Makeover your Budget: Style Time!

So, by now you have your budget all set so it reflects what really matters to you.

Keep thinking about that thing that really matters to you. Do you have it yet? Have you told it to a friend?

Once you have that THING in mind, here is a question for you -- does spending your money on what really matters mean you can't spend it on the things that matter less to you?  Do you now need to live on 7 pieces of clothing for the rest of your life? No, but you probably don't need as many pieces as you have now.

Now, I am a girl who loves beauty. I love pretty things in my home and I love pretty things on my body. I think all of us women share that desire. And guess what? All men want to look at pretty women. 

I think we can get too serious sometimes and overlook this fundamental aspect of how we're designed -- don't tell me God doesn't love beauty too! Have you looked a nature recently? Or read the account in 1 Chronicles 22 about building the first Temple? God went all out in making sure what was created and built to honor Him was decked out in pretty things!

But, all things in moderation! I don't want anyone to look at how I spend my treasure and have them say the most important thing to me was "pretty things", and thankfully there are lots of options for looking fabulous without spending all our $$ on clothes.

So, first step:

Get in your closet and clean that baby out!  See what you have and what you need.  Call a friend to come over and help, sometimes we all need a little perspective.  Plus, it will be more fun.

All the extra stuff that you "might" wear or you think you paid too much to toss it now --it is just cluttering up your life.  Donate it to a friend/ministry/thrift store or sell at a garage sale. You won't regret it! If you have a few pieces you just can't decide about, pack them in a box and store in the attic/spare closet for a few months. If you miss it, go get it -- if you don't, give it away.

Ok, now that you're all cleaned out, what should you do?

I say, spend your money on a few key awesome items and make them work for you!  You don't have to have 20 different outfits, just a few key basics that you can mix and match.  This may mean spending more on one fabulous pair of jeans since you'll wear them every other day instead of spending half as much on jeans that sag after wearing them once, ending up shoved in a drawer and/or making you feel frumpy every time you wear them.

Now, don't despair because you can get awesome and well made clothes for cheap (without worrying about enslaving people in harsh working conditions), you just have to do a little work.

Find your favorite store and sign up for their emails and frequent shopper rewards.  For me this is Anthropologie.  Unsubscribe from every other store's emails...don't let them distract you.

What I love about Anthropologie is their periodic 30% off all sale price days. NOTE: they have these throughout the year and each time they email me at a different point.  Some days they email me the day before, but sometimes they email me mid-day of the day it has actually started.  It is essential that you have a sale buddy, maybe two.  My sister Victoria, my friend Marisa, and I keep each other up to date because getting into the store the morning of the big sale is key!

I have found multiple items under $20 that then become my staple for the season.  The most recent purchases include J Brand skinny pants for $12 (yes, $12!) that fit like they were made for me, and a Citizens of Humanity skirt in an awesome print in the top colors for spring 2013 for $18.

 

Next on the list is Buffalo Exchange.  They are a consignment store that only buys the latest trends.  This is my go-to place to find designer jeans that fit great for under $40.  You may have to go more than once and to more than one location, but this is a great place to find gently used clothing that you know will be fashion forward and you won't have to sort through a lot of junk to find it. 

They have a great selection of jeans, dresses, and some casual tops (but I mainly stick to jeans and dresses).

Oh, and one of the best things about buying second hand is you don't have to worry about who made it and where.  You can set aside your worries about the ethical background of your purchases because none of your $ is going back into a shady company...unless your local thrift store has a backroom business you don't know about.

My next post is on shopping for the home and some of my favorite places to shop for home items are resale shops that give back to the community -- double bonus!

 

If you're ready to really put in some time, Family Thrift Center is one of my favorite places to dig around.  I always find at least one thing I love, and every now and then I hit the jackpot.

Ignore the pseudo hobbit and short Ent, and check out the sequined silk dress I found for under $30!  It needed a few alterations and a few beads re-sewn, but it was right on trend, totally unique, and cheaper than a dress from Target!

This is just a teeny-tiny start... there are so many fabulous places and creative ideas for shopping for fashion on the cheap, without sacrificing your ethics!  Get in that closet, clean it out, and then start your own treasure hunt for those perfect key pieces!

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Makeover Your Style and Your Budget

My friend Ellen just spoke to our MOPS group about that oh-so-sensitive word...budget. When i think of budgets, I usually cringe. I think of words like: restrictive, controlling, limits, and stressful.

But one line from Ellen's talk sparked an idea with me that has been so freeing.

She said: when you walk through the grocery store and say no to that awesome, pre-packaged, organic, 5 minute meal because the price is $$$, don't feel sad for yourself, don't pity yourself. Walk with your head held high because you are saying no to that because you are saying yes to something bigger.

Are you saying yes to something bigger?

Did you catch that? Budgeting isn't just about pinching pennies so you can pay your utilities. Its about cutting back in some areas so you can make a bigger impact where it counts. This applies to all of us, no matter our paychecks! This idea has kicked me in the butt and gotten me excited about budgeting once again. What better time to start then at the beginning of a new year too!?

Over the next few posts I will show you how to style your home, your self, and your life...all on a budget, all so you can say yes for a greater purpose.

Will you join me as I blog for a series on budgeting for a purpose, all with an emphasis on style?

 

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Gun Metal Hoops, My Favorite Thing...Under $30

I'm linking up tonight with a super fun blog party ... a favorite things party!  The idea is to host a party, and instead of doing a white elephant gift and being sad your gift wasn't the "hot item" of the party, you bring a reasonably priced favorite thing for everyone at the party!  Then you introduce your item as you pass it around explaining why it is your favorite item.

Ummmm, yes!  I love this idea!  I could invite all my curly haired friends over and we could do a favorite curly hair product...how fun would that be?  I would pass around

It's under $5 and is fabulous!!...although I did love it better before the reformulated it...

But, if I was having a normal party, I would have to pass around

Gun Metal Hoops made in Ethiopia!  This piece is handmade in Ethiopia using recycled nickel, copper, and bronze melted down from previous war weapons. Most of the artisans who created the pieces are HIV positive and receive health care and literacy training in addition to job training.  I would love telling these women's story as I passed out these beautiful earrings!  It is the total story of taking something that is ugly and destructive (war weapons) and turning it into beautiful and job-creating jewelry!

So, who is up for a "Favorite Things" party??

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Noonday Collection's Fall Line

The Fall line is here...and so is my Noonday Collection website!

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Every purchase helps create a pathway out of poverty: a life, a community, and a nation can be changed

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This bag was just featured in Lucky magazine!

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This is what I have been alluding to... the big changes a leap of faith.  I am now an ambassador for Noonday Collection!  The "passion at Noonday Collection is to connect you with the lives of artisans struggling for a better future while styling you along the way. Fashion and design are a vehicle for opportunity and change. You, too, can be a voice for the oppressed!"

Check out my website and read my bio to learn more: www.whitneyray.noondaycollection.com

Love the fall line?  Want to help spread the word about Noonday Collection? 

Host a trunk show and receive 10% of trunk show sales in Noonday Collection product OR cash towards an adoption if you are in the process.

Click here for the full post after the jump…