Just hanging out...

Ok, so it took about a year but I've finally come to the conclusion that I can't wear skinny jeans or pants to work unless the top comes to mid-thigh. Even with dressy cigarette style pants I just feel strange with my bum hanging out! More accurately, I'm self-conscious about the thigh and crotch line! Sorry to be so crude, but there it is. So if in the morning if I'm delirious and try this manuever, please talk some sense into me. I spent all day tugging at my shirt trying to make it an inch longer!

Coming in under budget

In January I decided to put myself on a clothing budget. Now I know what you probably think, I needed to put myself on a budget to rein in my spending. Actually it's the opposite, I put myself on a budget so I would spend.

Looking back, I realized some of my challenge with fashion is that I don't like to shop. I was too cheap to invest in nice pieces and I'd wear my clothes until they were unwearable. My workhorse dress pants for example were close to 7 years old.

I felt guilty about spending on clothing, I didn't see it as a necessity. I worried about people in the world who didn't own a pair of shoes, much less mid-calf boots with a cute little heel. I started realizing I was being a little unreasonable with myself, so I did some research on setting an appropriate budget. Many financial advisers say 2-7% of your gross income is a reasonable amount for clothing. No wonder why $200-300 a year (including shoes, coats and gear) wasn't getting me far!

So I'm resolved to spend a little more. I actually look forward to shopping now and like to plan what I'll buy with my monthly budget. It must be my new interest in my fashion, because so far the $100 a month hasn't been hard to spend!