How much chnages in a year!

I can not believe it has been almost a year since I last posted! My life has completely changed in that year. I quit my job, left Washington DC, moved to beautiful Lake Michigan and am pregnant. One thing that hasn't changed is that I am still "knott frugal." I am no longer incurring debt but I really haven't made a dent in my debt over the last year. Now, I am not working and have a baby to prepare for. I want to continue chipping away at my debt but also know that I want to continue being somewhat hip, even as my waist continues to expand.

Old Navy Tank Tops

I don't know about where you live but here in DC, the hottest summer look is a tank top and jeans. I have a friend, who shall remain nameless...Lauren...that once spent $80 on a tank top. She actually got annoyed with me when I not only acted shocked but told other friends about her purchase. That being said, the tank top looks GREAT on her, as does everything else she wears!

So, I began looking around to find some inexpensive tank tops to recommend. The problem with most inexpensive t-shirts are that they are thin and not long enough (we all know that long t-shirts are the thing right now). Also, a lot of the less expensive shirts don't survive the first trip to the washing machine.

I stumbled into Old Navy the other day and found some very hip, very inexpensive tank tops that compare to the infamous $80 one. Be sure to check out Old Navy.com to see if there is anything you might like...they are having a sale!

I've been MIA

Hi there!

I have been so busy with work and school starting back up that I have neglected my blog. I have all my homework done for the week and tomorrow is Friday so I will spend some time updating things. I have learned so much the last couple of weeks and can't wait to share them with you...be on the lookout!

Jess

Spanx

I was a bridesmaid in a wedding this past weekend. It was one of the best weddings I have ever been to - Congrats Lauren and Joe! Anyway, in anticipation of wearing my bridesmaid's dress, I went to Nordstroms and bought a Spanx full length smoothing slip for $75. Yes, I did have a lapse of frugal judgement but hey, I knew I was going to be in the wedding of the century and I wanted to look good.

Anyway, Lauren and I went by Dillards in Cincinnati to pick up something for her mom and I stumbled upon a no name brand full length smoothing slip for $25. I tried it on and lo and behold, it fit better than the Spanx. The salesgirl told us that pretty much every "foundation undergarment" aka girdle is made by the same manufacturer and then sold to particular brand name companies. Moral of the story is don't spend $75 on a brand name when you can get the same thing for $25!

Oh and Michelle, one of the other fabulous looking bridesmaids, was wearing the Spanx biker shorts and said she could barely breathe. The slip wasn't too bad, it did come off about half way through the reception though.

Lessons from a Hairstylist

I did it! I went to the salon on Saturday and didn't buy any hair products. You don't understand, this is a big deal for me. Elizabeth, my hairstylist, noticed that my hair was dry and scolded me for using VO5. Thankfully, she gave me a deep conditioning treatment to reverse the ill effects of my money saving scheme.

Elizabeth did give me a wonderful idea/tip on how to maintain great hair on a budget. She said olive oil, heated up in the microwave works wonders as a deep conditioning treatment. Simply apply to your hair (a little goes a long way), wrap it in a towel and let it sit for about 20 minutes. When washing the hair out, apply shampoo without wetting the hair, rinse, and then wash as usual.

I will try it next week and let you know what I think. Let me know if you have any experience with this trick. I would love some feedback.

Jess

Revlon Lip Glide Sheer

http://www.revlon.com/product.asp?ProductID=24023&Mode=brand

This is the BEST lipstick/gloss ever. I absolutely love the Sheerly Bare color over lipstick. It is about $10 here in D.C. but I load up on it when CVS has a sale. I don't think I have ever paid more than $6 for it. It tastes a little funny and it takes awhile to get used to the consistency but I really like it and I figure I am saving myself at least $10 since I used to buy $20 lip gloss in the good old days. Enjoy!

Frugal Living

I am in debt. I am in debt up to my ears. I have pretty much, for lack of a better word, ignored, this debt for the last couple of years. The balance went down for a while but the balance has gone back up and I have to do something about it. Pronto.

My problem is that I am not frugal. At all. I enjoy manicures and pedicures, I enjoy $200 jeans, make up, vacations, and my biggest downfall, expensive beauty products. About 6 weeks ago, when I finally decided to add up the balances of my three credit cards I knew I needed a plan. I googled "frugal living" and found many a website on the subject. The problem was that they gave me ideas like make your own laundry detergent (what is wrong with Tide?), take your lunch to work (ok, no problems there), buy clothes at Goodwill and my personal favorite make your own maxi pads (I kid you not, ewww). For god's sake, I want to get out of debt, not become a frumpy old woman at the ripe age of 31.

So, I began thinking that there must be other women out there in my situation. Young, urban, professionals - I refuse to call myself a yuppie - who want to remain fashionable and social but get out of debt. Through this blog I hope to share my journey as well as hopefully help someone else when they desperately type "frugal living" into google in attempts to cut back but not cut out everything hip.

Alberto VO5

I love expensive shampoo and conditioner. There is nothing like the feeling of walking out of the salon after a cut and color with $30 worth of hair care products. Now that I am trying to get out of debt, the extra $30 isn't an option. So, I am now in search of the best of the drugstore brands. I finished up the last of my fabulous Phyto last week so I decided to start my quest when I saw that Safeway had Alberto VO5 on sale for $1 a bottle. I bought the shampoo and conditioner for a total of $2 and was excited to start my experiement (hey, I am broke...I have to do something for fun). Well, let me tell you. Alberto VO5 is not the best drugstore brand out there. The shampoo doesn't foam up and the conditioner is runny. After a week of use, my hair feels like straw and my bangs are inexplicably greasy. Hopefully there will be a coupon in this Sunday's paper so that I can buy some new stuff on my trip to Target this weekend. I have a haircut and highlights at the fabulous Sugarhouse Day Spa on Saturday , I hope I can resist the temptation of the good stuff!