Frugal Frump to Fab - 2015

Polkadotsandrainbows

Hello ladies!
Today, first thing in the morning i put on perfume

A bit late i know but ive done my morning skincare a few minutes ago (i know it's technically not morning but sssht :P )

I'm in a good mood thanks to you all :-*

sofarbehind

Hello fabbers!
Today I wore a (very stretchy) maxi dress I dug out of my wardrobe and I actually felt quite nice. Yay! I did some more yoga and I'm so proud that I've now gone 48 hours without diet coke. This is a massive achievement for me. Thanks for the advice Ellsabel. Fingers crossed I stick to it. I've been having orange squash instead, it's not ideal but has to be better??!


Polkadots and LL I like the perfume idea, I think I'll have to dig some out. I keep it for 'best' and never actually wear it. I understand the hair thing. I had very short hair until recently. I love short hair but it's unflattering now I'm heavier and I think now I'm getting older I don't want to risk it looking aging and as though I've given up. Although as you lot know I pretty much have...

beluga

Hello everyone, well done on all the fabbing!
Rummer, I'm a big fan of Urban Decay's Naked pallettes for eyeshadows. Not cheap but I always go back to them after trying cheaper ones.

I'm just plodding along atm, I've been so busy that physical fabbing has taken a back seat (and it shows!) so I need to try harder. Otherwise i'm feeling a bit better in myself, I've been getting out a lot more, volunteering a few days a week and continuing my OU degree. I passed my driving theory test so now I have to build myself up to actual driving, quite nervous about that but need to try.

Tomorrow I'll try to fab myself up a little to meet friends for coffee, perfume and some jewellry at least!

Have a good weekend everyone x

Rummer

beluga wrote: »

Rummer, I'm a big fan of Urban Decay's Naked pallettes for eyeshadows. Not cheap but I always go back to them after trying cheaper ones.

Thank you!

I have heard about the Urban Decay palettes before and is good to receive a personal recommendation. They usually have counter beauticians on their stands don't they, it might be worth me going in to get a demo.

indiepanda

lessonlearned wrote: »

Indie - how I envy you your long hair, do think twice. I would kill for nice long flowing silvery locks but alas, although I'm happy with the colour, my hair is Baby fine and it looks awful if I let It grow longer than chin length.

I ended up going for a longish bob - it's styled wavy today but pulled straight it would just touch my collar bones. It's looking a lot healthier for it as I think the ends were a little frazzled from the amount of time I've been spending outdoors. Knowing me, I'll keep it like this for a couple of cuts and start growing it, but it's satisfied my desire to do something different and it will be a lot cooler for the rest of the summer. It's still just long enough to tie back in the shortest of ponytails so I can still scrape it back for running, though at this length I might be able to cope with leaving it loose anyway.

On the subject of cooler for the summer, I treated myself to a couple of pairs of those lightweight printed trousers that seem to be everywhere this year. Not very frugal as they were full price - but Dorothy Perkins isn't the most expensive option, and after a few days of sweating like mad in my jeans, I need something cooler to wear that isn't hiking gear. Anyway, they're elastic waist and have a drawstring so if I carry on losing weight as planned, they should still stay up. Some of my fixed waistband trousers are impossible to wear now as they're falling off me and are made of material that isn't very drapey so even if I belted them in (and not all have belt loops), they'd just look odd round the thighs. One pair made me look as if I had large saddlebags, but I realised it was stiff empty fabric sticking out that I used to fill.

I also got myself a dress in my favourite shop (Fever - they only have one shop which is in London, and it's all slightly vintage inspired) in the sales - which was a bit extravagant as I have other summer dresses. Anyway, it will solve my problem of what to wear tomorrow as I have to go from lunch with friends, to an exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery to a birthday drinks. My other summer dresses are all cotton, and they'd have crumpled badly by the evening so I'd have arrived rather scruffy. The dress I bought is in a sort of silky jersey that doesn't crumple anything like as much. Plus it definitely fills the Kondo definition of "fills me with joy" - I'd seen it online and thought it was gorgeous - perfect colours for me, really cheerful bright floral print.

I also bought some deeply unsexy but practical shorts to wear underneath to protect me from that thing that all of us chunky thighed girls hate - the sweaty inner thigh, leading to chapped. I can't bear wearing tights on warm days, but hopefully this compromise will work.

Going to reign in my horns until late August / early Sept now - will then see where I am size wise as I may need to get some new clothes for work. I do have some suits tucked away that I've not been able to wear for a few (ok, probably more like 12!) years that I might get back into... that would be ideal from an MSE perspective. However, I suspect where I am more likely to be is too big for them but too small for my current ones which is unfortunate but can't be helped.

I might also need to get some new hiking gear for my trip to Austria just before I go back to work. Fortunately places like mountain warehouse always seem to deliver pretty decent but cheap stuff, and I can always wear the t shirts / fleeces I have already - being a bit baggy doesn't matter, it's not like they're going to fall off or get in the way - but trousers being at half mast with the crotch half way down your thighs is another matter entirely - I don't even think all of them have belt loops so I can't use belts to hoist them up.

Been reading the Kondo book over the last couple of days... I can see a lot of my clothes failing the "fills you with joy" criteria. I don't know quite why I still have them, hardly ever wear. It's not like I haven't donated plenty of clothes to the charity shop in the past. Maybe as I am ageing and as I've seen how frugal my current boyfriend is (through choice rather than poverty) I've got more self conscious about all the money I've wasted.

I have some DIY I want to get done on the house and some gardening that I think I'll do next week, but after that, I think I'll aim to make a start on the clothes. I can keep putting it off till I am slimmer, but the truth is I have way more than I need in my current size, and I can still judge now if something is a little small whether I am excited by the prospect of getting back into it or just bored of it.

sofarbehind

Oooh Indiepanda I love Fever dresses! The shop is brilliant, I've had a few bargain one offs from the sample sale rail. Not that they fit at the moment but they will one day..


Well done on the weight loss and have a lovely weekend. I know what you mean about becoming more aware of how much money you've wasted in the past. I feel quite embarrassed about this if I'm honest but at least I've woken up to it.

lessonlearned

Good Afternoon Lovely Ladies

Like many of us I am slowly inching towards a more minimalist way of thinking and living. It's a slow process but I'm getting there. One of the things that does pull you up,is just how much money you have spent on "stuff" - in my case not just clothes either, but books, CDs, DVDs, kitchen stuff, even food.

My change of heart began with my realisation that I had become a frump. As I took hold of myself, my mindset also began to change. First I got rid of all the horrible unflattering clothes I had and I began to wear the clothes I had been saving "for best".

It then transpired that I didn't like half of those either, so out they went. :rotfl:

And so my quest continues. I still have a long way to go but I am enjoying the journey.

Some things I try to sell, some I gift - usually to my sons - some I donate to the charity shops, the rest goes to recycling.

dealing with my husbands and my mothers "treasures" has been a real eye opener - they were both hoarders bless them.

I moved from a 4 bed family home with a fully floored loft which was packed to the gunnels, a garage that was rammed and every bedroom had a 12ft run of floor to ceiling fitted wardrobes and storage cupboards, the beds had under drawer storage, the dining room had a 9ft run of floor to ceiling bookcases and cupboards, every bedroom had a large ottoman or blanket box, a large floor to ceiling airing cupboard. I was really spoilt for storage and space, so of course I filled the lot.

Never ever again......I dread to think how much money was spent not just on stuff but also on storage solutions, commissioning joiners to build all,those wardrobes and cupboards, buying storage boxes and bags, and so on. I cringe now when I think about it.

Never mind, that's all in the past. The new minimalist me will be able to live in a small easy to maintain and run house which will be cheap to heat. Housework will be a doddle. It will be "bijou", a perfect little nest from which I shall Sally forth to have fun and adventures.

Bring it on.....:D

This morning I took my measurements :eek: Oh dear, I really need to minimalise those.

If only it was as easy to Kondo the the weight as it is to Kondo our possessions.......:rotfl:

Have a great day.. Xx

Polkadotsandrainbows

Lessonlearned i read your post with such hope and joy for you i, too, started the minimalist journey about six months ago, i started with youtube videos but then i was so in with it that it wasn't enough. So i stumbled upon the kondo book and done whole house and for about two months i was almost itching to throw away something more (it's kind of addicting if you do it all at once like kondo suggests). My journey is nowhere near complete towards minimalism mind you im a cosmetics hoarder-ish with this book i got makeup under control but skincare...uggh i don't want to think how long it will take me to use up all that stuff

Now that i want to inverst in my skincare and buy 1 quality item over 4 rubbish ones, i am almost begging myself to use up my stash. But if an item doesn't work for me then i would throw it away, i don't think it would be fair to give away used skincare especially those jar type pots are a breading ground for bacteria

Polkadotsandrainbows

Uuu and I've done my night skincare last nighy before bed.

And right now I'm off to morning skincare and perfuming myself

lessonlearned

No you can't give away skin products, as you say they are a breeding ground for bacteria.

What I do with unwanted creams and lotions, for example mistakes that don't suit my face, rather than chuck them away I use them on my feet, knees and elbows.

At least they get used up rather than be wasted.

I too intend to buy fewer but better products from now on, although I often make up,my own body lotions and oils myself anyway.

It's just at the moment I seem to have accumulated a lot of toiletries, mainly from my mums stash. I shall work my way through her stuff, it seems wasteful just to throw,it,all,away.

Going through her cupboards ive found emough toiletries and cleaniimg materials to last for at least a year. Bless her.

Like a lot of people who,lived through the war she just felt more comfortable knowing she had stuff in reserve. As you know my mum was Belgian and she lived through the German occupation when even basics like soap were like gold dust so she always kept stockpiles of non perishables.

I'll just keep plodding on.