Spend Report #12: Soap, glorious soap!

Soap and other goodies from Pure and Juicy Bath

Twenty-four. That’s how many bars of soap I have squirreled away in my bathroom. That’s why my husband groans a little when I tell him I’m going to a craft fair.

Other people go to craft fairs to buy Christmas presents. That’s why I claim I go. I really go to buy soap. My habit started off with the Body Shop’s glycerine soaps, especially satsuma. I was pretty loyal to their stuff for quite some time, but then I started trying other types and now I'm a hardcore bar soap user. I dabble a bit with some French bars, but what I really love is pure B.C. gold. There are a ton of fabulous soap makers in B.C.

One of my favourites is Naked, made on Bowen Island, but I'm always on the look-out for more sources and craft fair season is when I feed my addiction. (See how close I was to making a lame joke about having "a good, clean habit," yet deftly avoided it? See how I got it in there while claiming to avoid it?)

This year I discovered Juicy Bath Soapworks at the Herbert Spencer Elementary craft fair. I got four bars, including chocolate covered strawberry, which my husband initially thought was fudge. I stopped him before he ate it.

I also bought a bar made by Pure Daily Essentials (based in Langley) at Urban Academy's craft fair, along with some of their skin care products, which are gentle and smell great too.

It was a good shopping week in New West:

• I attended the long-awaited opening of Donald's Market, (which I waxed rhapsodic about in a previous post);
• I went to a shopping night at Pedagogy Toys;
• I found some ultra-pretty, ultra-sparkly Christmas ornaments at Lofty Living;
• I tried out the Village Coffee Lounge on 12th St. for the first time and found out they sell reasonably priced coffee beans;
• and I got a massage at Columbia Integrated Health

From Nov. 19 to 25, I spent about $750 in New Westminster (please remember, and I'm addressing my husband here, I had a couple of really slow spending weeks!). Close to half was spent at local, independent businesses and/or on locally or Canadian-made items.

I spent $750 at/on:

• A & W
• Hand cream at Adriana's in Royal City Centre mall
• Toiletries at London Drugs
• Bloco set at Pedagogy Toys
• Christmas ornaments at Lofty Living
• Candles and holders at a PartyLite party
• Lunch, an eggnog latte, and fair trade coffee beans at the Village Coffee Lounge
• Coffee and sandwich at Starbucks
• Snack at Tim Hortons
• Groceries at Safeway and Donald’s Market
• Massage

At Herbert Spencer craft fair:

• Cutting board
• Soap and lotion by Juicy Bath
• Christmas ornaments

At Urban Academy craft fair:

• Tea
• Pure Daily Essentials soap, skin care kit, and face mist
• Cookies