Two Years, No Repeats

I’m not going to start this post out my being self-deprecating. Life is what it is… things come up, end of story. It might sound a little short/harsh but, it is the truth. I don’t want to sit around and wax poetic about how busy my life is or how overwhelming blogging can be… to blog is something that I (still) want to do and will keep trying to be consistent with. It has been beneficial for me in so many ways i.e.: helping me rock my budget, meet new friends, and utilize my wardrobe to the max. I just don’t know how to quit you it. That being said…

This year presented some new challenges that I honestly was not expecting. This weight thing is one of them. Am I largely obese? No. Am I having trouble fitting into some of my clothes? Yes. Am, I too stubborn/poor to buy a whole new wardrobe? Yes. Is there anything wrong with that? I don’t think so but, it has limited the clothing that I can wear that is occupying space in my closet. I hope things will be on the lighter side (literally and figuratively) if when we revisit this topic.

Another thing that has provided a challenge has been the expectations (wardrobe wise) at work. While I went into it thinking that I would be working in a slightly more professional “business casual” environment it is not. It is 100% a formal professional/business formal/business professional office AKA suits and blazers 24/7 however you want to catalog that. The thing that I am realizing (since it has been mentioned to be a few times) is that I need more suits… thrift store here I come? We’ll see what happens with that. Does anyone know any secret suit spots that I should check out?

An unexpected challenge is my (fairly) newfound inability to spend money. I know… it sounds perfectly in line with the purpose of this blog/my frugal life style but, it has grown beyond that. I am now extremely frustrated by shopping. I know that I will go into a store (clothing, grocery, whatever) and only be able to purchase absolutely necessary things, if that, even if someone else is footing the bill! It honestly pains me to say this but, for the most part, shopping isn’t fun anymore. Or at least, isn’t fun that way it used to be. It’s an aggravating task to complete that costs me time and money neither of which I have an abundance of. Depressing much? The worst part is, I’m not really sure what the solution is. No wait, I do: win the lotto!

So, overall how did I do? Other than no repeats again, I only spent $248.89 this year. While it is more than last year I did have that one month of extreme freak out when I replaced a bunch of summer shoes that were falling apart, Totally fair but, a far cry from last year. Even so, it brings the total for the past two years to only $397.49. This is where all those frustrating shopping/no shopping moments are worth it (maybe). If I was really crazy (which I’m not) I would say that I wanted to make it to the end of Year 3 having spent only $500! But, that would mean that I only have $102.51 left to spend and momma needs a (five) new pair(s) of shoes!

Here are some of my fav outfits:

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

January

February

March (see I was still taking pictures)

I just realized that all of these fav outfits are with skirts, the only two without are jean ensembles... weird. On a positive note,  I don’t think it could be any clearer to everyone that you don’t need to spend a ton of money to have an evolving and varied wardrobe. I find new ways to wear the same old things everyday and I see no point in stopping now. I’ll do my best to keep it up.