Money in a Jar

In my efforts to save up for my pair of OMG Amazing Frye Boots, I have decided to use the infamous money-in-a-jar trick. Yes, I have indeed sunk that low. This will be coupled with my previous spending goal, of spending 100$ or less every month (on five items or less). All my extra money will roll right into this jar, my Frye Boots jar.

There is currently 60$ in the jar (birthday money, thanks mom!) and on September 1, 100$ will be going into the jar. THEN when I spend money on other, frivolous items it will be painfully obvious that the money is being taken out of my Frye Boots Fund (FBF).

The boots that I like will be around 350$ after tax if I buy them at Nordstroms, or just under 200$ if I find them online, so I'm guessing that this fund baby will be growing for a few months before I find the perfect boots for the perfect price. My guess is by the end of December or January the right amount of money will be there, but who knows--perhaps sooner, yes? (but perhaps not, especially if Fyrinnae keeps coming out with awesome colors I have to have! haha)

Yet Another Goal

Alright y'all, time for a new goal! For the fall, I want to focus on spending conscientiously, especially taking care to buy items of quality that I will want in my wardrobe for a long time. I also want to curb my spending but not necessarily my shopping--shopping is fun for me. It's relaxing, and the thrill of the chase is the best. Therefore, my new goal:

Starting September 1st, for a trial one month period (to be modified or continued as-is at the end of the month) I will be spending 100$ or less, buying 5 items or less, for the entire month. I fully expect to spend less than 100$, but in case I find a perfect pair of boots, or a wool winter coat that fits me amazingly (a needle in a ridiculously large haystack, to be sure), I want my wiggle-room. I can also roll money/items over from one month to the next (thus, why I might need to modify at the end of the month).

My wardrobe is shaping up nicely, and while there are still a few items I have my eye out for (warm cardigans, denim dark-wash high-waisted pencil skirt, full black knee-length skirt, cute scarves, brogues, boots--my neverending quest), I do not need to be adding volume to my wardrobe. I have quite enough pieces as is, made abundantly clear with my wardrobe count-up.

Now, for what is included in the items--all clothing, accessories, hair products and makeup (except Fyrinnae, because, let's face it--I love Fyrinnae, I rarely place an order, and when I do, it will be for the 20$ worth for free shipping, and the stuff is so cheap that that would wipe me out completely in items for the month. Therefore, one order at Fyrinnae=one item).

So...let the games begin!

(Only A Bit) Behind the Times

I was humming along to myself (as I am wont to do, especially when mindlessly surfing the net), feeling rather proud of my no-spending in August so far. 'I haven't even been to a store to test temptation!' I gleefully proclaimed. I was feeling a bit antsy...surfing Modcloth obsessively, multiple times a day...when I glanced at the clock on my computer (please note, this was about three minutes ago.) I stopped. I stared. 'Can it really be only August NINTH?! But it feels like I haven't gone shopping in forever!' Yes, I might have a problem...

In good news, I'm hoping that my item and money restrictions will reduce the items bought and money spent while not necessarily restricting my shopping time, which is what I really enjoy anyways.






















Latest love at Modcloth...

Wardrobe Count-Up Part 2

I wanted to do another count-up of my wardrobe to see how it has progressed in the past few months, compared to my last count-up.

Pants: 6 total (compared to 7 total last count-up)
--Jeans: 2 (1 pair less)
--Cords: 1
--Cargo: 1
--Slacks: 2

Shorts: 1 (2 pairs less)

Sweatshirts: 2

Coats: 8 (3 more. How did this happen? I bought one. Perhaps this is a counting error...oops...)

Blazers: 4 (1 more. My houndstooth one!)

Work-appropriate long sleeved shirts: 7 (2 less.)

Casual long-sleeved shirts: 5

Work-appropriate short-sleeved shirts: 15

Casual short sleeved shirts: 10 (1 more.)

Camis: 4 (hard to compare, since my last category included 'layering shirts' as well. I got rid of a ton of racerback tanks I got for free, and bought two camis that I AM IN LOVE WITH OMG I wear them all the time.)

Work-appropriate skirts: 7 (up from 4 skirts at last count? Hmm...I think I bought one skirt. Another counting error?)

Casual skirts: 6 (down from 10. Perhaps my qualifications for 'work-appropriate' have become lax? I didn't think I had gotten rid of 4...well, the total number of skirts had been fourteen, and now is fifteen, which makes sense because I bought one skirt.)

Sweaters/Cardigans: 6 (down from 9)

Work-appropriate dresses: 5 (down from 8. I think my restrictions became more stringent here, lol)

Casual dresses: 8 (down from 13, woohoo!)

Formal dresses: 2 (down from 3)

So at least my overall count has gone down. Good lord, that brings my total number of items to 91, not including shoes, accessories, or underthings (even not including tights or leggings!). That is crazy! Last time my overall count was 111 items, so I am down TWENTY ITEMS OMG. Even with all my recent shopping! Alright, so the goal is now to keep purging, but be very selective with what comes in! I think it will be easier to purge once I start teaching, as then I will have a better idea of what is appropriate for work and what it too formal, too casual, too 'stereotypical teacher-y'

New Month Resolution

I was reading a very interesting book on French culture and the word that jumped out at me was deliberate. French women are very deliberate with what they wear, what they buy, how they look, and I very much admire that aspect. I want to become more deliberate with what I buy and what is in my wardrobe, instead of continuing to repeat my 'buy, purge, repeat' cycle that I have been in for the past few years. I tried doing that recently, but it wasn't as successful as it could have been, especially given my recent propensity to continue purging my closet, even of items I have recently purchased. (Really, what is up with that?)


















So I am going to try an experiment. I am still on a No-Buy for this month, thank you very much, but for future months I am going to limit both the amount of money I have to spend and the number of items I can purchase. I was thinking of a maximum budget of 100$ per month, with a maximum number of items I can buy at five per month. Of course, I can do less of either one, but I will let the budget roll over from one month to the next in case I find something fabulous that I want to save up for. I think (hope!) that having a budget will really make me reflect on the item I am bringing into my wardrobe, and having an item number will make me consider if the item is worth using up one of my 'items.' This will hopefully prevent my ever-present case of 'but it was so cheap I had to buy it!' syndrome. After a few months I will evaluate both the number of items and the budget to see how effective they are. I am also including accessories and makeup in the item and budget count, in addition to clothing.

I think part of it is that since I am still young, I am bouncing around different styles quickly and my wardrobe is fluctuating to accommodate these changes. I would love to have a small wardrobe of clothing that I love, that all goes together, that I am satisfied with, but my tastes are changing so often that it is hard to do that right now. I think I am narrowing down on my preferred style (for now) but I have to try a lot of different looks to figure out which one is me.

Alright, so after August is over, I'll try this experiment. The only big item I have left to really buy or make for the upcoming school year is a denim pencil skirt, so that will be my September goal!

Mirror of Past Deeds

Much like my last No-Buy, I immediately feel compelled to organize and sort through my wardrobe. I've been constantly going through it this summer, culling out pieces that accumulated through University and tossing ones that no longer fit my style/body/needs. (By tossing out I, of course, mean selling to Plato's Closet or donating to Goodwill, my favorite places!) I am, however, now in a quandary. I want a slim wardrobe filled with perfect pieces. Good, let's shoot for perfection, shall we? However, as I have pulled out pieces from my wardrobe with increasing pickiness, I am wondering how far I should take purge.

Of course, I have the few sentimental pieces (Mr. P likes it, even though I loath it, so-and-so gave this to me not too long ago, so I can't toss it yet, etc) but I also have the pieces that I bought not incredibly long ago (i.e. within the last year and a half), that still fit me, that theoretically fit into my lifestyle/wardrobe, and yet I never wear.

Case in point--comfy Aerosole pink pumps. They fit my narrow heels, hallelujah! The only pumps to really fit nicely, with no inserts. The pink color is ok. Not great, by any means, but definitely could fall into an 'almost nude' color that might be able to work. However...when would I wear pumps? To teach? Certainly not. To work retail? Deeefinitely not. On my days off? I'm either in peep-toes or sneakers. So they have been worn once in the past four plus years. But should I keep them in case I need them at some indefinite point in the future? Or should I just toss them and deal with getting something comparable if I need something?

I also have several pairs of SUPER CUTE high heels that are slightly tight or uncomfortable, and can only be worn for a few hours at a time--but I always get compliments when I wear them!

Another item is a dress that I bought last summer and have worn once (and NOT felt pretty in). But it might work for teaching! And so it goes.

I think I'm talking myself over to the purge side, away from the keep side. At least it will make it more clear what I have (actually have, that I actually wear) and what I actually could use in my wardrobe. Except maybe the cute-but-slightly-too-small shoes. Those I might keep. For those occasions when you need cute high heels! (At least I wear them!)

I think this No-Buy will do me good. I was getting caught up in the buy-buy-buy and losing sight of my wardrobe goals.

Off to continue the detox of my wardrobe!

Spendy spendy

While I have been finding a ton of good deals lately, I have been spending over what I feel I should be spending. My wardrobe is shaping up very nicely and I don't really *need* anything right now, so I'm going on another no-buy. I think I'll do this one until the end of August--just shy of a month, that seems like a good amount of time. This will also cover my transition between jobs, when money will be a bit scarcer than usual. My only exception is if I visit my Aunt (who lives far away) sometime in the middle of August, as I'm sure she and my mom will want to do an all-girls shopping trip, and hey, I'm not going to say no to that. :)

Cleaning Shop

The fuzzy peach sweater I posted about all of three posts ago? I returned it. Cute, I liked the look, but after further review the pastel tones of the peach just weren't doing it for me. Plus, so specific! To only be able to pair it with skirts that rested at the natural waist in colored that coordinated with pastel peach? I'm not sure what I was thinking. However, my other purchases are still much loved--the houndstooth jacket was a bit touch and go, but it's a neutral and I do love my blazers, even as much as I've been favoring cardigans recently, and it just fits so well! Plus--warm.

Now I've started planning for my upcoming trip to FLORIDA! It's going to be hot, which I am very much looking forward to after the dreary disappointment of a summer that we've been having lately. I'm thinking shorts, breezy shirts, a few dresses, maybe a skirt, plus some fun accessories and my trusty sneakers (not the prettiest, but comfy for walking around all day!). This will be the first time I've packed for a trip to someplace hot--usually I am traveling in the winter and my packing includes various thermals, underarmour (which I put on at the beginning of the trip and rarely take off for the duration of the trip), fleece jackets, gloves, hats, and a coat. Usually I am wearing most of my items of clothing at the same time, but even so my pack can get heavy. This time I'm imagining my 'to pack' pile to be teeny tiny! (excited!)

I also realized that it's been awhile since I've done a goal countup, so let's see how I've been doing...
Exercise: I've been biking to work every morning, which is an hour bike ride, and have been either biking back or catching a ride back. That plus I'm still running around at work and I've been doing alright.
Vitamins: err...well, I'm doing ok. I'd say I take them maybe twice a week, but I really need to up that to five times a week. I need my nutrients!

Goal Recap

I also wanted to recap how I've been doing at filling the 'holes' in my closet as I described in a previous post. Here is what I was looking for:

I definitely want to keep my eye out for: nice shirts for work, comfy comfy shoes (sandals, high heels, flats, maybe some more awesome boots), tights (hopefully will be covered as per my previous post, but always good to look for!), belts (non-elastic! professional-looking), maybe some non-black blazers, and grown-up jewelry (least emphasized).

Alright...

Nice shirts for work: Have definitely bulked up that area. I am still keeping an eye out, because, hey, shopping for shirts is easy and fun, but this is no longer a desperate need anymore. The ones I want to keep an eye out for are more casual--nice, but not formal. Definitely no collared shirts, because I do have a few of those and am guessing I won't be wearing them as much, given the laid-back atmosphere of the school.

Comfy shoes: No sandals yet, but I don't think we're really going to get a summer this year (you might think I'm joking, but...no. It's been raining or cloudy almost every day so far, and I honestly doubt it'll get nice for any long period of time for the remainder of the summer).
I do have several pairs of high heels, of varying comfortableness, but I'm thinking that flats are really going to be the way to go for school (sob).
I bought one pair of comfy flats (still breaking them in as they are still a bit stiff across the top, but they are SO CUSHY!) and will be on the lookout for one more in a neutral as my 'unknown brand from France' shoes are starting to fall apart (starts bawling) (although I suppose after heavy wear for three years they've definitely had their money's worth).
As for another pair of boots--I still would love a cognac-colored pair of flat boots and might try to snag a pair in the back-to-school sales, but Mr. P might just guilt me out of it with all the money I've been spending (let's face it, a nice pair of boots is probably going to run upwards of 80-100$, even on sale, and I doubt Mr. P will swallow that now).

Tights: CHECK. I have scored big time from Plato's Closet and have nicely rounded out my tights wardrobe. I obviously will still be keeping an eye out for Hue tights on sale (Nordstrom's Rack sometimes gets them in for insanely cheap prices) but let's consider this one a big DONE.

Belts (non-elastic, professional looking): Somewhat check. I have the cognac-colored one from Target that I am in love with (I think it is the only belt I have bought full-price and it was SO WORTH IT), and I bought a skinny brown leather one with antiqued-gold studs (it is pretty cool) from the Goodwill, but I would like to have a dark brown thicker belt to go at the natural waist. I will be on the watch for that, but overall I feel that this category is pretty well done.

Non-black blazer: Haha, yup. Just did it. Done.

Grown-up Jewelry: Hardly touched this one. I have so much jewelry that I usually don't even look at the jewelry section of any store I go to, but almost all of my jewelry is practically the same (pendent on a silver chain, of varying lengths). I did buy a pretty cuff bracelet at Plato's, but that's the only bit of jewelry I've bought. I would love to get a statement necklace in a neutral, something a bit more than a thin chain or a thin string of beads. Also, I would love a statement cocktail ring (something cute, not tacky or obviously cheap).


Sum up: The only things I really should be looking for now are more casual (but still nice) shirts, a neutral-colored pair of comfy flats, perhaps a pair of flat cognac-colored boots, a dark brown belt that rests at the waist, a statement necklace and perhaps a cocktail ring.

To add on to my original list, I still want to keep on the lookout for cardigans. I have a variety of sweaters, blazers and coats, but given my propensity to always be cold and almost always be wearing a sweater of some form or another, I think this would be a good place to bulk up.

Plus, of course, I will be making those three skirts.

So really, I've done fairly well for myself. I am almost all done with my school shopping list, and I'll be taking a little break to re-coup and let Mr. P get back to a sense of normality with my shopping. Plus, there are always bills to pay!

List-o-mania

As promised, an inventory of my closet:

Pants: 7 total
--Jeans: 3
--Cords: 1
--Cargo: 1
--Slacks: 2
Shorts: 3
Sweatshirts: 2
Coats: 5
Blazers: 3 (all black)
Long sleeved work-appropriate shirts: 9
Casual long-sleeved shirts: 5
Work-appropriate skirts: 4
Casual skirts: 10
Sweaters/Cardigans: 9 total
--Shrugs: 2
--Casual-only: 3
--Work appropriate: 4 (only one of which is long-sleeved and any amount of warm)
Casual short sleeved shirts: 31 total
--T shirts: 5
--Tanks: 8 (in my defense, I just got 5 for free from a trash bin)
--Camis/Layering shirts: 9
--Other: 7
Work-appropriate short-sleeved shirts: 9
Work-appropriate dresses: 8
Casual dresses: 13 total
--Can be worn as a tunic for work (with a sweater): 3
--Can be worn as a skirt for work: 1
--Neither, just casual-wear: 9
Formal dresses: 3
High heels: 7
Flats: 9
Boots: 4
Swimsuits: 2

Hmm...seems a lot more than I realized, looking at my closet. I think it's because many of the things I own have qualifiers attached (this can only be worn with a sweater on top because it exposes too much, these shoes are falling apart and can only be worn on very casual days, etc) so I feel like I have less. For example, look at my sweaters/cardigans number: 9. That seems like more cardigans than I should need. However, 2 of those are shrugs that I rarely wear (what's the point? They look wintery, with their color, but don't give any warmth and you can't wear anything over them!), one is a cropped knit thin thing that is from AE, falling apart but I wear it because I don't have anything better, one is a long vest (no warmth!), one is too child-ish for work...and then we are left with 3, one of which has 3/4 sleeves and is very light (although pretty), one is very sporty (not work appropriate, but I love it and wear it all the time) and the other is standard gray knit (which I just got for free from the trash!).

I'm sensing a purge coming on to eliminate these problems...Especially in tanks. I do not wear tanks very often, I got 5 from a trash bin (no joke), and I do not need this many.

Alright, holes in my wardrobe. Definitely warm sweaters. I am a sweater girl, I am almost always cold, and while I love my zip-up dearly, it shouldn't come with me to work unless it is a casual field-trip day. I really need more than one thin gray sweater. I definitely want to look for neutrals in all my clothing, neutrals that ARE NOT BLACK because I just have black and a whole lot of color (better than earlier this year, when I JUST had black).

Another hole: work appropriate skirts. 5? And they are all colors, too--rusty orange, purple plaid, BRIGHT purple (don't know what to pair it with!), hunter green (looks very severe, it's my fall-back interview skirt), and cranberry. Neutrals again! Plus, they are pencil skirts (except one, which is an A-line), so I will keep an eye out for fuller skirts that will allow for a greater range of motion during teaching.

I definitely want to keep my eye out for: nice shirts for work, comfy comfy shoes (sandals, high heels, flats, maybe some more awesome boots), tights (hopefully will be covered as per my previous post, but always good to look for!), belts (non-elastic! professional-looking), maybe some non-black blazers, and grown-up jewelry (least emphasized).

Well...at least I shoot for high goals. :) Plus, I have all summer to look through thrift shops for these items!

Recently, as I stated in my last post, I have started maintaining polished nails nearly constantly. Rather than being a pain to keep up, as many friends have questioned, it is a time of relaxation when I paint them and let them dry. However, even beyond looking pretty, I have been painting them constantly because of two other reasons: 1. I bite my nails. I know, it's unattractive, it's bad. I had successfully broken myself of the habit (for about 8 years, so it was a successful break) until last year, when the stress of classwork drove me to biting again. The stress and biting have both continued to this year (damn you, senior thesis! *shakes fist*), but the polish acts as a check and I bite my nails significantly less with the polish on. 2. My nails have been peeling like crazy and the polish helps protect them. Yes, I've done my research--my polish does not contain the formaldehyde or other ingredients that cause peeling.

I actually think the peeling is caused by a deficiency of omega-3 fatty acids, which could also be a cause of the brittleness of my hair. Omega-3's are becoming increasingly uncommon in our food, especially as our fat sources are being switched over to synthetic fats and only a few sources of natural fats (which are much more likely to have omega-6's, and trans fats, but not omega-3's). Omega-3 fatty acids are found mainly in fish, walnuts and flaxseed...but as a very poor graduating Uni student, none of those are options for my diet. So I've decided to start eating multivitamins with omega-3 supplements! This will not cost extra, since I already have a box of them sitting around from a gift I got over Christmas. Vitamins as an omega-3 source are not as readily absorbed into the body as natural sources, but better than nothing, right? This is actually a subset of a larger goal, which is USE UP ALL OLD ITEMS BEFORE BUYING NEW. In this case, my new goal is:

Eat 1 packet (yes, my multivitamins come in a packet...they are a pain to take) of multivitamins every other day. Mr. P (Plummy's hubby) says it is not healthy to eat that many vitamins every day, so I will take his advice (especially as Mr. P never gets sick).

Alright, now it's time for a new feature: Goal countup!

Exercise: Ran 1 mile this morning, time-8m45s. Not my best, but felt great afterwords.
Vitamins: Yesterday ate my pack

And a new outfit of the day:















Dress: Forever 21. I am so happy my favorite color (bright orange-red, like a VERY vivid coral--we shall call it vivicoral) is in style this season! Time to stock up, woohoo!
Vest: Forever 21
Leggings: My cut-off tights again
Shoes: Goodwill

First Entry

Well, here it is. My first blog entry. We'll see how long this blogging thing lasts for me--my attention span is notoriously short and I tend to flit from obsession to obsession. However, I've decided to try to make my short bursts of intense focus work for me as I set a series of small goals for myself in an effort to improve me. Think of it as Plummy, but better. These short goals may take a variety of forms, recently including: exercise more (I've been running for three days a week for the past year and a half, with minor incidences of falling off the bandwagon--read: summer and vacations), improve my style (still a major work in progress), improve my hair (dying, bleaching, straightening and blowdrying are apparently not good things...) and improving my nail care (I have started painting my nails regularly, huzzah for good nail care). However, one of the main limiting factors (besides my lack of attention span): lack of funds. Yep, this will not be a fabulous blog full of recent designer acquisitions (or even recent department store acquisitions). I am just graduating from University, my husband and I just bought our first car, and we are completely broke. However, I have joined the no-buy month over at 365 Fashion Rehab for a sense of solidarity in my inability to buy things! But anyways...

One of my recent goals: attempt to take daily outfit pictures to get an idea of what style I am portraying, what is flattering, and what definitely is not. I've been doing this for about two months now and will be posting them here to share what I am learning with all of you. Assuming anyone reads this, of course. :P

Well, first post, might as well do first photo:



















Might as well start off with a relatively flattering one. This was from a semi-formal event that I went to yesterday.
Dress: Goodwill
Belt: Target
Leggings: lol, these are old nylons that I cut the feet off of.
Shoes: I LOVE these shoes. Not very comfy, though. :( Dollhouse. 12$ on clearance from Ross, originally size 6.5 (I am 7.5, somehow these fit). I used my trick of wearing socks in gradually increasing sizes, culminating with wool socks that I then wear, with the shoes on, in the shower (never with leather shoes! only with synthetic, I promise!) to stretch them out to my feet, mold them if you will. My method has worked wonders with these and a few other pairs I have gotten that have been a bit tight!
Earrings: Claires, from a sale over five years ago.