Day 5 - 2014 - Charm Ruched Tube Dress

 

   Here is another item that's been on eBay for a few times.  I just went into my ArdenB.com account to see when I purchased it.  September 29, 2009 and for $78.  I have it listed for $25 but will lower it to see if I can sell it.  Again, if not it will get donated.  Any interest?  I'll share my eBay store link as soon as I get these items listed!   FYI - if you read yesterday's post I returned 3 of those watches and got a $25 store credit :)

Day 4 - 2014 - Fashion Watches!

 

  When I saw these watches a couple years ago at Francescas I felt like I had to have them #1 because I like cheap fake rhinestones on anything, and #2 because of the various colors that could match any outfit!  And for some reason I thought I had to have 2 of the white ones as you can see.  I have definitely worn the black, white and tan.  The pink is still in the package and not sure the brown ever got worn.  The price tag on the back of the packaged ones say $20.  Did I really spend $120 on cheap gaudy fashion watches?  Yup sounds like me!  These have been sitting in a draw taking up space for awhile now since I hardly ever think to wear them and I don't wear a watch on a regular basis.  I think I might attempt to take them back to the store to see if they'd take back at least the ones still in the package.  What do you think?  Wouldn't mind getting a store credit to use at this store for more clothes!  Just what I need :)

Day 3 - 2014 - Bebe circa 2007

        I used to love tops from Bebe and that was one of my go-to stores for "going out tops."  This shirt was from 2007 and I even found a photo of me wearing it back in the day!  And I even found a photo of my friend Kathryn with it on but I'll refrain from posting a photo of her in it too :)  I've already had this posted on eBay a few times for $14.99 (a top like this was probably originally somewhere between $49-$69). So I'll either try lowering it or this one will get donated!  TGIF!

Day 2 - 2014 - Returns!

Rather than writing about one item today that I am riding from my life I am going to talk about all the returns I made and how much money I ended up saving by not keeping these items!  We all know I have a shopping problem (some would even call it a spending problem) but this year, as I did last year, am going to try and reduce spending by NOT SHOPPING!  I think this blog might take a few twists and turns throughout the year and I might talk about fashion one day, how to save money the next, and maybe weight loss another (considering I want to lose 20 pounds ASAP) so bare with me as I blog about my life! I started my new job in the beginning of November and racked up 1 vacation day and 1 personal day in my short time here so I am using them today and tomorrow to make some returns and take down all the Christmas decorations!  I do a lot of online shopping and even when I shop in stores I hate to try on so a lot of it ends up going back!  Which is why I am always returning!  I am also attempting to do some redecorating around the house and have probably purchased 10 different types of curtains for my living room so JCPenney has been a good friend of mine recently as well!  Here is what went back today: I've been in the market for a new black handbag.  And to try and be frugal, rather than going straight to Gucci I decided to check out some other less expensive brands!  So I purchased this Michael Kors from Macy's and this BCBG from Bluefly and ended up not being crazy about either.

 Michael Kors = $279 with promo code (originally $348) BCBG = $175 with promo code (originally $398) Other items I returned included 3 pairs of shoes from Payless (I know I can't believe I shop there either!) for $40.  Really 3 pairs for $40 when I own 1 pair for $795?  Unnecessary right?  Maybe those will end up on the chopping block by year end!  Curtains from JCPenney for $140.  A Christmas sweater from my Mom from Macy's (sorry Mom I'll buy another one with the $50 credit!)  Pants from Victoria's Secret $25.  Pants from The Limited $29.  Curtains that I bought a year ago from Bed, Bath and Beyond $25.  A few things at Target (including curtains) for $115.  Dresses from Amazon $106.73 (to be exact).  A few things from Delia's (really how old am I and when is the last time I shopped there?)  I got a buy one get one free email and decided hey why not check out some things.  Unfortunately I didn't read their return policy first and they don't accept online returns to the store and now I have to pay for return shipping grr!!  But that's another $50 back.  And finally a whopping $200 from Old Navy.   For a grand total of around $1,300!!!     Not too bad to start off the year with money BACK! I would have never even calculated all of this if it wasn't for this blog and to see that amount of money being spent is shocking and definitely makes me realize I spend way too much!  So here's to 2014 and not needing to make any returns since I won't be making any new purchases :) I forgot I did cheat today but it was for a very special pet in my life my Niko!  With the frigid cold weather coming I decided he deserved a new coat :)  And it was only $15 I think I can spare that!

Day 1 - 2014 - Happy New Year!

2013 had its ups and downs for me.  I started off the year excited to begin my blog and had such high expectations for it!  I was able to get through half of the year which I think is pretty good!  I was able to get it featured on Shine! For Yahoo even though I’m a little wary of how I was portrayed it was still exciting to have a camera crew at my home!  The blog also definitely helped me save some money by not shopping for clothes which I clearly did not need considering I was able to wear a different outfit pretty much the entire year of 2013 (even though I cheated the 2^nd half of the year and shopped)!  In February my nephew and Godson turned 2 and in March my sister gave birth to my adorable niece Chesney.  In April I went on a fabulous honeymoon to Hawaii but I also turned the dreaded 3-0.  May was a very difficult time as I suffered a miscarriage which pretty much led to the demise of this blog.  I was undoubtedly upset and had already begun to gain weight since the start of the year which just made me not like what I was seeing in my daily photos and decided to stop.  But it’s 2014 now and it’s time to start fresh.  The remainder of 2013 included a couple weddings, many pregnancy announcements from my friends, my 6^th trip to Aruba, a new engagement and even a new baby for a close friend.  In 2014 I am looking forward to many new lives coming into the world, lives of two people becoming one, and for some, lives starting over!  

So here is my 2014 New Year’s Resolution if you so wish to follow it!  I am going to get rid of at least one item every day.  The items will range from clothes to shoes to jewelry to household décor and more!  I am going to post every day and depending on the condition of the item it will either get donated or will get put on eBay to sell.  I am also going to volunteer for Dress for Success to not only donate some of my items to this great charity but to also use my passion for fashion to help other women get ready for job interviews!  My goal is to stop hoarding clothes considering I probably have some things in my closet that date back to high school!  I have been buying buying buying but I never throw away.  Rather than needing to purchase new hangers every time I go on a shopping spree, I am going to learn to REPLACE the old with the new.   I feel as if this year’s blog may not be as exciting as last year but I am going to try my best to keep it entertaining!  And I hope you will follow me on my journey to clean out my junk and at the same time possible even make some money by selling the items!

So what should I start with for Day 1?  I think I'll start with these 2 Dolce & Gabana lingerie tank tops I've been hoarding since probably around 2007. 

 I had purchased a pair of sunglasses at the D&G store at the Short Hills mall and decided I really didn't like the way they looked on me and of course their return policy was store credit only.  So I had around $200 worth of credit I had to use at that store! So after shopping around I came across these two gems which are super sexy and at the time (7 years ago) looked pretty good on me.  I don't even think I could squeeze my body into these now lol.  They were a pretty penny each probably close to $100.  And in doing some research to figure out what I can put them on eBay for I came across a very similar listing which is set at $65 right now (although she is saying it retails for $275 ouch!).  I am going to "watch" this item to see how much it goes for and then will price these two accordingly. 

Link to similar item on eBay

I did get some good wear out of them though check out some of the photos!  But do keep in mind these were from many years ago!

Day 150 - Dress #16

  Wow I can't believe I'm on Day 150!  This is a pretty big milestone!  I'm getting close to half way through the year and my goal was to get through quarter 1!  Looking forward to the warm weather now and hopefully getting to wear all the dresses I own!  This dress is from Express circa May 2010.  I love how Express has the season listed on their tags so I know exactly how dated my clothes are! I have this dress in black and red too.  I remember when I bought this and all the different colors I had to choose from!  I'm sure many of my readers had this dress at some point right?

Day 147 - Juicy Couture Zip Up #9

  Happy Memorial Day!  What a nice relaxing weekend of not doing much!  All I did today so far was meet a couple friends for lunch!  I am wearing a gray Juicy zip up with jeans and flips!  Have a good week!