Frugal Frump to Fab - 2015

maman

Hewie29 wrote: »

Lovely fresh day down south, took the dog out for a lovely walk this morning and have de-christmased the house. Looks all bear now but was getting fed up with it all.

I was just whingeing to DH that I'm really fed up with all the 'stuff' hanging around and I think it's the Christmas decs that are irritating me most! I only put them up on 19th December and I think I'm more tired of them than ever. So tomorrow we'll tackle it together and then I'll feel I've reclaimed my home to a certain extent. To be fair, DH has been very good sorting out a pile of books, clothes, CDs etc. for the CS. I know why (as he's recently bought loads more books!) but it's a help.


One of our targets has to be to get the house redecorated this year. I have some ideas but we're great procrastinators!

silvasava wrote: »

It just crossed my mind that one of the nicest things we can do that lifts our spirits and others is to SMILE - it makes us look so much more attractive & is so nice to receive - and costs nothing.

Lovely post, reading that has same instant reaction as reading LL's posts about posture!:D

VALM wrote: »

Hi can I please join you lovely ladies? Heard about you all over on the toiletries challenge thread. Was very good last year & lost 2 stones 4 my holiday but it's crept back on & I feel frumpy again. Have made pledge 2 myself & the family that I'll stay dry in January, eat my 5 a day & try 2 exercise more. So far so good. Didn't drink yesterday & ate my 5 a day but did have horrendous stomach ache today. Bought the new Just Dance WII game & have played it twice 4 an hour each time. Am massively unfit though as it takes me a couple of days 2 recover in between.

Looking forward 2 chatting 2 you all xx

If you did it once, you can do it again!! I think the secret of keeping the weight off is to choose a 'diet' that is sustainable so that it becomes a way of life rather than a crash course. Having your 5 a day and keeping alcohol low is a great start. Welcome!

cw18

I saw mention of this thread / challenge on another one, and would like to join in please.

lessonlearned wrote: »

So your first task is this.

From this day forward wear perfume, each and every day, without fail. It only takes a few seconds to squirt some fragrance. And, as you waft around in your own little cloud of sweet smelling gorgeousness, you will immediately feel more glamourous, more special and more feminine.

So..... dig out that unused perfume that's lurking at the back of the cupboard right now.

sweaty_betty wrote: »

I love the idea of wearing perfume every day. I've been doing that recently, after previously saving it "for best" and it's made a big difference to how I feel.

I have 3 perfumes I've saved for "best" for 'quite some time' - one very expensive, and two affordable for daily use ones. The only problem is that some years I don't go anywhere for 'best' and the most I've had in a year is 3 outings, so they just don't get used. The best indication of how long I've had them is that one of the daily ones was purchased when the other was discontined - and the new one has also now been discontinued !!!

I dug them out in November (ready for joining the No Buying Unnecessary Toiletries folk in December) - along with several part used body sprays which have appeared from heaven only knows where as I've never (to the best of my knowledge) bought such a product.

Since then I've used the expensive one at a weekend when OH comes over (bought an unscented shower gel to use with it), and one of the daily ones (the older one, which I have the matching shower gel and talc for) when I'm going further afield than my home town. Days I'm staying local or staying home I'm using a body spray.

skint_chick wrote: »

I used to have nails that would break and flake at anything until I stopped using nail clippers and now I just file them weekly and use organic cold pressed coconut oil on them every night before bed - I got it off Amazon for around a fiver and I also use it for my hair and as a body moisturiser. I don't have hangnails/dry skin anymore and my nails are twice as strong.

I'm off to check out that coconut oil....

I bit my nails on a daily basis until about 4 years ago (when I was 45!). Since then I've had a few episodes of chewing an odd one, but it's more often a case of tearing off when they split - which is very, very regularly. Even taking calcium supplements for the past year (I'm lactose intolerant, so have very little in my natural diet) doesn't seem to have helped

I've tried a few products people have recommended, but the latest was just like a clear nail varnish which started to chip within hours :eek:




*wanders off to read the thread from post 41 onwards, as I've only reached post 40 so far.... *

icontinuetodream

I'll join if you'll have me!!

I have been toying with the idea of getting myself sorted for quite some time (even made efforts towards it on occasions!! ) as I'm deffo more frump than fab....I always have been to a certain extent (don't wear make-up, jewellery, heels, buy clothes, use handbags etc...) but I think that it's time to do something different....

I am an honorary bloke as far as most of my friends are concerned!) but as I am getting older, I am realising that I actually need to make some kind of an effort to look half way decent!! :eek: The horror!! :rotfl:


Current state of play is that I am probably close to two stone overweight, I spend more time avoiding personal grooming than indulging in it and I have to do something about it.... I intend to make 2015 the year of starting to look like a human rather than a poor impersonation of a homeless yeti.....

Plans include:- daily yoga, two litres of water a day, green and herbal teas instead of alcohol and coffee, daily moisturising, monthly eyebrow waxing, weekly body and hair treatments and a lot of relaxation and sleep.....:D

Not sure how fab that will make me but it has to be an improvement!!

I am going to start tonight (was meant to get this sorted this afternoon but got distracted by the site!!) by having a shower, defuzz, moisturise, hair and face treatment. Of course, all of this will be accompanied by a few beverages but that will all stop tomorrow too.....I will have an early night and then start my morning with green tea and fruit; soup for lunch and some squash with red beans and quinoa for dinner....if I haven't keeled over in a week, I should be starting to feel better!! :rotfl:

rubiesr4eva

2 showers today, 1 full body moisture, but best thing about today was a hour and half walk with family and friends, I absolutely loved it


was planning to do my toe nails tonight, but ended up inviting friends round after tea, so will maybe do them tomorrow after wall climbing with DS1

cw18

My aims for 2015 (final year before I fit 5-oh!) are

1. to maintain the morning and evening 'beauty regimes' I've kicked in since doing a stock take of my toiletries - loads of stuff bought in the past because I felt I should be using it, only for me to put it away and not use it !! Not doing badly with maintaining it at the moment, but really do need to get the morning side done before 9 (preferably 8) rather than around 11;30 :eek:

2. to start having regular pamper days/nights - though they won't involve a soak in the bath as I hate baths But I do need to get back to defuzzing underarms (I use creams) on a regular basis, and also colouring my hair (not been done April time - partly because I had several months where just washing my hair was a challenge due to wrist mobility). And I have loads of face masks and foot creams in my toiletries stash that need using

3. to relose the weight I've regained. Currently the heaviest I've been in 12 years, and with a long-standing back condition which gets worse when I'm carrying excess weight this has to go (plus at the moment I can't get into any of the nice summer clothes I bought 2 years ago, and I've joined the crazy clothes challenge with a zero budget for buying any more!) 3 stone to go, with the hope I can manage 2 of them this year

4. to get more active. I'm another with a gym membership that's hardly been used in the last year - though I do have an excuse for part of the year, as I broke a wrist in July and had to have a plate inserted in August. The main reason for keeping it is that I can swim unhindered lengths in their pool and they allow the use of waterproof MP3s (music keeps me motivated to do more - manage 60+ lengths with, but unlikley to do more than 12 without) and various swim toys (such as short fins and pull buoys) which isn't the case at my local pool. If I don't start using the gym regularly very, very soon I will have to seriously consider cancelling and struggling with the rules at the local pool, as my finances are too tight to waste money on membership that isn't being used

5. I also want to declutter the house. I have various reasons for wanting to do this, but feel it will also help with Frump to Fab as I'm more likely to want to look nice myself if the house looks nice.......

greenbee

icontinuetodream wrote: »

Current state of play is that I am probably close to two stone overweight, I spend more time avoiding personal grooming than indulging in it and I have to do something about it.... I intend to make 2015 the year of starting to look like a human rather than a poor impersonation of a homeless yeti.....

Plans include:- daily yoga, two litres of water a day, green and herbal teas instead of alcohol and coffee, daily moisturising, monthly eyebrow waxing, weekly body and hair treatments and a lot of relaxation and sleep.....:D

Not sure how fab that will make me but it has to be an improvement!!

I am going to start tonight (was meant to get this sorted this afternoon but got distracted by the site!!) by having a shower, defuzz, moisturise, hair and face treatment. Of course, all of this will be accompanied by a few beverages but that will all stop tomorrow too.....I will have an early night and then start my morning with green tea and fruit; soup for lunch and some squash with red beans and quinoa for dinner....if I haven't keeled over in a week, I should be starting to feel better!! :rotfl:

Sounds like a great plan! Hope you survive the week...

I'd like to join in too - although my attendance may be sporadic.

I have to look smart for client-facing work, but in between that I work from home and it is easy to become terminally scruffy.

My hair appointments are scheduled round work, so if I have a quiet patch, I may be spotted with roots. If I'm busy, no one sees them! Waxing appointments are also booked regularly.

I've started having regular pedicures. Manicures are a waste of time as they last about 2 minutes, if that. However, I do need to start keeping them neat and giving them treatments. I have iron deficiency anaemia which is being worked on, but while they sort out the cause and solution, my nails get a rough time - at the moment they are dry and ridged. Keeping them looking healthy might make it easier to feel healthy.

I'm good about getting dressed for work, rather than working in my PJs, but need to improve, and get dressed in something respectable every day (not my gardening clothes/running kit/pilates kit, which should be worn for the activity and NOT all day) to sit in front of my laptop. Brushing my hair and using perfume would all be a good idea.

I've just booked an eyebrow wax and eyelash tint in with my next waxing appointment, and I need to have a sort through my makeup so that 'work' makeup (which is fairly heavy) and 'home makeup' are separate, and the latter is accessible.

I also need to start wearing jewellery. I have plenty, and rarely use much of it for work as I have two or three variations that I use consistently. I'll start with earrings and see how I get on!

Other than that i MUST buy body lotion, as I've run out, and at this rate will be having to raid the olive oil, which won't do my sheets much good :cool:

Need2bthrifty

silvasava wrote: »

Need2Bthrifty - Oh no - not 40's style - how about one printed with basque, stockings & suspenders - great when you answer the front door - haha

Just googled comic aprons & there's a 'Wonder Woman'?????

:eek: Definitely not, the noisy old boy across the road is forever looking in this direction, might give him a bit too much of a shock.......on second thoughts maybe I should go for the Hilda Ogden wrap around

silvasava

:Steady on - Hilda might just be his fantasy.:eek::eek:

majjak

Hi everyone,

Hoping there is room for one more? I've been reading and lurking since page one and thought I ought to come out of the shadows and say hello :hello:

I've just turned 40 and although I do 'preen' there is always room for improvement, especially as now I need to do it on a budget as DD1 is getting married next year and we're saving like mad for her big day

So, tonight I've had a nice soak in the bath, de-fuzzed and exfoliated with some of my birthday and Christmas pressies. Nails will be done tomorrow. I used to have acrylics but they've now been removed and I'm going to paint them and look after them myself.

Hair isn't doing too bad, again used to spend quite a bit getting it done but I've recently had a colour and a cut so it's ok for now. When the time comes I'll be dying it myself and getting it cut at a cheaper hairdressers. I've been moisturising most days too, just got to keep up with the routine

I do need to lose about 2 stone but going to join the old style weigh loss thread once all the Christmas goodies have gone.

So that's me in a nutshell! Have been motivated by you all and can't wait to look fab in my 40s :T!

74jax

Well my Simply Paleo box arrived today - like the graze boxes but all Paleo stuff.

First gym session of the year done, spinning class this evening.

Make up totally removed, very pleased about this one.

I've taken my measurements today.... Will take again next Saturday.

And not a lot else..... Looking forward to shopping tomorrow, need a healthy shop done now. Feel I'm ready for it.