Fashion

[KonaKat]

Good morning, shopping friends. I guess we are having a fashion preview today or something like that. I can remember a time when I looked forward to Fall Fashion Day and would load up. Since then, I've gradually lost the desire to accumulate all those goodies that are promised to make our wardrobes better. I've never bought some lines but in an area where lifestyle is casual, there is no need for "Madison Ave." type clothing.

I think I could go a year without buying clohtes, except for undies, but could I? After all, I am not isolated on a desert island, etc. and am influenced by the "need" to accessorize or add a top or two or three, etc. to make the current wardrobe look new. Right now, I'm not in a buying mood as I don't know what lies ahead. Is security more important than buying the TSV? The TSV is o.k., but I'm not paying that price for that look. I'm sure the quality is good but around here that look can be purchased far less, which permits money to be spent on items that are more versatile and cost effective.

This is an interesting take on an individual's outlook on going a year without buying clothes as well as the responses by individuals. It provides a means of thinking where we stand and what we can do and when is enough is enough:

http://www.becomingminimalist.com/minimalist-enough/

I was up bright and early as I had to go to the "vampire." The problem was that Midnight got me up earlier than I needed, so I had to go almost 3 hours without coffee to jumpstart the day. When I got there, I was informed that if I had one of the tests done within a year that Medicare would not pay for it based upon the dx. I chose not to have the test done as it had been done as part of the pre-testing for the heart procedure.  Enough is enough!

I did get notification that my electric bill was due. I checked the bill for last year at the same time and see that it is $15 less than what I paid last year on the budget plan. Now, that the heat index is over 100, the bill will be impacted in future months but the budget plan does help to minimize the impact of high usage months.

Have a great day. If you shop, shop wisely.

[PAlady]

Good morning ladies, hope all is well.

Jean - Thank you for starting us, I tried, but it kicked me off and I was not rewriting my post, this new board is realy irritating me.  I don't really care for the TSV, it reminds me of an art shirt you would wear in school.  I haven't had the buying bug for a while, I do need a couple new dress clothes things, but just don't have the patience to go shop for them.  I probably should do it now and not when I really need them.  I had a pair of black dress pants on a couple weeks ago and decided they look faded out from washing them.  So I guess this week may be a good time to do that.

The weather here today is beautiful, the weekend was very hot and humid but we were lucky and all the bad storms missed us.  We painted our garage floor yesterday and the sweat just rolled off us, and the work was not that hard.  I am not complaining, I just remember sitting in my house with a fleece jacket on because it was so cold out.

DH is golfing today so I have been busy cleaning.  I do my best cleaning when no one is home.  I have the 3 bathrooms done and now need to sweep and mop the downstairs.  I may even get some decluttering done today.  I have a few things on my radar that need to find new homes.  DH's  church is having a festival next month and have a flea market during it, so I have until the end of the month to find donations for it. 

Well off to drink my tea and get motivated again.  Have a good day everyone.

[sydsgma1]

I agree with trying not to buy so much, but once in a while something just jumps out at me. Not so much with the denim shirt tsv..I have one from jjill that I love, but the Linea shows will be a temptation.

Jean, have you had any more thoughts about selling your timeshare??we hVe one on a different island that we would like to unload.

I am not feeling super. With my suppressed immune system I need to have this checked out sooner rather than later.

We are to have a few days of nice weather so can turn off the ac later today.
Have a great day everyone.

[Bird mama]

Jean, thanks for getting us started today and including the link to the article.  This statement resonates with me:  

"Minimalism isn’t about winning, and it isn’t about a particular achievement. It’s about finding out what matters to you, and getting rid of the peripheral".

One great thing about being tall is that 99% of the fashion TSVs will never fit me - especially if the fashion TSV has long sleeves.  No temptation whatsoever :-)

Sorry that midnight got you up early this morning.  It's hard when you are up for awhile and know that you can't have a cup of coffee in the morning.  It just makes me want my coffee even more (lol).

Susan - we have less humidity today and I almost left the house with some windows open.  I had 5 upstairs windows open and then observed that my eldest bird Poppi was nervous over the noise on the street.  We are on the schedule for having a complete tear down and rebuild of my street and there are loud trucks, saws going and jackhammers.  I told Poppi, honey never mind - mamma will open the windows later when those bad men go home (lol).  I closed up the windows and let the A/C do it's thing.

Barbara - Louis brings in some lovely items. 

[cerb]

Greetings everyone!  Jean - I enjoyed your thoughts about shopping and I also read the link that you posted which is really good.  I think that the concept of "enough" is important in all aspects of life.  "I've spent enough money", "I have enough clothes", "I've eaten enough food", etc.  It also applies to good activities that can be overdone: "I've saved enough money", "I've exercised enough", etc.  I first come across the concept of enough in the book Your Money or Your Life, which is a good book about personal finance.   Sometimes I get it right and sometimes I don't.  In that link the author writes about scarcity, and I find that when I feel worried, anxious, or fear scarcity, that makes me want to acquire too much.  I think that is partially my natural tendency, but I think it also comes from having parents who lived through the Great Depression, and who constantly warned us as children not to waste things or throw things away because you never know when you might need them.  That feeling of scarcity was instilled in me at a young age.  (I'm sure that many of you can relate).

Hope you're not tired of hearing the travel updates of my DC.  They left Innsbruck this morning and are in Lucerne this afternoon.  So far, so good.

Today is my DH's and my 30th wedding anniversary.  Yay us!!!  We'll be going out to dinner tonight.  If we hadn't sent our DC on their special trip, I think my DH and I would have tried to get away for this special date.  But we're okay with that.  Also going out to lunch with a friend which I don't do all that often.  Probably won't get that much else done today.  

Happy Monday!   ~   Charlene

[KonaKat]

Barbara--My timeshare is gone. I looked at the various options as well as the time it takes to sell one. I even  looked at donating it for a tax deduction but would have to pay around $2000 for the legal research, etc. to do it. I didn't pay that much for it so I got my value out of it in over 15 years of use. I ended up signing it back to the vacation club and just paying what it cost to record the deed change. Not all timeshares will permit that. I just saw the handwriting on the wall, and since there were no relatives who wanted it, etc., I just decided to take the easy way out.  I will be able to use it one more time in November. Linea makes some nice items so it is easy to be tempted by that line.

Bernie--When I had the cardiac ablation done, I had to report to the hospital by 5:30am. I knew I wasn't supposed to drink anything and also knew it would be long hours before I could. I actually brushed my teeth, and took the permitted meds with a small sup of black coffee and then used the rest of it to rinse my mouth so I would at least have the taste. I'm short so many of the Q fashions that have long sleeves are too long for me. As a result, 3/4 sleeves work well for me.

Susan--You are a dynamo of energy at getting all that hjousework done. The flea market sounds like a great option for items to find new homes. It sounds as if you have a lovely large home, one deserving of you keeping it clean and free of clutter. I need to get your motivation.

[cerb]

Forgot to mention that our little thunderstorm ended up being 2 days of gentle rain that gave us over an inch.  That's unusual for southern Cal.  If we get summer storms it usually pours for one hour, causes flooding, and all the water runs off.  Very nice to have rain that is allowed to soak in, in our drought-afflicted state.  

[twinny70]

Jean, The TSV is too much $$$ for just a shirt IMO.  Lab work is getting so expensive so it is good that you aren't getting the one done that Medicare won't pay for..

Bird Mama, it is nice here today as the humidity is gone & it will be low 80's today & 70's tomorrow.  We might get a bit of rain tonight but then rain free until the weekend.  Sorry the noise is scaring your feathered friends.

Susan, it was hot & humid here on Friday & Saturday.  Yesterday was nice & we are in for a nice spell.  Our garage is always the hot spot around here.  We have never painted the floor so I don't know what kind of a job that is.

Sydsgma, I am sorry that you arenot feeling well again.  We have been able to open the windows & turn off the a/c.  I much prefer cool fresh air.

DH got his walk in this morning & said it was so nice once again.  One of the couples from our church went to some part of MI over the weekend & brought back loads of fresh blueberries.  Each family got 5#.  There are only two of us here so I gave some to the neighbors & my mom today.  I did make a blueberry pudding cake this morning & now i have a blueberry pie in the oven which I plan to freeze for later use.  It will be breakfast for lunch today & the leftover pizza from the Italian pizza place for dinner tonight.  Hot tubbing before our brief shower comes this way.

Hugs to all of you.

[KonaKat]

Twinny--The blueberries sound delicious. A blueberry pie or cobbler would taste very good right now. Blueberries are high in oxidants so I love to add them to my morning cereal. The price for the TSV has to be for the label name and perhaps the quality, but it just looks like an average shirt which no one would believe it cost that much.

Charlene--I was shocked this morning to hear of the interstate collapse in California as a result of the rain. I can understand how that can happen as we have had some roads collapse from the water going under the road and washing away the supporting dirt and structure. You are fortunate to be in an area of gentle rains.

[PAlady]

Good afternoon everyone.

Jean - Glad you could turn the timeshare over with little trouble, that always is nice.  My home is really not that big, it is a 1970's Ryan home, it is big enough for DH and I.  Compared to the Ryan Homes they build now, mine is a cottage. 

Charlene - Glad you got some much needed rain.  I saw where in CA it rained and flooded, glad you were not affected by that.  Glad the kids are having a good time, I like to hear what they have done.  I don't think I could travel that much at one time, I like to take shorter trips.  Also, Happy Anniversary!!

Barbara - Sorry you are not feeling well, please take care of yourself.

Bernie - I am sure the birds are thanking you for not leaving the windows open. 

Twinny - This is a kit you acid wash the floor first and then put the paint on and you can sprinkle flexs of color on the floor to make it look pretty.  I was the sprinkler yesterday, it wasn't a hard job, but, the humidity just killed us.  You have to let it dry for a 4 days then you put a clear protectent on it.  Like I said it's not hard it just take time to do and you have to clean off the floor to do it.  Guess it looks nice, but glad it is done.

Well got the floors done, I may just do a little decluttering now, I have my eye on a few things.

Have a good afternoon everyone.