Days like this don’t have to be expensive. I scoured etsy for these easy gift ideas, but you could always bake her these awesome peanut butter brownies or get someone to sing her a funny song about being a mum on fiverr.com. Who said your mum was difficult to buy for?

How soft-looking is this cotton and crochet scarf? $20 US, plus postage.

Gorgeous nautical print, $30 US (unframed), plus postage.

Hand stamped vintage teaspoon, $12US plus postage.

Cream homemade Turkish knitted slippers, $20US + postage.

Paper mache silver and white bowl, $26 + postage, made to order.

Soft fleecy green sweatshirt, a bargain at $40US + postage.

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Real-life discount shopping is enough to give any girl a thrill, but right now, it seems like the whole internet is a sale. Check out these beauties from around the net — all heavily reduced, bargains, and just plain gorgeous.

Love this Marla Carmen Patchwork handbag on Asos. $105.43 reduced to $68.12, plus another 10% off if you enter the code Outlet10. Free shipping.

Love these versatile cashmere coats – 20% off right now – $109US, plus $10 to ship, from Etsy. What would be more useful do you think – this camel colour, or the beautiful dark grey coat?

Dare to dream? These dark corduroys only look good on the seriously small waisted, right? Shopbop’s 70% off sale always has amazingly affordable dream-worth contenders. Blank Denim Corduroys, $25US, reduced from $84US, plus shipping. But if your waist looks more like mine, these stunning scarves are half price.

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This week, I decided to take advantage of the spike in the dollar and do a spot of online shopping. And, is it just me, or have the online shopping mobs kinda picked up their act lately? I swear it has never been this easy … good for convenience, terrible for our bank balances!

Here’s a snapshot of what I bought this week, and just how easy it was.

This Coatt Necklace is gorgeous. It spells a word of your choice out in morse code … super cute. It cost me $40US, plus $10US to ship from the States to me in Sydney –  in a week. I’ve been looking for a dainty short necklace like this one, but could only find gold, and Coatt lets you choose your metal, plus the colour of the silk cord. Nice. Their website was so easy to navigate – I didn’t need to become a member or sign up to anything with a password to buy something – and the whole transaction on my Visa card took less than two minutes. And it is tough to beat that price point – with our dollar still strong, it worked out at around $37. Could anyone find a necklace like this in a Sydney store for that price range? Not likely …

We had a bit of a rubber thong blowout in our house this week (now I’m giggling thinking of all the poor fellas finding this blog after a distinctly more erotic Google search). So I tried www.surfstitch.com.au for the first time. I was impressed. While it is a bit hard to find the button that allows you to buy something and head to the checkout without signing up as a member, searching for a product is easy, their Havaianas were only $19.95, and I got free express delivery. Yep, I’d go back.

But buying a children’s book for my Kindle after an emergency small-person-needs-entertaining-real-fast crisis arose was easily the fastest and cheapest thing I did online last week. For those non-Kindle users amongst us, downloading one-click buying could be both the best and worst thing I’ve done this year. On the one hand, it makes buying books as easy as one click – the Kindle syncs to my laptop where I browse and click on the books I like on Amazon, simple as that. But on the other, I have gone a little book crazy in the past month or so, and spent a stupid amount on so many books, I’m wondering if I’ll ever get the chance to read all of them. Shall we say my virtual bedside table pile is toppling …

So, do you think shopping online is getting easier? Almost too easy? Have the websites wised up? Or have you had a shocker online shopping experience lately? Or have you been trying to curb your online addiction?

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Loving these inexpensive monogram platters. Large one $45.

Lambskin leather handbag, $115US.

And this labdradorite sterling silver ring for $96 USD.

Did you hear Etsy.com is launching an Australian site next month? Can’t wait.

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2012. Didn’t that used to seem like a long way away?

So the New Year has started, you’re back to working hard (or thinking about being on holidays while back at work), it feels like you never had a holiday, and all that stuff. Well, cheer up – time to start working on your 2012 is the Year I Get Richer plan.

Nope, sadly this isn't a realistic way to get wealthier in 2012.

The first – and easiest – thing to do is take a look at all of your expenses, and work out how to make them cheaper – get a spending diary if you have to. Are you using everything that you pay for monthly or fortnightly – like gym memberships, Foxtel, a big internet package, multiple bank account fees, and that kind of stuff? Make a list of them, and if you’re not sure why you’re still holding onto them, get rid of it.

Next, ring your bank and see what they can do about all of the fees and charges you currently pay on your savings account, other bank accounts, and most importantly your credit cards. If you ask your bank, “I’ve worked out from my statements that I’m paying $15 a month to you guys in fees, how can you make this cheaper for me?”, in the majority of cases, they will.

Then, ring all of your service providers – car and home insurance, private health, and talk to them about better or cheaper deals. It helps – a lot –  if you do an online comparison first and let them know (very politely) that’ll you’ll go elsewhere if they can’t find you a better deal, especially if you can name the provider and how much you’ll save. I did this last year and saved heaps on my car insurance.

Got a lump of money sitting in a normal bank account? Move it to a term deposit or a high interest account. Check out who has the best rates here.

What can you sell that you don’t need? If you’re not sure, put it in a box at the back of your cupboard or garage for a few months. If you don’t get it out of the box, then you don’t need it, and you can sell it online for extra (tax free) cash.

And if you still haven’t, grab an old shoebox and mark it RECEIPTS. It is such an easy way to keep all of your receipts for tax time. If you’re not sure if it is useable, just keep it – your accountant will sort that out.

If you’ve got another tip for an easy way to get rich or save cash this year, leave it in the comments below.

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Just a note on all things Christmassy … remember you’ll end up in credit card debt by January if you’re not careful …. so note this Grinchy reminder. Got it?

And if you really get a kick out of spending, (still!!), just fantasy shop. SO much cheaper! And still fun … And this year, make it a resolution to try, try, try to NOT SPEND MONEY ON SHIT YOU DON’T NEED. If you just do that one thing, you’ll be richer.

Oh, and remember, New Years resolutions are a total crock. Just decide to be richer next year instead.

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If you’re not going to take advantage of this strong Aussie dollar by heading overseas to shop, there’s still a few ways to take advantage of our currency without even leaving your desk.  Here’s a few websites I love …

Butterflies collage, rowantreedesign shop at Etsy

www.etsy.com – most of us have visited the “handmade EBay”, but since everything on the site – even Australian stuff – is listed in Aussie dollars, now is a great time to pick up beautiful handmade jewellery, homewares, and clothing.

www.theoutnet.com is a new favourite. Their Flash Sales are really worth a look … and the best bit is the returns policy. If you return something, they’ll refund the lot, including the outbound postage you paid in the first place. Puts your mind at ease when you’re doing online shopping.

www.bhphotovideo.com is the NYC-based camera and electronic geek heaven. Go nuts.

www.20×200.com is a well-known affordable art project based in the States. Today, art there starts at $18.75 Aussie (the $20 selections on the site include artwork and original, limited edition photography) + shipping.

www.1-day.com.au OK, you’re not going to take advantage of a low US dollar here, but I couldn’t resist putting it in, after a hot tip-off from my friend Alex, who spends all day looking for the best internet bargains. On any one day, there’s three great deals on here.

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More than a decade ago now, I remember thinking my mum was SO daggy because she couldn’t believe I’d paid $90 for a pair of jeans. In 1998, when Gettin Jiggy Wit It was Number 1, I was (trying) to rock a VERY expensive pair of  … Whatever They Weres. I was very excited about them at the time. Now buggered if I can remember the brand. Huh.

Point is, now, if I saw a pair of designer jeans for $90, I’d race over to the 50% off rack (that’s the only place you’d find them), and fight 3 other size-tens for the chance to try them on. And tell all your girlfriends about your bargain. Ok, that was 13 years ago, and I get the concept of inflation. But now, just like my mum, I’m staggered at price hikes in fashion, entertainment, food and life in general in the past few years, and even more staggered that wages in Australia simply haven’t kept in step.

So we’ve got two choices – get paid more, or spend less. I reckon you should do both. But today, let’s look at getting paid more.

If you’re not going to quit your job, you need to ask your boss for a pay rise. I know, awkward.  Here’s a few tips to make it less fist-clenchingly uncomfortable for you.

* Remember that things will only be uncomfortable for a little while – hopefully only a few minutes – in front of your boss. Like doing the plank at Bootcamp, it’s short term pain, you know that uncomfortable moment is going to go away. So make like a Bandaid and do it quick.

* Talk to your boss in positive terms – don’t make it seem like a whinge. Something along the lines of “I love it here, but I want to be paid more” is going to come across a lot better than “I hate that I don’t get paid enough” when asking for a salary increase.

* Make a list of notes in case your mind goes blank in the office – or send a short, friendly email outlining your contributions to the company over the past year and why you should have a pay hike. But always try to do at least part of the negotiating in person. It’ll mean more cash for you.

* Do your research first and work out what the market is paying for similar positions.

* Tell the truth. If you haven’t been sought out by a rival company, don’t make out that you have – it’ll come back to bite you.

* And if you really don’t think your boss will give you cash, try to negotiate on the things that cost you to come to work – gym fees in the city, parking and toll passes, and other benefits.

Have you ever asked for a pay rise? Did you have any success?

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Well, yes and no. Well, no. Kind of – maybe. If you love it? Yes. Arrgh.

Buying something you really don’t need is hard when you’re saving for something like paying off debts or a house deposit or a mortgage.

But constantly denying yourself the things you love all the time is no good either … you’ll save plenty of money, but your life will be crappier as a result. I reckon there’s a few basic questions you should ask yourself before buying TYJDN (Things You Just Don’t Need), and this’ll help you make your decision.

* Is the thing a one-off? — That’s important for buying a piece of art, as opposed to (another) new pair of jeans

* Have you shopped around and made sure this thing is at a comparable price to other similar things? — That’s important for things like jewellery or electronics where the price for TYJDNs can differ hugely from brand to brand.

* What would happen if you didn’t buy it? — Since it’s a TYJDN, probably not much, but if it’s something like an extra activity while you’re on a holiday, what will happen is that you’d likely never be able to do that again. If that eats you up inside, buy it. If the thought of never doing it isn’t devastating, don’t buy it.

* Is there a reason you want it so much? — Does it go with your house, is it an incredibly unique colour, is there a particular reason you fell in love with the TYJDN? The reason would want to be a pretty good one.

* Are you able to go away, think about it, and come back? — Sometimes the desire to buy that kind of stuff (particularly clothes and handbags) passes if you decide to think about it and come back. If you find you haven’t been thinking about it constantly for the rest of the day after you first spied it, you don’t want it that much. Walk away. If it’s burning a hole in your heart, like really burning a hole in your heart, go back.

* Is it similar to something you already own? — If it is, walk. Away.

* Are you buying a TYJDN to cheer you up? — If you are, ring up a girlfriend and go for a glass of wine instead. That’ll be $193 cheaper than a vintage lamp you can’t actually fit into your bedroom anyway, and works way better than retail therapy.

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I love wandering around the markets in whatever city I find myself in these days. And if I can’t, shopping on handmade and artisan website Etsy is the next best thing for me. I love it. Love. Here’s my favourites from today.

I Love My Boots framed print, $30 US.

Custom rings with a secret message inside, $50 US.

Handbag made from old leather jacket, $125US.

Cute polar bear print, $25US.

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