Frugal Moda-Vida

Mad Men For The Holidays

noreply@blogger.com (Author: Seymantha Cross) — Fri, 6 Nov 2009 12:52:00 -0800

'Tis the season for lots of holiday parties and dinners. Better get ready and amp up your wardrobe with some classy dresses because you don't want to be seen wearing the same one.

This season, I'm going MAD!! Mad Men style that is. For the holidays, I always like the classy 1950's retro look. It's difficult to pull off that look unless you know where to go for that tailor fitted look without paying an arm and a leg. Unlike my best friend Jen, I never have any luck in thrift stores when trying to find the 50's shift dresses or clothes of that era for that matter, so instead I end up resorting to a simple black dress that I didn't want to spend money on in the first place.

Thank goodness there are online stores that can help you achieve that look without searching through second hand stores or breaking your budget to get that one (or several) perfect black dress(es).

My perfect black dress cost only $117 with shipping and taxes from a store called unique-vintage.com.

I've been on a search for this exact look for a year now and accidentally stumbled upon it while searching for a retro look. The material is made of a medium weight stretched lycra and suppose to hug your every curve. There are many selection of well made dresses at Unique-vintage at very decent prices.

Another one of my new favorite store with many retro dresses is Stop Staring Clothing. Many form fitting dresses can be found here and I doubt you'll find anything over $200.

After you pick out your dresses, watch this video to recreate that 1950's PinUp hair style.

Find a faux fur shawl, some red lipsticks, and dark red nail polish, you are ready to be fabulous and glamorous!

Make Out In The Closet!

noreply@blogger.com (Author: Seymantha Cross) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 14:18:00 -0700

A clean and organized closet space is one of the most neglected aspect in a household. For modern frugalists, organization is an important rule to live by. Disorganized closet space not only drains you of your time, but it also drains you of your money.

By investing a few hours of cleaning out and organizing your closet, you will:

Save time by making it easier and quicker to get dressed
Reduce repeat buys
Keep your clothes looking new
Leave the house with confidence

Here are some tips to getting your closet organized and clean, but make sure you have the following essential items to help you get started.

Suit/Jacket Hangers x 15
Shirt/top/Dress hangers x 40
Suit/skirt hanger x 5
Skirt hangers x 10
Trouser hangers x 10
Drawer liners x 1 pack
Shoulder covers x 5
Boot inserts x 4 pairs
Shoe Drawers x 10
Drawer Dividers x 1 set
Bikini bags x 5

Clean out the drawers, the bars, and shelves with mild detergent or disinfecting wipes

Line your drawer (use scented liners to keep clothes smelling fresh)
Use undergarment divider such as the one on the right from the containerstore.com to keep your undergarments, belts, and socks tidy

Separate your clothes, shoes and accessories and divide them into ones for resale/giveaway/storage/keep

Unless you have a sentimental attachment, don't hang on to old or tired items. Store sentimental items separately from non-sentimental items.
Try it on if you are not sure
Storage items: Vacuum pack the items for space saving solutions

Rehang garments on matching hangers

Divide your garments into sections, i.e (pants together, skirts together, shirts together, etc.)

Color coordinate each section

Organize your shoes

If you do not have a system for organizing your shoes and want to keep your organizational budget down, consider a modular system like this from the containerstore.com for a clean and sophisticated look for your closet.

If you don't have enough storage space, and want a complete overhaul of your wardrobe, Ikea is my pick for the most cost effective and stylish storage solution.

The wardrobe below is similar to what I have in by bedroom, except in black and frosted glass sliding doors. As you can see, the system provide storage for all your clothes, accessories, and shoes. The interior is customizable to fit your needs.

If you decide to go the Ikea route, I recommend hiring them for installation. If you want to save money on installation, make sure you have some strong men to help you...most of the parts are pretty heavy and is very difficult to put together alone.

Happy organizing!

Eco Friendly, Money Saving, and Time Effecient: Using Genuine Leather Chamois Around The House

noreply@blogger.com (Author: Seymantha Cross) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 19:37:00 -0700

Most of the furniture in my house is not made to co-exist with kids. For example, I have two white leather couches that my toddler likes to use as trampolines and a glass dining table that act as a canvas for food and juice painting. After snack time, they make sure not to neglect all the glass doors on my book shelves and media cabinet by leaving smudges with their tiny fingers.

I decided to try out several types of ultra absorbent shammies after going through one roll of paper towels every other day. To my disappointment, they did not do the job I had hoped for. Although all of the shammies were great at absorbing water, the fact that I had to use Windex and paper towels to wipe the streaks off after using the shammy was not only annoying, but I still went through one roll of paper towels every other day.

While shopping at Target one day, I decided I would wash my own car, so I took a gander in the automotive isle to check out what they had, which I rarely ever do. To my surprise I saw a genuine leather chamois for $10.00. It was cheaper than most of the shammies I bought in the past. When I took it home, I thought I would try it on my glass table after the kids spilled their juice. Amazed by the result of a streak-free table, I thought I would try cleaning my white leather couches with it...and by golly, it worked great. It was a snowball effect after that. My white leather couches maintain their shininess and are as clean as when I first bought them.

Instead of using different cleaning agents to clean my furniture, counter tops and walls these days, I just fill my kitchen sink halfway with water, add one or two cap(s) full of Mrs. Meyers Clean Day Lavender All Purpose Cleaner, and wring out the genuine leather chamois after dipping it the solution. This method is not only friendly to the environment but it also saves me a boat load of time. To top it off, it's also friendly to my pocket book. I only have to replace the roll of paper towels once every three days now instead of once every other day. In my opinion, the leather chamois has a longer life span than the most cloth shammies out there, which means you have to replace it less often.

TIP: If you decide to buy genuine leather chamois, be sure to hand wash it with very mild detergent before the first use.

Have other uses for genuine leather chamois? Share it with us.

Happy cleaning!

Lease up for renewal? Time to renegotiate your rent...

noreply@blogger.com (Author: Seymantha Cross) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 23:02:00 -0700

The real estate market is not only a buyers market right now, it is also a renters market. Rental vacancies for apartments in metropolitan areas is at its highest in 22 years according to the Wall Street Journal online, and along with the high unemployment rate, landlords are finding it difficult to fill their vacancies due to families doubling up or people moving in with family members to save money.

If you are looking to move or if you want to lower your rent in your current rental, here are a few strategies to help you get the place you want at a price that'll leave with some extra money at the end of the month.

Step 1: Check out the vacancies in the area you want to rent. If there is a large number of vacancies, it's safe to assume that the landlords/owners are willing to negotiate.

Step 2: Compare the rental rates for the types of properties you want by checking on rental ads like Craigslist, asking around, or simply calling the "for rent" sign if the rate is not listed.

Step 3: Negotiate - If a comparable property is listed lower than property you want, use the lower pricing as a base for your negotiation. If you think you can go lower, go for it, but be careful not offend the landlord with unrealistic offers.

Step 4: If your offer is rejected, ask the landlord if they are willing to accept your offer or ower the rate if you opt for a longer lease term.

Step 5: If the landlord doesn't want to lower the rent, but you really want the place, and it's in your budget, ask for a low deposit.

If the landlord is not willing to negotiate any in any of the above area, trust your gut and continue to look for a place within your budget and lifestyle.

Happy hunting!

If you have any suggestions, feel free to comment.

Need An Extra Seat - Turn Your Bugaboo Into A Double Stroller

noreply@blogger.com (Author: Seymantha Cross) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 17:18:00 -0700

If you're a frugalista mom who knows what a Bugaboo is and don't have one, you're probably thinking...Bugaboo and frugal, huh? Well, being frugal doesn't mean you have to forgo quality gears for your most precious possession. It's important to weigh all the pros and cons before purchasing your baby gear and purchase the ones suitable for your lifestyle, your budget, and what you want out of it.

Before my husband and I decided to buy this expensive stroller before the birth of our first child, we looked at many different strollers, from the very inexpensive brands to the very expensive brands. After all things considered, we chose the Bugaboo Cameleon for its quality and features. You may ask, how is this being frugal? Well, we knew that we wanted to have another child down the road and wanted to have only one stroller that is sturdy, versatile, and light.

The sturdiness of the stroller, means that we would have longer usage out of it and have it for our second child.
Being versatile means that we wouldn't have to buy other strollers to accommodate our other activities, such as jogging, beaching, or hiking (if we were to hike).
And having a light stroller means less ache and pain to our body when we transport it in and out of the car, which equates to less doctor visits.

18 months after our son was born, we were blessed with a little girl. This means I would have to give up my Bugaboo or buy a double stroller, which would essentially defeats my purpose of buying this stroller in the first place.

Thank goodness it didn't have to come to that! After many hours spent on the internet, I found a great add-on made for a Bugaboo stroller. The product is called Twoo made by Kleine Dreumes, a dutch company in the Netherlands. The Twoo serves as a second seat for the Bugaboo and makes it fun for toddlers to ride on. It's easy to attach and remove during transportation and was a lifesaver for me and my husband on our trip to Disneyland.

With shipping and tax, the seat cost about $118 USD. Unfortunately, the wheeled board is not included, but can be purchased at most Bugaboo retailers for about $80 USD. If you already have a Bugaboo, this is perhaps the most inexpensive alternative to a quality double stroller.

TWOO

For those who are not Bugaboo owners and are not ready to give up their favorite single stroller, Kleine Dreumes also makes a seat called Kid-Sit that accommodates strollers like Phil & Ted, Quinny, Bugaboo and many others. The seat comes with a board and cost about $207 USD with shipping.

The Twoo and the Kid-Sit is a great alternative to a double stroller if you want to keep your beloved single stroller. I've had my Twoo for over a year now and it's worth every penny spent.

Can't find Trader Joes near you...opt for Fresh & Easy to stretch your dollars

noreply@blogger.com (Author: Seymantha Cross) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 14:37:00 -0700

As a modern frugalist and a mother of two, making sure that my family eats healthy without breaking the bank is my number one goal every time I make a trip to the market. Opting for healthier options at traditional chain markets like Albertson's or Ralphs is not possible for me if wanted to achieve that goal. The fact that those markets offer very limited organic or minimally processed food items makes it hard for them to pass the savings on to their customers. Furthermore, seeking healthy items in these traditional grocery markets can be both challenging and time consuming as well.

If you fall in a category of healthy eaters with no time and no budget restriction, Whole Foods is the best place to shop because everything there is pretty much healthy. But, if you're like me and fall into the category of healthy eaters with a budget and no time, you're probably familiar with Trader Joe's also known as TJ's. If you're not familiar with TJ's, it's the best place to get "great food at great prices, without the gimmicks." They are able to offer healthy alternatives, mostly their brand, and imported and domestic food items as well. But if you need non-food items like cleaning supplies and etc. Target is probably the best place to visit once a week.

Another favorite store of mine is Fresh & Easy. This is the place to go to if you want your dollars to stretch even further. Not only do they offer their own brands of quality foods at great prices, but they also offer name brand products at great prices. Unlike TJ's, they also offer name brand household goods like detergents, cleaning supplies, hygiene products and many more therefore, saving you a trip to another store. Because this store is 15 minutes away from where I live, I make it there once a week to stock up my fridge and pantry. Overall, this store saves me, on average, 20% over Trader Joe's which is pretty good for a family of four.

Don't have a Trader Joe's or Fresh & Easy near you but have a favorite neighborhood store that offers similar products and services? Tip us to your favorite store and don't forget to list where.

Happy shopping!