Money Smart Fashion

Giveaway Winner!

2012-03-07T05:15:00.000-05:00

Hey Guys, hate to hit and run but I didn't want to keep the winner of the Giveaway waiting too long!

Jan! Congratulations, you've won the medium size shaper from Bag Beautiful. I will e-mail you today.

Thank you to everyone that entered.

Setting Priorities

2012-02-27T07:59:00.000-05:00

I've been feeling overwhelmingly stressed these days. My contact with people outside of work and SSF has been non-existent. I haven't made any plans for my wedding in weeks and don't even get me started on my noticeable absence from both blogging and the gym. My consensus has been that my stress was related to having too much to do. It wasn't until Saturday night when I stumbled upon that quote from Maggie Fox that I realized my real problem was lack of priority.

Looking back on the last two weeks I've had no priorities. Well, to be exact I've had about 50 priorities that all seemed equally important. Ergo, no priorities. And despite leaving work at 8 pm some days I feel like I've accomplished little to nothing over the last two weeks.

But this post isn't just about venting. It's about a solution. To follow in Maggie's lead, I've decided to start setting 3 goals for myself each and every day. Having 3 goals will help me to narrow my focus on what's important that day and finally feel like I've accomplished something.

My goals today:
1. Finish my presentation for Wednesday
2. Go to the Gym
3. Call my friend Andrea.

How do you set priorities?

P.S. Don't forget to enter my Bag Beautiful Giveaway!

Meet Erin, and a Giveaway!

2012-02-22T05:16:00.000-05:00

I'm back again this week (2 days in a row!) and I come bearing gifts. But first you have to meet Erin.

Who is Erin?

Erin is the brains behind LA based company Bag Beautiful. Bag Beautiful is a line of shapers and covers designed to keep your bags in perfect condition while not in use. I have to tell you, as a lover of handbags, I think this is brilliant. Dust covers are nice and all, but they don't exactly prevent leather from creasing. The best part though, is how reasonably priced they are (only $16 for the largest one!).

Erin was a good sport and agreed to answer some questions.

1. Tell us about yourself-- where are you from? What did you do before starting Bag Beautiful?

I have been in Los Angeles in for 16 years and before that I have lived all over the US and Europe. Before Bag Beautiful, I worked in the fashion industry as an apparel and accessories designer.

2. What inspired you to create Bag Beautiful?

I collect handbags, and my favorite bags were always getting squished and damaged in my closet. I figured out that there has to be an easy solution to remedy this, and after some experimenting, Bag Beautiful was born!

3. How does it work?

It's so easy! Just take your favorite bag that needs a little love, then insert the shaper, and put the cover bag over your handbag. Your bag is now protected and ready to be stored in your closet until its used next.

4. You are a "self-proclaimed handbag addict", if you had to pick a favorite, which would choose.....? Why?

So hard since there are so many! I would have to say the Hermes Kelly Bag, it's so classic and you can use it for a star studded event, or simply going to the market. Either way, you're going to look good.

5. Name 5 things in your bag right now that you can't leave the house without.

I always have so many things in my bag, but the top 5 are my iPhone, earphones (need my music at all times!), cosmetic case (for touch-ups on the go), a bottle of water (got to keep hydrated!), and a protein bar.... lots of meetings means lunches get replaced with conference calls.

6. What is you best/favorite money-saving tip.

Two words. Sample. sale. Subscribe to your favorite brand's email newsletters to find out when your favorite designers will be selling their collections at steep discounts.

7. Go ahead and brag, what's the best deal you've ever gotten on a bag?

A few years ago, I ran into a major after holiday sale at Jimmy Choo.... this gorgeous black leather satchel was %50 off! It's been a staple of my closet ever since.

And now, the Giveaway.

Erin is giving away one medium Bag Beautiful shaper & cover to a lucky Money Smart Fashion reader. (US Resident Only).

It's super easy to enter, just enter your name and e-mail below (or login with facebook). You have two options available for entries. Giveaway closes Thursday March 1st.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Smart Fashion: Birthday Dinner

2012-02-21T05:16:00.001-05:00

Oh hey, I've missed you guys. I've wanted to post since like forever but work has been so busy lately. Speaking of work, I was promoted! (eee!) I'm super excited for the opportunity but even more excited for the added financial stability. I was thinking about it the other day and its amazing how far SSF and I have come. This time last year we were scrambling to get our tax returns filed because we needed our refunds to make other payments. This year, we are doing it at our pace. It feels ~~good~~ amazing to not be reliant on a tax refund to get us through the month.

As for my outfit, my sisters birthday (Happy Birthday Amber) on Saturday so we all went out for a family dinner. Nothing too fancy, just a casual dinner out. I of course wore my glitter shoes.

How was your weekend?

Outfit Details

Shirt: Old Navy $7

Jeans: Gap $25

Shoes: J.Crew $60

Jacket: Express $30

Total: $122

Smart Wedding: The Little Things

2012-02-08T10:59:00.000-05:00

I'll be the first to admit that when I started thinking about the cost of my wedding all I considered was the big stuff: dress, photographer, venue, caterer. But now as the date gets closer and closer (8 months, 5 days and counting) I'm becoming overly aware of all the sneaky little costs that don't necessarily come to mind.

For example: postage

I'm embarrassed to tell you how long I mulled over whether or not I should order custom postage. It was at least a week. Before I tell you if I did or not let me give you some facts.

1. Custom postage is amazing, and adorable.
2. Custom postage costs almost twice as much as a plain old regular stamp.

Check it:

$309 on stamps! Luckily, I'm only sending out about 40 of each, which still would have cost me $120 just for postage. That's more than the price of my Save-the-Dates and almost 30% of my total budget for invitations.

So after much debate I decided on a compromise. I ordered pretty fancy postage for my postcard Save-the-Dates (around $35) and will opt for regular old postage on my invitations (+$60) for a total of about $90.

The lesson here? It's not the big things that blow your budget. They are the costs you are most aware of and prepare for. Its all the little things that you don't account for that add up.

(i'm having way too much fun with graphics lately, can you tell?)

January: By the Numbers

2012-02-06T10:00:00.000-05:00

It's been awhile since I've really dug into the nitty-gritty of our budget here on the blog. To be honest, I was looking for a better format. Then I read Amber's post from the other day and I was inspired! I know it's already the 6th of February, but here is a peek at my finances from last month.

Sh*t Girls Say About Money

2012-02-05T09:49:00.001-05:00

Oh come on, how could I resist?

Thank you LearnVest.

Smart Fashion: Lazy Sunday

2012-01-30T05:59:00.000-05:00

I have a confession.

I've been shoe hoarding the last couple weeks.

It started with these Sperry's that I received as a Christmas gift from my best friend. Then, I picked-up this pair of Elizabeth and James wedges on mega sale (75% off to be exact). Finally, it's culminated with the purchase of these glitter loafers from J.Crew (paid for with a gift card).

The good news is I only paid for one of these pairs of shoes.

The bad news is I'm running out of room in my closet.

PS. I also steal clothes from SSF (see: that sweater I'm wearing)

Outfit Details:

tee: OBX, $5

jeans: AE, $30

sweater: SSF's, free?

shoes: J.Crew, $73

jacket: Express, $30

snood: J.Crew , $50

Total Cost: $188

Crazy or Brilliant: Handbag Renting

2012-01-27T06:10:00.000-05:00

I'm going to need your opinion on this. Bag renting has always intrigued me. So when stumbled across this article on Yahoo titled "10 Things You Should Rent Instead of Buy" I had a feeling handbags would be on the list, and they sure were, in the number three spot no less.

Call me old fashion but I don't really like to give something like a dress or a handbag back once I've paid for it. We've all heard of Bag Borrow or Steal. Its a genius business plan and as part of the nouveau frugal I love the idea of saving money on things items that are for the most part out of my league, but beyond that I don't think you would ever catch me renting a bag. . While I would love to be spotted about town with my Chanel bag in tow lets be real here for just one minute. If you are willing to spend $225/month to rent a designer bag (that's $2700/year for repeat offender, btw), don't you think you should just find one bag you love and invest in it? Wouldn't you feel better knowing that the beautiful bag slung over your shoulder is 100% yours and doesn't come with a monthly payment. I couldn't even imagine what SSF would say about that! Imagine his surprise seeing "bag rental" in between BG&E and Sallie Mae.

On the other hand, renting gives you the ability to change your mind without the risk of buying into a bag that you don't use as often as you thought you would. It also gives access to bags that I couldn't afford in my wildest dreams (ahem, this one)

I still think SSF would kill me though.

What's your take?

Smart Home: Jewelry Box Refresh

2012-01-24T00:01:00.000-05:00

I've had this jewelry box since college. There is nothing particularly special about it but for some reason I never want to let it go. And why would I? It's a perfectly good jewelry box. So without even realizing it (until Saturday) I've taken to updating the thing every few years to reflect my current style.

During college, it was a decoupage of great memories...concert tickets, pictures, my idols. Then after moving with SSF it was repainted to the dark brown color you see. Now, its something a little more modern.

Total Cost: $0

I used some craft supplies I already had around the house including:

Acrylic Paint
Painters Tape
Leftover Fabric
Fabric Glue

Even if you didn't have all of this stuff laying around I couldn't imagine it costing more than $10-$15.

And... done! I'm obsessed with how it turned out.

What did you do this weekend?

SSF- What About Me?

2012-01-22T10:46:00.001-05:00

I've asked SSF to be a little a more vocal around here and share his view on everything from our finances to our wedding. Here is his first, and hopefully not last post. Enjoy!
xo,grace

SSF here.

Hey, it’s hard to argue that all eyes won’t be on my beautiful soon-to-be bride at our wedding. When she’s walking down the aisle (beach), I will be up at the altar, the afterthought of everyone in attendance. Every groom knows this, every groom understands this, and every groom accepts this. Which is fine. As a low-key kind of guy, that’s actually the way I’d prefer it. Still, when we’re standing up there together, and people’s eyes eventually make their way over to me, I want them to say, “Gee, that’s a handsome guy she’s marrying” and not, “Gee, what a slob.”

Of course it won’t be like that, I know. But lately I’ve been stressing about how I’m going to look on my wedding day, and how my groomsmen will look as well. I’ve been searching for ideas, scavenging the internet (like, all of it), flipping through catalogs, and taking suggestions. I’ve decided I don’t want to go down the traditional path of renting the black tux. I want a look that fits with our beach wedding, but isn’t overly casual, that is also unique and different.

So I decided to do a post that shows some of the looks that I’ve found that I’m into. Feel free to leave your thoughts, or any ideas/suggestions you might have.

This is probably the look that I envisioned when I first started thinking about my wedding suit. I like the plaid with the tan suit. It’s different than the traditional plain old white button down shirt that seems to accompany every suit. A simple Google search of beach weddings show plenty of guys in tan suits with their white shirts, and I want to divert from that norm. I like the bit of color-pop the plaid offers, as it dresses up the tan suit. That said, the combination still feels like p.76 out of the JCrew catalog, so I’m not sure I’m getting the uniqueness I want.

I’ve been feeling the grey suit lately, but I’m not sure if it is beach-y enough. I like the contrast in colors a grey suit would give me. In the picture above, the yellow and blues really stand out. I feel I could have some fun creating a more personalized look. If I were to go with a grey suit, I’d probably want a lighter shade of grey, like this:

(Like the grey, but definitely not feeling the linen suit.)

Love this look. The skinny ties with the suspenders are how I envision my groomsmen. Plus this might be the lighter shade of grey I’m looking for. The casualness of the look also lends itself well to our laid back beach wedding. The shoes and no socks are also a perfect touch. Love, love, love.

***

So that’s a taste of where I’m at as a future groom. I’ve got ideas that seem to be all over the place, and it’s getting close to the time where I need to start narrowing down some options. Sheesh, who knew planning a wedding would be so stressful?

I’d love to hear your thoughts. How would you like your beach groom to look?

~SSF

Today Feels Like...

2012-01-19T06:48:00.000-05:00

A sequin jacket and tall shoe kind of day....

sequin jacket: $25, ebay auction
elizabeth and james hali wedge: $82 (down from $275) shopbop

just saying.....

Student Loans First Steps

2012-01-18T00:01:00.000-05:00

Student loans have been all the talk around the Croshaw-SSF household these days. My in-school deferment will be ending at the end of this month which means come February we will be taking on a $900 loan payment in addition to our other monthly expenses. It sucks, but it's life. In anticipation of that dreadful day we've been working on a strategy on how to manage the added monthly expense, while still living our normal lives and paying for a wedding.

Our strategy consisted of 3 steps.

First, lower monthly payments

I have a mix of private and federal loans. Because the terms of my private loans are less agreeable than those backed by the government, paying off the private loans is a priority. As a result, I wanted to make my monthly payment on my federal loans as low as possible. In order to this I have to consolidate all of my federal debt into one loan. Once that process is complete, I will be applying for Income-Based Repayment, or IBR. IBR is a repayment option available to those with more than $30,000 in federal student loan debt. What makes IBR different from most repayment plans is that your payment amount under IBR is dictated by your income as opposed to factors like principle, interest rate, and term.

Second, identify cash inflows and plan for extra income

Between tax returns, tuition reimbursement, and bonuses SSF and I have some serious bonus cash coming in that needs to be accounted for and earmarked before it gets here. SSF made a list of all our expected "extra income" and together we made decisions on where it should go. While quite a bit of it will go towards the wedding we would also like to pay off at least one of our cars and keep some tucked away for a rainy day.

Third, identify cash outflows and cut back on expenses

As of right now we are focusing on one expense: our grocery bill. Despite my attempts at couponing this is the one area we always tend to go over on so starting this month we established a strict budget of $320 per month for groceries. That's a generous $80 a week, and $20 less than we had been spending. How did we come to this number? Well I basically looked at our average spend over the last few months and cut it by 20%.

And that's that. Thrilling right? Not really. But its nice to have a plan. If you are like me though a plan is not enough, so I made a goal too. My goal is to have all my private student loan debt paid off in less than 10 years. (My repayment term is 15 for them.) I've yet to figure out how much that would save me in-terms of interest, but mostly likely a lot. Wish me luck.

How do you cope with your student loans?

Smart Wedding: Finding "the" Dress

2012-01-13T05:58:00.001-05:00

Anyone remember this post from way back in March of last year? No? Ok, well let me refresh your memory. I had recently taken a trip to New York City to try on dresses at Kleinfeld's where I fell hopelessly in love with this beauty from designer Augusta Jones. I have basically been pining over this dress for the last 8 months. I've been considering busting my budget for it. That is until recently, when reality set in. Who am I to think I can go out and drop three grand on a dress?

I've heard people say:

"It's your day"

"You'll always regret not getting "the" dress"

"You only get one wedding"

Blah. Blah. Blah.

At the end of the day, it's still money. So to the relief of SSF and my parents, I came to my senses and decided to keep looking. And you know what? It is possible to find more than one dress that looks absolutely amazing on you. It's also possible to find a dress that's a more affordable. I went last weekend and tried on a few dresses and found two beautiful ones I could see myself in for the wedding. I have a 2 more appointments this weekend, one of them being a follow-up to last week's, and I am dragging everyone but SSF with me so I can finally make a decision.

So to all you ladies out there, getting married in the next year, longing for that expensive dress that in no way, shape, or form, fits your budget. My advice is don't believe the hype. Don't buy in to all the excitement of getting married and buying a wedding dress. Stay focused and most importantly stay under budget! Oh, and once you found your dress, stop looking!

Now, pretty pictures:

Source: thesweetestoccasion.com via Grace on Pinterest

Bridemaids: I hope you are reading this. This is my vision. Go buy your dresses.

Source: stylemepretty.com via Grace on Pinterest

this cracks me up.

Source: reasonstobreathe.tumblr.com via Grace on Pinterest

love the intimacy of a long table, it will be perfect for our small wedding.

Source: shineonwithlb.com via Grace on Pinterest

Again, bridesmaids.. be prepared. I may make you do this the morning after the wedding.

Have a good weekend!

Smart Fashion: Making Do

2012-01-09T00:01:00.000-05:00

Early last week there was a brief chill in the air. It lasted about 30 seconds (or 3 days, but who's counting?) and then it went right back to near 60 degrees. This is seriously the most mild winter I've ever experienced. SSF is totally bummed. Snow is one of the things that both him and his students look forward to.

Anyway, Once the cold weather hit I was dying to wear something furry, anything furry. Buying was not an option. I considered one of my cats but then settled for the next best thing, a detachable hood-liner. I swear as I ripped it from its normal home I heard Tim Gunn saying "make it work".

And so I did, or tried to. A broke girls got to do what a broke girls got to do.

PS. the cats loved it.

Outfit Details:

Shirt: Urban Outfitters: $15

Pants: Lands End Canvas c/o Lucky

Boots: MIA via DSW: $79

Belt: thrifted: $4

Total: $98

Smart Home: Linen Closet Makover

2012-01-04T06:11:00.000-05:00

After making my New Year's Resolution to "build a beautiful home" it didn't take me long to decide on my first project... the linen closet. I don't have a before picture.. but imagine it looked like this:

photo credit

Now it looks like this...

True Story.

Total Cost: $23.50
What I got: 3 (pretty) baskets to corral our baby stockpile.

Coming up with this idea was not the hard part. I mean, all you have to do is search "linen closet" on pinterest and you will find plenty of organization ideas. The hard part is getting the right price.

Luckily Michael's made it easy. They are currently running 50% off their entire stock of baskets.
Other great places to check for discounted baskets are goodwill or thrift stores, Hobby Lobby, and even ebay.

Happy Birthday SSF (his birthday was on Monday), I cleaned the closet. Consider this my gift to you.

Goals for a (Happy) New Year

2012-01-01T13:49:00.000-05:00

If you were at all curious what I did on New Year's Eve, there it is. I ate semi-fancy but reasonably priced cheese and crackers, drank an entire bottle of "sparkling wine" and watched bits and pieces of Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with SSF. Don't hate.

In addition to all that, earlier in the day, when I was not drinking I sat down and wrote a future letter to myself. It's an idea that I picked-up from Jess over at MML. I had never done it before and found it painfully uncomfortable, but it was an interesting way to craft some new goals for the coming year. You can see a full explanation of the exercise here but simply stated, the idea is to write a letter to yourself from the perspective of one year in the future looking back on all you accomplished throughout the year .

I liked this exercise because it helped me to open up and write from my heart. I feel like the things I envisioned myself accomplishing over the next year are things I really want to do, not things I feel like I have to do. From that letter I was able to draw out major themes that I wanted to share.

There are only so many ways we can cut money from our spending, but the potential to earn money is unlimited. Couple that with the fact that I've always wanted to open my own business and you've got my first goal for 2012. I have no plans on leaving my current job, but I can't say that it's salary alone is enough to keep SSF and I financially comfortable. With my student loans coming due very soon, we need some additional income. So in 2012, thanks to a little inspiration from her, her, and her, I am going to start a small (side) business. I don't want to give away too many details right now, but you better believe it has something to do with fashion.

This may (or may not, depending on how well you know me) surprise you, but I am a nerd. But I'm also lazy. I'm worried now that I am out of an intellectual environment I won't keep learning. So I've made it a point to put reading at the top of my to-do list.

It's so easy to get swept up in the wedding details and forget why you are getting married, and what your budget is. I don't want to lose touch with reality so I will be keeping one eye focused on the bottom-line at all times. That includes my dress. I'm having second thoughts about the super expensive one I fell in love with last year and have decided to keep looking for something more budget appropriate.

I really can be selfish with my time and too often I put myself ahead of my friends, and even my family. This year I want to put them before me. I want to be the friend/sister/daughter that remembers important dates, calls often, and is always there.

Don't get me wrong, I think SSF and I have a beautiful home, I just wanted it to really feel like home. I want to look around the house and see things that SSF and I created together. I want to feel like my house is worth of a magazine without spending a fortune. I want to do lots of DIY's.

What resolutions did you make for 2012?

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-21T06:13:00.005-05:00

Source: paper-source.com via Anna on Pinterest

I just wanted to take a minute to wish all of you a happy holiday season, whatever your holiday may be.

I know my posts have been few and far between these last few weeks, but I promise that is about to change now that I'm officially done with grad school (yippee!). But, instead of jumping right back into the swing of things I've decided to take these last 10 days of 2011 off.

My plans?

Spend time with friends and family
Catch-up on a few nagging wedding details
Think about what my goals are for 2012 and the future
Start working on some new, fresh content for 2012.

So to quote N*Sync, Merry Christmas. Happy Holidays.

Smart Eating: Homemade Granola

2011-12-12T06:59:00.000-05:00

I love granola. Add in some Greek yogurt and you have my go-to breakfast most mornings. The two together are a great mix of protein, dairy, healthy fats, and carbs. But granola is expensive. In my experience its at least $4.99 for 12oz of the good stuff. Even with coupons that's hard to justify! So I did what any cash strapped, fashion-loving blogger would do: I made it myself.

The foundation for my granola was this Cooking Light recipe, but I took the liberty of mixing in my own dry ingredients. For example, instead of buying almonds, walnuts, and cranberries I bought a mix from the grocery store that had sunflower seeds, sliced almonds, pumpkin seeds, and cranberries mixed together.

The granola was delicious and I loved having full control over the ingredients that went in it but I'm skeptical as to whether this is the cheaper route for the long-term. As you can see below some of my cost-savings was achieved by already owning 2 of the ingredients.

Ultimately, I think I will continue to make my own granola. First of all, it's so easy its stupid. Second of all, it's really fun when people ask "What kind of granola is that?" to say "Oh, I made it.". And finally, I have some tricks up my sleeve to help keep the cost down.

1. Buy nuts and dried fruit in bulk (That's what she said?): Seriously though. I did some price comparisons. A 32 ounce bag of sliced almonds at my local wholesale club is around $9.00 while 6 ounces at the grocery store can cost as much as 4.99. That equals a savings of 55 cents per ounce! Keep in mind, this option is only great if you plan on making granola often or using the nuts in other recipes. You can also search sites like amazon for deals on nuts and fruit.

2. Ditch the Vanilla: At $4.99 a bottle this ingredient is totally worth replacing, or just ditching altogether. I found another recipe that don't require use of the spice at all.

3. Swap out Honey for Maple Syrup: Both ingredients serve the same purpose to sweeten and congeal, (aka make clumps), so if I alternate, I can take advantage of sales and coupons to drive the unit price lower on the homemade.

Do you have a great recipe for homemade granola? or maybe tips for saving money on the ingredients? Share it in the comments-- I want to hear.

Smart Fashion: Cheetah Print

2011-12-05T00:01:00.000-05:00

Full disclosure: I was in my pj's until at least 2 on Saturday. The end of my semester is quickly approaching (yay!) so I spent the morning finishing up some papers and powerpoints. I threw this one to run some errands with SSF. I've been plotting this outfit in my head all week so I couldn't resist the opportunity to wear it. Even if it meant wear it for a trip to Harris Teeter to pick up a pizza and a redbox (sidenote: Bad Teacher was kind of hilarious, I don't care what you say).

This is one of the shirts from Goodwill I bragged about. Not to shabby, eh?.
I would wear this shirt everyday, but I think people would catch on. I mean cheetah print isn't exactly inconspicuous.

How was your weekend?

Ps. I moved my outfits deets to the bottom there so I could include some prices. It's something I've always wanted to do, you know, just to keep myself in check. Let me know if you love it or hate it.

Outfit by the Numbers:

Shirt (Goodwill): $4

Sweater (Old Navy): $15*

Jeans (Gap): $26

Shoes (Aldo): $60

Total: $105

*now $10.49 in store

**Accessories not included

Long Weekend---Bliss

2011-11-28T10:59:00.000-05:00

jeans & Cardigan: gap; booties: aldo; top: goodwill

Guess what I did this weekend... Nothing. Well not entirely nothing, I mean I did something, but in the grand scheme of doing something versus nothing. I basically did nothing. SSF and I (with the exception of a planned family gathering and hair appointment) just did whatever we felt like this weekend... and it felt great. It was the first time in awhile that I didn't feel bogged down by school, work, wedding planning, etc.

All in all, it was refreshing. I took some time to reflect on things, clean out my closet (literally), and just spend some quality time with SSF that didn't involve me sitting on the couch with my laptop while he watched TV.

On a totally unrelated note, I've been having the best luck at goodwill the last couple times I've gone. I found this amazing polka dot top a couple weeks ago and over the weekend I scored some other seriously excellent goodies I can't wait to share.

How was your Thanksgiving weekend?

Ps. this last picture was too sexy not to share.

You can thank the wind for that work of art. :)

Fragile is Not a Good Look For Me

2011-11-21T10:59:00.000-05:00

Source: polyvore.com via Mary on Pinterest

There is something I need to talk about, quasi out loud, while I have your ear. I hope you don't mind.

To say I have confidence problems is an understatement.
I have major confidence problems.

They manifest in various ways. At school I don't feel "smart" enough, at work I don't feel "experienced" enough, in front of people I don't know very well I don't feel "cool" enough, in front of my mirror I don't feel "pretty" enough, and on my blog I don't feel clever enough. I am one of those girls that doesn't talk about my blog, even though I love it, because I'm afraid that people will judge me by it.

I have my good days and bad days.The last week or so has been bad. SSF and I even had a bit of a blowout over it. That's bad. I should have seen the signs though. Over the years I've noticed that when insecurities take over I start an unending quest for something to make me feel better (read: clothes, shoes, etc). I have been on a mission the last few weeks to find that thing that will patch my self esteem long enough. I've spent countless hours in the past weeks shopping online for something, anything. Luckily, it appears I have developed some willpower and self-control over the last few years that has kept me from going over the edge.

That fight with SSF, I think that was the tipping point.

Something has got to change. The one place I do feel in control is at the gym. It's there that I feel strong, powerful, capable of anything, and, for a lack of better words, sexy. I want to feel like that, all the time. I don't want to fidget with my clothes, I don't want to feel uncomfortable in my own skin, I don't want to waste my life on "what ifs".

Last night before I fell asleep I was trying to figure out where to start. I've decided it's with my closet. There is a whole mess of a lot going on in there. Clothes that fit, some that don't. Clothes that are so totally "me", and others that appear to be in the wrong closet. Sounds kind of superficial but I think a serious cleaning of my closet and weeding out of those clothes that aren't exactly me, will help me figure out exactly who I am.

Let the games begin.

Source: stylishthought.com via Celeste on Pinterest

Senioritis

2011-11-07T10:59:00.000-05:00

top: thirfted, cardigan: old navy, riding pants: c/o lands end canvas; boots: aldo

I seem to have come down with a really bad case of "omgwhycan'tgradschooljustbeoveralready". More commonly known as senioritis. I'm just ready to move on, you know? Unfortunately there are about four more papers that separate me and graduation.

Luckily, I have little things like $4 dollar shirts to keep me going.

I promise things will return to normal shortly. I have had lots of things on my mind lately that I am dying to share with you all. Financial stuff, future stuff, and even wedding stuff (SSF and I finally saw our venue up close and personal-- was it worth the splurge? OH HELL YES)

Just bear with me a few weeks. k?

Gettsyburg

2011-10-27T10:59:00.000-04:00

SSF and I took a field trip up to Gettysburg this past Saturday with about 60 other graduate students from my program. Strange, considering I study business but just go with it. The point of it was to make the connection between business and military strategy.

All that aside, just being there and walking the battlefield was unreal. I've never been on a battlefield, but being there and seeing how they fought, so close to one another, neither wanting to back down, makes me realize how privileged I am. It also reinforces my appreciation and respect for those that serve in the military today.

No history lesson today, just wanted to share some of the photos from my trip.

a North Carolina monument on the confederate line (sidenote: 1 in 4 fatalities were a North Carolina soldier)

also part of the North Carolina monument above

the view from the confederate line looking across the battlefield to where the union army stood

the Virginia Monument honoring Robert E. Lee that looks straight out across the battlefield to a similar monument of General Meade (of the Union Army)

the view from Little Round Top on the Union side

a Pennsylvania monument on "The Angle", the site of Picketts Charge and the bloodiest hour of the battle. 9.500 soldiers dies in a matter of 50 minutes.

another area of "The Angle". Union soldiers crouched along this stone wall, looking across the battlefield, waiting for the confederates.

a long line of monuments of the Union side.

Unfortunately or fortunately we did not experience any paranormal behavior.

(If you are ever in the area I recommend going to check it out, especially with a tour guide. Just think how different our lives could be if the the Confederate Army was successful at Gettysburg.)

Utility Vest for Under 10

2011-10-24T10:59:00.000-04:00

vest & jean leggings: old navy; shirt: j.crew; shoes: nine west via piperlime; scarf: american eagle

I love Old Navy.
I hate Old Navy.
I love Old Navy.
I hate Old Navy.

Right now, I love Old Navy.
Snagged this vest off the clearance rounder for $7.

On another note I've been in crazy shopping mode lately. SSF even called me out on it over the weekend. I wouldn't say that I've been overspending, but I certainly haven't been under-spending. It's like I'm binging after months of restrictive spending. Better get that under control, ASAP.

Even before SSF had so nicely pointed out my spending (and by nicely, I mean bluntly) I had picked up on it a little. Last week I challenged myself to wear outfits I had never worn before to try and shake that "I need" feeling. It worked a little, but I need to keep pushing this week.

How was your weekend?