Jeans are one of my exceptions when it comes to spending money on clothes.  I think a high quality pair of jeans is worth it's weight in gold and therefore, I spend more on them.  I have found that investing in a few good pairs of jeans ends up saving me money in the long run.  I used to spend $20-$40 dollars a pair, wear them for a while and then after being washed a few times they just don't fit the same and they would go into the jean graveyard.  The brand that I wear now I spend about $80 for a pair, but I wear them for about three years.  Two pairs of boot cut and one pair of skinny jeans is what I usually keep on hand.  So that ends up being about $80 a year that I am spending on my jeans.  Twenty-two cents a day isn't that much to pay for a piece of clothing that you wear almost daily.  Previously, when I was buying a new pair  every other month, that put me around $180 year.  The point I'm trying to make is that since jeans are such a staple in our closets, it makes sense to spend more money on ones that fit you really well, are high quality and will last you for a long time.  Just to drive the point home,  I recently sold four pairs of my preferred brand on ebay.  After wearing them for about three years, I still got around $20 a pair for them-- on top of that, they still looked brand new! 

Now, on to some of my own personal rules for jean wearing:

1. Wear the right size!! 

I think this is so important.  Please don't suck it in and squeeze into a pair of jeans just because you don't want to move on to the bigger size.  You aren't fooling anyone.  Everyone can tell.  Ever hear of muffintop?  Just don't do it- be realistic with yourself.  It actually makes you look thinner to wear a pair of jeans that flatter your body shape and are the right size for you. 

2. Wear styles that flatter your body shape, size, and hide problem areas. 
 My personal problem area is my tummy.  After three kids, my abdominal wall has taken a permanent vacation.  For that reason, I choose mid-rise jeans that help to contour and flatten my tummy.  I am also a little on the short side.  To create length in my legs, I choose a small boot cut and wear them just a little long and with a small heel.  Not sure what your body shape is, or what styles of jeans look best on you? I really like this article:  Click Here

3. Wash is so important!
I don't own a single pair of jeans that aren't a darker wash.  The darker washes are so incredibly flattering on everyone and can hide a multitude of problems.   Plus, with dark washes, you can dress them up or down and they look great either way.  It's nice to have some variety, but in general I avoid anything that isn't at least a middle of the line wash- not too dark or too light. 

4. Just say NO!  (to mom jeans that is)
You know the ones.  They fit in the waist, but no where else.  They are so baggy you can't tell where the hip ends and leg begins and they make your crotch look like it is half way down to your knees.  Then, even more horrifying, they taper in all the way down the leg and cuff at the ankle.  And the worst part of all, they are usually a really light wash.  They make everyone look wider in the hips than they really are.  If you have any in your closet right now, run-don't walk, run- and throw them away!  Goodwill doesn't even want them. 

 Just Say No!

My personal preference for jean brands is BKE, which is the Buckle brand.  You can find a Buckle store in just about any decent sized mall.  I love them because you can walk in and tell them what kind of jean you like (mid-rize boot cut with a dark wash) and before you know it, there are three pairs waiting for you to try on.  Get one on and come out and say, "I just don't like how it does ______ (fill in the blank)" and again, there are three more pairs.  This goes on until you get that pair on that feels like it was literally constructed for you.  It's like when a woman is wedding dress shopping and when she tries it on, she just knows.  This is the one.  I promise, once you do that, you will never be able to go back. 

BKE Tenley

 

 

Always Fabulous, 

As promised: new debt totals!

I've calculated our totals and they are exciting!!  We are making progress, even if it doesn't feel like it.  The last time I tallied them, we were at $28,327.62 in debt, remember?  Drum roll please...  our new debt total after the last 13 weeks of working the debt snowball is:  $24,089.33!!  That means we have paid off $4,238.29!  Woot! 

And here I was getting discouraged about our lack of progress.  It just goes to show you that if you continue to make good decisions, even if they seem inconsequential, you will get there.  I love the empowered feeling it gives me to know that my own hard work put me there.  And Tim's of course.  He is, after all, the one with the income.  I just tell it what to do.

Today's post is short and sweet, but coming soon watch for my personal (and very strong) opinions about jeans.  Such an thrilling topic!

Always Fabulous,

Murphy has Moved into the Spare Bedroom.

I'm sure you know Murphy.  Just when you are on a roll and making progress, she comes along and derails the train.  And yes, I strongly believe that Murphy is a woman. It's always the women who want to throw a wrench in everyone's plans.  The men I know don't usually care enough to rain on anyone's parade.  No, she is definitely a  woman.  So, how do I know Murphy so well?  She has officially crashed my party.  Our debt snowball was about to take off down the hill at a speed we had never seen before. We had a few large jobs that were about to be completed, and we planned to spend that money paying off all but our last two debts.  Just imagine!  (Insert silent moment here as we imagine what could have been.)

Then we found out my truck needed a big repair.  New axle seals and a control arm?  No biggie.  We put about $750 into it.   Oh, wait- the water heater is on it's last leg.  That's going to be another $750.  Okay, good thing we've got the cash flow to cover it.  At least we don't have to tap into the emergency fund.  Oops,  the power steering is out in one of the work vans.  That will cost $810.  Bye Bye debt snowball for April.  Uh-oh, another work van needs $540 in repairs.  And of course, we can't leave out the last work van- it will get lonely.  It is now leaking power steering fluid and antifreeze, and is going to the shop at the end of the week.  Bye Bye emergency fund!  It's was good to know you!  I enjoyed the time we spend together!  Hopefully we'll meet again someday soon!

It seems that every year we hit a snag around springtime and usually it stops us dead in our tracks.  This is the kind of thing that in the past we would have thrown our hands in the air and given up.  The battle by now is usually lost.  Not this year.  I took a day to mourn what could have been, but I'm going to be thankful that we had the emergency fund to cover what we couldn't cash flow and keep on trucking.  First order of business now is to refund the emergency fund.  After that it's back to the debt snowball.  Thankfully, we have incurred no new debt.

I'm hoping that Murphy has decided to move on and this will be the last of our expensive repairs for a while.  I'm anxious to get back on track kicking this debt's butt. 

Oh- also new debt totals coming soon.  We are again coming to the end of a round of Financial Peace University, which is a fabulous course that gives you the knowledge and skill you need to take control of your financial future.    (learn more here)   We lead it a few times a year, and each cycle we calculate our debt totals at the beginning and end. 

Always fabulous,

What I'm Into Right Now

Every now and then something comes along that grabs my attention and doesn't let up.  Most of the time these things are uber-trendy for a while and then the next year when I'm digging through my closet they are the first things to go into the Goodwill pile.  Not so much because of "what was I thinking" but more like saying goodbye to a treasured piece that was with you for a season but that you have outgrown style and personality wise.  Last year, I couldn't get enough camo-green with a little bit of mock military twist thrown in for good measure.  This spring I am totally digging FAUX DENIM.  Its almost like a high school-esque crush. You know, when you are thinking about it all the time and start to notice it everywhere?  I've been seeing it in a lot of the magazines I read.  Not so much featured, but in a lot of the advertising.

So, how do we normal people interpret what the fashion industry is doing with faux denim?  Here's my take.  I have been sporting  my faux denim with jeans.  Normally I would say that is a definite no-no but it seems to be everywhere right now, denim on denim.  Just to break it up a little bit, I've been using layering.  A long sleeve, collared faux denim shirt open over a few layered ribbed tanks- so cute.  A little bit dressier ruffled faux denim short sleeve button up with a cami underneath that peeks out at the bottom would look great on anyone.

The nice thing is that blue is such a flattering color, the faux denim looks great on just about everyone.  I've seen shirts and vests in all sorts of ranges of colors, from stone wash all the way to dark wash.

Always Fabulous,

The Way I See It

This blog is serving a duel purpose for me.  It is a place that I can go crazy venting about the path to becoming debt free and it is also somewhere that I can share my many thoughts on fashion.  Before I start blathering on with my opinion on the latest trends, I thought I would throw a disclaimer out there and lay down a few of my "ground rules of fashion."

First, I in no way claim to be an expert in any way in the area of fashion.  I just know what I like and I glean a lot of information from magazines like Glamour, Cosmo and Vogue.  I do follow trends- a little bit.  However, anything I write in this blog is my opinion and only my opinion.  If you don't like what I say or if I somehow offend, I am sorry.  Leave me a comment and maybe we can have a good discussion about it.

Alright, on to the good stuff.

My own personal basic rules of fashion:


1. When I speak (or type, rather) about fashion, I am not talking about designer labels.  I am a Midwestern girl and live in the real world, where I can't afford to spend $500 a piece of clothing. Most of my clothes and accessories come from stores that you should be able to find at any good mall.  There are only two exceptions to this in my wardrobe, and I will talk about those in a later post.

2. I don't think looking good should be uncomfortable.  I'm not trying to squeeze into something that doesn't fit my body because it's trendy right now.  I don't buy a smaller size pants even thought I can get them up if they make it hard to breathe.  I'm not going to wear a shirt that in order to look good, I have to suck my stomach in all day.  The only exception to this rule is shoes.  Sometimes, your feet are just gonna hurt.

3. It's only cool if it looks good on you.  Perfect example: high-waisted pants.  They looked good on NO ONE.  That's why the trend was over before it began.  

4. Ultimately, it's not about what other people think.  If you love it, rock it.

Always Fabulous, 

The Crockpot Method

So this whole getting out of debt thing has been compared to cooking with a crock pot.  The theory is, you didn't accumulate all of your debt in one day and you can't get out of all that debt in a day.  That theory is a bunch of crap, in my opinion.  I could definitely get into massive debt in one day.  One totally epic day.  I'd start with a private jet flight for me and a few of my closest friends to Miami where we would do some light shopping.  Nothing a few personal assistants couldn't carry around for us.  After that we would continue on to our private beach front luxury home and my chef would cook everyone a hearty lunch.  All cooked to order, of course.  While we were waiting for lunch to be served, the local Cadillac dealership would be bringing Escalades around, of which I could have my choice.  I would choose the black one, and obviously it would have every bell and whistle available.  After lunch, everyone would go to the beach where we would all be wearing new swim suits, in which everyone would look great because of the massive amounts of nipping and tucking we would have endured for our big day on the beach. (It's a dream, right?)  There would be rounds of drinks served by the waitstaff and we would end the day with a bonfire/cookout on the beach. 

But I digress, while all of that sounds so very lifestyles of the rich and famous, it really wouldn't make me happy.  I have learned (and am still learning!) to find happiness in my husband, my kids and my accomplishments.  Having a happy marriage, raising good kids and meeting goals I have set for my life are what drive me.  Getting out of debt is one of those goals.  And while it would be easier to find a huge chunk of money somewhere or get an inheritance and pay stuff off,  where is the accomplishment in that?  Working hard to achieve something is a reward in and of itself.  Being able to look back and say that I did it with nothing but sheer determination and hard work will make it so much more meaningful. 

Now, will I have that kind of attitude through this entire process?  I hope so.  But probably not.  Which is why I have a post-it note up in my office that reads, "I did not get into debt in one day and I will not get out of debt in one day." 

Always Fabulous,

A bit about my journey so far.

My husband, Tim and I have been on and off the debt-free train for a few years now.  We would get really gung-ho about taking charge of our finances, make a little progress and then hit a road block.  Or tiny hiccup.  Either way, our excited-ness wore off quickly each attempt we made at taking charge of our finances.  We are now fully committed to the ride and have made excellent progress in the last six months.  We started our journey in August of 2010 with zero savings and $34,662.74 in consumer debt.  That is all the debt to our name except our mortgage.  Wowzers.  Read that number again.  Yep.  As of a month ago, when it was last calculated, our current debt level is $28,327.62 and we have a small emergency fund.  We have been following Dave Ramsey for a few years now and have gotten very serious about his program in the lasts nine months.  What changed?  Why nine months ago did we decide to tackle this once and for all?  We were sick of working hard and having nothing to show for it.  We were working 60 hours a week for Capital One, Fifth Third Bank, Visa and the local credit union.  Our goal is to have all of our consumer debt paid off by December 31, 2011.  It is a reasonable goal for our family and we are working very hard to accomplish it.

Now, the reason for this blog.  I want to prove that you can be fashionable, trendy and frugal at the same time.  I plan to post about our journey to become debt free, including victories and set-backs.  I also plan to post my thoughts, ideas and tips to dressing well all while not blowing the budget.

I mean, I'm all for this debt-free goal and living frugally, but let's not throw the baby out with the bathwater and think we have to dress like paupers just because we are living like them.

Always Fabulous,