Fashion Challenge: Pretzel and Mustard

When I need a change (and who doesn't need a change in a "Lion-esque March") I crave new stimulation.
One thing I have found to shake things up a bit without really changing anything is turning my wardrobe into a game.

I pick a color, pattern, or item for inspiration, and then using only the clothes I already own, I construct 4-5 work appropriate outfits.

This week, I decided to dress like a Pretzel with Mustard.
Weird right?  Perhaps I'm craving starches.
I loved the color combo of brown, cream, and mustard.  And my closet did not disappoint.  It had many options for me to choose from.

What does that look like?  Here's some of what I came up with:

  

brown vintage 2-piece suit (jacket + skirt) given to me by Erin from Kat's closet

  

bow necklace from a yard sale (reminds me of the twist in a pretzel)

Oxford-ish shoes with mustard tights (Sholarshop + Target) 

  

high waisted pants with lace cropped top (both thrifted) 

 

dotted flats (reminds me of salt) from Target

               

                             mustard chunky scarf with lace top      button earrings in a rodent shape
                                made by my lovely friend, Kelsey       made my my lovely friend, Erin

 

            thick corduroy (it takes courage to wear these!)                 amber brown earrings
                                                                                          The Covering House's clothes exchange

It was so fun getting dressed, using what I had, and tapping into my creativity!
There are practical benefits beyond "playing" with my look.
For starters, the rule "don't buy anything" helps me check my impulse to buy things I don't need and seek shopping as an outlet for  ____(boredom, dissatisfaction, etc.)
Another is, it is eye opening to how much I have.  When I have "nothing to wear" and yet 5 different outfits designated to 3 random colors.  Clearly, I have a lot.  And instead of wanting more, I need to be grateful.
This is, at it's heart, an exercise in satisfaction and gratitude.

So those are the practical heart-matter sides.
Now I want to know, do you ever play with your wardrobe like this?

Loving My "Ride" on the Rack and Clutch Fashion Truck

This weekend I got to try something new to me: hop on a fashion truck.

Now food trucks you know about, but a fashion truck?   

There is only one fashion truck in St. Louis, Rack + Clutch.  

I had heard about it from a friend.  We were attending a clothing swap together and she floated the idea of setting up a Rack + Clutch event.  If we had enough people, perhaps it would drive to us.  I was intrigued. 

Buying food from Food Truck Friday is one of my favorite things, provided I beat the crowd, so it would stand to reason that I would like a mobile clothing store as well.

And I did.  I loved everything about it.  From the concept to the execution to my purchases, I was impressed.  The truck drives to different locations in the city, including outside large businesses and parks to get lunch hour customers.  (As I said, impressive and helpful idea!)

The truck is owned and operated by Emily Ponath.  She started Rack + Clutch in April of 2013.    Clearly, she is a smart business woman, and she couldn't have been more friendly. 

Friendliness is likely one of her survival skills.  You'd have to be friendly in such a small space.  

When the truck had more than 5 shoppers on board (This was a party after all!) it took a little negotiating and movement planning to not bump into people or wares.  But if you came in mentally prepared, that's not a problem; it's a logistical reality.

 

The amount of items and the layout was ingenious.  

There was a check out area, dressing room with enough space to not run into anything, racks of clothes, and 2 display cases of jewelry.  

As it happens, that day the truck's back rack was on sale.  Everything on it was 5 dollars.  The prices are generally fair (no single item over 100 dollars) but this was rock bottom low.  

I snapped up several dresses (I had a wedding to go to in a few hours and nothing planned to wear) and tried them on.

True to form, I had a difficult time choosing which frock to get, so I purchased all of them for about 16 dollars. 

This isn't completely representative of the pricing you'll experience on the truck when you go, so don't be misled.  Mine was a right time and right place experience.  I got to grab up some Winter items to make room for Spring's collection.

I would absolutely recommend following the Rack + Clutch truck on the website's calendar, Twitter, or Facebook.

Or, if you're looking for a fun get-together with girlfriends, get 15 buddies to commit and do what we did: schedule a private event. 

It's fun to see such a bright truck parked in your driveway! 

Could Love Be Brewing? Percolating Coffee and Money Stuff

Let me tell you about my latest coffee date.

I have noticed that my posts on dating or that have titles that hint at dating perk up your interest readers, so...gotcha.  This has nothing to do with my personal life.  (Boundary maintained.) But it shows how I do attend my analytics.  

I won't be telling you a tale of love; I'm going to save you money instead.

One thing I started to try to tune into when cutting down on my gas bill was weaknesses and consumption habits.  It was a form of S.W.O.T. Analysis.  

If I have a consumption habit, it's one for stove top coffee.  That's right, I brew coffee twice a day.  I make it in my vintage mocha pot that I found at an amazing garage sale.  I think it must have been a wedding present because it hadn't been used and had the original papers with it.  It might be worth something, or it was until I used it lovingly 2 times daily, for years.

Are you wondering if I am twitching as I write this?  I'm not.  Though I did make some more coffee to accompany this post.  Yes, my doctor seems a bit concerned. 

Here is a brief timeline of how I brew coffee.  After moving apartments, I got rid of my old Mr. Coffee pot.  It was a joke, only held 3 cups of water, and just wasn't hacking it.  Mr. Coffee and I split up and now he lives in my parents' basement.
I turned my attentions at this point to my mocha pot.   Unfortunately, and likely because of the thickness of the metal, I noticed it took quite awhile to percolate.  I was paying for those therms, so, I switched over to my tea kettle and french press.  Faster, but could be improved upon.

And then, after the gas bill of December '13, I bought an electric kettle.

The box boasted a lot of positive attributes, and I can tell you, it truly does boil water faster.

And to use "faster" appropriately I conducted a very simplistic experiment.

I put 6 cups of water from the tap (which is frigid) in each kettle, turned on their respective energy sources and let them go.

The electric took just 7 minutes to bring to a full boil and blow the fuse in my kitchen!

And the metal kettle took at least 14 minutes (it still wasn't at a rolling boil) and blew no fuses!  

The lesson here?

There are several, but first: have a flashlight and know where you stored it.

Also, know where the circuit breaker box is and make sure it is not painted shut.

The second is like the first, don't use a microwave and electric kettle at the same time in the same outlet.

The third, you save therms if you use an electric kettle. 
I'm not sure how to compare gas units to electric. It likely requires one of those conversions that I never quite mastered in chemistry class.
(Correction: I have not and will not take the time to convert therms to kwh, but I could because I am smart.) 

Simply put in my head, I converted less gas to more dollars.
I still drink enough coffee to concern my physician and sustain my wit past work hours, so I can convert it to wisdom for you.

Happy Brewing! 

P.S. I am coffee dating myself, and it's going great.

Forgot Valentine's Day? Don't panic; read.

It is entirely possible to forget Valentine's Day.

Difficult, but possible.

Put the stuffed gorilla holding a heart DOWN.  It's not fooling anyone.

These ideas take little time and are good the night before or morning of.

1.) 

Send a dozen donuts. 

If you're local try: World's Fair Donuts or kick it up a notch with a dozen Strange Donuts.

Who needs cut flowers?  If he or she works in an office, it would be smart for you to be kind to everyone and let your significant other pay it forward.  Sharing only creates a better bond. 

2.) 

Get out and listen to live music.

If you're local: Burnin' Love on Art Hill is happening from 4:30-10:30 on Valentine's Day.

If you're looking for a way to start the night or to keep things going, bundle up and head out.

3.) 

Play Cupid. 

Buy a box of blank cards and stamps.  Get glitter and other materials.

And write in them.  Write to people you each love and tell them what you think and feel.  Talk about who you love and why.  

If it's possible, deliver them together.  

If it's not, mail them.

4.) 

Go to a public place and watch

Watch as people in convenient stores, supermarkets, and mall grab anything red, pink, or with a heart on it in wild desperation.

5.) 

Procrastinate

Why not have a nice breakfast or brunch on Saturday together?  

Try:
The London Tea Room (new location!)
SqWires
1/2 & 1/2
Winslow's Home

    

With My Whole Heart. For My Whole Heart.

I want to open my closet and see possibilities.
I want to feel contentment.
I want to clothe myself in contentment.
I want to cast burdens off and down.

But when I open my closet door, I realize there are hangers I avoid and corners I avert my eyes from.
This awareness took time to realize and even more to pin words onto it.
Yet deep down, I now know the aversion stem from my "reject" clothes, the clothes I wore when being rejected or rejecting someone.

Fine clothing.
Favorite clothing.
Through no fault of their own now each piece has memories woven into the cloth.
Maybe it's imprinted because in those moments I desired to disappear into the folds, pleats, patterns, and hems. Whatever the reason, there is a remaining hurt that can't be washed or ironed out.

I might even wear the clothes still to prove that a memory can't control me.
But why require such defiance in getting dressed? Why keep such a touchstone?  Why wrap myself in it?

People, people other than myself, must also have this closeted issue.  This un-shared thought and gut response to our breakup clothes.

I've decided to cast off burdens and bless.  Why not give these and donate them to someone with a clean slate for their benefit and for mine?

Because blessing others heals.
Because giving heals.
Because giving freely opens up a world of possibilities, a world where less is more.

I will cast off my burdens to bless.
I give these clothes with my whole heart.
I give these for my whole heart.

Looking for a place to give?

I will be donating here:

image from revivethrift.org

.
Opened February 1, 2014
Read about their mission, and donate.

For your whole heart and theirs.

I've Got a Gas (Bill) Problem, St Louis: Friendly Money Tips

St. Louis weather, if you haven't noticed, is a little mercurial.  Which means, when it's Winter, my bills are inflated.  I can stand heat, but Dante got it right.  Being cold is a form of pain.  And doubly so when you have to pay for it.

I hate being cold and my body seems to have an inability to stay warm, but does that mean I really crank up the  heat?

No. 

I turn the heat down when I am out and sleeping, dress in layers, have a portable space heater, and drink warm beverages.

Even with all of this, my past gas bill from Laclede had a hefty price in the "Amount Due" column.  

So hefty that I sprung to action (read: googled), because between us I can't pay that amount again this year. 

There are a few challenges though. 

1.) I have an apartment, and while it is as homey as a house with a paid off mortgage, it is not mine.  

Which means whatever I do to outsmart the cold, I can't make lasting structural changes.  

2.) And I have to keep the ROI in mind, because someday I will be leaving and can't necessarily take my improvements along. 

3.) Googling. Websites galore tell you how to save money, but they assume a certain level of...let's call it naive thinking.  Additionally advice is geared towards home owners.  Basically I found the tips to be relatively unhelpful.  

Big challenges.

After tackling these and having a little success, I thought, why not help prevent bill shock for you?

I want you to be able to save (hopefully) many dollars.

I will post a few of the things I had not considered and have now employed.

Your Water Heater and You 

That's right, it's in your creepy basement, the water heater.

I was scared to approach mine and dial back the temperature of the heat. 

I envisioned slipping with my screw driver and getting scalded.  

Also I envisioned a scary person lurking down there, but both of these fears were needless.

(The person lurking down there was actually quite nice.)

I read that you need to remove a plate on your water heater with a flat head screwdriver to reveal the temperature knob. 

As it happens, I did not even need a screwdriver. 

This is what I found:

It was as if the water heater wanted to be condescending.  Hot, Warm, Vacation.
(Really water heater?  You think I go on Vacation? More like Stay-cation.)
I turned the knob and hope that next week my new bill will show an improvement.

Am I taking cold showers?  How is the water temperature now?
Not terrible.  Some days the water is hotter than others. It is not scalding hot but not cold and in the long run my skin is probably better off.

How have your bills this season been?  Have you stumbled across any great tips you'd like to share?

Check out this site if you want to learn more.