Why Closing a Credit Card Actually Made Me Sad

Those of you who have been reading my blog over the past few years know that I've been following the Dave Ramsey Total Money Makeover and have been paying debt off.  Minus the time where I lost focus, I've been paying things off at a really good pace.  (I'm $40 away from passing the $19,000 mark).  So why would something like closing a credit card make me sad?

The backstory - I opened this particular card in 1998 and my first purchase was buying swimsuits (2 of them to be exact) for Spring Break.  Over the years, swimsuits turned into bras, underwear, pajamas, clothes, etc.  I always joke that I paid for part of the white picket fencing that surrounds the town where Les Wexner lives.  This card is my last one on my list to pay off (since it has the highest balance).  If keep rolling my (debt) snowball, this puppy will be paid off within the year.  Since I've stopped using it, closing it should be no big deal, right?  Wrong, it actually bummed me out!

Last night and this morning, I kept trying to figure out why?  Then this morning several things hit me:

1.  I associate this credit card with great memories I had in college with my best friend.  That trip was one of my most favorite trips I've ever taken.  I was young, traveling with my best friend, and having the time of my life!  And, I was in the best shape of my life!  Letting go of this card felt like a loss because in some way, I was holding on to those "glory days".  I'll take other trips, but I'll never be 20 again, in college, with barely a care in the world!  

2.  Having this credit card payment has sadly become "the norm".  In 17 years, that card has only been paid off a few times and when it was, it didn't last long.  How screwed up is that?!  Thank goodness I'm working diligently to define the new "norm" in my life!  It doesn't involve debt and it doesn't involve a life filled with thousands of possessions and endless purchasing!     

3.  I know I've said this before, but in the past, I've shopped to fill a void.  Whether it be boredom, anxiety, anger, etc., buying something gave me instant satisfaction - especially if I bought it with a coupon code or discount.  Now when I'm bored, I go find things to get rid of or I read one of my 3 dozen magazines so I can get rid of them.

4.  Just because I closed my credit card for this particular store doesn't mean I can never shop there again.  I just can only shop there with CASH when I need something.  (Looking at my inventory numbers though, that may be a few years away).

And with that, I'll leave you with the view of the beach (and two really happy college kids soaking it in)...

XOXO,

Stephanie

PRODUCT JUNKIE to BECOMING MORE MINIMALIST - 1 Month In and 26 Percent of My Items Eliminated!

The goal I set yesterday for this week was simple:  Finish the inventory!!!

Saturday - Day #22

Spent over 8 hours inventorying the rest of the desk wall and filing cabinets.  Logged over 1500 items.  It really ticked me off to be spending my Saturday doing such a tedious task!  I'm determined to finish this inventory though!  The poor pets were all confused b/c I didn't eat lunch or even take a shower until 3:30pm this afternoon, but I'm on a mission!

Sunday - Day #23

Spent another 11 hours inventorying the office.  I got thru the wall that has a cabinet, shelf, and closet.  Also got mostly thru the wall that has a cube organizer against it.  Counted over 1700 items today.  This time I did eat lunch and take a shower before noon though.  When I pulled everything out of the closet, this is what the room looked like:

I'm happy to say it looks much better now.  The office count is up to 3252 items and I'm not finished yet.  I'm counting everything - even down the number of sheets of tissue paper (404), envelopes (181), and ink pens (226).  On a positive note - between yesterday and today, 503 items went to the trash including foam pieces for shipping (60), old checking ledgers that were shredded (50), ink pens that don't work (30), boxes (37), and little jewelry bags (39) I had from when I made/sold jewelry.  Another 100 items were donated too. 

Monday - Day #24

Praise the Lord!!  After 8 long hours of going thru things in my office I am finally DONE COUNTING!!  Who-hoo!!  Here's an "after" picture of what the office looks like:

The final count is 4096 items!  Oopf!!  And that's with eliminating close to 400 more items today as I was going along.  A lot of these items are packing materials, so I can't wait to start focusing again on selling things on eBay so I can use up these bubble mailers, jewelry boxes, etc!

Here's a before/after of the desk too:

Time to start grabbing crates out of the basement to go thru!

Tuesday - Day #25

The basement - ugh!  That's all I have to say (even though it's finished and quite nice down there actually).  I literally have not been in the basement to sit/hang out for nearly a year.  It became the room where things got "stashed" and the door got shut.  "Out of sight, out of mind" if you will!  Here's a look at what I started with today:

I couldn't even get to the right curtain to open it.  Talk about embarrassing!  I am happy to say I was able to get thru 3/4 of the basement though (thanks to an 80's music revival while I was going thru things).  It was pretty easy since most of what I went thru ended up getting thrown away or donated.  If it's been down there that long and untouched, it probably didn't hold too much importance, right?!  I still have a little ways to go, but so far the purge count is up to 2648 items.  I'm averaging a 20% purge, which is good, but I still have a LONG WAY to go!

Wednesday - Day #26

Today was really productive!  I started off by going thru items in the garage and throwing a lot away.  (172 items to be exact).  I noticed my neighbor had his recycling bin out and he's usually always right as far as what day it comes.  I drug all kinds of stuff out of the garage and out to the street to be picked up!

...And then I realized that the neighbor (and several others on my block) was wrong and recycling doesn't come until next week.  So, pulled the recycle bin back up to the house and loaded all the stuff I piled up into my car over 3 separate trips and took it to the local fire station where they have recycling dumpsters.  It was messy, but I was so happy to get rid of everything!  I literally gained an extra 2 feet of space in my garage so I can pull my car further in.  Go me!

Came back and finished the basement.  Here's the "after" photo:

Kitty is happy and so am I!  The TV on the table is broken, but I need to call for bulk pick up to get rid of it.  The big TV is one of those really old ones with the huge back on it that takes up that whole corner.  I initially told hubs I wanted to get rid of it, but on second though, it's good enough to watch baseball games on (and I don't want to buy a TV until I see if we're actually going to spend time down there).  The total inventory for the basement is 609 items (with 100+ of those being picture frames/photo albums, 54 books, and 61 CD's).

I also inventoried the downstairs bathroom and the laundry room.  I ended up throwing away 184 items out of the laundry room!  I had NO IDEA I even had all that in there!  Turns out the cupboard was stuffed full of junk.  (Over 100 pie tins that were my grandma's that I had saved for years just b/c they were hers, old outlets (a few years back, we changed the outlets from a cream color to white and I kept the old ones for some reason), rags, plastic bags, buckets, and other randomness).  The final laundry room count is 140 (with the majority of it being paint cans and hangers).  I'm going to start asking around to see if any of my friends/family needs hangers and give them away!

All I have left to inventory is one more storage area.  I'll do that tomorrow and then I'll really start focusing on purging!  eBay is having a free listing promo for the rest of this week, so I need to get to listing!  My trash bin is full/overflowing (and trash day isn't until Friday) and so is the recycling bin (even after my neighbor let me put some recycling in his bin).  So, I am in a holding pattern as far as throwing more items away.  I've tossed over 2100 items this week alone (not counting what I've donated and sold).  Who-hoo!  It feels so good to get rid of things (even thought there's still A LONG way to go)!       

  
Thursday - Day #27

Started the day off by taking 203 items to Goodwill and donating them.  Then, around 1pm, I officially became an aunt again to my sister's first baby!  Everything else took a back seat after that!  There were a lot of things she needed for when she brought the baby home, so I withdrew some money from the eBay sales fund and went shopping for my new nephew.  Funny thing is, I stashed that money in an account, but never really knew what I was going to use that money for.  (I thought maybe I'd use it to take a trip or something).  It was so nice those funds sitting there and to not stress about not having enough money to buy her what she needed.  I didn't go wild buying toys and things that weren't necessary either.  I bought basics like baby bibs (OK, so maybe the one did say "Awesome Like My Aunt"), a portable changing pad, a teether, a rattle, a health care/grooming kit, multi-use crib pads, etc.  (And one really cute toy that reminded me of one my sister had when she was little).  Funny thing is my sister squealed when she saw the bottle of Dreft baby stain remover and said she really needed that!  It really is the little things!      

I also found this little guy while cleaning out the basement yesterday.  I bought it years ago when I though maybe one day my husband and I would have a baby.  That hasn't happened yet, but I knew my sister didn't have a nightlight for the baby's room and she would love it!  Sure enough, she went right up and put it in her bedroom so she and her husband didn't stumble around in the middle of the night when they were checking on the baby.


Friday - Day #28

Didn't get home until late last night from my sister's house and then woke up at 4am wondering what my nephew was doing (ummm - he was sleeping like I should've been) and wishing I could hold him!  Needless to say, I'm tired today!  Still, I paid some bills (including paying off the next credit card on my Debt Snowball list) and then sent out this text to my mom and sister (after I sent my sister a picture of 2 notebooks b/c she mentioned she needed one yesterday to write down the baby's feeding times):

They both texted back and said they needed some of these items, so I made them both a bag of goodies.  Getting more stuff (307 items to be exact) out of the house!  My mom and dad were in town, so they stopped by for lunch and I sent their bag of goodies home with them.  Who-hoo!  My mom thought I had lost my marbles when I told her I counted my sheets of tissue paper and she saw me writing down how many Ketsup packets we used during lunch so I could deduct them from the food inventory, but that's OK.  (I reminded her that I don't do anything half-way, so when I decided to do this, I wanted the numbers to be accurate).  While we were eating she said she wants to start purging things in her house too, which is great!  Go mom, go!

In the end, I still have a 3 really small shoe boxes worth of stuff to go thru and some boxes of holiday decorations and items in a little storage area, but other than that, the counting is finished!  Now I can really focus on getting rid of things!

Totals for this Week:

Current Inventory - 10,726

Items Purged - 2663
Items Donated - 897
Items Used - 244
Items Sold/Returned - 41 

TOTAL ITEMS ELIMINATED = 3845

(3845/14571) = 26.3% of items inventoried have been eliminated so far

Next week's goal:  Hit the 4000 mark for items eliminated (either thru purging, donating, using, or selling).  Since I go back to work next week, there will be a lot less time to focus on purging, but I think 155 more items is definitely doable!  

Long term goal:  My mom asked me today what percentage of my items I wanted to eliminate.  That's a great question!  I hadn't really determined a set number or percentage.  I initially said I'd like to be down to 2000 items or less by the 1-year mark of this purge.  That would mean living a drastically different way than I am now (which wouldn't be a bad thing).  I think a more realistic goal for me at the end of 1 year would be 5000 - 7500 items.  That would mean eliminating over 1/2 of what I own in the span of a year.  Considering I started out with so much stuff and want to try to use and/or sell as much as I can of it (which takes time), I think that's very reasonable.  Then maybe during the second year I can step it up a few notches and try to reach that 2000 mark.  We'll see!  As I've said before, this is a journey, not a sprint. 

Has anyone else been purging along with me?  If so, how's it going for you?

XOXO,
Stephanie

FROM "PRODUCT JUNKIE" TO BECOMING MORE MINIMALIST - More Motivation/An Update

About 3 weeks ago (on June 28, 2015), I posted an update on "becoming minimalist".  (See original post here).  At that time, I imposed a 90-day moratorium on buying clothes and I'm happy to report that I've stuck to it.  It's definitely been tough and my habit of stress shopping online has been tempting a few days, but I haven't caved.  (I did order 3 pieces of jewelry from the shopliasophia.com website when they offered free shipping, but I'm not counting that as "clothing").  

Now, I'm ready to take things a step (OK, a leap) further though.  I stumbled across this blog yesterday.  It's by a Canadian girl named Cait.  In it, she details how she paid off $30K of debt and eliminated 70% of her possessions and it's been really inspiring to read.  If you've read this blog, you know I mention the Dave Ramsey Total Money Makeover quite a bit.  Following that plan is really working for me so far!  I've not been perfect on it by any means, but when I am focused on it, I've paid things off in gazelle-like fashion.  (The numbers look like this):

1/12/13 to 10/19/13 - Paid off $12,000 worth of debt (in 9 months)

10/20/13 to 12/25/14 - Fell off the wagon so to speak and only paid off $3123.03 worth of debt.  (In my defense though, I did take a $12,000 pay cut at a less stressful job during this time, so funds were tight).

12/26/14 to present - paid off $3684.66 worth of debt - Just started a new job in February with and received a pay raise, so once I re-established my $1000 emergency fund, I'm able to throw money at that debt snowball and get things paid off!

Grand Total Paid off to Date:   $18,807.69

I still have $13,611.31 in credit card/stupid line of credit I took out in college to pay off though and $27,136.24 in student loan debt to pay off (for a total of $40,747.55), but I'm chipping away at it with each paycheck.  Roll (debt) snowball, roll!!

Possessions

Ugh!  I have so many!  Literally, a house full of crap that is basically just clutter.  Cait counted her possessions and kept a running total of what percentage of her possessions she eliminated.  The thought of counting every single item in this house is beyond daunting!  I wouldn't even know where to start!  (I'm guessing the number is in the 1,000's easily)!  (For example - I have 28 colored (not your basic black or blue) ink pens sitting in a holder on my desk alone).  Needless to say, this will be an ongoing process of going through things and eliminating items little by little.

Goals

Everyone is different, but I accomplish things best when there's a set goal in mind.  My goals of becoming more minimalist are as follows:

1.  Reduce the overall clutter in my house
2.  Pay off all debt except the house and my student loan by 3/15/16
3.  Increase my focus on relationships by decreasing my focus/distraction on possessions
4.  Sell at least of $1000 worth of items on eBay, the Twice clothing website, etc. and save that money (for what is yet to be determined)

Allowed Items

The things I'm allowing myself to buy over the next 7 months:

**For all items, I'm only allowing myself to buy new if I've run out of something/am about to.**

1.  Groceries
2.  Cosmetics (only basics such as mascara, eyeliner, and foundation)
3.  Toiletries (toothpaste, toilet paper, shaving gel, tampons, etc.)
4.  Essential clothing items (black pants, jeans, comfortable shoes)
5.  Vehicle essentials (gas, oil changes)
6.  Gardening items (seeds, soil, etc.)
7.  Wellness (Rx, vitamins, gym membership, 1 pedicure every 2 months (treat to myself), 1 message each quarter if I stick to my goals)
8.  Household essentials (laundry detergent, light bulbs, etc.)
9.  Gifts for others
10.  Entertainment/"Food for the Soul" - This includes "Friends and Family night" & People Magazine - at least 1x weekly with a budget of $200/month. If I'm not spending money on clothes and subscription boxes, I can put that money towards forging stronger relationships with those I love.  Reading People magazine is part of my Friday night veg out/de-stress routine.  Plus, I re-cycle them by passing the magazines along to friends/family who enjoy them.  
11.  Kitty Cats (food, kitty litter, vet appts, etc.)

Other - (Not sure if I'll actually purchase these items or not, but they are on my "wish list"):
1.  New non-fabric living room couch
2.  New living room chair to replace my grandma's old chair 
3.  Fix cracked laptop screen
4.  Hardwood floors for the house (I have bad allergies, so getting rid of the carpet would help decrease those.  Plus, the carpet is just old and dingy).

My other goal is to post updates at least 1x weekly on how things are going and what I've purchased/purged.  

Wish me luck!!

XOXO,
Stephanie

Becoming Minimalist - An Inspired Trial Run....

I have a love/hate relationship with Facebook and try to stay off of it overall.  Every once in a while though, I'll peak at what's going on in the lives of my "friends".  Today, I stumbled across a post my mom shared and it registered with me.  It was about becoming minimalist and no longer buying things we don't need (see full post here).

The concept is simple - we buy things we don't need that essentially take away from true happiness.

From the Becoming Minimalist website:  

"Six years ago, we decided to embrace minimalist living.

At first, the reasons were simple: we were spending too much time caring for possessions and we were wasting too much money on stuff we didn’t need. These possessions were not bringing joy or lasting happiness. Even worse, they were keeping us from the very things that did.

Possessions had become the Great Distraction in our lives. And the simplest way to recenter ourselves on the things that mattered most was to remove the excess from our home and lives.

We embarked upon a journey to sell, donate, recycle, and remove as many of our nonessential possessions as possible. It was one of the most life-giving decisions we have ever made—the benefits have been practical and soul-enriching. And we would recommend it to anyone.

Owning fewer possessions means less cleaning, less organizing, less repairing, and less financial burden. It brings freedom, clarity, and opportunity. Intentionally owning less frees time, energy, and space—resources that could be spent pursuing our greatest passions.

Our lives and marriages require space to be lived and experienced to the fullest. But in a world of ever-increasing speed, time for reflection and investment in the things that matter becomes more and more difficult to discover.

Our world is built on consumerist pursuits—and rejecting those tendencies requires great intentionality from each of us.

Hans Hofmann, the legendary painter once said it like this, “The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.”

Nonessential possessions begin to accumulate and demand our money, energy, and precious time. As a result, we have little left over for the very elements that make our marriages work.

We should be careful to not add extra burden to our marriages by chasing and accumulating material possessions. Our money is only as valuable as what we choose to spend it on. And so are our lives."

Now that you have insight into the concept, let me share my personal journey...

  

Let me start by saying that my husband is very minimalist.  A closet full of golf shirts and t-shirts (most of which have been given to him) is the majority of what he owns.  He would be very happy with a bare house as long as he has a TV to watch sports on and a bed to sleep in.  He is not big into possessions AT ALL!  (Though he does spend wayyy too much money on beer/cigarettes in my opinion - both of which gross me out, but that's another story).

I am the nester/the one who owns possessions and continues to collect more.  I've mentioned several times in this blog that I've been doing the Dave Ramsey Total Money Makeover for several years now.  I've made a great deal of progress on paying off my debt, but as you can see (especially lately with all the subscription boxes I've been getting), I tend to get off track easily.  I'm a stress shopper and I'm well aware of it!  It's a vicious cycle though - the more I buy, the more I have to work.  The more I have to work to achieve the income I need to make to pay for my spending habits, the more stressed I get (and the more stress-related shopping I do).  My house isn't uber-fancy and my car is paid off.  Those aren't my vices.  Clothes (and subscription boxes) are though.  It's time to "get a grip" (as I tell myself when I'm in the Dave Ramsey zone)!  

On the Becoming Minimalist, there's a great post about owning fewer clothes.  (For the full post, click here).  

From the website:  

“Know, first, who you are; and then adorn yourself accordingly.” – Epictetus

Consider for just a moment how your life would look different if you owned fewer clothes:

You would have more disposable income. - TRUE!

You would have more time to live your life. - TRUE!

Mornings would feature less stress. - TRUE!  (Less clothing choices to debate over).

Your closets would be well-organized and uncluttered. - TRUE!

Packing for trips/vacations would take less time. - SO TRUE!

Laundry days would be easier (not necessarily less, but definitely easier). - I kind of like being able to drag laundry days out for as long as possible, so this one doesn't affect me as much.

Unfortunately, instead of enjoying the benefits of owning fewer clothes, most of us buy into the lie that more is better. And because we do, we accumulate more and more clothing each season. We are convinced that new clothes will make us more joyful, more fashionable, and more popular. Unfortunately, they just end up getting in the way. - TRUE!

Consider going a different route with your life. Try owning fewer clothes. You may be surprised at how much you enjoy the freedom that it brings.

Whether you are hoping to minimize your wardrobe to the absolute minimum or just trying to pare down some of the excess in your closet, you will find these 10 steps practical and applicable:

1. Admit that you own too much clothing. - Yes, I own too much clothing!

2. Wear fewer colors. Most of us already have a few favorite colors that we wear most often anyway – usually because we like the way we look in them. Choosing to intentionally wear fewer colors means less accessories (shoes, belts, jewelry, handbags, etc.). It also makes too much sense not to try.  - Mmmm, I like my colors.  My "go to" is a colorful top, paired with black, grey, or white pants/capris depending on the season.

3. Embrace the idea of one. When one can be enough, embrace it – one black dress, one swimsuit, one winter coat, one black belt, one pair of black shoes, one pair of sneakers, one handbag… insert your own based on your occupation, lifestyle, or climate. - This may be the hardest one for me just because I have a lot of really great pieces that I've accumulated over the years (since college to be exact).  The concept is right on.  For me though, taking it to this extreme is a little more (OK, A LOT MORE), than I'm ready to do right now.  I'll have to come up with a happy medium here that I can stick to.

4. Donate, sell, recycle, discard. Depending on the size of one’s existing wardrobe, an initial paring down won’t take long. Make a few piles – donate, sell, or recycle. Start with the clothes that you no longer wear. You’ll be surprised how much you can remove.

5. Donate, sell, discard some more. Removing the clothes you no longer wear is easy. Removing the clothes that you don’t really need can be a tougher choice. Turn around all the hangers in your closet. After the season, remove every article of clothing that wasn’t worn. That should help get you started on a second round of paring down.  This is doable for me.  The only issue I foresee though is that I have a closet of clothes ranging from Size 8 to Size 18.  No joke!  I don't want to get rid of clothes that are too small right now b/c when I lose weight again (another cycle in my life), I don't want to have to buy new clothes again.  This is where I need to apply the same concept outlined in #3 above though.  If it's not a size I wear now, I should only keep 1 of each item (versus 3 of each).  I can do that!  :)

6. Impose an arbitrary moratorium on shopping. For many, clothes shopping is just a habit – and habit always takes over for inattention. To begin breaking the cycle of purchasing and discarding, set a self-imposed buying freeze. I recommend 90 days. If given enough time, this simple exercise in self-discipline will change your view of your clothing and the stores that produce, market, and sell them.  I've done this before and it's worked.  I put myself on a Bath & Body works spending freeze about 2 years ago.  (It was only supposed to last for a year and I haven't been back to the store since).  Instead, I began making that the standing item from my sister for my birthday and Christmas - bottles of Moonlight Path shower gel.  I just ordered some items from the Limited last week and some pajamas too, so I don't need anything new right now (not that I needed it then).  90 days from today, right?!  (September 26, 2015)

7. Set a monthly spending limit. Pick a low number and stick to it.  If I'm not buying anything clothes-wise until September, that gives me plenty of time to figure out a monthly clothing spending limit.  I already have a monthly cash spending budget from doing the Total Money Makeover, so now the issue is just sticking to it.

8. Purchase quality over quantity. Only buy clothing that you truly love – even if it costs more. If you stock your closet full of things you love, you will have less desire to add to it. - True!

9. Avoid the sale racks. Sales can (and should) be used to help you get a better price on something you need. Unfortunately, most sale racks are designed to convince us to purchase something we don’t. - So true!!

10. Impress with your character, not your clothes. Lee Mildon once said, “People seldom notice old clothes if you wear a big smile.”  True!

Well, now that the goal has been set, it's time for me to head to my bedroom and turn some hangers around.  Wish me luck!  Anyone else want to try this little clothing experiment with me?  I'd love to have a little support group of sorts to do this with.  (I'm not posting this on Facebook, so subscribe to my blog to get the posting updates).

XOXO,

Stephanie

Spending Freeze Series - 2 Days to Go!

Only 2 more days to go!  YEAH!!  I'm not going to lie, there's a shirt on sale at the Limited that I've been wanting since this freeze began.  I'm very happy to say though that I've resisted all kinds of temptation (hello birthday coupons, Kohl's clearance racks, and almost daily Victoria's Secret catalogs) and stuck to this freeze!  (Go me)!

Over the past 30 days, I've come to several realizations:

1.  I have so many pieces of clothing, it's disgusting!  Granted, many of the pieces are years old.  Still, when I realized I had 62 layering tank tops, I was embarrassed, then disgusted when I realized that if I spent an average of $10 on each of the tanks, we're talking over $600 worth of freaking tank tops.  Ugh!

2.  Even when your clothing is older, adding an eye-catching necklace or pair of earrings can make it look new.  I keep the pieces I wear a lot unless they get really stained or have holes in them (and then if I love the piece, it gets deemed "every day clothes").  What I don't wear usually ends up on eBay.

3.  Speaking of eBay - if you don't wear it, SELL IT!  Over the past 30 days, I sold $25 worth of stuff on eBay.  I would've sold a lot more if I would've just taken the time to list it.  Items in your closets you don't wear are just wasting space and money.  That $25 can go towards my debt snowball (a la Dave Ramsey Total Money Makeover).

4.  (Getting deeper now) - I shop when I'm bored or stressed.  Over the past 30 days, I've perused eBay quite a bit and "window shopped" the Limited website, but I haven't pulled the trigger and bought clothes.  I've discovered that combating boredom and stress is something I need to focus on.  I could be cleaning, working out, or reading the many books and magazines that are in my office (and then selling them/throw them away when I'm finished).  

5.  I'm so blessed!  I could go on a year-long spending freeze and be just fine.  (I'm not going to, but I could).  It's an embarrassment of riches and I'm well aware of that.  Most of my clothing pieces may be in the $30 or less range, but I'm as blessed as any millionaire and I'm so thankful for the blessings the good Lord has bestowed on me!

In retrospect, this spending freeze has been a great experience and other than the one top from the Limited (and probably one item from the next Stitch Fix that is on it's way b/c I didn't cancel it in time), I don't plan on buying any clothes any time soon!  My new focus is on paying off my next snowball item! 

XOXO,

Stephanie   

Spending Freeze Series - Being on a Budget Really Stinks....Until I Consider the Alternative!

This past week has been harder than the first week as far as sticking to a budget goes!  At various times throughout the week, I became stressed, bored, and tired (all triggers for my online shopping).  I resisted though and am quite proud of myself for that!  I did get a pedicure Friday, which I ended up feeling guilty about (although my aching feet thanked me for it).  I never would've felt bad about doing it before and that's when it hit me....being on a budget stinks....until I consider the alternative.

As I've mentioned before, taking this new job also meant taking a BIG pay cut.  I became frustrated this weekend though b/c, of all things, it's the end of the Lia Sophia Spring/Summer 2014 catalog and there's some items that are being discontinued that I wanted to order.  (Yes, I realized how ridiculous that sounded as soon as I typed it.  I should be focused on my debt snowball anyway).  Instead of letting the b-word get me down, I kept reminding myself that I could be having all the fabulous clothes and Lia Sophia jewelry I wanted...if I were still at my old job.  The money there was great, but being on-call 24/7 and the stress and frustration level I felt every day just wasn't worth it.  I know the Lord lead me down this path for a reason and I'm thanking my lucky stars for my new job and the sense of peace that comes with it!

Spending Freeze Series - What I Wore this Week

Here's a look at what I wore during this first week of my "No New Clothes" Spending Freeze....

Monday:

Top:  the Limited (purchased last month)
Bottoms:  Target (Several years old.  They're maternity shorts actually, but I bought them b/c the elastic upper is slimming underneath tops - just a little trick I found).
Shoes:  White House Black Market Wedges (purchased two or three years ago).  Put them on eBay after trying to wear them.
Jewelry:  Lia Sophia (Debating putting the necklace on eBay.  This is the first time I wore it and I just don't know if I love it.  It's blue on one side and white on the other, which limits what you can wear it with b/c the chain turns throughout the day.  I wear the earrings at least monthly).

Lia Sophia "Check Please" Earrings and "Chain Reaction" Necklace

Tuesday:

Not sure why the photo is sideways, but you get the point.  

Top:  The Limited (Several years old.  I have this top in 7 different colors b/c it's so comfortable & versatile)

Capri Pants:  Style & Co from Macy's

Jewelry:  Lia Sophia "Sierra Vista" Necklace and Earrings

Wednesday:

Top:  The Limited

Bottoms:  Capri Pants from New York & Company

Jewelry:  Lia Sophia "Exotic Bloom" Necklace and "Botanica" Earrings

Thursday:  

Top:  the Limited

Cover Up/Cardigan:  the Limited (it's on the left and is black)

Bottoms:  Black Capri Pants from New York & Co - Got these from a second hand store by work last summer and I love them!  They're great for work!

Jewelry:  Lia Sophia Necklace and Earrings

Friday's outfit is now in the laundry room to be washed.  I can tell you that I wore the bright pink version of the same shirt from the Limited that I wore Tuesday, along with a beige cardigan and denim capri pants from the Limited.  We had a work retreat and were allowed to dress more casually, which was great.

Weekly Re-Cap:  I did a great job sticking to my budget/spending freeze!  It was tough, especially since I keep getting coupons in the mail since this is my birthday month.  I resisted the urge to use them though.  (Maybe if I get some birthday money, I'll do so then).  I also pushed my next Stitch Fix back as promised.  

I spent the following and did so with cash:

~ McDonald's - breakfast one day ($4.29) and lunch another day ($5.60) b/c I didn't have anything at home to pack.

~ Kroger - gas for car - $32.64

~ Longaberger Golf Course - 1 drink at our retreat - $7.97 

~ Vending machine at work - 1 pop - $ .75

~ Kroger - grocery stock up - $120.65 (Kind of lost my marbles at the grocery stocking up on my husband's favorite potato chips b/c I thought they were on sale and on shaving cream since I had coupons).  Oops!

Spending Freeze Series - You Look Familiar....

As you know, I'm currently on a 30-day spending freeze when it comes to clothes.  The action steps for this "freeze" include the following:

Step 1:  Don't spend any money on clothes until after 8/5/14.

Step 2:  Take inventory of what I already have.  I know there's clothes/shoes in my closet that I've never even worn (and have forgotten are even in there).

Step 3:  Donate or sell what doesn't fit or what I won't wear.

Step 4:  Be accountable on my blog.  I'll post an update every few days (hopefully more often) and let you know how it's going.

While going thru the shoes in my small closet, I discovered 2 pairs of shoes that looked familiar (as in almost alike):

The ones on the left are from White House Black Market.  I bought them 2 or 3 years ago and have worn them once.  The ones on the right are from INC Concepts (Macy's) and were purchased last year.  They've also been worn once.  When I bought the INC shoes, I had honestly forgotten I owned the WHBM ones and fell in love with the fact they were on clearance, were sparkly, and were a wedge.

Guess I have a type!  Since the WHBM ones (on left) are more versatile than the ones on the INC ones on the right (they have purple/lavendar crystals on them), they stay and the purple, sparkly shoes are headed to eBay.  (Again, making my closet work for me versus me working for what's in my closet).  If I don't wear the WHBM wedges this week, they're headed to eBay as well.

Update:  I actually wore the WHBM wedges Monday to work and they killed my poor little pinkie toes.  By lunch time and I had to switch over to my Sperry's.  I hate to get rid of them too, but there's no sense in keeping shoes that I can only wear for 1/2 a day.  Looks like they need a new home as well!

XOXO,
Stephanie

Spending Freeze Series - 58 Layering Tank Tops - Really?!?

As I mentioned in my previous posts, I'm currently on a 30-day spending freeze.  Part of that freeze includes taking inventory of what's in my closet right now so I know what I have to work with as far as putting outfits together.  I knew I had a box (the black and white one you see below in the photo) and a cubby of tanks, but what I didn't know was how many that entailed exactly.

When I pulled them all out and counted them, there were 58 total (and who knows how many more are in my spare closet).  58 tanks?!?  Who on earth needs that many tanks?  The crazy part is that I don't even wear most of them b/c of my stomach that I'm trying to hide at all costs right now.  Out of the 58, here's what I actually wear (plus one green one that's not on the hanger):

I recently bought the light tan one in front from the Limited and I wear it all the time.  That one along with one white, one cream, and one black tank are all I really need - 4 layering tanks total.  (Honestly though, I could just use the tan one for everything).  Talk about a waste of money (and valuable closet space)!!  Guess what I'm not going to be buying any more of any time soon!  I didn't realize I had that many.  

In the end, I took these 11 tanks out:

The 6 on the far left have been deemed "casual evening/weekend tanks" either because they may have a make-up mark on them or because they have shelf bras (AKA - make my chest look way too big to wear to work).  They'll be nice to put on at night when I come home and do the instant bra-toss (ladies, you know what I'm talking about).  

The 2 in the middle and 3 on the far right are going to be sold in two lots on eBay according to their size.  I'm going to take that money to put towards my current Snowball item (on the Dave Ramsey Total Money Makeover) I'm trying to pay off.  This way my clothing will be working for me towards my goal versus sitting in my closet collecting dust.  And it gets me down to 47 tanks in my closet (which is still too many, but is at least a start).

XOXO,
Stephanie

Update:  I've since found 4 more tanks that I wear by themselves.  So, the grand total was 62 (and is now 51).  :(

Spending Freeze Series - If You Don't LOVE It, Send It Back!

How many of you are fans of online shopping?  That's how I normally shop.  I HATE going to the mall, fighting lines, and walking a mile to get from one anchor store to the other.  The only downside is that you can't try on your purchase prior to buying it and sometimes the size is bigger/smaller than imagined.  Luckily for me, I shop at the Limited enough that I know how their clothes fit.  Today though, I decided to send some things back that arrived last week.....

Here's what didn't make the cut (and into my closet):

In person, these stones were much bigger than I had pictured.  The colors also didn't vary as much as they do in the photo, and overall, the necklace just looked cheap in person.  Back you go and $16.64 comes back into my wallet.

This eyelet top also didn't make it.  In the photo, you can't see the model's bra thru the holes, but in person, you definitely can (and I didn't feel like layering another shirt underneath).  Back you go!  $19.02 coming my way.

In person, this necklace is HUGE.  Plus, I already have 2 nautical-looking necklaces that I found in my jewelry hanger.  Decided I didn't need a 3rd one.  Welcome back $16.64.

There was also one more necklace from Express that I sent back as well because on, I just didn't like how it looked.  Thank you $29.90.  

So, just by saving my purchase receipts and taking the time to send these 4 items back, I saved approx. $80.11 (minus the return shipping fees).  That was worth it!  And now I know, once this spending freeze is over, don't buy anymore nautical necklaces, eyelet tops, plastic necklaces, choker necklaces, or anything else that I don't love when I come across it.  Lesson learned!

XOXO,

Stephanie

Spending Freeze Series - These Shoes Tell a Story!

I recently put myself on a spending freeze of not buying any clothes for 30 days.  (I'm a stress and boredom shopper, so for me, this will definitely be a challenge).  The action steps for this freeze were simple:

Step 1:  Don't spend any money on clothes until after 8/5/14.

Step 2:  Take inventory of what I already have.  I know there's clothes/shoes in my closet that I've never even worn (and have forgotten are even in there).

Step 3:  Donate or sell what doesn't fit or what I won't wear.

Step 4:  Be accountable on my blog.  I'll post an update every few days (hopefully more often) and let you know how it's going.

As part of Step #2 and #3, I began going thru my closet to take inventory of what I have and to sell what doesn't fit or I won't wear.  That's when I came across these little beauties....

I only wore these shoes once over a year ago and when I tried them on today, they kept sliding off my heals.  Naturally, they're going up on eBay.  Before they go off to their new home with someone fabulous who will rock them, their story needs to be told.  (I mean, after all, when you find shoes with red glitter (yes, freaking GLITTER) on the bottom of them, they represent a fun time)!

Picture it: A work conference, a Katy Perry outfit, and these fabulous heels!  

Every year my former employer holds a 3-day conference.  As part of the first night, there is a theme party.  In 2012, the theme entailed dressing up as a famous character/celebrity.  I decided to be Katy Perry (a-la California Dreams).  I had so much fun putting this outfit together!  I ordered the dress, the necklace, the wig, the microphone, the pink tutu to go under the dress, the white knee socks, and of course, the fabulous pink shoes.

By the end of the night (after a celebrity talent show of sorts and a few glasses of wine), a bunch of us ended up in the pool and we swam for what felt like forever, costumes and all (fabulous shoes sitting safely on the pool deck), rotating between the pool and the hot tub, laughing, throwing people in the pool, swimming, and just hanging out/having a good time.  (Hence, the red glitter from my costume ending up on the bottom of my shoes.  That stuff washed right off the cupcake on my costume onto the pool deck when I got out and then I stepped in my red, sparkly puddle).

And that is the story of my fabulous, sparkly hot pink shoes (that now need a new home).  If you're a size 8 1/2, you can buy them now on e-Bay and make some fabulous memories of your own.

XOXO,

Stephanie