Living the Savvy Life

My apologies for not blogging all week. I'm hoping to open my showroom by April, so it's all I am working on at the moment. That and ya know just re-evaluating my life and how I spend my money. I ordered the book Living the Savvy Life by Melissa Tosetti and Kevin Gibbons this week and love it. It's not an ordinary book on finances. It's all about how to spend your money wisely in the areas of life you love the most. In my case, I love clothing, obviously. Therefore, in order to spend money on clothing, I should cut back on other areas, such as going out to dinner often, shopping smarter at the grocery store, etc. So simple, but yet so many of us don't do it.

Not only am I learning to watch my spending in order to be able to afford the fashion I love so dearly, the book also brings up quite an interesting point. America is very extreme. This can be applied to both dieting and spending money. When Americans want to go on a diet, they take it to the extreme by eliminating all the foods they love and forcing themselves to exercise to the max. As soon as that gets old, which it will, Americans go back to eating unhealthy and abandoning the treadmill. The same goes with spending, which can be seen evidently in the economy as of late. Americans spend, spend, spend in the good times, and as soon as the economy hits a rough patch, they pinch every little penny and start socking money away in their savings accounts. If we all just lived in a nice balance of spending and saving all the time, adopting it as a lifestyle, maybe things wouldn't have been so crazy in this recession.

I loved the chapter on clothing and fashion. It inspired me to go through my ENTIRE closet yesterday and get rid of ANYTHING I haven't worn or hung on to for one reason or another. You know those shoes you bought for way more than you care to admit, but are so uncomfortable or go with nothing in your wardrobe, but you only hang on to them because you can't bring yourself to get rid of something you spent a month's paycheck on? GET RID OF IT! I have bags and bags of clothing getting ready to donate and it feels awesome. I am a little shocked at myself for getting rid of as much as I did, but I walked into my closet this morning and saw all clothing that I would wear. Every single piece. The average woman wears 20% of her wardrobe 80% of the time. That means 80% of your clothes are just taking up space. I am done binge shopping at H&M or Forever 21 only to get rid of everything the next season. It's so simple: Save your money for the quality items. I've always knew this to be true, but am now actively following it.

The book quoted another of my favorite books called Entre Nous - A Woman's Guide to Finding Her Inner French Girl:

How to Shop Like a French Girl 

If she can't afford it, she won't buy it. If it doesn't fit (or make her feel good, or flaunt what she's got), she won't wear it. If she can't find it, she won't compromise. If she loves it, she won't toss it. She reuses it, rethinks it, lets it age.


When a French girl shops, it isn't a solitary act of buying something new. It's part of a lifelong process of editing her environment, making small but meaningful additions to her home, her closet, her life. 


When you shop like a French girl, you buy only one of anything - and make sure it's the best quality you can afford.


Ok enough of my lecturing on spending money, want to see my newly improved closet??

In addition, my hubs and I are trying to save to build our house. They suggest putting photos up in  your house and in your wallet of whatever you are trying to save for as a constant reminder to reach your goal.

On a completely unrelated note, I threw caution to the wind last week and decided to go for this short cut I was saving for my "mom years". Even though I do not have a baby in tow, I am ultra happy with my new do.

By the way, do any of you have tricks or ideas for living a savvy life?