanut Butter

Juice {we usually get 3 different varieties}

Minute rice

Onions {miniature}

Soup {Two different varieties, fresh not canned}

Pot Pies

Baby Potatoes

From the Asian store:

Coconut milk is usually cheaper than at the grocery store

Wal-Mart:

Chopped spring onions

Canadian bacon, has a lot less fat

Breakfasts:

Bagel thins lightly buttered with Canadian bacon, spring onions and cheese

Coffee

Meals:

Chicken pot pies with roasted baby potatoes, peas and carrots

Chicken curry with rice

Spaghetti, meatballs and sauce with finely chopped onion and sweet peppers

Soup with a slice of lightly buttered bread {twice this week}

Chicken curry sandwiches with spring onions

Roasted sweet peppers, onions and baby potatoes with chicken

Smoothies, made with 1 yogurt, frozen fruit and ice.

Some of our meals will be using ingredients we already have. We a couple so we tend to spend little of food, yet each fresh and wholesome each and every day.

Happy Delicious New Year,