Glamorous Sonia Goes Budget Shopping in Estonia, Part 2

So Glamorous Sonia continues shopping in Estonia! By the way, just an update for all my readers. I started my blog as ” Glamorously Single and Unemployed” in January 2020, then later on changed it to “Glamorous Sonia”. So my current situation is “Still Glamorously Single but Employed”.😄 So finally found a job so I can afford my budget fashion. 😄 Enjoy my affordable fashion post below:

1. This short bright yellow cotton dress is from MOHITO on sale for 14,99€.

Love this bright coloured cotton dress from MOHITO. It’s mostly for summer weather, but I have paired it with woollen tights, boots and a jacket to survive cold Estonian weather!

2. This 100 percent cotton light blue dress is from MOHITO for only 6€ on sale. I’m also trying on a leather belt by Calvin Klein Jeans in Kaubamaja, price 39,90€.

This 100% cotton light blue dress was on sale for only 6€ in MOHITO and Calvin Klein Jeans belt from Kaubamaja, Tallinn for 39,90€.

3. I got this simple cotton black dress on sale from MOHITO for 9,99€. It’s suitable for many occasions depending how you style it. Here it’s paired with cotton black leggings from MOHITO (9,90€) and black leather boots for cold weather by Remonte (a brand by Rieker, Swiss footwear manufacturer) I bought from Kaubamaja on -20% discount, 112€.

I got this 100% cotton black dress from MOHITO for only 9,99€, black leather boots by Remonte on -20% sale from Kaubamaja.

4. This simple but elegant look is perfect for work. The jacket is 39,90€ from Reversed, dress is from MOHITO on sale for 9,90€, belt by Calvin Klein Jeans for 39,90€, and black leather boots by Remonte/ Rieker on sale for 112€.

Jacket 39,90€ from Reversed, dress from MOHITO on sale 9,90€, belt by Calvin Klein Jeans 39,90€, and black leather boots by Remonte/ Rieker on sale 112€.

5. This cute cotton summer dress is super comfortable and can be worn indoors in winter time too. You can even sleep on it because it’s so comfortable! Also from MOHITO on sale for only 5,99€.

Cute striped cotton summer dress when it’s summer again or I have a vacation! This cute Dress was only 6€ from MOHITO.

6. Versatile dark pink dress for work, parties, traveling, you name it! Again, bought it on sale from MOHITO for 9,99€. Style it with quality shoes, like these ballerinas by Michael Kors.

Cute dark pink paired with light beige Michael Kors ballerinas. Dress is from MOHITO for 9,90€ and ballerinas were on sale for 75€ on Michael Kors online store.

6. These cute sunglasses by MISSONI were on sale for 140€ from Solaris Shopping Mall.

Cute sunglasses by Missoni from Solaris Shopping Mall for only 140€ on sale.

Happy shopping everyone! 🙂👠👞

Men Who Use a Number Rating Scale for Women

Not sure if there are “10s” men or women reading my blog, but I’m most definitely not one according to these douchebags’ scales. These douchebags rate women from 1-10 and there are THOUSANDS of videos online about this.

I had one guy tell me once that he thinks he is an eight. I was just quietly thinking, where does he rate me in his scale? AND do I even want to know? Needless to say, it never worked out.

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Is Associating Jealousy with Love Normal?

A female friend just made a statement about my jealousy issues and I decided to write a blog post about it. She said “you associate jealousy with love and that is NOT healthy”, when I told her that I feel comfortable and cared for when a man questions if I’m really there where I tell him I am and asks to confirm with video or pictures and other jealous behavior. I feel good. Some consider it super unhealthy but I feel like showing jealousy is caring, being temperamental is showing emotions and asking questions and suspiciousness is normal for new relationships.

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Memorial Post for My Dear Mother

RIP Marja-Liisa Jain 6.2.1949 – 27.8.2021. Always in my heart dear mother. Ikuisesti sydämmessäni rakas äiti. ❤️❤️

Here’s my mother with a Russian friend in Moscow where she studied Russian language in the 1970s.

My mother was active in raising social issues and helped her friends in Russia in the Soviet Union era by bringing them Western clothes and food from Finland. She also made sure that her daughters knew about world-wide problems, such as social inequalities, animal farming, and the dangers of processed food and alcohol.

My mother passed away from a serious long-term illness three weeks ago. It’s very hard to put into a few words how someone who gave birth to you, raised you, and taught you your values impacted your life. A mother is a mother, always puts her children’s needs before her own, never appreciated enough, always protecting you, yet always gets blamed. My mother told me “hullu ei huomaakkaan, viisas ei virka mittään” (direct translation: “a fool won’t even notice, a wise man won’t utter a word”) when I always pointed out my flaws to her. She told me that beauty fades so it’s better to educate yourself and feed your mind with good music and books and travel the world and experience life instead of buying material things. She loved classical literature, such as Dostoevsky and Tolstoy and everything about Russian culture including the food and churches. So much so that she studied in Moscow and learned the language and then later on visited for holidays almost every year. Her favourite song was Pomp and Circumstance by Edward Elgar. She loved cooking, baking, and gardening. Her favourite animal of all time was a cat and she made me love cats to the moon and back.

My mother gave birth to me in a hospital in California.

My mother was an educated woman, believed in feminist values, yet loved traditional family values and having a long-lasting marriage with kids. Her dreams came true as she married a loving loyal Indian man and raised two educated daughters despite all the ups and downs our family went through. She loved her pregnancies under the California sun where she gave birth to both me and sister.

My mother fell seriously ill in 2015 and spent her last years in a nursing home and I visited her almost every week until her death. I saw her the night before she died and she smiled with her eyes when I told her some good news that happened to me. ❤️

Glamorous Sonia Goes Budget Shopping in Estonia

  1. I bought this light and long blue summer dress from Takko Fashion in Nautica Shopping Mall for only 19,90€. Perfect for short but hot Estonian summers.
Light and long blue summer dress from Takko Fashion in Nautica Shopping Mall for only 19,90€.
Photo by: Elias Siltala

2. This 100 percent cotton grey T-shirt was a random bargain purchase for only 1,90€ from hardware store, Tööriistamarket, in Järve Keskus. Pair this plain T-shirt with feminine jeans or a skirt, some trendy shoes, and glamorous accessories.

This 100% cotton grey T-shirt was a random bargain purchase for only 1,90€ from hardware store, Tööriistamarket, in Järve Keskus.

3. I got this 100 percent cotton white summer dress by Polish designer brand, Barbara Studio on 50 percent discount (original price was 75€) from MORA in Nautica Shopping Mall.

I got this 100% cotton white summer dress by Polish designer brand, Barbara Studio on 50% discount (original price 75€) from MORA in Nautica Shopping Mall.

4. Fashionable navy blue top by Morgan was on sale for only 14,90€ (original price was 39,90€) from Apranga store in Kristiine Keskus. The trendy red pants by Monton were on sale for 25€ from Ivo Nikkolo store.

Navy blue top by Morgan on sale for only 14,90€ (original price 39,90€) from Apranga in Kristiine Keskus and trendy red pants by Monton on sale for 25€ from Ivo Nikkolo store.

5. This cute and versatile black mini bag by Coach was only 120€ on sale in Kaubamaja, Tallinn. Pictured with a grey wool coat by Michael Kors bought on sale online last year.

Cute black mini bag by Coach for 120€ on sale in Kaubamaja, Tallinn.

So which one of the five looks is your favorite? Perhaps number 2, the “just arrived to Tallinn from Finland two weeks ago” or maybe number 4 “Lived in Tallinn for three months already, bitch”. 😀 Comment below or feel free to send me a message. 🙂

Budget Fashion in Estonia with Laura

Laura looks great in everything and this whole outfit cost her less than 100 euros. Photo: Sonia Jain

Laura Pukk is a true style icon for young women worldwide. She is from Tallinn and works in the HR department. She is really interested in fashion and absolutely loves shopping.

Laura isn’t afraid to style herself with budget fashion either. All her clothes and accessories in the pictures cost between ten to 30 euros.

She is wearing:

  • Blouse by H&M, 20 euros
  • Jeans from Zara, 25 euros
  • Bag from MOHITO, on sale 10 euros
  • Shoes (slippers) from Deichmann, 10 euros

Glamorous Sonia will continue to explore more budget fashion with trendy style icons from different parts of the world. Happy shopping darlings! 🙂

Laura’s cute and timeless handbag is from MOHITO in Tallinn. Photo: Sonia Jain

Budget Fashion with Sulistiany

Petite Sulistiany is from Indonesia and looks great in budget fashion. Photo by: Sonia Jain

Budget fashion and luxury fashion can be found from every corner in the world, but one thing never changes, money can’t buy style and class. 🙂 You either have it or you don’t. Sulistiany Ichwandi is originally from Indonesia and she doesn’t need thousands of euros for stylish clothes and accessories. Well-fitting clothes, suitable colors and comfortable shoes are the key for a classic and feminine style.

Sulistiany’s dress is 40€ ($47) from Body & Soul, summer sandals 60€ ($71) from Les Tropeziennes and her bag is 25€ ($29) from Rattan. So even if you can’t afford international traveling (like me at the moment), you can order most international and more exotic brands online. Happy shopping everyone. 🙂

Budget Fashion- Style Icon Julie Kim

Julie Kim is a stylish businesswoman who is comfortable in combining cheap fashion with luxury fashion. Her sunglasses are 10€ from AliExpress and her jumpsuit is from Zara sales for 16€ and heels are Purificación Garcia for 210€. Photo by: Sonia Jain

Who says you can’t combine luxury fashion with budget fashion? Definitely not Julie Kim, a business coach, multiple six digits business entrepreneur with 18 years of experience as a designer and a creative director in the fashion industry. Her own jewellery line, Arium Collection is an elegant but affordable collection of timeless pieces for women with well-paying jobs. The collection is not for budget fashion and penny stretching women like me lol, but as Julie Kim likes to style herself, you can combine luxury jewellery with very affordable clothes.

Julie is wearing a turquoise jumpsuit bought on sale from Zara for 16€, sunglasses from AliExpress for 10€, her leopard print heels are Purificación Garcia for 210€ and her mustard yellow handbag is from Carolina Herrera for 510€. Julie’s jewellery (pictures below) are Love ring from Cartier (left) Ribbon ring (Arium Collection approx 190€, left), mini pearl open ring (Purificación Garcías, 70€), Ría rings (Arium Collection, 180€ x 2pcs in Gold and White Gold). Of course for budget fashion you can just copy the jewellery style and find cheaper alternatives from online stores, such as Jewellery Box. For long-lasting high-quality accessories, however, you have to invest a little, but of course only when you have the budget for it. 🙂

Julie is wearing Love ring from Cartier (left) Ribbon ring (Arium Collection approx 190€, left), mini pearl open ring (Purificación Garcías, 70€), Ría rings (Arium Collection, 180€ x 2pcs in Gold and White Gold). The bag is from Carolina Herrera (510€). These accessories are definitely not for budget fashion, but you can find similar styles for a cheaper price. Photos by: Sonia Jain

Budget Traveling – Destination: Bulgaria

Beautiful mountain in Sofia. Check out my video of the trip on Youtube: https://youtu.be/YCuDGUNS8oE.

So Glamorous Sonia finally got out of Finland after sitting here alone for three years. I decided to go back to Sofia, Bulgaria. I worked there for a couple of months in 2016 and it’s a very pleasant and affordable destination from USD/ EUR currency perspective. Bulgarian leva is quite weak compared to USD and Euro, so that’s why it’s a cheaper destination than Paris for example. I would also say that it is more fun than many European cities and people are very respectful and polite towards tourists and foreigners. Though if you travel with a good looking man, Bulgarian women can be a bit intrusive. 😂😬 In any case, I had a very fun and social one week where I spent about one hour alone in seven days. Anyway, I calculated that I spent about 825 euros (1007 USD) in total from my pocket with some costs shared with my Italian friends, such as food. (Check out my Italian Food Culture video) Here’s the breakdown of my expenses:

  1. Airplane ticket with return, 271€ ($330). I flew from Helsinki, Finland via Frankfurt, Germany to Sofia, Bulgaria with Lufthansa.
  2. Airbnb apartment, 175€ ($214). The fee per night was only 20€ ($24). It was a big spacious apartment with two floors, a balcony and a mountain view. It was walking distance from Bulgaria Mall.
  3. Covid test in Finland, 0€. (For Finnish citizens, in private clinic it’s 150-250€/ $180-300) The good thing about Finland is semi-free healthcare. You have to pay some fees for basic treatments, but Covid tests have so far been free of cost and you get a certificate in English for traveling.
  4. Covid test in Bulgaria, 46€ ($56). I went to a private laboratory next to Bulgaria Mall. It’s called SMDL-Medilab and the address is Bulgaria boulevard 51 A 1404.
  5. Traveling to the airport and back in Finland, 69,80€ ($85). Well I got a friend to drop me to the airport when I left Helsinki and I paid 10€ ($12) for gas. On my return, I took a train to my friend’s house in Helsinki to pick up my cat and spent 2,80€ ($3,40) for the ticket. From Helsinki I took a taxi to my house (outside of Helsinki) with my luggage, cat and cat’s stuff, 57€ ($70). You can order online Kovanen taxi.
  6. Airport taxi in Sofia x 2, 25,60€ ($31). From Sofia airport to Bulgaria Mall area is about 12€ ($14,65) so this is what I calculated both ways with tips. Really something amazing compared to crazy prices in Helsinki!
  7. Car rental for 24 hours, 59€ ($72) + gas 41€ ($50). This was definitely luxury and not budget traveling, but it was a quick and easy way to see other parts of Bulgaria, such as historical city of Plovdiv and Starosel spa and winery area. We didn’t stay at the spa resort as it’s not budget traveling. Highways are good in Bulgaria for road trips.
  8. Cash for food, tram, nails, taxi etc. for the whole week, 292€ ($357). I really kept my budget to the minimum and avoided spending money on beauty and fashion even though I’m writing about fashion too. This time however, I focused on relaxing, food, socialising with my Italian friends and refreshing my mind and mental health. However, as an example, a tram ticket costs only 0,82€ ($1), where as in Helsinki it’s 2,80€ ($3,42)! A manicure with gel polish is 18€ ($22) in Sofia and in Helsinki you have to pay 45€ ($55)! No wonder I look like a cave woman in Finland lol. 😅
  9. Lunch, 5€ ($6,10). An average price of lunch for one person in Sofia.
  10. One beer/ a glass of wine, 1,50€ ($1,80)/ 2,50€ ($3). An average price for beer and wine in bars and restaurants in Sofia.

So in total I spent for a one week trip from Helsinki to Sofia after some shared Airbnb, food, taxi and car rental costs with my Italian friends, 824,80€ ($1007). I recommend to visit Bulgaria, an excellent destination for budget traveling, fun, peace and relaxing your mind. Please notice, however that more than half of my trip’s budget was spent in traveling from Finland, so if you travel to Bulgaria from some other country, chances are you’ll spend less money.

My trip to Sofia was so much fun with Italian friends! Check out Antonio tasting Finnish reindeer meat: https://youtu.be/3IerMvqwgl4

You Need Money to Make Money

Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels.com

Let’s break the myth about becoming wealthy. No matter what people say, you will always need money to make money regardless where you are and what you do. Life coaches and business millionaires love to give advice how to make money and how they became wealthy. The problem is that they usually start their story from when they were already wealthy. If you are completely broke, unemployed, single, living on social benefits, it’s impossible to save money to start a business. You also need FRIENDS. Nobody became an overnight success by themselves. You need money, customers, and business support to succeed. Kylie Jenner is NOT a self-made billionaire, she had seed money from her family to launch her make-up brand.

People who encourage you to quit your full-time job and “risk it all” shouldn’t give business advice. I tried to succeed ALONE without ZERO help and ZERO money and here I am, writing a blog that nobody can find because I can’t afford advertising. When I started writing my blog, I used WordPress’ free platform, but then soon realised I need a paid version to start somehow monetising my blog. I found a friend to invest the minimum seed money for my blog. Before that, I was searching online with a super nerd for FREE website platforms with online store features and surprise surprise, there are NONE. So forget about the advice that you just need to risk everything to become successful and you’re so brave if you do it alone without friends’ support. They are NOT your friends who give you this useless advice. They do not want to see you succeed. So here’s what you need to make money:

WRITER JOBS
  1. A well paid job/ investor/ seed money from friends or family. If you’re working one day per week and suffered from many years of unemployment, forget about a bank loan. You need to get your seed money from the above sources and yes you need money. Everything costs money, when you want to become an entrepreneur.
  2. A business mentor. Even if you went to the best business schools, nothing prepares you better for entrepreneurship than talking to other entrepreneurs. Just make sure you don’t pick someone who says you will get your seed money by buying real estate and collecting rent money from the real estate. 😆 Surprisingly many people don’t want to share their secrets for success. Don’t buy their “I started my billion dollar business with only five dollars”. It’s a fantasy they’re trying to sell you, reality is something different.
  3. A team. Even for solo entrepreneurs, such as bloggers, Youtubers, hairdressers etc., you need some kind of help in things like website management, accounting etc. You need a small team, even if they’re not full-time.
  4. Customers. Again you need people. Nobody will become successful ALONE. I’ve been left alone to “succeed”, even people have refused to help me do promotion videos for my blog that costs them nothing but one hour of their time. It’s a no-brainer that every business needs customers, so make your product, service or social media channel attractive for your target market and forget about the people and their “advice” who are NOT your target market.
  5. Mental healthcare. Entrepreneurs are more likely to suffer from mental health problems than non-entrepreneurs. In an American study conducted in 2019, 72 percent of all entrepreneurs are affected by mental health problems. (https://www.forbes.com/sites/danmurrayserter/2020/10/04/why-entrepreneurs-need-to-talk-about-their-mental-health/?sh=184b6c3437d0) So it’s very important to take care of your mental health, seek help and build your mental resilience with supportive people. Entrepreneurship is more stressful than having a normal day job (unless you worked for a psycho). 🙂🙃

Entrepeneurship is an exciting challenge, an opportunity and in best cases, you will earn much more money than any day job could offer you. Just be smart about it and don’t quit your day job.🙂🙌 (My Youtube video for this blog post: https://youtu.be/i9LsWrE4uFI)