A little clarity

Yesterday I talked about giving up clothes shopping.

I thought I should clarify something. I'm not an over spender. I don't buy a ton of clothes and I don't have credit card debt. (I pay off my balance every month.)

I mean, come on, I write about personal finance, credit, and frugality every day. And I write a lot from experience, both good and bad.

I've had my stumbles with credit in the past, but never anything extreme. And I love a good clothing bargain.

And now that I'm married and share finances with the hubs, I'm held accountable for any excessive spending. (Don't worry, he is too.)

The hubs is a budget genius and has an elaborate spreadsheet, complete with lots of macros. He keeps up with our budget that way, because we can adjust it any way we want, unlike some of the online budgeting software. Like, now that I have a cell phone with a data plan, we'll add a new category to our budget.

Exciting stuff.

One of our budget categories is called "fun money" and another is "miscellaneous." Our fun money is money we have to spend on whatever (like clothes), and miscellaneous is money to spend on individual incidentals (like toiletries, drinks with friends, etc.). And we have a third incidental fund that we share, called "together fun money."

It's quite complicated, you see.

All that to say that my clothing purchases are always well within my allotted fun money fund.

 Gifted top, Urban cardi, J. Brand jeans, Mossimo shoes, Old Navy necklace

So why am I giving up shopping for a month?

I want to save up some of my fun cash toward something awesome (secret secret), plus I'd like to spend some of it on other fun things. Like a guitar pick.

Also, I need to start repeat-wearing and remixing the pieces I've purchased recently. (Anyone know when the next "30 for 30" challenge is??)

By the way, these are my new shoes from Target. They're pretty wonderful. And surprisingly comfortable. I walked two miles in them after work, and my feet felt mighty fine!

Tomorrow is National Running Day. Guess I know how I'll be kicking off my month of exercising!

Blue Wall & June's Give Up/Take On

Yes, that title is about as creative as I feel right now. I've stuffed myself full of food today (much of it deep fried), and I think it's slowed my brain function down.

Yesterday, my friend and I went to IKEA and Target. She had her roommate's car to borrow, so we decided to go on a little shopping adventure.

You don't understand.

This is really exciting for me.

I wanted to buy everything in sight at IKEA, but I settled on a salad bowl, salad spinner, picture frame, and some lovely napkins. (Whoa, big spender!) At Target I scored some pretty sweet shoes, which will make an appearance later this week.

 Gap top (I got it on clearance) and flats, Old Navy jeggings, earrings and jacket, Banana Republic bag

And now for Give Up/Take on.

For May, I found giving up soda a little too easy. Which I guess is a good thing. When it came to picking some standard recipes, I didn't do so well. I did manage to make one enchilada recipe (this one) twice, once for a work party and once for some girlfriends (last night), and I think I could manage it without a recipe now. I guess little by little I'll find recipes that I want to repeat, but I don't have to force it in one month.

As for June, I'm going to make it a little more difficult for myself.

Give Up: Clothes shopping. After reading some of this blog--the blog of a woman giving up shopping for a whole year--I figured I can give up shopping for 30 days.* Plus, I need to chill out on the shopping anyway. I can use the moolah I save for a special surprise I'm cooking up.

Take On: Exercising every day. I was going to challenge myself to run every day, but I think my knees will need a break. I've had a hard time being motivated lately. In fact, I've gained a few pounds. I know that probably doesn't seem like much, but when you've stayed the same weight for five years or so, it makes a difference. So I'm challenging myself to exercise each and every day, whether that's running, strength training, group classes, or yoga. Starting tomorrow. Here we go.


* I reserve the right to buy a Giants t-shirt or something orange to wear to the Giants game with my company.

Staying up late for no reason

 On the roof of the SF Moma, doin' our thang.

Quite often I do that. I'll be browsing the blogs, watching some shows, or reading something online and I'll just ignore the fact that it's after midnight. Or 1am. Like last night.

It's worse when hubs is out of town, as will be the case next week. So I'd better rest up this weekend, because I have a lot of pointless late nights ahead of me.

Today was actually really lovely. Had lunch out, short day at work (the boss man let us leave early!), drinks, chips, salsa, and guac at Chevy's (yeah, mainstream!) with the hubs. SF Moma for browsing and Blue Bottle coffee on the roof.

And now we're home and being complete lazy bums on a Friday night. And I'm loving it. I don't mind, either, because this week was productive, and I might even do a little work this weekend.

So like I said, hubs will be gone, which means I'll clean the apartment till it's spotless (a strange ritual I get into when he leaves), wear his clothes (see here and here), and hang out lots with girlfriends.

It's not that I won't miss him while he's gone. I definitely will. But I also kind of like having the place to myself for a while. And then he comes back and gives me lots of hugs.

This blouse is another clearance rack score. This time from Gap. I really scored there. (I can't wait to show you the dress I got for $10). This dress came in at about $9. And it fits nicely with my new style aesthetic resolution. That I just made up.

Buy more remix-able blouses, fewer casual tees. I think it's a good resolution. It'll help me start dressing my age and honing in on pieces in stores that don't make me look like I'm 12. Seriously, folks, it's a problem. The other week I was mistaken for a 21 year old. Nothing wrong with that, exactly, but I would like the guessing to be a little bit closer to my actual age.

 Gap top, Target cardi, gifted jeans, Old Navy boots and earrings, H&M bracelet

White jeans. I can dig it.

Disqus-ing Social Media

I just realized that title doesn't really work. While trying a play on words with the company name "Disqus," I've actually made it sounds like social media grosses me out.

It doesn't. It's my job.

And tonight I got to listen to several start-up entrepreneurs talk about their journeys. (They were supposed to talk about social media, but they kept getting off-track.) One of those entrepreneurs was the co-founder of Disqus, which many of you should know because it's how you comment on my blog (among a bunch of others).

I don't know that I'm convinced about all of his opinions when it comes to social media, but he has created a pretty cool product. And he's only 25. And started Disqus four years ago. Wow.

Blog, meet my $7 dress. $7 dress, blog. This was one of my delightful Old Navy clearance rack purchases yesterday. Yes, it's bright pink. And yes, I love it.

Bright pink actually makes me look a little tan, unlike pale pink. So I'll take it. The dress is made of linen, which is another reason to love it. I even managed to layer appropriately for SF weather.

 Old Navy everything. Seriously. Every piece of this outfit (except the gifted scarf) is from ON, even the jewelry. Maybe I should be an Old Navy stylist.

Short post, but that's because I'm busy catching up on one of my favorite shows, "Masterchef Australia." Yeah, for real. Accents make cooking even cooler.

Knot #2

I told you I would tie a knot in my shirt again. Very exciting stuff going on in the life of my shirt today.

You know how I also told you that I'm not much of a thrifter? Well, I'm still not, but I am a bargain hunter.

Today I stopped by Old Navy and the Gap and got some ridiculous deals. I was so excited I made my husband let me show him what I bought. (My mom and I always used to do that to my dad, and Dad would feign interest like it was his job. We knew he was faking it, but we still delighted in bringing out our purchases for him to see.)

Don't worry. All of the purchases will make an appearance here.

Tomorrow I'm going to my second networking opportunity for work. It's a social media event, and my new, official title is "Social Media Manager," so I'm pretty stoked. I even have business cards to hand out.

 Gap top, Banana Republic sweater, Old Navy jeans, Madden boots

Monday Wedding

Today was my lovely friend's wedding. They did it frugal, but you couldn't tell, because they have some talented friends who gave gifts for the actual wedding, like this lovely and creative altar below.

And assorted homemade pies with homemade ice cream in flavors like beer, lavender, caramel, and goat cheese(!).

And flowers and table decorations.

This is not our child, but she's a really cool kid. 

It was just lovely. And my date was looking great, with his vest and pocket square. I've said it once, and I'll say it again: He dresses better than me.

 Old Navy sweater dress, Gap top, Banana Republic shoes; weird sad face

I just realized that my whole outfit was brought to you by Gap, Inc. Even the little shoulder bag I carried to the wedding. It was Old Navy.

It was also completely improvised. I wasn't digging any of the dresses I owned, but I also didn't want to wear all black. Solution? Tie a top at the waist a la Kendi here and make something new out of something old. Let's just say I'm going to try this strategy again.

And, man, I love these heels.

I gotta say, I'm beat. I went into work at 7am so I could get in a few hours before heading to the celebration. But it's cool, 'cause I like my job and I started working on a clever blog post (for work).

Hits and Misses. And Gross Things.

Something really gross happened to me earlier tonight.

There I was, sitting down to some alone time to catch up with "Parks and Rec" and a bowl of my favorite food: popcorn.

As I'm getting to the bottom of the bowl--my favorite part: the half-popped kernels--I saw something dark. And moving. With eight tiny legs. Yes. GROSS. It was a spider. In. My. Popcorn.

I was so grossed out.

And yet, strangely thankful that I didn't notice the spider until after I had finished enjoying my snack.

Gross.

Tomorrow is my lovely friend Christi's wedding. Having a Monday wedding is saving her a ton of money, so I gotta respect that. And the groom brewed all the beer for the reception, so major props to him! They are such a sweet couple, and she's been such a great friend since I moved to San Francisco. I can't wait to see them tie the knot.

This evening I tried on a ton of outfits for the wedding. I finally settled on one. It's not pictured. (That wouldn't be any fun!)

And now time for some shut eye. I've gotta go into work early to get a few hours in before wedding and party time!

When I'm 64...

...or 53.

A friend of mine just shared this link with me. Have you heard of Inès de la Fressange? I hadn't before just a few moments ago. She's 53. Yes, 53. And she's still stellar model and runway walker. 

She's quite the lady to admire.

Old Navy top (it's an XL), tank, and scarf; gifted jeans; Toms shoes

I especially love some of the fashion advice at the end of the article. Check it out:

"Wear two scarves, one on top of the other. This works equally well with two T-shirts, two blazers, two belts."

"Team your old worn-out denim jacket with a silk blouse."

Meeting Bloggers

Even though I was fresh from work and not looking spectacular yesterday evening, I made it to Anthropologie for a brief meetup with Peggy, Debra and Anjali. (Below is today's outfit, not yesterday's.)

I could only stay for a brief visit before heading out to meet some friends for dinner, but I must say, it was worth it! Each of these ladies was so lovely. It was my first time meeting any style bloggers, so I was glad it was just a small meetup.

They were all--very skillfully--browsing the sale room at Anthro, but I do have a confession to make: I've never purchased anything from Anthropologie.

Gasp!

It's such a non-style blogger thing to admit. Honestly, when I first discovered it in college it was way out of my price range, so I never even considered it. walking into the store always made me sad that I couldn't afford any of the lovely items.

But you know what? I think it's time for me to start shopping there. The sale room is--mostly--in my price range, and it couldn't hurt to save for a great statement piece at full-price.

Maybe I should add "Anthropologie piece" to my fashion to-do list.

 Gap top and jeans, Madden boots, gifted scarf, Target earrings

I have another blogger meetup to attend tomorrow. This time for work. I'm a little intimidated about meeting a bunch of established personal finance boggers. And excited. Intimidated and excited.

Ok, Ok. I'll get a guitar pick...

This was, what, last Thursday? It's been a tad busy, what with the out-of-town visitors, dancing the night away, crawfish eatin', karaoke all night, Bay to Breakers, and lots of food.

That was my weekend.

But on to the post. I've noticed that sometimes viewing my outfit photos right after snapping them gives me some insight. This time, it was that I really wanted to make this maxi dress look like a maxi skirt, but it just wasn't flattering. At all. The sweaters on top merely cut me off at a weird spot, so I opted for a cardigan, which is much better for my shape, I think.

I applaud you if you read all of that rambling. I'm extremely tired and can't really tell if I'm making sense.

 Old Navy dress, scarf and earrings, Urban Outfitters cardigan, Steve Madden boots

And I would just like to say, Brittney and Monkeyface, that I'll get a guitar pick, already.

Thanks for calling out my laziness. ;)

In case you were wondering...

This is why I've been MIA. Regular posting will resume soon, my friends!

Sweet Music

This is my guitar. Guitar, blog readers. Glad you two have been introduced.

My guitar is a Hondo and came from Korea, purchased by my dad when he was stationed there in the Air Force. It's nothing fancy, but since I've always been a casual strummer, it works great for me. Maybe one day I'll buy a fancier guitar, but for now, this works.

Especially since I haven't played it in several months. That's why I brought it up. I may very well decide to pick it up again for next month's "Take On." It would give me a nice distraction from my computer screen.

 NY&Co. sweater, Old Navy pants and scarf, BR boots, F21 locket

I've actually written a few songs in my day, just for fun. And a few aren't half bad. I even performed a couple at open mics in graduate school.

I used to fancy that I'd one day record an album, but I'm not thinking that now. I'm just thinking that I'd like to be able to pick it up now and again for fun.

The sad thing? I lost the only guitar pick I own.

And how convenient that I'm talking about music today, because I also wanted to share with you all an opportunity to support some great musicians and one of my current favorite Christian songwriters. Karl Digerness writes some amazing music. I've had the privilege of harmonizing with him at City Church of San Francisco and now he's (finally) putting out an album of his own.

But he needs some help. He needs to finish funding the album in order to release it. It was recorded at Tiny Telephone, John Vaderslice's studio. Check it out and if you feel like donating, go here.

Everybody, Everywear: Florals & Tooth Glue

This is me, being a participatory blogger!

Seriously, I would do this more often, but it always seems to sneak up on me. But not today! And it gave me another reason to style the dress borrowed from the lovely Syd. (You can have it back, now. And I promise I'll wash it.)

See other times I've styled this number here and here.

 Old Navy dress (borrowed), F21 jacket, Target leggings, Old Navy boots, college necklace

This look wasn't spot on for me, but it worked.

Totally switching gears, I went to the dentist today for the first time in, um, a long time (three years). The good news is that I've taken good care of my teeth and there aren't any issues. The weird news is that I still had some glue on my teeth. Left over from my braces.

That I had in the early 90's.

Yeah, really weird. And the dentist was like, "How weird that one one has just scraped this glue off." And she scraped it off in all of 30 seconds.

The end.

Gluten Free's Not So Bad

I've been neglecting the outfit posts, and I apologize. I don't have a good excuse, except to say that I was at a spa all day Saturday for a bachelorette party and then out all night with the girls. And yesterday was filled with cleaning the apartment and napping. (You know; I was tired from the exhausting day at the spa. ;)

But I did want to share my excitement over this blog. I've made three--count 'em, three!--recipes from this blog so far, and I'm loving it. These pictures (taken on my fancy new Android phone) don't do the yumminess justice, but I just wanted to show you what we've enjoyed eating the past two nights.

Quinoa Taco Salad: So good with the lime juice and chunks of avocado. I served it with a pork tenderloin, rubbed in chili powder and roasted. Next time I make this, I'll add some more colorful stuff, like tomatoes, and reduce the amount of red onion.

Vegan Coleslaw Recipe with Peanut Dressing: The non-vegan part that I added was the chicken breast, of course. This coleslaw was really tasty. It had some great Thai flavors like cilantro with lime and peanut: a great combo. I only used 3/4 of a head of green cabbage. (It didn't seem worth it to buy a whole head of purple cabbage just to add a little color.) Next time, I'll add more cilantro and maybe beef it up with some brown rice or cellophane noodles and eliminate the chicken. This would be a great lunch dish.

And I still haven't posted about my first recipe to memorize. next time I make it I'll give you the details (and tell you how often I had to look back at the recipe.)

I don't know how many of you know, but the hubs and I have nearly eliminated gluten. He noticed while he was in Hong Kong that he felt slightly healthier, and the lack of gluten was the only thing that could've triggered that. I've known for a while now that dairy doesn't do my body good, and I think gluten is a culprit as well.

It's not serious, but both of us feel better without gluten or dairy, so we're trying to stay away from it (except sometimes on the weekends when I just really need french toast).

So today I bought gluten-free bread from Rainbow Groceries. Here's why: We just got a toaster oven at work, and I really really really want to make a peanut-butter-and-banana sandwich, but it's just not the same unless it's toasted.

I'll give a full report on the gluten-free bread later this week.

For Mom

My mom's a pretty cool lady. She raised my brother and me, and did a pretty awesome job (if I do say so myself). She's always been there for me. And even though we live across the country from each other, I think we're closer than ever.

So Happy Mom's Day, Mom! Thanks for everything you do. I love you!

Mom and Dad with me on a San Francisco bus. 

With my grandmother and Mom last Spring. 

Mom and me waiting for the turkey to finish deep frying last Thanksgiving. 

At a wedding a couple of years ago. Isn't she lovely?

Sometimes I Just Eat Popcorn For Dinner.

That's not really any big secret or confession, but it is a rather important part of getting to know me. Popcorn is a serious matter with Bethy.

I was really digging this outfit. It's not very Springy, actually kind of a Fall look. But Spring in San Francisco is frequently Fall-like, so it works.

 Old Navy top, pants, and scarf; Banana Republic boots; F21 bangle

On the docket this weekend is a very fun bachelorette party. It will involve a day at the spa by the pool, fun ladies, good food, and an evening out in the city.

It will be strange to slip on a bathing suit. Since moving to San Francisco I've probably worn a bathing suit approximately three times. To celebrate time number four, I bought a straw fedora to wear. It's been a busy week at work (still loving the job, but it's busy for sure!), so I'm ready to sip a cold drink in the cabana.