I shop for clothes two times a year, once in spring and once again in the fall. This system helps me get a better grip on building and high quality, diversified wardrobe than if I just pick up individual pieces on a whim throughout the year.
The March and September issues of fashion magazines are the fattest because that’s when the fashion seasons change the most significantly. So every February and every August, I take some time to clean out my closet and it’s that time of year once again.
To do before the shopping can begin:
- wash or dry clean and put away everything all at once
- remove anything damaged and either repair or dispose of it (if it’s damaged it’s not worth donating)
- try on anything that you don’t wear often and see if it still fits, if it looks good, and if you still like it (if any of the answers is no donate it)
- take stock of what you have, what you need, and what you want
- start tearing out inspiring catalog or magazine pages (if you don’t get any at home, visit your library and browse fashion magazines there for ideas)
Other things I’m doing to prep for my upcoming spring shopping session:
I have and love The Lucky Shopping Manual: Building and Improving Your Wardrobe Piece by Piece and I just found out that there is a follow up book called The Lucky Guide to Mastering Any Style: How to Wear Iconic Looks and Make Them Your Own so I bought it also and I’m going to read through both books before I start shopping.
And I’m obsessing over this spring palette from Pantone which I’ve saved on to my iPhone for easy reference while shopping. I won’t stick to it exclusively but I will use it as inspiration.
When was the last time you cleaned out your closet?
Disclosure: Some links in the post are affiliate links and I will receive a small compensation if you make a purchase or sign up for a service by clicking through those links. Affiliate links are an easy way for you to support It’s Frugal Being Green at no additional cost to yourself.
I’m pretty picky about my yogurt. After trying a zillion different brands, the only one I like is Yoplait. It’s has a perfect smooth, creamy, and not too wet texture.
Since my chemotherapy began in December, I’ve been trying to make sure I get lots of extra fiber so I can avoid additional prescription medications to deal with the digestive issues from the treatment. At that time, I switched from buying my classic strawberry Yoplait yogurt to Yoplait’s Fiber One strawberry yogurt. It’s tastes exactly the same just with some extra fiber packed in, if you were serving it in a bowl you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.
My only complaint about the Fiber One yogurt is that there is only a low fat option. I’m a big fan of full fat dairy because it’s so flavorful and I think it’s actually better for you than low fat dairy.
Fiber One yogurt 4 packs are on sale 2 for $4 through February 9th at Safeway stores. I’ll be grabbing a few on my shopping trip this weekend.
I have one $50 Safeway gift card (also valid at Vons, Pavilions, Genuardi’s, Dominick’s, Carrs, Randalls, and Tom Thumb) to give away to an It’s Frugal Being Green reader.
Here’s how to enter (leave a separate comment for each entry):
- Required entry (must do this before you can do any of the other optional entries): Leave a comment telling us what your favorite flavor of yogurt is. (Mine is and always will be strawberry.)
- Optional entry: Leave a comment to let me know that you subscribe to It’s Frugal Being Green via RSS or email.
- Optional entry: Follow me on Twitter and tweet “win a $50 safeway gift card at it’s frugal being green from @carrieactually http://bit.ly/dsxQvw”. Leave a comment letting me know you did so and make sure you leave your Twitter username.
Entries will close February 12, 2010 at 11:59pm Pacific time. Winner will be notified via email and must respond with their shipping address within 48 hours. Winner must be able to provide a US shipping address to receive their prize.
Disclosure: I received a $50 Safeway gift card and coupon for a free 4 pack of Fiber One yogurt for myself along with the prize to giveaway from Safeway, Fiber One, and MyBlogSpark. Fiber One yogurt is a product I buy regularly anyway and Safeway is my regular grocery store.
I’m giving a monthly meal plan a try for February. I live alone and am cooking for one plus I have a reduced appetite because of the chemotherapy so I’m planning two to three home cooked meals per week and I can work on the leftovers for the other meals or eat some of the fillers listed at the bottom.
Week 1:
- fajitas (meat presliced and seasoned is in the freezer)
- chicken and cornbread dumplings (recipe from The $5 Dinner Mom Cookbook, slow cooker)
Week 2:
Week 3:
- fajitas (meat presliced and seasoned is in the freezer)
- chicken paillards with lemon butter sauce, mashed potatoes (recipe from Martha Stewart Living magazine)
- baked ravioli (recipe from Everyday Food: Great Food Fast, will substitute tortellini since I already have some on hand)
Week 4:
- shepard’s pie (recipe from Make It Fast, Cook It Slow, slow cooker)
- polenta wedges with asparagus (recipe from Everyday Food magazine, will move this item around to an appropriate week if there is a good sale on asparagus)
Fillers:
- pasta with or without turkey meatballs (meatballs from the freezer)
- canned soups
- chili (from the freezer)
Disclosure: Some links in the post are affiliate links and I will receive a small compensation if you make a purchase or sign up for a service by clicking through those links. Affiliate links are an easy way for you to support It’s Frugal Being Green at no additional cost to yourself.
