Shopping & Finances – Page 2

August 29, 2019August 28, 2019 Audrey Shopping & Finances

Fake News

Well hey there. Turns out when I get overwhelming busy I also drop the ball here in Blogland. Our summer workload is always pretty nuts and the heat tends to zap my energy so those are my two major excuses. Now let’s get on with the show.

I saw this tweet a few weeks ago and really took it to heart:

I have not had Wendy’s, T Bell, or McDonald’s in WEEKS. (One exception- after the NASCAR race we needed food and stopped at a late-hour McDonald’s. My brother bought my meal.) Maybe you don’t normally eat at these places, but I do.

So like I said, I have not had any of these foods since the beginning of August and, honestly, it’s been so dang tough. Who knew I had such an unhealthy addiction to McDonald’s? (I did. I knew.)

But then I found THIS ARTICLE. Guys… being fiscally responsible when it comes to consumerism and knowing who/what/where your money is going is HARD.

I’m already careful to only buy cruelty-free, avoid any and all P&G products (because of animal testing), and stay vigilant as far as large company support goes (like Yeti vs. the NRA). The whole “who gives $$$ to what candidate” is an extremely exhausting avenue to take… Trust me, I tumbled down that rabbit hole after reading the tweet above.

So where do we draw the line? Some companies outwardly proclaim their ideology. Chick-fil-a and Hobby Lobby have been in the news for their stances. Employee conditions at Amazon and Walmart are always under a microscope. Have you noticed that Forever 21 has a Bible verse on their shopping bags? (I’m not condemning that- I’m just pointing it out.)

Anyway… lining up OUR beliefs with the companies and brands we financially support is tough- probably impossible, actually. So what do we do?

Honestly, I don’t know.

When I went to my first PRIDE parade last year I took note of which companies marched and who was represented. I know which vodka gives back to animals (it’s Tito’s). I try really, really hard to make good choices when spending my money.

How do you approach “responsible spending”? I’m not looking to judge anyone. I know some people focus on shopping local, some people don’t pay attention to cruelty-free things, etc. I’m genuinely curious if this is something you worry about.

In the meantime, I think I’m still going to ban McDonald’s- mainly because I’ve broken my addiction and I want to see how long I can keep it up. I’m going to be a little pickier about my spending in the future with some other brands, too.

But tell me… what do you value and how much time/energy/thought do you put into where you spend money?

July 18, 2019July 11, 2019 Audrey Shopping & Finances

StitchFix #2

I’m set up to get a package every two months, but I had to wait to share my last “fix” until after I announced my pregnancy. So these posts are only a month apart.

You know how it works. On with the clothes…

(I cleaned the mirror since last time but you can’t tell. Whatever. I give up.)

FULL MOON | Bastille Maternity Tulip Sleeve Blouse | Medium | $38
I didn’t hate this one at all. K was in our bedroom while I was trying on my clothes and I think he even commented on how nice it looked. But this was another case of “I’d overlook it in my closet & never wear it.” It’s a little too fancy for work and not my weekend style. But it fit nicely!
RETURNED

WHY does my neck look dirty?! I swear it’s not!

FULL MOON | Stapleton Bow Back Maternity Knit Top | Medium | $38
I really loved this one. It was soft and just my style. I think it was a little on the small side, though. (See it pulling over my back/shoulder blades?) Also, there was a snag in the front at the chest. So back it went.
RETURNED

And the award for most unflattering picture goes to…

FRENCH GREY | Murphy Maternity Short Sleeve Knit Dress | Large | $54
K actually liked this one, too. (The style- not the floral print, lol.) I just didn’t feel pretty in it. I’m at a weird half-fluffy/half-normal point so it was tough for me to imagine myself round and filling this dress out. This is a summer (right now) dress and I didn’t love it for my size right now.
RETURNED

Dogs got in on this one. We all made cute faces. *eyeroll*

NINE BRITTON | Rosa Maternity Knit Maxi Dress | Large | $54
I should’ve switched bras but oh well. This one was soft and flowy, it fit well, and it was a perfect summer or fall dress. It was pretty much exactly what I asked for & in my choice color. Plus I’d spent $20 on the styling fee so why not, right? It’s a little baggy but I’m sure I’ll fix that soon. Ha.
KEPT

T4T | Monica Maternity Criss Cross Crop Legging | Medium | $54
I wanted to love these. I need a pair of maternity leggings and I love the criss cross at the ankle but these were WAY too small. I squeezed myself in for this picture. And I just noticed the $54 price tag. That’s a little steep for stretchy cloth…
RETURNED

And that’s all she wrote.

I was excited when I first glanced at the overview paper. The red shirt and leggings would’ve been perfect if not for size and quality flaws. Oh well. A flowy, olive color dress is still a win for me.

Including the styling fee and tax, I spent $57.92. Again, I don’t think that’s terrible for a dress. I think I’ll do one more ‘Fix in September, then pause it for a bit. And here’s my obligatory referral code: LINK.

What do you think? Bummer about the striped shirt, right?!

June 18, 2019June 4, 2019 Audrey Shopping & Finances

My First StitchFix

I don’t know if people find this interesting, but I do. I like to see what other people get and whether or not they keep the stuff. This whole pregnancy thing means my jeans are tight so I decided to give the maternity fix a shot.

Honestly, I don’t like buying maternity clothes. I feel weird about a) spending a ton of $$$ on something I’ll only wear for 5 months (tops) and b) how it’ll end up looking when I’m huge. So I figured I’d let someone else shop for me. Haha.

You know how Stitch Fix works so I won’t explain it. I WILL say they are quick and efficient. Also, I appreciate how the $20 styling fee is applied to something you keep. I like that it’s a dollar amount and not a percentage- since the percentage typically comes off the lowest dollar item OF COURSE.

Ok. On to the clothes. (Ignore the dirty mirror- I’ll clean it before the next try-on.)

NINE BRITTON | Nellie Maternity Neckline Dress | Large | $58
This was the only thing I hated. I don’t mind the string neckline thing, but it didn’t work with this dress. And the dress was pricey for being so simple. And it was just kind of blah. I don’t wear dresses like this- not even to fancy events- so this was a no brainer.
RETURNED

LOVEAPPELLA MATERNITY | Charlotte Ruched Side Maternity Top | Medium | $48
I liked the style and the feel of this shirt. Casual look, soft to touch. I felt like it was just a tiny bit thin- especially around my bust. And if it’s thin/stretched now, it’s not going to get much better months from now. LOL
RETURNED

LE LIS | Praji Maternity Tie Front Blouse | Medium | $54
This shirt was crazy flattering. It was comfortable and trendy. Honestly, when I look at the picture, it’s kind of perfect. But I know myself and I know I’d bypass it over and over again if it was hanging in my closet. It’s not quite my style & $54 is a lot for a shirt… It was a really lovely shirt, though.
RETURNED

1822 DENIM | Wynter Maternity Skinny Jeans | Size 12 | $48
Pre-fix, I had two pairs of maternity jeans. I live in jeans- weekends, work days, around the house, etc. I don’t feel bad having 3 or 4 pairs for this pregnancy and these ones fit really nicely. *Side note- that’s not a baby bump… it was just tummy fluffy at that point.
KEPT

MIX BY 41 HAWTHORN | Sollas Maternity Knit Top | Medium | $38
I wear lots of neutral and I don’t have a black maternity shirt in my arsenal yet. (I have two army green ones, though *face palm*.) Anyway, this shirt was thick and soft and flattering.
KEPT

Honestly, my stylist did pretty well. The dress was a miss and I asked for more casual/flowy dresses in the future. I see myself keeping one or two items from these fixes since I’m already paying the fee and my stylist is pretty on it.

I spent $72.24 (with tax added and $20 subtracted). That seems ok to me for two quality pieces. I have SF scheduled to ship me stuff every two months so we’ll see what July brings. Just so you have it, my referral code is linked HERE.

So tell me the truth- do StitchFix posts interest you? Have you ever had the urge to try it? I finally gave in and wasn’t disappointed.

April 2, 2019April 1, 2019 Audrey Shopping & Finances

You Don’t Need It

Over the weekend I felt ambitious and bought all the fixings to make smoothies. I’m not a big breakfast eater, but I figured a morning smoothie would get some yogurt and fruit in my body first thing.

So yesterday morning I made my first smoothie, poured it in my to-go cup, put the pups to bed, and left for work. On my drive I thought back to when I worked as a barista and the nifty blender with the stick that we used. It made stirring the ice and blending all the ingredients so easy.

‘I need to get one of those this week for my smoothies,’ I thought to myself. ‘I can’t make morning smoothies properly without one.’

After a few minutes of this I realized that’s obviously a load of crap.

My blender works just fine. And the middle of the lid twists off so I can easily stir the contents with a spoon or spatula in between the blending. But it also made me realize that this is my mentality when it comes to “new” things.

I try to be aware of the ~~crap~~ stuff I bring into the house, but it’s easy to get sucked into the “need” mentality.

I’m going to start working out = NEED a gym membership
Dog walks every day = NEED a new leash or harness
Planning healthy home cooked meals = NEED new cookbook
Cleaned out office = NEED new storage or furniture to complete remodel

I don’t fall victim to all of these, but it’s easy to. A change or new habit makes me think I need new things. Bought a workout package at the yoga studio? Well obviously I need new clothes. Planning a beach vacation? Shopping trip for new vaca outfits.

Am I a lone weirdo on this or are you nodding along with me? Lol.

Don’t get me wrong- some things are absolutely necessary. For example, my crockpot burns everything and doesn’t pay any attention to the setting I put it on. All of the This Is Us fans in BlogWorld have urged me to replace it. It’s on my to do list. Nothing really performs the function of a slower cooker except a slow cooker.

But I have untouched cookbooks, comfy workout clothes, trendy vacation outfits, safe and sturdy leashes and harnesses, and a perfectly good blender.

So this is my random reminder to myself that I don’t need it. And, quite possibly, you don’t need it either. I am definitely not poopoo-ing frivolous buys and treating yourself to random Target or Amazon finds, but don’t go buying the high dollar blender when you have one that works.

Thank you for coming to my ted talk. 😜

January 24, 2019January 22, 2019 Audrey Shopping & Finances

Amazoning

I waited WAY too long to share an Amazon-ing post. There’s a lot of stuff here & I’m sorry & I tried to condense.

I have Christmas gifts & clothes & miscellaneous stuff here. Let’s jump in!

I like using Amazon smile when I purchase. (My purchases support Best Friends Animal Society.) I’m a dummy who hasn’t bought into Ebates yet, but I’m going to soon. I promise. I actually think I have an account already.

Clothing

Artfish Loose Yoga Pants | I LOVE THESE PANTS… they’re very light and perfect for around the house and it’s honestly like you don’t even have pants on 😆

MYoga Capris | Runs small… I should’ve gone a size up.

icyzone Sports Bra | Not super restrictive- good for yoga and low intensity workouts.

Urban Coco Long-Sleeve Velvet Green Dress | I wore this dress on Christmas Eve and it was comfortable and gorgeous. K hates it because it’s velvet and loud. I felt like Scarlett O’Hara. (Possibly because K kept comparing it to curtains.)

THIS & THIS pair of Blue Q Socks | I bought K two different pairs for his stocking and one already has a hole in it. I’m irritated because they’re THIRTEEN DOLLAR socks. I splurged because he likes snarky socks.

Our Dwight & Angela Outfit pieces: shirt & pants (Dwight) and turtleneck, sweater, skirt (Angela) | Yes, we spent actual money on our costumes to make them just right. I try to thrift when I can.