Extraneous or Just Real Life

So I'm trying not to spend any extra money. However, I'm trying to hang out more one-on-one with friends to build stronger relationships. This has been leading to spending more money at coffee shops and restaurants. I'm sure how and if I want to stifle this spending, because it straddles that line of superfluous and necessary. Plus I'm always in the mood to try a new coffee shop as I am still learning about my new city. Also I have these craft projects I want to do, but again I don't want to spend extra money. I kind of have in my mind that if I use my tip money to pay for it doesn't count.

Clothing Swap Time

So as a part of the decluttering of the wardrobe, I given up on some of those cute clothes that are totally gorgeous, but so not me. It's time for a clothing swap party so those clothes can go to good homes and where most likely I'll see them in their full glory on one of my friends. I actually was talking to my old roommate about the first one I did 6 months ago after hearing about it at "And Then She Saved." Now that she has moved all of her stuff back to the parents. She realized she had 2 bursting wardrobes and a small childhood clothes to try and fit them into. So we decided hopefully at the end of the month, we will co-host another clothing swap. It will be fun finding new things that I like, while drinking wine and hanging out with the ladies. However, just because it's new clothing item, I have to love it before it can added to my life. Because the reason behind this is to get rid of clothes after all. I excited that I'll be able to this during the challenge month as well as being a frugal social activity to hang out with friends without having to go to bar or restaurant.

photo via And Then She Saved

Declutter Challenge

So my starting number for my closet is 220 items. I did the full inventory a week or two ago when I looked at Leo Babatua's Clutterfat Challenge, but I ended up not liking the interface. Nevertheless, it has gotten me started in the right direction.  I would love to get down to 100, that is my ultimate goal. My intermediate goal is to get rid of all the clothes I don't like, don't fit, or needs to be fixed, cause at this juncture I am not going to get around to fix it, nor do I know how. So that's where I am starting out at.

February Challenge Goal/Reward

So it's February 1st. Let's set out the goal for the low (no) spend challenge. I want to direct all my excess monies to my emergency fund to achieve the goal of 2000 dollars. If I reach that by the end of the month as I am 389 dollars away at this point, the rest will go towards my student loans, which is around 8000 at this point. I am also going on vacation in March and April so I need to save for that. But I need to think more on that. Since Cappy gets paid more than me, he has no problem saying majority of it, but I do want to pull my own wait. So that's what I am starting with for this challenge. I am super excited.

February Challenge

So I entered in the February Challenge. Let's do it! Here's the rules / original post

30-Day Rule

So I actually used the 30-day rule that I learned from Get Rich Slowly. I wanted to buy new work shoes with this technique. I ended up buying them online for cheaper than I saw at the store, since the 30-day rule gave me the time to research and decide if this was the right shoe to fit my needs. It also fits into my fledgling minimalism, does this new item actually add value to my life over the burden of more stuff. Will it replace something in my closet that is worn out or can that that worn thing still be used and delay the purchase and make do with what I got? I kind of feel like I've earned it, but I think it will make my life better too. I love my new shoes, but I'm unsure what to do with my old shoes. Also I did this with my new iPod Touch, but adapted. It was a reward after the holidays and being able to save up and pay with cash, also wait until my iPod was actually starting to break ( I could only get sound sent tone ear bud.). Man do I feel happy about my purchases.

2012: The Connect

So I've been reading all about people's New Year's resolutions and it's got me thinking of my own. I will let you know I'm a big fan of writing up resolutions or at least the leg work of self-reflection it involves. Do they normally work out? Actually the ones that most often work out for me are the financial ones. My resolve has been strong when it comes to my finances since graduating college with 15 thousand dollars in student loans and 2,500 in consumer debt and a barista's salary. Tammy Strobel's post about having a theme for the next year instead of a bunch a resolutions really clicked with. The having one focus, your mind being pulled in one direction instead of 6. So my theme for this year is connection. I want to connect more with my friends and build deeper relationships on my own instead of just as a couple. I want to connect with my community, I want to connect back with education by helping Bosnian immigrants and using my language skills. I also hope through this to grow deeper into Saint Louis, my chosen home. And now just wait here until the next adventure begins and wasting my youth by waiting.