Finding a style that suits you and your life

This is the second part  of a two part series. Here’s the link to Part 1: Is your style still working for you? Are you sure?

I have always considered myself a good dresser, but that’s not the same as knowing your own style.

For me, defining my personal style was a part of a bigger process. The cosmic colonic was about stream-lining  my life. I got rid of what wasn’t working to clear space for the things that do work. In order to find the true me hidden beneath the shlumpadinka facade, I went about defining my personal style and then cleared out my closet to reflect that person back to me.

After the jump, some ideas and suggestions to help you find your own style. It’s not about spending money, it’s about getting rid of what’s not working in your wardrobe so you can easily access the stuff that does.

Is your style still working for you? Are you sure?

A friend recently complimented my style. It was nice to hear, because I really admire her sense of style as well.  The compliment also meant a lot because after declaring myself a shlumpadinka in 2008, I was nice to see how far I had come.

One reason I was the perfect schlumpadinka storm was because my style in my 20′s had been effortless. I could roll out of bed in college, throw on a white t-shirt, jeans and a ponytail and look pretty good.

Over time, I kept up the habit even though it was not having the same effect. A twenty year old can look slightly sloppy and still be cute, a thirty-something looks washed out and disheveled. And don’t get me wrong, I’m not lamenting my age. I love my 30′s way more than my 20′s, I just had to get real with the sloppy, tired mom staring back at me in the mirror.

This is the first of a two part series on style. After the jump, I’ll talk about how I figured out what wasn’t working with my wardrobe and the few small steps that made a huge difference. Part two will focus on how I went from lost to found. That is, how I found my true style to the point where my look is pretty effortless again, but now I look a WHOLE lot better all of the time.

Dream Board Saturday

She's crafty

This weekend I wanted to make some time for relaxation and self-care. I have been feeling a dream board coming on for months. I’ve been collecting beautiful cards, notes, art and pictures with the intent of making a inspirational collage when I had some time.

After the jump, samples, ideas, inspirational music and my work of art!

Reach Out!

The isolation among us is costing us all dearly. We waste money on entertainment because we don’t know how connect with those around us. We waste money constantly shopping for our own EVERYTHING, when so much could be done without or shared between multiple users.We avoid our neighbors, why? Too busy to engage? Afraid they may want to talk again some time in the future?

I don’t think we ever intended to create this lonely, vaguely hostile environment we live in, but it’s becoming insufferable. We have more than ever before (way more than our fair share!) yet we are isolated, disconnected and in-debt with little to show for it. Our money, our time, our relationships, our communities – all these things suffer as a result of our over-consumption and wasteful behavior. The only way to feel better is to live better. And the first step to living better is reaching out to those around you.

So after the jump, ways to reach out to neighbors, friends and strangers. Because the only way this world is going to change is if we all start doing something differently.

Return it!

I am the queen of the return. It is a great way to un-do bad decisions and save money that would otherwise be wasted. I return on such a regular basis, I have a return shelf in the pantry. As soon as something makes it’s way into the house that shouldn’t, to the return shelf it goes, along with the receipt, so it can be go back from whence it came.

There’s nothing sketchy about it and there is no shame in returning. I shop at stores with excellent return policies and good customer service. For these companies, returns are easily done and never a problem. I shop mindfully and carefully and I expect reasonable quality from the goods I purchase. When this does not happen, the stores are usually more than happy to remedy the situation.

After the jump, everything you need to know about returning, but were afraid to ask. Plus, the greatest return story ever told!

Get thee to the library!

I heart the library so much. Now that we are having serious cutbacks, we go at least once a week, sometimes more.

After the jump, 5 reasons why the library should be your new best friend.

Holiday spending follow-up: The money hangover sets in

In December, I posted Let’s do something different this year, which outlined our holiday financial plan of attack. It included no credit cards, strict spending limits and the giving of presence not presents.

After the jump, let’s see how the Applebums did.

Is it time to lighten your load?

It seems like the last year, well last decade really, has left us all with a lot of baggage. It’s like looking at your house the morning after a great party. It’s pretty trashed but it was so worth it.  So as you look around your life on this first month of the new year, what mess do you need to clean up? What do you need to get rid of, to lighten your load into a new decade?

I have spent the better part of two years clearing out things I don’t need. I have been reading my blog entries which chronicled the Cosmic Colonic which is the name I gave to the process.  It feels like such a long time ago. Our living space has been so cleared out and serene for so long now, I can’t remember it any other way.

As clutter and excess baggage have been removed, I have found clarity and peace. I have found time and space to think, create and connect. After the jump, some excepts to inspire you start your own journey of mental health and well-being.

I’m the middle class who is being squeezed out. And I am pissed.

It took me months, but I have finally figured out what happened. I haven’t blogged about it partly out of embarrassment and partly because I didn’t think anyone wanted to hear about it during the holidays. But I know what’s happened to the Applebums, is happening to most everyone around us.  We can’t continue to deny the reality any longer. It seems we are all really struggling and the silence between us is a huge part of what got us all here in the first place.

Let  me begin by saying, I consider myself very good with money. I have a business degree, I have done bookkeeping and billing for a business, and am a saver by nature. I am the one who does the money for the family, so I am the one who is accountable. It’s not soley my fault that we are here, but I should have caught it sooner. That’s why I was all the more shocked when I realized how bad it had become. Because for a long time, I felt like we were pretty much on track. And then all the sudden I looked up and it’s like I had been asleep at the wheel.

A whole month of full moons

What can I say? Just when I thought I was back on track, October laughs and says: Mwah, ha, ha, ha. Our family has faced some stormy weather. Every day has felt like a full moon, like we were all at the mercy of much greater forces beyond ourselves.

My sister always says that when life feels crazy and out of  control, you should get as quiet and still as possible. So as the autumn winds blew chaos into our lives, I put the family into love lockdown. We did only the most essential things and I let go of everything else. The blog had to be suspended. As much as I wanted and needed to write, my family was the priority and they needed me more.  And I’ll be honest, I’ve had some dark days. It was not a place I wanted to broadcast from anyway.