Follow the Yellow Brick Road 2023

savingholmes

So pleased for you. Well done on the clothes fitting better and being able to donate some of your surplus items.

SandyShores

Thanks LWAP and savings.  It feels really good to free up some space - in my waistband and overall in wardrobe .  I've been determined not to weigh so often this week, and am starting to break the habit.  Had my weekly weigh today and have lost half a pound (could be slightly more but the scales are a bit dodgy).

I've tried on some of the clothes I've been listing and its been nice seeing some fit better, but then listed them anyway because they just wont get worn. A couple of items didn't fit me still, but will never fit unless I starve myself - and that's not happening so they've also been listed.  Total of 30 items listed and will give them until mid-June before donating them.  Sold 4 items so far, and pleased to report my Fleabay balance currently £19.50 and  V1nted sales so far will be a total of £15.50.

I'm enjoying working on my capsule wardrobe but a big gap is comfortable and smart shoes.  Any sales will go towards shoes.  The Capsule Wardrobe theory is that 80% of your clothes should be things you wear frequently, with the other 20% allocated to special/occasional items - mine is definitely the wrong way around. I don't think I wear even 20% of my stuff at any time, and I probably only wear the same 5% regularly.  I've a shed load of unworn stuff cluttering my wardrobe and drawers - not for much longer!

SandyShores

Reminder of my Goals:  

• Mortgage - completed paperwork for remortgage, waiting for next steps
• Clothes - started clearing out, now in process of selling and donating
• Create - make some space for crafting - knitting and maybe crochet to start.
• Career/work/study - think about what I want to do in life (not necessarily major moves but enjoyable)
• Decorating
• Garden

Listed more items on V1nted and have sold/posted three today.  I'll have raised enough for some new shoes soon

April weight loss target is 3lbs. Then I'm looking forward to going into May with maybe a final ten pounds left to lose!

Update - finally got around to a review of monthly spends, and it looks like my healthy eating plan is also more cost effective too.

savingholmes

Sounds like you are doing great. 

SandyShores

savingholmes said:

Sounds like you are doing great. 

Thank you savings.  I feel like I've turned a huge corner or two.  

I made £60 on v1nted so with the fleabay cash had a total of nearly £80.  One pair of F1tflops ordered from the long river and they are so comfy.  Also ordered a new pair of trainers that will go with jeans, trousers and even skirts/dresses.  My capsule wardrobe is definitely coming on and I've been saving images of outfits to an album as a reminder of the things that go together.  I started by following this page on fb, I think she is 40's and a size 14.  There's a reel from about 2 weeks ago called Part 2 where she talks about her spring/summer items for a capsule wardrobe.  All the items really appealed to me - some of it is a bit too trendy for me to wear everywhere, but I'm picking and choosing/swapping with my own style. 

Still lots of stuff live on V1nted, although I've deleted a few items and bagged them up ready for the CS (shhhh... two have gone back into my wardrobe as I can see where they will fit with my capsule stuff.)  Few more items to upload tomorrow.  Just had a quick rummage through my summer wardrobe and found two more items for the CS.  Shopping I need to do now is for cheaper things like t-shirts and vest tops, although summer dress(es) would be great too.

Feels slightly odd to be spending so much time on my wardrobe, when I don't go out very much.  But it causes me such angst when we have work meetings.   And despite having a full wardrobe I've been wearing the same old tired things for coffee/meals out for ages so it will be a lovely boost to my confidence.

SandyShores

NW £50 received today.  They must be rolling them out alphabetically as Kajikita got hers yesterday

The Capsule Wardrobe

Been wearing my wide leg jeans - Sainsbury £17.50 (25% off).  Lovely fit, so roomy and its nice to feel a little bit fashionable.

I've also worn the denim shirt I reclaimed from the charity bag.  The Capsule Wardrobe said one item should be a denim shirt any style.  It was nice to have the confidence to wear it again and its cost me nothing. 

Can't wait for my new trainers to arrive, I feel like I'm starting to build a little collection of shoes - which is great as I've been feeling like it was a struggle to find something to wear.  I'm going to reorganise my shoe cubes at the weekend to make them more accessible.  

SandyShores

Family breakfast today, trip to the garden centre, then re-potting 2 plants in some new half-price containers.  Also moved a daphne (I planted in the wooden planter couple of weeks ago) to the garden.  Finished potting up the cordyline - another half-price container (using soil dug out from planting in the garden) and a new bag of peat.  Half a bag left which should be enough to plant the tumbler tomatoes into the old containers (I've some old soil left if they need a bit extra in the bottom first).   (Also had a garden day yesterday with MrShores - sorting out the lawn.

Sat down for a bit of telly this afternoon and some low cal. snacks .  Then unpacked the food delivery, cooked dinner and tidied up.  Tired now and ready for bed.

My new trainers have arrived and they are really smart.  I also got a bargain jacket from v1nted.  So I'm all ready to go.  An item sold today on v1nted - only £1.75 but its one item gone - good as my wardrobe has been reaching peak capacity.  Jobs to do this week:  call decorator; call double-glazing co. re. a blown window; call house builder re. an issue.  Lots of calling to be done, but I think I have chosen a wall colour - just need to go to B&Q and get a match pot first to be sure.

Edit - I have lost a half pound this week. Pleased because I was expecting to stay the same -  9.5lbs lost in 12 weeks todate.  I need to get a wiggle on and lose that next 2lb so I can go down into the next stone - that will need a celebration!

Edit - Monday morning weigh in and I'm showing that I've lost total 1lb this week (not just the half)

LadyWithAPlan

9.5lbs is fantastic well done!! You must feel great!

I dropped some things that had been listed on vinted for months to CS Friday - feels great. I also added some shoes I never wear and 2 dresses. 

SandyShores

LadyWithAPlan said:

9.5lbs is fantastic well done!! You must feel great!

I dropped some things that had been listed on vinted for months to CS Friday - feels great. I also added some shoes I never wear and 2 dresses. 

Thank you very much LWAP.  It is such a good feeling.  I struggled all through my 50s with this, so to finally get to grips with it, I can't explain the feeling.  Just weighed again this morning and down another half pound which is the lowest I've been since I ballooned almost 3 stones.  

My next stage is exchanging fat for muscle.  I'm re-listening to the podcasts about strengthening bones, muscles, ligaments - so strength, as well as balance.  Apparently walking is a great exercise, and as I'm walking twice a day most days I can tick that box.  I need to use those dumbbells, and start some of the sprint training once a week (sprint 30 secs/rest 1.5 mins x 5).  I want to make sure these next 30 years are good ones.

Definitely such a good feeling to drop things off at the CS.  Daughter has now dropped round a bag of clothing I need to go through and list/CS - although I've already nabbed a pale pink M&S sweatshirt - whoops.

SandyShores

So a little update on the mortgage as we head towards paying off the H2B.  With the current valuation we haven't done too badly on the increase in value - taking into account the interest we would have paid on that portion over five years its not cost as much as I thought.  So all in all we're really pleased and as we now own the whole of the upstairs (when we started I think we owned the ensuite), we've just got to work our way to own downstairs and the garden.  Getting there though and feels like we'll be over the hump soon!

Looking forward to a nice quiet weekend.