Show me the money!!

So, I checked my bank balance today. And of course I have no money. No seriously. Every time I go to the ATM, I'm filled with dread :D If I add up all the numbers in my head, it sounds atrocious, the amount of money I've spent. At first, when the guy who'd gone for the same exchange last year had told me the amount of money I should expect to spend, I'd laughed. I was so sure I could live in less than that. But now, I know what he meant :D

This post is more about how I've spent my money. Very happily I should tell you. Richmond Row, Loblaws and Starbucks stole all my money! Every time I go grocery shopping, I start thinking about recipes, and I end up buying more than my share of extra peppercorn goat cheese or Chorizo sausage! I thought I'd be a lazy cook and just cook dal rice or vegetables and sandwiches every day. As we all know, that is emphatically not the case! I'm taking full advantage of the fact that I get such different ingredients here, and Loblaws (my closest grocery store) is taking advantage of my debit card. But then, when I cook up some stuffed mushrooms or some chicken stir fry, I feel great! Cooking is indeed a joy!

Eating!! After a couple of months of Jack's and Ceeps overdose, it was time to explore good food in London (ON). And you know, it hasn't really disappointed me! Some excellent European food (I don't know if the Europeans agree with me :D ) exists in places like Garlics, Bertoldi's and the Tasting Room. Sugar freaks like me will love London too- Marble Slab and Cold Stone Creamery, Jack Astor's (the world's smallest brownie is amazing), Cafe One (Oreo Brownie Cheesecake) and the latest I discovered- Hey, Cupcake! A small stand-alone bakery that only serves cupcakes and gourmet cookies, Stefania, Therese and I had a great hour or so eating huge delicious cupcakes and great coffee. Yum! Everywhere I've gone, I've never underestimated the importance of food in travel. A good meal can make any crappy day suddenly better! More than Chemical Engineering, my knowledge of food has grown exponentially here :)

The fact that I'm on my fourth cup of coffee for the day demonstrates how I've spent my money on caffeine over the past four months. Oh, and I owe Greyhound some credit for the dents in my bank balance too! Overall, I may have spent ridiculous amounts of money in Canada, but I'm a richer person than the one who arrived here four months ago :)