garden grove – Insider Irene

March Favorites 2023

Published on April 27, 2023April 25, 2023 by Insider IreneLeave a comment

The hours for my seasonal part-time job ramped up so I equally if not even more so busy than usual. My grandma also passed away this month so I had more responsibilities on my plate than usual. Regardless, I was able to enjoy a few indulgences to help me get through the month. Check ’em out!

$ Bargain

The Blooms (Diamond Valley Lake): See a sea of beautiful wildflowers in the city of Hemet. Vehicle is $11 and $4 per person to see the blooms. It does get busy so plan to come early! Get more tips here!

Wondercon and Brisker Sandwich (bottom two)

$$ Moderate

Convention (Wondercon): Wondercon is one of my favorite conventions as there’s a great assortment of vendors, cosplays, and panels. It’s the baby brother of SDCC but for $35-$55 a day (or 3 day early bird for $120), it’s affordable and you don’t have to fight over getting a ticket. Learn more here.

Brisket Sandwich (Destination Smokehouse & Eatery): If you love meat you’ll love the BBQ at Destination Smokehouse in Hemet, CA. The Brisket & Cheddar ($14.50) Sando is where it’s at! Drool more here.

$$$ Splurge

Disney themed facial (Fairytale Facials): If you love Disney and you want/need a few hours of pampering this woman owned business in Garden Grove, CA is for you. Treatment ranges from $150-$165 and I liked it so much that I already booked my next appointment. Read more here and see the video here.

Until Next Time,

Irene

February Favorites 2023

Published on April 25, 2023April 25, 2023 by Insider IreneLeave a comment

2023 sure has been a wild year. I took on a seasonal part-time job (in addition to my full time day job) so I’ve been more occupied than usual to try new places; however, these were my favorites for this month and I hope you’ll check ’em out! Also, better late than never, am I right? lol

$ Bargain

Boba Drink (Taty’s Speciality Coffee & Tea): I met up with a friend from out of town and Taty’s in Westminster, CA was a goof half-way point. The environment inside was very conducive to hanging out with friends, and/or working on a laptop with white noise. Boba drinks are roughly $4-$6 and there’s a range of fruity teas, lattes, and smoothie options. My go-to is Brown Sugar and their boba’s had the perfect texture. Read more here.

Octopus Fried Rice (Gaenali Bon Ha Korean Restaurant)

$$ Moderate

Hot Stone w/ Octopus, Vegetable & Spicy Sauce – Fried Rice (Gaenali Bon Ga Korean Restaurant): Read more here. I wouldn’t usually order fried rice at a restaurant, but this hole-in-the-wall mom n’ pop shop in Garden Grove, does a legit job and there are nice chunks of octopus in this one. This dish is $22 and definitely one I recommend to share. Read more here.

$$$ Splurge

Bossom (Jong Ro Shul Lung Tang): Garden Grove, CA has some amazing Korean food and the Bossom at Jong Ro Shul Lung Tang is no exception. If you want essentially yummy Korean tacos (Bossom) this is a good spot to enjoy ’em. For roughly $40 this is a great appetizer or meal. Full review here.

Until Next Time,

Irene

“Fall”ing back to blogging! – Locks of Love, Operation Xmas Child, & Great Thrift Finds!

Published on November 4, 2013November 4, 2013 by Insider Irene1 Comment

Goodness gracious!! It’s been months since I last blogged and I am so sorry that I’ve been gone for so long. It’s been kind of crazy juggling daily visits to the hospital (grandmother’s not doing well) during the college- application season (I work in a HS) among other challenging obligations. But enough with the excuses… here’s the 411 on my frugal adventures!

photo (6)

1) I chopped off all my hair for $20 and donated it to Locks of Love– a non-profit that provides wigs for children with cancer. For all my local readers out there, I went to Bebe Salon (Yelp Review) in Garden Grove and got my hair washed, cut and styled for an Andrew Jackson. Yes!

2) Today I dropped off two Christmas shoeboxes (Instagram photo) for Operation Christmas Child filled with hygiene products, school supplies, and toys for one special boy and girl in a “to-be-determined” country. I paid for shipping online, so my box will be tracked. Can’t wait to see where it ends up I only wished that I had stocked up during the various Back-to-School sales in September. Next year!

3) Shopping: To be honest, I haven’t really gone shopping or even thrift shopping in a while. I’ve been extremely consumed by work and extremely exhausted, but in October I was invited to two private shopping events at Deja New in Costa Mesa, CA and boy did I really hit the jackpot.

On both visits There were special discounts on boots, dresses, and pants. In addition if you made a $10 purchase you automatically qualify for a $5 discount, say what?! Yeah, I was completely shocked by the merchandise available. They had some amazing outfits and the prices were seriously hard to beat. In the first outfit I scored this rockin’ Cynthia Steffe dress with a front exposed zipper and chunky pair of Burgundy BCBG shoes. This is such a fun outfit for a night out on the town.

My second outfit was actually one that my mom picked out. This adorable drop waist olive dress paired with these high Naturalizer chocolate riding boats is such a girly Fall look that is reminiscent of what an anime character might wear, or perhaps I’m watching too many Sailor Moon episodes, haha…

photo (5) Fall Pairings On my second trip I made it a priority to arrive early to snag as many jewelry pieces possible, since I saw a “All jewelry is $1” on their website. Sweet! And my second visit to Deja New was no less stellar than my first. I scored a girly Betsey Johnson necklace, Cookie Lee pieces, and items that could have easily been returned to Macy’s (tags still on!). These are definitely accessories that would easily glam up any outfit.

In the third outfit I am wearing Calvin Klein from head to toe. The rich eggplant one shoulder dress paired with the classic black pumps make for an elegant and sophisticated evening attire. I just hope that there’s a classy event to showcase this little number. I also scored a pair of Ed Hardy jeans and a pair of Alice and Olivia slacks (not pictured), but they need to be shortened as well as a pair of Stuart Weitzmen tortoise heals- super adorable (instagram photo)!

I’m thinking about hosting my own private Deja New Party as the proceeds help put women back to work and the items they sell really is top notch. And of course all good parties have rockin music and light Hors D’oeuvres to entertain the savvy shoppers.

Are you game for a Deja New Party (in Costa Mesa) with Yu Bargain Rockstar? If yes, when should I host? Sound away below!

Your Truly,

Rockstar