Day 55: Bangs & Shampoo

Saturday morning a glorious thing happened- I got my bangs trimmed for free by my friend Hannah. She is an exceptionally talented stylist, as in: she is the first person ever to be able to give me front bangs that don't fly in random directions and don't insist on being swooped. If you are in SF looking for someone to cut your hair I have 3 friends I can recommend- Hannah is the one that has most recently been willing to cut my hair for free and I am so grateful for her generosity!

Also, worth noting along with my bangs are my vintage earrings from Tantrum.
I love them! 

Speaking of hair, a few months ago I was in Houston staying with a friend and she had bulk containers in her shower in the place I expected shampoo and conditioner to be. When I asked her about them she said that she uses baking soda and vinegar mixes instead of shampoo and conditioner- with a rotation of shampoo and conditioner mixed in every few weeks. She also told me about washing her face by simply massaging the right kinds of oil into it. She has great hair and great skin. Before you think she is hippy and granola- she works in a corporate office, she is working on a law degree, she has amazing tastes in all areas art, food, culture- she does cares deeply about the environment. She also is clearly doing this for reasons other than being broke (see corporate job and law school above).

Her reasons: it is better for her hair and better for the world. Using these DIY products creates less waste and uses less chemicals.

I was already on board for using less shampoo- a few years ago I took on a Shampoo Simplicity Challenge inspired by GOOD and it worked out pretty well. I still only wash my hair every few days but I am always excited to find ways to consume less. (In general the less we consume the less we participate in global markets of exploitation- and sadly if you are not intentionally purchasing fair or community trade items it is likely that the farmers sourcing your goods are not getting a fair wage for their work- that includes your personal hygiene items.)

So, today I made the little shampoo mixture and washed my hair with it. Because all of the ingredients are things I had in my house- baking soda and water- and I used an old dish soap bottle the whole things was free, but most importantly: It works!

One table spoon Baking Soda per one cup water = clean hair.

I am currently collecting a list of DIY home and body ideas on Pinterest. I would love to hear your ideas.

Finally the daily outfit post:

Day 55

Day 24: June and July Food Spending Goals

Spinach, Heirloom Tomatoes, Almonds, Chunks of Aged Cheddar, 

with olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic salt

In the scheme of goals I set and blog about, this one is one of the ones I am most scared of posting. I am pretty terrified I will fail and everyone will see that when it comes to yummy things- I have no self control. Still, I need to take on my fear of failing at this and instead hope that just maybe I will succeed.

I spent this much on food in these months:

January $0 (This according to my bank statement, and I think I was in shock from loosing my job, so it might be true. I mean I had to have eaten something, but I have no idea what. Also, I know that I spent a good amount on my bf's birthday dinner, so I am thinking it is wrong.)
February $133
March $263
April $530
May $551

As you can see the numbers are going up too much in the past few months. So, with the beginning of June I am committing to spend less. MUCH less. It is so hard, because to be honest I was feeling good about how much I was eating at home and not spending until I looked at my budget review. I love food, and I love eating with people in fun places. It is my biggest budget vice (much more than clothes). Close to $200 of this past month was spent buying some things bulk in order to save and in order to support fair trade, but still that keeps me at $351 and that is excessive for one person who isn't making much money and needs to pay down debt.

The goal is the keep the number at $190, in general, but I think I might need to aim lower for 2 months. As in I want to eat on $25-35 a week. To be clear I am starting the 2 months off with pasta, rice, quinoa, and a bunch of other staples. I also have multiple gluten free mixes for pancakes, corn bread, pizza dough and such. Mostly, what I need is produce to make these food items into a meal. With so much in season in the summer I am planning to hit up the cheapest farmers markets and save some money while supporting local farmers.

I also need to limit what I spend eating out. For the most part any meal out in the city will kill my $25 for the week in one sitting and more likely take the following weeks money as well. I am also just not going to drink. I love wine and a good cocktail but I need to save the money (plus cutting the calories can't hurt.)

There will be 2 exceptions to this budget that I need to figure out: My parents and my older sister. I cannot have my family see the city for the first time, and not feed them AMAZING food. So, I will need to find some extra money for that.

As for today's outfit, here she is:

Day 24 

(I couldn't decide on the photo, so I posted both)

Sunglasses: Buffalo Exchange $10, Earrings: Random store in Texas Hill Country $5, Scarf: Hand-me-down, Jumper/Romper (not sure which title is best): Scavenged from a stack of clothes left over from a fashion show = Free, Bag: Hand-me-down, Shoes: Gifted by my parents

Yesterday I wore this to the theater: 

Day 23

I went to see Arcadia at ACT- it was so good!

Necklace: Gifted from my mom (She wore it when she was my age), Dress: Gifted by Jenny, Belt: no idea I have had it forever, Shoes: Ambiance (I wear them more often than I should)

Day 21 & 22: On Day 21 my BF Surprised me with tickets to Mumford and Sons

I woke up full of anxiety and energy yesterday.

As I blogged about on Tuesday, I set up an airbnb account. After a evening run I got home and found a request for the Wednesday! The very next day! I have no idea what inspired me to say yes. My bed is broken an although my room had the appearances of being clean, it was not. Also, I had known for over a month that my BF had a surprise planned for me that night, and all I knew was that I would be outside for a good deal of the evening. So, I was super excited about that, but it meant I had to fix my bed and finish cleaning my room, buy new bedding, pack to hang out in other people's apartments for 4 days and look amazing by 4 pm.

First: I fixed my bed that has been broken for months, using random boxes I found and filling them with old magazines creating a lift to support the broken beam. I feel resourceful and proud of the accomplishment.

Then I made an expensive trip ($188, and that was after I put 3 items back!) to Target for new bedding and such. I am going to do a room before and after post. This image is just a tease.

Now for the fun part. I had no idea what to wear for my surprise because I didn't know what I was doing. I wanted to wear pants because being outside implies sitting on the ground. I wanted warmth, because SF is crazy chilly at night, and I wanted slightly elegant in case it was someplace outside but nice. 

Day 21 (going out) 

my errand outfit wasn't bad, but I was too busy to take a photo

Top: Converted Dress from Modcloth (it is a dress but it is so short I can NEVER really wear it that way) Layer: hand-me-down cardigan, Jeans: Earnest Sewn (they are my have, I love how they fit!) Shoes: on sale at Ambiance, only a few months old and they already have a hole

Surprise time!!! He kept acting like he didn't know where we were going and I could pick the next bus stop and my surprise was that there was no surprise, but as we got off the BART in Berkley I was pretty sure there was a surprise and a good one, because we never leave the city on BART. So, when the bus driver said next stop The Greek Theater and I almost squealed. I did jump across the aisle between us and kiss him.

MUMFORD!!!!

He had gotten us tickets to Mumford and Sons, they are my favorite band. The show was so good, even the concession nachos (that I should not have spent money on, but I had to because I forgot to eat during that list above) tasted better than normal nachos. There were songs that almost brought tears to my eyes. They closed the show with two harmony pieces that really were phenomenal. The audience was mostly amazing, in that we all sang along and such. It was so fun having the sunset during the show. Overall, I just think they are actually talented and they do a great show and their songs inspire me. And it is cheesy how much I love them.

Nonetheless, the best part: BF doesn't even like Mumford, he doesn't listen to them except that they are overplayed on the radio, and I hadn't even hinted that I wanted to go, and there was no special occasion- he was just being awesome.

Day 22

Top: Vintage fabric made into super flowy top, Necklace: Hand-me-down from mom, Jean: Levi curvy $70ish 2+ years old and loosing shape, Shoes: Bass and one of my fave pairs

You can't really follow up the best day ever, but today happened anyway. I took Ella on a long walk, and bought some apartment improvement stuff. Mostly, I just thought about how much I loved last night. 

Day 20: My New Side Gig (Airbnb)

I found this post yesterday: 15 Side Gigs to Make More Money Today. I think it has some really great ideas. (Side note: I am stalking this woman's blog. I think it is full of great advice and I need to tell her that soon.)

Speaking of side gigs- the photographer from airbnb just left my apartment. I am posting my room for rent a few nights a week/month while I am doing some roaming this summer to cut down on expenses. I live in the heart of one of the most touristy parts of San Francisco, so I figured why not let some people enjoy my space while I bring in some cash?

I stayed at an airbnb apartment in Paris and a shack in Austin during my last vacations. Both experiences were perfect in their own way. I loved having an apartment to share with my travel buddies on both trips. The Paris place was on the 6th floor with no elevator, but I got to sip wine with my legs out the window sitting on the roof. The Austin shack was in a sketchtastic neighborhood, but the back yard gave access to the river and it was beautiful! (Also, it might have taken us a day to find the AC, and in the Texas heat that was killer!) I really liked that both places had some cons mixed in with their pros- it made the experience more real. Our Paris place wasn't in a neighborhood where travelers stayed, and it was nice to leave the tourism and just be in the city each night when we got home. As for Austin, I have spent so much time there before that trip I just wanted to be in the city and avoid the suburbs or anything that felt too much like being a tourist in a place that feels like home. All told: I think airbnb and couch surfing are the best ways to travel.  Hotels are great and all, but there is just something lovely about being in a neighborhood and staying in a home. (Confession: I have never been a couch surfer, but I have hosted one. He was a great guest and oddly enough we have run into each other multiple times since he stayed with us.)

If you are interested in my place here is the link to my listing:Private Room in the Historic Haight.

An additional plus: the whole thing has me excited because my room is actually kind of clean, and so is my apartment. It is fake clean and I need to now go through all my storage and odd hiding places to purge my apartment of random excess, but I am so excited to continue simplifying my space!

As for my clothes: With all the cleaning and such I have been pretty lazy about my clothes. I most likely will wear a work out outfit today (I need to run 6 miles) and the same outfit as yesterday for the rest of the day. I have a meeting tonight, but it is in my kitchen- hence no reason to dress up.

Sweater: Hand me down from Rachel, Top: Striped T-shirt that was woven with no seams (supposedly making it fit better, but I think really just creating a great pitch for the price to be silly high, but I bought it on sale for $17), Jeans: Gifted from Christy, Shoes: Wedged Ankle Boots bought on sale from ShoeBiz- they got holes in the almost instantly and ShoeBiz wouldn't allow me to return them... 

Yesterday was Day 17 and I went on an adventure

The day started with a trip to the Treasure Island Flea Market. It was amazing, but definitely challenged my not spending goals. It is such a fun place to roam and see all kinds of old beautiful things. I didn't need anything so I didn't buy anything, but my lovely man bought me a jewelry box. I am pretty excited about it. 

From there the adventure involved shopping used furniture type places looking for helpful pieces for his apartment. 

First he took me to Building Resources. They are a non-profit that sells reusable and recycled parts of houses that were remodeled or demolished. It is basically a beautiful junk yard. We didn't find anything we needed but find some lovely randomness.

(freebee selfie in the old window reflection) 

From there we googled furniture places and found a lovely gem of a warehouse tucked away in an ally in Bay View. The Richard Gervais Collection is AMAZING. I took so many pictures, but I am only posting a few.

 (I am kind of obsessed with the chandelier.)

Our last stop was SCRAP. I love SCRAP and haven't been in nearly a year so I was very happy to stop in. I found this old school desk and wanted it desperately, but lets be real- I have no room for such nonsense.

 

As for the outfit:

 

 Dress: $3 at a garage sale on Valencia- it is one of my favorite dresses and I almost didn't even want to pay the $3 for it when I got it 3+ years ago, Slip under dress: flash sale purchase was $120- I paid $40, Bracelet: purchased in India last one of a set of 5 I bought, Belt: hand me down, Purse: Hand me down, Shoes: purchased at Ambiance on sale $27

As for today, I was lazy all day and only wore workout clothes, except for the few hours I had on jeans and a T-shirt. 

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

Day 16: I killed a pink leopard and found pretty fish

Head Band: gifted, Hippster hair: the result of going running when I was supposed to go meet friends and not having time to shower, Scarf: H&M pink leopard print for $10, Sweater: hand me down from Rachel, Top: hand me down again from Rachel, Leggings: Spanx- overpriced, I have worn them 4 times and they are already on the verge of having a hole, Shoes: Street find- yes I am wearing shows I found on the side walk. I have had them for years and still don't have a foot fungus.

So, I spent all day in my house watching West Wing. I am so excited that I know what I am doing in the fall (!!!). It is so great to not be crazy about the job hunt anymore, but today I was epically lazy. I didn't leave the house until 5 pm, but at that point I did run 5 miles. I then met up with people in the Richmond and ate at Q (Q is kind of awesome, even if they make their Sangria by putting OJ in wine and calling it a day). As we were walking we found some beautiful fish, living in the WORST pet store ever. They were so pretty, but they were not living in pretty homes. Someone should go rescue them.

Day 15: Flash sale boots

Once upon a time, when I thought I had money, I received and opened tons of emails a day informing me of flash sales. (Sales that last for about 12 hours) I bought way to much stuff because it was just too easy to find sales when they just show up in my inbox. As I move toward self disciplined spending I am unsubscribing from all of my sale emails. 

 

Boots: bought on a flash sale for $20ish. I never wear them but I am going to try to wear them more.

Also, look at that wood floor! It is so beautiful.

Cardigan: Target 5+ years ago, Top: J. Crew gifted by Christie, Jeans: Indi custom denim, Boots: Flash sale.

Same as above: except Shorts: Clearance at Anthropology 

I wore them most of the day, but I had to change to jeans before the evening so I wouldn't freeze in my lovely chilly summer city. 

Also, the painting behind my head in most of these photos was purchased in India. It is painted with ground up stones on silk. I love it.

Day 7 & 8 and personal finance tool/options

First: I have to admit I often wear the same clothes multiple times in one week, but usually no one notices because I see different people. Well,  now that I am documenting my outfits that doesn't work.

Second (and more importantly): I set up my Mint account and my Credit Karma account today. I was super happy that a) they were both super easy it was to set up b) my credit score is good (I don't know if it is wise to tell the world I have good credit, but I do and I am excited!) c) they both gave me options for how to save money and how to improve my credit score. Overall, I am excited about my endeavor to become financially stable. If you haven't created an account I recommend you do. 

Day 7

Cardigan: Taget $20, Shirt: Modcloth $27 (wore it Wednesday and Thursday- but I only wore it 4 hours on Wednesday), Pants: Target $20 bought with Gift Card from Candace 4 years ago, Shoes: Izod on sale for $14 (3 months old and I have already worn a hole in the back heal)

Day 8

 Scarf: Free and I think it was gifted or I got it at a clothing swap, Necklace: hand me down from my lovely grandmother, Blazer: Target $20, Top: The LOFT $25 over 5 years ago, Jeans: Indi custom jeans, seriously you send in your measurements and they send you jeans that fit, but I think they went out of business. (You might notice that I bought 3 pairs of $200 jeans in the past few years. All of them were on sale for $80-90. I am still unsure if these were a good or bad choice. I think all three of them fit better than less expensive jeans I have bought in the past, and I am not planning to buy more jeans anytime soon.) Shoes: Ambiance sale $27

I chopped my head off in the posts, and that is unfortunate because I wore an awesome braid today. 

Freebee selfie

I just posted this because like this and think it is more fun than the actual selflies, but you can't actually see the clothes.

Day 6 of clothing simplicity and Food Justice

So, we are only a week in and I slacked on all of my weekend wardrobe. I will work on a recap post tomorrow. 

Here is what I wore today, I had an interview so I dressed up a bit and then I had hang out time and a meeting in I was hosting in my apartment so I wore something comfy and casual. 

 Top: Modcloth Pam Breeze-ly Tunic $30ish, Necklace: Boutique in Austin $20, Pants: LOFT: on sale for $20, Shoes: Ambiance on sale (I wear them all the time, in fact they are the second pair I have of the same shoes) 

Same outfit as above but this is how I actually wore it for the interview 

Blazer: Gifted by Jenny and Purse: hand-me-down from Rachel

Sweater/long cardigan: hand-me-down from Rachel, Top: gifted by Christie, Jeans: Gilt Ernest Sewn flash sale $90 retail $200- they are my FAVORITE jeans, Shoes: Gift from mom and dad

As I have been thinking about the sources of my wardrobe I can't help but be grateful for my friends and their generosity. 

Also, I ran this morning.  I am training for a half marathon- I think I am going to post all my workout clothes in one post. I am going to have to be careful about workout clothes becoming my new cheat. I went into GAP and realized I love their workout collection, but do I really need to look good while I sweat?

Tomorrow I am joining a learning salon hosted by IDEX that will be focused on food justice. This is the book I am supposed to read before tomorrow at 5. I attended a lecture by the other about a year ago so I am excited about the book.

Day 2 of Clothing Simplicity

Within no time of making my no clothing commitment I walked by a store I love having a sale. I am really grateful that I am doing this whole public accountability thing. I walked past the store. I didn't even go in. 

So, I spent the day in doors mostly in sweets, expect when I went running. I applied for 10 jobs and even heard back from a few already. I may or may not be going out tonight, if I do I will be wearing this.

Dress: H&M $5 on final sale, Necklace: Purchased 5+ years ago at the boutique in Houston with Rachel, Boots: one of those online flash sale member only sales $90 

I have decided that those are a bad idea for me (and most people). The pressure to buy fast makes me spend money before I am sure and the super low prices tempt me to buy things I don't need. Also, I fail to research the companies to verify ethical clothing practices.

Lastly, I am so very happy it accrued to me that I could take photos of the clothes before I put them on. No more selfies.

What are some spending traps you know to avoid?

Trying out the simplicity thing (AGAIN)

Fun fact #1: I became unemployed in December.

Fun fact #2: I am really bad at budgeting.

Fun fact #3: I love clothes and have a substantial wardrobe.

Fun fact #4: I feel like the people I know are really generous and I have my needs met.

Fun fact #5: I have been reading some budgeting blogs and decided I need to get back in the blogging game.

Fun fact #6: I am better at things when I am accountable for them. (aka: when I blog)

Fun fact #7: I am setting a goal to not purchase any unnecessary clothing or accessories for the next year. (yep, not until May 7, 2014) 

Not so fun fact: I have set this goal before and failed. So here is the idea- I am going to blog about it. Mostly by posting my outfits and other related information. Based on what I can remember about each outfit I will try to say cost, store of purchase, and how long I have had the item.

Here is todays outfit:

Necklace: handed down from my mother, Jacket: gifted from Jenny, Shirt: $10 Gap purchased at Buffalo Exchange, Bracelets: Purchased at Target in 2006; Sunglasses: $10 Buffalo Exchange, Jeans: Gap gifted to me by Christie, Shoes: Purchased at Ambiance on sale for $26

Necessary items that can be purchased are: undergarments, shoes when my current ones get holes, workout attire- but only when my current workout clothes have holes, running shoes - I will aim to borrow clothing for special events- I don't think anyone I know is going to ask me to a brides made in the next 12 months, but if it happens I will buy the dress 

I am choosing my clothes as my main focus because I feel they are one of the most significant ways that I am part of exploiting the poor in the world. You will notice that I mention some brands and stores that are not amazing when it comes to their justice policies. I will try to blog about that as well.

I am also going to try to take on some other spending cuts and share them. I know I need to rethink my spending on food and entertainment. 

I am being inspired by And Then We Saved, also once upon a time I read Your Money or Your Life, and I liked the $30 a Week blog when it was going.

Are any of you reading budget blogs? I would love to hear your suggestions!

So, yes I am finally crossing over into the blog world of people who post selflies - but I hope it is for a good cause.

Fear of Failing (and why it is making me broke) Follow Up

I was a bit surprised by how responsive people were to my Fear of Failure post. I am excited to hear that so many people are with me in making these changes and working towards getting out of debt. I also have to say I have already seen that this is going to be hard.

Nonetheless, I have come up with some action steps to take this week.

1. Draft actual budget.
   
2. Cancel my gym membership.
3. Change my CSA delivery to a small box every other week (I love my Farm Fresh to You box, but I throw a ton of it out. That is a waste of money and food.)
4. Research zero percent APR cards I can roll my debt over to so that I can pay towards my actual debt not just the interest that it grows each month. (This might be tricky, but I got some offers for 15 months no interest. I might be able to roll over onto one of them and get most of it paid off, than roll the remaining amount before the interest hits. I got this idea from my sister and I think it is worth a try.) I am also going to see if I can find a rewards plan that better meets my needs.
5. Research banks. Mine is great and I have had it for over 10 years. However, I get charged $6 every time I need to use another banks ATM.
6. Memorize the principles in this video:

I feel like this is enough to take on in one week, next week there will be more.

Side note: I ran 4 miles overcoming my fear of not being able to run 2 again (I was doing 5 a day this time last year, so that is my overall goal); I still need to write those blogs for Sweet Notions; I got more craft stuff and I think I will be hosting a small craft party to help me get my creative energy flowing again so that I can make some stuff to sell.

Side note 2: I am very excited that my choice to take on my debt coincides with the season of free events in SF. FuncheapSF is about to get a ton of attention from me, as will Broke Ass Stuart.

Love to hear more feed back and ideas on how to get un-broke.

The Shampoo Simplicity Update

(Seriously, this add it too funny.)

Well I did it Starting with January 23 I only washed my hair on Saturdays. (You can read the original post here. it was inspired by this post by The GOOD Chanel.) It was not life changing, but it was a challenge.

Each week went something like this:

Sunday - clean, almost dry/frizzy. I find it odd that I never noticed how frizzy my clean hair is.
Monday - still looking clean, easier to fix, less frizz: rinse at night.
Tuesday - still rocking the clean look: rinse at night
Wednesday - the front still looking clean, I need to straighten my bangs so they don't stick together funcky, but I need to do that anyway. The back is starting to feel a bit oily: rinse at night.
Thursday - time to bust out the french braid, but honestly it wouldn't stick in the braid if I didn't have all the oil to help me out, so that is perk: rinse at night.
Friday - I am so ready to wash my hair, but I let it be. The best plan is to curl it, and the curl hold like I have moose in. I can't decide if that is gross: rinse at night.
Saturday - french braid, high bun, and thank goodness for headbands. It is time to wash my hair and thankfully it is Saturday so I get to!! (Insert happy dance.)

My take aways:

• It is very possible to do once a week and people will not notice or think I am gross.
• I can would really prefer to only go 5 days not 7 days between washing. By Friday I was very ready to wash my hair.
• Headbands, hats, the french braid, and buns are all fabulous things when attempting to use less shampoo.
• At some point I seemed to have forgotten to use conditioner. I think I will use less and less of it as I go to the every 5 day plan.
• I will save money washing my hair less, but I just can't make the jump to never, or even to just weekly.
• Ultimately, I think washing my hair is a total creature comfort, and I am very grateful that I have the luxury of doing it.

Has anyone else tried it?? How did it go??

Shampoo Simplicity

(I have no idea what this is a commercial for but this image is hilarious! found here)

I have a dirty little secret to tell you:

I only washed my hair once this week.

I rinsed it, but I skipped washing it. Now, you might think this is because I am secretly lazy. That is not true, okay maybe a little bit true, but it is not the real reason I skipped the shampoo.

What happened is: I saw someone tweet that they were taking the GOOD challenge to give up soap. The tweet reminded me that I had read a few places that you don't need to wash your hair. Supposedly, when you wash your hair, shampoo strips it from its natural oils and that is why you have to condition it. Basically you are undoing what you just did every time you shampoo and condition your hair. The claim is that your body will adjust it's oil production to match your hygiene habits.

Now, lets just be real: shampoo and conditioner cost money. I use community trade organic shampoo and conditioner, so I pay an obnoxious amount of money for my hair care. (When will ethically produced products be more affordable?)

Additionally, washing your hair takes time and uses water. Water is a resource that most of us misuse; it also costs money.

So, you see I am not being lazy; I am being practical. I am saving time and money, and my hair looks shiny and healthy. It is not oily and it doesn't smell bad. The not smelling thing is impressive considering I went on 6 bike rides in the last 48 hours.

I will say I am scared to skip my soap on my body. (Note, the 6 bike rides and the general desire to smell good.) The soaps I have been using for about the past year where made locally and purchased at the farmers market. (They cost more than the drug store, but have lasted longer. I would say the cost difference is negligible.) All this to say I am embarking on a little hygiene experiment in simplicity: I will only wash my hair once a week for the next 4 weeks. If after 4 weeks I decide that my hair really does in fact look gross/limp/unkempt I will go back to every other day, but if it looks good with just a daily rinsing, I am going to save so much money!