Beauty

[DrKelli]

Good morning, all--well, I would have to say we are at the halfway point in the year.  Wow, already halfway through July!

So this weekend, I went to Kohls as I had a 30% off coupon.  I mentioned last week that I came to the sad realization that my t-shirt/jean combo was fine for manufacturing and construction safety duties and it is still fine for when I visit the plants, but when I am at the corporate office, I need dressier tops (jeans are still fine because I tend to wear dark wash, which is a little better than faded levis).  I found 2 Lauren Conrad tops that are cute, one in navy one in 'natural'.  I think they fit the bill.  I am wearing a houndstooth top today that I've had for a long time.  I haven't worn it in awhile because when I worked for the construction company, I had a huge weight gain in my midsection. I realize now it was almost completely a cortisol weight gain due to stress.  In any case, the top fits into my 'dressier' top plan.  I am wearing it with grey skinny jeans that I got from Old Navy last year.  I wear these jeans a lot during the winter with riding boots.

I didn't do any purging, but I would imagine, once the weather turns, I will be taking a critical look at my summer stuff and getting rid of a bunch of it.  Still working the capsule wardrobe though.  Getting rid of stuff there and adding new stuff in.  It really has worked well that I go to that one section of the closet and don't have to paw through all the other stuff.

Saw the Minion movie this weekend.  I really love the humor.  I was the only adult in the theater without kids.  If you see it--stay until the VERY end--after the credits are over.  You won't be sorry.  I was the only one left in the theater by that time--well, except the cleaning crew.

I hope you all had either a restful or productive weekend.  I'm getting ready to finish up a class that I am teaching so I had a little class work to take care of.  I'll be grading final papers the next two days.  When I first started at U of Phoenix, I had one class right after another, so it was a great source of extra income.  It has gradually slowed down so that I am lucky to get one class a year.  This class paid for my new bed.

Have a great week everyone!

[Jolexi]

Good Morning All!

I hope everyone has had a fabulous weekend.  I was unable to log in last week and really make any kind of declarations (LOL), as I was just getting back to work after a week off in the mountains and not much else done at home.  The continued efforts at home for the time being had been put on pause while I had a mini vacation that I didn't realize Itruly needed until I was up at the highest point of a mountain, in a cabin, no cell reception, a breathless view, firepits at night, poolside all day, and when I had to return, I felt like a 5 year old being dragged out of the candy and toy section of a department store.  Kicking and screaming puts it lightly.  Nevertheless, I'm back to reality and the grind, as they say.

DrKelli, like you, I'm amazed that we are halfway through this month and year already, but I'm also grateful as much has been accomplished in this time and I'm all the better for it, as I'm sure everyone else is, too.  Shortly after our return from vacation, my BF and I sat down to review our finances together and come up with a plan for the next year as far as spending, paying bills, and future plans together.  I decided to take a course in fitness and nutrition that starts in September and the fee was minimal and it's local, so it will be educational and useful for our future endeavors, in addition to being cost effective.  I know it'll come in handy for the future, for certain.

I've also been of the mind, like you, to wait until the Fall to review the summer wardrobe once it's done.  I can say with a certainty, that I am going to be purging a lot of stuff.  I've used nearly all of my summer clothing so far, with exception to a few shirts and shorts but that's because I've repeated use of other items that are go-to's.  However, some of the things I have worn, have been worn with the "meh" mentality, and these days, I don't want to feel "meh" in my clothes when i'm in them.  I want to be comfortable, satisfied, and know for a fact that I love whatever I have on, and that it works with my other things.  If I'm not happy or completely comfortable in it, I'd rather donate it.  I did purchase three T shirts during my trip, that were 75% off at a local boutique (I paid $5 for each);  they are very versatile, and my daughter has already commandeered two of them LOL. 

My wardrobe these days consists of pretty much the same:  jeans, casual tops, boots, sneakers, or flats.  I do work in an office, but I'm by myself most days.  There was a time when it was a very busy office, I worked with a larger group and we got visitors constantly, so I wore blazers/jackets, blouses, trousers/slacks, skirts, dresses and heels.  Once the dynamics of our offices changed dramatically, it became very casual and the need for that type of office wear dissipated.  Even if I still had to wear that type of more professional clothing, I'd have gotten rid of what I had, as it was very dated.  That however, I did a long time ago.  Thankfully, I did not need to replace any of the items as I removed them from my wardrobe back then.

I think it's great that you are doing/giving the online courses at the U of Phoenix, DrKelli.  It's great that it was useful, as well, to make the extra few dollars to help pay for something you really did need.  I do hope it's helping you have restful evenings, and that your shoulder is doing much better, as well.

This week is paper purging week.  Circulars, old bills, expired coupons, and such for the month.  It's not a lot, but it still has to be done otherwise it multiplies on it's own miraculously.  I'm sure I'll find something else that needs to be tended to!

Hope everyone has a great week!  Continued successful simplification!

Jolexi

[queendiva]

Hello All,

It's wonderful July, so the progress will be minimal here. I am trying to keep up and maintain and enjoy the summer. This week is staycation at home, and I am loving it! Planning a purge of the freezer on Thursday, my next trash pickup day. Will also purge one shelf daily from the fridge. Finances are in good order. Promo on my cable/internet bill expired so I called for a new plan today that will save $25.00/ month. I use my rewards CC for most everything and pay it in full monthly. I have managed to put quite a bit of $ in savings since the beginning of the year- very happy about that. May take a short vacay at the beach in Sept when things are cheaper and quieter. I will try to keep shopping this month to a minimum as I need no summer or fall clothes. We will see how I do with Amazon's Prime day, and now WM will be having something similar.

I have maintained the decluttering this week and still struggle to limit clothing purchases to needs. I now understand that excess shopping begets the clutter. Got my property tax bill yesterday  Reminds me that I need to downsize within the next two years to a smaller, less costly home. I did it nine years ago. This time, both DSs will be moving on with their own lives, and me with mine in a new location, at least for a while.

I purchased a Groupon this week for a day of housecleaning- my gift to me for staying the course for half a year of simplifying. The discount allowed me to do it. I will continue the never-ending job of purging a drawer or a box every day that I can. It helps.

Enjoy this wonderful summer week!

[rnmom]

Good morning!

I did get a small bit of decluttering done this past weekend. I bought a new set of 8 plates, bowls and cups, just the plastic melamine, for everyday eating. ( I have a nice, heavy glass set, but these light plastic ones are great for the kids). So I wanted to get rid of some of the old, mismatched yucky stuff. Plus I needed to make room for the new! I ended up getting rid of one full white kitchen trash bag of old items. I put it right in the back of my car so that I can drop it off next time I'm out that way. I'd say I got rid of about twice as much as I bought, so that felt good.

I just started a new job, back to floor nursing after having a desk job, so I will need to invest in some new scrubs. Seems my old ones have shrunk! I hate it when that happens. But I'm only going to be working 1-2 days a week so I don't need a lot. A couple new sets should be fine. I will check the consignment shop and thrift store, if I can't find any there I'll order some online. I can usually get them pretty cheap if I watch the clearance sales. 

This coming week I want to either do some more work in the kitchen, or start some decluttering in our loft/office area. Now that some of the kitchen cupboards are decluttered, I want to get the rest of them done too!

[DrKelli]

I use melamine plates for every day. I have my grandmother's china (fransican desert rose), but it really isn't my style.  I can't get rid of it, so I eat off of it when all the other is in the dishwasher.  I actually boxed up a lot of it--like coffee cups and saucers, because I use a travel mug most days.

Well, my experiment of wearing dressier tops seems to be a success. Yesterday, I got a lot of compliments on one of my new tops!  And today, I have received compliments on both my top and a necklace I recently got in a subscription box!  I am having a hard time not thinking I must have looked like a real schlump!

I am feeling kind of stalled on my purging, but maybe that will clear once the weather changes again.  Maybe it's okay to take some time off.  I think the purging cycle can be emotionally draining for some of us.

One thing I'd like to tackle is the amount of jewelry I have. The reformed shopaholic blog has been very helpful to me with regard to getting rid of things you don't wear.

[Jolexi]

Working from  home yesterday allowed me to do some of the paper-clearing while I was in my office and in between working on spreadsheets and emails.  I got most of it done, with just a few things here and there that I need to look over again before I shred or discard for sure. 

Another thing I did after work was review my makeup organizer.  I'd gotten some new mascaras and two lip products, so I wanted to revise what I'd kept from my last purge.  I had to get rid of the mascaras I was replacing, and ended up with a small plastic grocery store bag filled with stuff that I'd kept because "just in case", and haven't used in the past 6-8 months.  Out it all went.  I find I'm having more and more room.  What I did though, was look at items I was replacing, that might be a little more costly, and see if I could find less expensive dupes before re-purchasing.  Pinterest has been great for this, and so far, the dupe suggestions I've received have been spot on, and have saved me some money.  These days, every dollar has to be spent wisely. No more frivolous spending for me.

I think that taking a break is never a bad thing.  We have been at it for over 6 months now, so a break is a good idea.  Especially considering that we are going to be changing seasons in a couple of months, and we will then be changing up our wardrobe yet again, and going over what we want to keep or get rid of from the spring/summer wardrobe we just finished using/wearing.  I know that's what I intend to do.  So far, for myself, I've decided that an everyday attempt at keeping what I bring in to the home to a minimum, reduces what purging or decluttering I have to do in bertween seasons or continually.  Some days it's easier than the other.  But it can be draining, so stepping away for a bit is a healthy thing to do, if you need to. 

[rnmom]

I spent a little bit of time yesterday doing some filing and shredding, but I still have more to do. I don't mind filing papers that I know exactly where to put them, it's all the "extras" that I don't know what to do with that drive me so crazy. Receipts that I'm not sure if I should keep, and things that don't have a proper home.

I filled the shredder once, I still have some more filing to do. I cannot spend hours on paperwork, it drives me bonkers, so I stopped and will get back to it in a couple more days hopefully and finish up. 

I did just a tiny bit in the kitchen too, found some glasses to donate. How many wine glasses does a person need when they don't even drink wine? I had 2 really pretty sets of 8 glasses, but they never get used. I got rid of one, kept one just in case we have someone over who wants a wine glass. Part of my problem is the sentimental attachment to these items. All this cool glassware came from my parents who are both gone now and it's just hard to part with some of these things even though I know I'll never use them.