A Girl can't have it all: Spending on Projects

Friday, February 14, 2014

 I've had people ask me how do you have the time to do all your projects.  I typically say something, "I do what I'm passionate about and I make the time for that." As an artist my home has been my outlet and my blog is another outlet that allows me to feel and be who God create me to be. Also practice, practice, practice.....not that it feels like practice to me, I've been decorating and creating since birth so I'm not just one day running a marathon, I've been training for a long time. So I've gained some creative muscle and can do things faster, which gives me more time to squeeze in a project and still keep up with the laundry!

One thing people don't ask me, probably because its personal. How do you as a stay at home mom with one income pay for your projects.   My answer is:  I don't spend a lot of money on clothes and manicures, pedicures and my hair, really anything personally for myself I've put on the back burner.  When Scotty and I were 1st married we decided to pay all our debt off.  One thing I learned was that I can't have it all. During that process we didn't buy anything, instead bought our life back one month at a time for about 3 years. After we were debt free and had money to spend, I still had boundaries and had to decided where I wanted to put our money.  For me this was easy, I would much rather buy a lamp shade than the latest dress. I do love fashion but at this point in my life I would rather invest in our home.  Some might go the opposite way and not care much about home decor and want to wear the latest trend.  Others, God bless them, they can have it all ;)
But even though I can't have it all (and please don't feel sorry for me, I adore what I have and I'm grateful!) I still can try and be great with what I have with a little effort!  As a stay at home mom you can get lazy in your dress, makeup and hair.  It's so true for me, I dress up on Sundays, and I can't even call it officially dressing up, it's something like jeans, a nice shirt and makeup.
Today I decided to be great with what I have! So I curled the hair that I have, put make up on the face that I have and shopped the closet that I have. And can I tell you it made me feel great!!  I know my outfit  isn't the latest and greatest of styles but I thought I would share some tips on how to be great with what you have.....
We'll go from head to toe....

HEAD: My hair. I dye my own hair. I know that's a "no no" for most hair dressers and yes I've sat in the guilt trip chair before as the stylist shakes her pointer finger at me.  I always think,  that's just what this mother who never does anything for herself needs, I feel so much better and relaxed now after that little trip you took me on!!:)
Anyways, I buy my stuff at Sally's and just touch up my roots.  In one bottle I can get 3 touch ups....so at $5 bucks regular price it's about $1.50 a pop.  One day I'll get my hair done by a nice stylist who dosn't have a stack of guilt trip tickets to give out but for now I'm going to spend $1.50 instead of $150!!
Another tip is I don't wash my hair everyday.  I try and wash my hair twice a week. So that helps with spending money on products and it's so much better for your hair to have a break from shampoo.  My hair feels so healthy.

FACE:  One thing I try and make time for is my face.  I shared before that I wash my face with oil.  I use a mixture of olive oil and lavender.  For a long time I couldn't find a soap that didn't make it dry and break out.  Oil  really works great and I love how moisturizing it is.  You might be thinking doesn't your face get really oily?  No, oil cleans oil.  If you think about how they clean a bird from an oil spill they use Dawn soap which  has oil in it.  That's the best example I can give.  I use olive, coconut, avocado oils to name a few....I think it's good to change it up.  I simply message it into my face, then put a wet warm washcloth over my face to steam it and gentle wipe the oil off. This time a year I just wipe it off and I don't use water, my face needs the extra moisture. It's the best eye makeup remover with no eye irritation!   Read more on clean your face with oil  Here
Later I'll share with you how I make my own mineral makeup!

MY CLOTHES: I've bought from thrift shops ever since I could drive. I love them!  I gained more discernment over the years and have gotten more picky.  If I want something a bit more trendy I usually hit the thrift store.  I go to the mall maybe twice a year. I went once last year.....and I don't think I spent anything.  I save my birthday to get something new.  When I buy new it's usually jeans or a nice pair of shoes that I'll wear for 10 years plus and yes I do go to Vicky's to for new undies....I try to be as practical as can be when it comes to new. My outfit above is an example of old with new.....
My Sweater: I bought it at a thrift store before Fisher....it's a bit trendy but I spent maybe $2 bucks.  $5 bucks is my limit, it really has to be good to spend $10 at a thrift store.
My Vest:  Thrift store....wouldn't want to know what I would pay for a new one at JCrew!:)
My Jeans: Birthday Gift (American Eagle) they were shipped right to my door!
My Shoes: Got these babies when Sperry's weren't cool, and years later I'm still wearing them!
Less is more when it comes clothes.....take good care of what you have, hang your sweaters after washing, iron your shirts, when you buy something get rid of something, keep your closet roomy so you can see.  Give something to a friend, my sister and sister n law have given me things I'll wear for yearS!

I think effort is the key ingredient to being great with a dash of confidence.....just a dash please;)!!  Hope you have a wonderful Valentines weekend.  I've loved this holiday since I was a child, single, dating and married!!! I hope you know you are loved!

1 comment :

Rachel said...

What a beautiful picture of you, Julie! I love the floral sweater. Shopping thrift stores and clearance racks is a must. I do pay more for jeans and shoes because we get so much wear out of them. After Roone was born and I had lost some pregnancy weight I shopped at J Jill for a couple of skirts. I will never regret what I paid because the skirts still fit (that's a good sign), and are in the best shape almost 7 years later. I can wash those items here at home and wear them throughout the four seasons. It's nice to find shops that make such good quality items that you can spend more every once in while to have pieces that last for years and years. I haven't shopped at J Jill since because those items have stayed great for so long. :)