Monthly Archives: September 2012

by

Some Favorite Links.

I wanted to share some of my favorite links that are related to style and shopping (or not shopping).

Putting Me Together is a blog that I recently discovered. The recent post on shopping mistakes really resonated with me. Her blog also heavily influenced my purchases this season — I wanted to add color to branch away from my standard black and brown. It helped a lot! Every time I picked out something black or brown, I put it back, thinking “remember the blog! Color, color!”

Girl with Curves showed me that I don’t have to hide or camouflage my hips and thighs. I think she looks fabulous! Reading her blog helped my eyes adjust to seeing my bottom half in form-fitting clothing. I never thought I could wear a pencil skirt or skinny jeans, but now those are staples in my wardrobe.

This blog post talks about what happens after you’ve found all the pieces that were missing from your perfect wardrobe. It pretty much covers my feelings exactly!

Lastly, I’ve just started reading a few blogs on minimalism because when it comes to shopping, what I really need to do is change my mindset. I fully believe that I can stop The Want. I don’t want to continue this lifeline to consumerism. I want this rot out of my system. I want to feel healthy and free from attachment to things.

I really like The Minimalist Mom because it’s tangible. I read it without feeling guilty that I haven’t sold everything to live like a nomad.

The Miss Minimalist blog hits the nail on the head for me: letting go of all this stuff will help me breathe easier. I also look forward to the Real Life Minimalist posts on Mondays — it’s interesting to hear many different perspectives!

Feel free to comment with additional links if you have any! I’m always looking for new blogs.

by

Tuesday Update: I Want My Three Dollars.

Sorry for the late update! Yesterday was busy and fun, so I forgot all about blogging. I need to post more because my resolve is slipping away. Though I haven’t been shopping for clothes, I’ve been shopping for hair and makeup products. I’ve adopted the same return-if-I-don’t-love-it attitude in that area, too. I used to just keep or throw away makeup or hair gel that I didn’t end up liking, but now I buy from stores that allow returns even if I open or use it first. I’ve returned a few things, but need to stop buying more now. Perfection is just as elusive for my hair and face as it is for my closet, as it was for diaper bags, strollers, and baby carriers. There’s no need to keep searching for it.

I did shop for boots last week. I needed to replace a favorite pair that have become horribly uncomfortable… and stumbled upon a crazy deal on Frye boots. Frye, a brand so expensive I thought I’d never own a pair. Now I have three, which I got for less than the retail price of a single pair! It was a deal I couldn’t pass up, especially since I’d already mentally allocated half that total for a new pair of replacement boots. All three pairs are replacing boots that are wearing out or are just not comfortable anymore. It was money well spent, but I still feel guilty.

Now for the three dollars. I found myself at the Sears outlet when I had time to kill. Why do I go shopping when I have spare time? Why not go to the gym that’s right across the street from the outlet? Even if I don’t work out, it’s a quiet place to read or even blog.

In any case, I found two Land’s End belts at the Sears outlet that were originally $30 each. They were currently listed at $3 with an additional percentage off and buy one, get one free. I grabbed them and continued to look around the store. I tried the belts on a few times, unsure whether I really wanted them. They were plain and uninteresting. But it was less than $3 for $60 in belts — what a steal! After a while, I went to get in line with (thankfully!) just the two belts. A line that stretched nearly to the door! I looked at the belts, which were nothing special, and looked at the line. I put them back. And kept my three dollars.