March 2016

My Spring 2016 Capsule Wardrobe

Hello again, fabulous frugal fashionistas! For those who may not know, when it comes to fashion and style, I’m all about practicality. So last Summer, when my journey into minimalism, I was at once intrigues by the concept of Capsule Wardrobes.

So, you may be wondering what a capsule wardrobe is? A capsule wardrobe was originally a term first coined by London stylist Susie Faux in 1972. Faux’s original minimalist capsule wardrobe sought to turn a modest number of four season wardrobe staples into a budget-friendly, utilitarian, classically-styled wardrobe. The original capsule wardrobes consisted of under 33 wardrobe pieces for the entire year.

Decades later sites such as Unfancy and Project 333, extrapolating upon Faux’s original capsule wardrobe model created capsules which now contained 33 and 37 pieces per season. Newer models contend that users can change out, replace, maintain, or add new pieces seasonally, allowing the individual style of users to emerge within four capsule wardrobe changes. For this reason I went with Project 333‘s model for capsule wardrobes.

Still, the most compelling reason for capsule wardrobes? Each piece of the capsule wardrobes stands to make the wearer look their everyday best. Capsule wardrobes completely de-stress you. Image getting dressed each morning without having to second guess yourself one single time. Oh and you save a lot of money- think not having to go shopping for three straight months!

With that said, in my experience the modern Capsule Wardrobes have not only helped me re-think my wardrobe, they have completely changed my outlook on dressing. No longer do I dread outings, fearing I will have nothing to wear. Now I look forward to getting dressed for my day. Amazing. Epic. Change.

This is minimalism in action.

So, let’s delve a little more into the capsule structure.

What’s in a 37-piece wardrobe: tops, bottoms, dresses, outerwear, and shoes.

What’s not included: workout wear (items strictly worn to the gym, walking, running, etc.), pajamas, lounge wear (again items only worn around the house), hosiery, socks, foundation garments, unmentionables, accessories, jewelry, and handbags.

What does a capsule wardrobe represent: We’ve all done it. We buy fun new clothes, but end up wearing old favorites? Me too. Ever go to your closet and feel like you have nothing to wear, even when your closet is filled with clothes? Me too!

To me, a capsule wardrobe represents more time and energy in your morning for what really matters, and less time spent deciding what to wear, more money spent helping others , and most importantly, more personal contentment happiness, and positive body-image.

So, how do you start? Well, for me shoes. I like having about 7-9 pairs of shoes per season. Typically I’ll have: three pairs of flats, three pairs of heels, and three pairs of boots, though this past winter I went way overboard, as you can see.

My first piece of advise: fine tune your shoes! Sometimes you can have too much of a good thing, even shoes!

I also like having nine bottoms: three pairs of jeans, three pairs of capris or skirts, and three pairs of slacks. I use the “rules of 3,” because I like having one casual pair, one statement pair, and one in-between pair, one carry-over from working in a professional office for most of my twenties.

As for tops, I allocate room for 15 tops. Depending on the season I’ll use the “Rule of 3,” such as in winter where I will have three sweaters, three t-shirts, three button-up shirts, three tank tops, and three hankie vests. This changes in Spring and Summer as I live in the deep south and utilize more lighter layers and tees on a more consistent basis.

Last but not least, I leave room for four jackets, coats, or dresses, which of course seasonally changes- in winter I might have four jackets, and in summer I encapsulate one jacket and three dresses.

So, where do I start?

I start by cleaning out my closet. Every last piece comes out. I then dust my shoes sleeves, shoe rack, and sweep out my closet doors and floor.
Then it’s time to purge. I go through my clothes, donating or selling back to Thredup anything that no longer fits, looks best, or makes me happy.
All remaining clothing is sorted into two other piles, love it and will wear it again next season and pieces that will be worn in the upcoming season.
Seasonal. Anything that is seasonal, wool coats, vests, sweaters, sweater dresses, and the like are stored away neatly for another season.
Re-access. Anything left in your closet should be your LOVE IT clothes. Clothes that fit just right, would be your first picks for church, vacation, work, and outings.
Access what you have and need. Make a capsule wardrobe plan, mix and match outfits, and lay out clothing together. If you are missing a piece research affordable options to replace this item, or consider trading in unworn items for those you may need.
Replace new seasonal items in your closet, all 37 pieces.
Please note, I store my coats for each season in our home’s coat closet. This is done to make coats closer to our front door. I also store scarves (in a drawer folded), handbags, clutches, and totes in a drawer. This is just what I find neater. These items are not seen in my closet, but are counted in my capsule item numbers.
Also, I store my workout shoes and gardening clogs in my closet, but as they are only for purposed working, they are stored in my closet but not counted in my capsule itemized numbers.
Two tips? Use all matching hangers to make your wardrobe look more cohesive, and per Kon-Mari (yeah, I’m a fangirl) closet rules, where you should arrange all items by order of length. With the longer items toward the left of the closet and the shortest to the farthest right side of your closet. This creates clean visible lines for your wardrobe.
After this point a shopping hiatus is in place for the next three months.
Two weeks prior to the start of the next season, I begin to plan my new capsule wardrobe. I write down the pieces that will be in my new capsule, then check my drawers and garment bags to make sure I have everything on my list. Should I need to acquire a piece, I give myself two weeks to purchase the items, as most of my clothing is purchased online. I give myself time and grace in forming each new capsule wardrobe.

So, recently I just switched over my Winter Capsule to my Spring Wardrobe and I wanted to share with you all my results. So, here’s my actual wardrobe:

Here’s my piece-by-piece breakdown:

Spring 2016 Capsule Wardrobe by theladypreferstosave featuring a grey crew neck sweater

My Spring 216 Wardrobe consists of:

Tops: Gray tee, white camisole, black bolero jacket, olive tee, blue and white stripped poplin, white poplin shirt, white long sleeve tee, white short sleeve tee, white tank top, gray sweater, gray cardigan, gray kimono shirt, and aqua hankie cover-up.
Jackets: Black leather crop jacket, khaki trench coat, and coral blazer.
Pants: White joggers, white boot cut jeans, ripped jeans, ripped denim capris, khaki capris, polka dot pink capris, gray slacks, and black slacks.
Shoes: Gold heels, black low-top Chuck Taylor’s, gold jewel slides, black peep toe booties, white and jute espadrille sandals, coral wedge sandals, and tan platform heels.
Accessories: Aqua infinity scarf, mint scarf, canvas tote, and tan wristlet. Please note, as stated above accessories do not need to be included in capsule wardrobe totals, but I did for demo reasons. Excluding any accessories my actual wardrobe is a capsule of 33 pieces.

So, that’s my wardrobe, and so far I love it. With Spring coming earlier this year I’m glad I have already made the switch and can start rocking my new pieces again!

Also, now that I’ve lived with my four distinct, separate seasonal 37-piece capsule wardrobes for the past year, I can honestly say that the once minimalist experience is now more of a lifestyle—and I’m all the better for having done so. Life like wardrobes changes so often, and I’m certain that my capsule wardrobes will continue to change as I evolve, and that’s a change I’ll always be happy to live with.

Also, for those looking for other awesome examples of capsule wardrobes, be sure to check out two of my favorite bloggers, Stacy from Humorous Homemaking (which included great staple pieces, my shared loved of all things stripped and season-less maternity wear) and Amiyrah from 4 Hats and Frugal (which showed great, trendy colder climate winter capsule staples), bravely showing their personal capsules and closets this past winter. Yes, I said brave. Any women putting her closet, family, life, and herself out there for the world to see is brave, and these women did so with such grace!

So, have you tried capsule wardrobes? I’d love to hear about what you will be wearing this season.

Love and light,

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Meal Plan Monday (3/13/16-3/20/16)

Happy Monday, savvy savers! This week is starting off to a sunny, and somewhat humid start here in Dixie. This weeks menu is going to be a little different, as it will consist of only what we currently have on hand (with one exceptional stock-up deal seen below). Please note, the chicken being “rolled” in this weeks menu is my Zaycon chicken order last week. The cost of this weekly menu is only $19.56, and it feeds a family of four.

Here’s what we purchased this week:

Sam’s Club:

18 Krusteaz Peppermint Chocolate Cupcake Kits, $0.59 each
16 Krusteaz Cinnamon Brown Sugar Muffin Kits, $0.59 each

This weeks shopping total was: $18.88 for $191.36 worth of groceries. This stock-up deal was unplanned this past week at Sam’s Club, as we not only found these kits for 90% off retail, but was super excited to see that the expiration date on these kits is 10/2018.

Monday
Breakfast: Strawberry, blueberry, and Almond Milk Smoothies.
Lunch: Almonds, celery, carrot sticks, and Crystal Light
Snack: Almonds, and Gala Apple Slices.
Dinner: Smoked chicken breast wraps, with Roma mottoes, spinach, feta, and Greek dressing; served with with Diet Cola.
Dessert: Sugar-Free Dulce de Leche pudding cups, with strawberries.

Tuesday
Breakfast: Cereal, with Almond milk.
Lunch: Chicken taco roll-ups; in lieu of taco shells I use Romaine Lettuce Sheets; served with crystal light.
Snack: Strawberries and String Cheese.
Dinner: Freezer Cooking Chicken and Dumplings (modified using smoked chicken); served with steamed broccoli and Crystal Light.
Dessert: Gluten-Free Brownies.

Wednesday
Breakfast: Baked Frittata Cups (chicken substituted for sausage); served with Almond Milk.
Lunch: Chicken salad, with walnuts and grapes; served with diet cola.
Snack: Grapes and string cheese.
Dinner: Crockpot Chicken Curry; steamed peas, steamed rice, and crystal light.
Dessert: Gluten-Free brownie sugar-free ice cream sandwhiches.

Thursday
Breakfast: Homemade Greek Yogurt topped with Strawberries; served with Unsweetened Almond milk.
Lunch: Chicken salad, with walnuts and grapes; served with diet cola.
Snack: Almonds, and Gala Apple Slices.
Dinner: Stuffed smoked chicken breast sandwiches (breasts split open, stuffed with sliced provolone cheese single, and grilled); served with sweet Potato Fries and Crystal Light.
Dessert: Brownie flurries with leftover brownies.

Friday
Breakfast: Baked Frittata Cups (chicken substituted for sausage); served with Almond Milk.
Lunch: Chicken taco roll-ups; in lieu of taco shells I use Romaine Lettuce Sheets; served with crystal light.
Snack: Strawberries and two pieces of Sugar Free Chocolate; candy is used as melted drizzle for berries.
Dinner: Crockpot Orange Chicken with Almonds, Steamed Peas, and crystal light.
Dessert: Diet Coca-Cola slushies.

Saturday
Breakfast: Cereal, with Almond milk.
Lunch: Crockpot Orange Chicken with Almonds, Steamed Peas, and crystal light.
Snacks: String Cheese and grapes.
Dinner: Chicken mole; served with steamed rice, corn, and Crystal Light.
Dessert: Sugar-Free Dulce de Leche Cups.

Sunday
Breakfast: Homemade Greek Yogurt topped with Strawberries; served with Unsweetened Almond milk.
Lunch: Stuffed smoked chicken breast sandwiches; served with sweet Potato Fries and Crystal Light.
Snack: Almonds, and Gala Apple Slices.
Dinner: Chicken mole; served with steamed rice, corn, and Crystal Light.
Dessert: Diet Coca-Cola slushies.

This past Sunday’s prep:

This past weekend I wanted to make room in my deep freeze for the 40 lbs. of chicken purchased from Zaycon foods, so I made several new crock pot-ready freezer meals, made from stockpiled veggies, pork roast, and chicken breasts already on hand.
I prepped three meals; Chicken Curry, BBQ Chicken, and Cranberry Pork Roast.
Also, prepping a weeks worth of breakfasts and lunches on Sunday’s, can be another way save a half hour of time each day time during the week for yourselves; I also find that this helps with my diet as having prepped snacks, ready and on hand, deters me from reaching for not-so-healthy options.

So this weeks last step was of course to put the menu on both our chalk menu board and my Living Well Spending Less Planner menu section.

So, that’s what we will be having this week. I’d love to hear what’s on your menu as well!

Here’s to Monday meals,

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How we save money on meats with Zaycon Chicken Breasts!

As many readers of this blog may know, teaching families how to budget for healthy, natural, organic meals is one of my great pleasures in life. While there are many ways to budget for groceries and food staples, often times meat remains one of the largest hurdles families face in terms of monthly meal planning success.

Several years ago my family was not financially stable as we are today. While in working hard to become debt-free, my family took on the task of becoming primary caretakers for my grandmother, a dementia patient. My family lived on less than $24,000 per year net income, which encompassed a meager food budget of $125.00 monthly. It was also during this time that I was diagnosed with PCOS, a syndrome which required a more healthful, natural life style. Both my grandmother and myself, due to health regulations and dietary limitations, required an increased food budget.

It was incredibly frustrating to know that the healthy food options my grandmother and I needed might be financially out of reach. But through focus and prayer, we were able to cut unnecessary expenses such as gym memberships, hair appointments, and cable funds which would be fully devoted to funding a healthier food budget.

Mind you, even with an increased food budget of $200.00 monthly, sometimes it felt life it was never enough. Sometimes we simply have to compromise. When we can’t afford organics, we would search our local stores for affordable whole foods instead. We had only one exceptions, our meats. For you see, hormone and antibiotic-free meat are essential elements to any PCOS-friendly life style.

It was also during this time that I was introduced to Zaycon Foods. The company was described to me as wholesale, seasonal, delivery service. A customer-driven, buying club that delivers to many, many locations all over the country.

So, you may be asking what’s so great about Zaycon? Well for starters, it’s where over half of my families meat is purchased from, and in fact, I have a separate money envelope dedicated to Zaycon meats!

Something I really like about Zaycon is that I can buy my meats online. I go to their site, have a quick, simple checkout process, and am given a time and date for pick-up. And as always, their delivery dates always sync up to times my husband is on break from school, which is awesome!

On pickup days, we always meet at the same location, generally a church parking lot. The Zaycon Foods delivery man is always on time, and ready for us to pick up the chicken. Drivers are always courteous, and even load goods into your trunk for you.

My favorite product, their most popular, their fresh, non-frozen, 40 lb. boxes of boneless, skinless chicken breasts–which contain no hormones, additives, or artificial ingredients. I generally pay around $1.69 lb., and under $70.00 a box, this sales event.

It’s worth noting, their prices do fluctuate, but their prices are always way, way cheaper than our local Sam’s Club and Winn-Dixie grocery stores, and you are required to buy 40 lb. boxes, as you cannot buy single pound purchases. If space is at a premium for you, think about splitting the cost with a friend!

So folks, this is what my recent box of 40 lbs. of chicken breasts looked like.

The chicken breasts themselves are big, very big. For us, two chicken breasts were plenty to feed my family of four several years ago, and with the same amount of chicken our current family of three has been able to use the extra portions chicken for leftovers and weekday lunches .

Breasts do not come individually wrapped or pre-trimmed, so you will have to play butcher on that score. This was a simple task, and only took my husband and I about an hour to marinate, bag, inventory, sort, and freeze all my breasts. Please note, we freeze my breasts in gallon baggies, pre-marinated, and ready to be added to freezer-ready meals, or in the case of this box, ready for Summer grilling.

For this box we used the following seasoning and freezer meals options: chili lime seasoning, Korean BBQ rub, orange ginger honey, bourbon bbq, soy and garlic rub, and salsa verde marinade. This box produced 32 meals.

We took this time to catch up on new pod casts from our favorite financial couple, Talaat and Tai from His and Her Money! Yeah, we like to cook and save together!

This box did end up a small amount of fat on my cutting board, but that will fry up for a yummy snack for the fuzzies!

Speaking of the baggies, each is labeled, added to my iPad freezer inventory list, and are then stored in a large, insulated freezer bag. This order is enough to fill up this bag nearly to the brim!

As always this order was top notch, and I will continue to buy again. Also, you can refer friends and family to Zaycon, and collect referral points, $1.00 for every person you refer. The more you know, the more you save!

This service helps me save $98.00 seasonally off the cost of my families chicken purchases, which is nearly half of any given months total shopping budget. Zaycon is a lifesaver for my family.

The next saving event will host chicken thighs in my area, and I will post a review for this service as well.

So, if you are thinking of trying out Zaycon in your neck of the woods, it’s worth noting that pick-up events tend to fill up quickly, so be sure to sign-up for their email lists so you can be alerted to new events in your area.

You can sign up for a Zaycon account here.

Here’s to saving,

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Why I took a break from blogging

It has been a while since I last posted something on this blog. Over three months to be exact. The truth is that I just needed a break. A long break.

There has been so much going on in my life. From expanding my local art business, to creating blocks of time to devote to writing my first book, to running couponing classes I was spent. This of course was added to the fact that these were my online activities, and my nine-to-five job. I felt I had absolutely no time left for this blog.

In full disclosure, it has also been kind of great to have days spend without thinking about editorial calendars, following the constant montage of daily deals and steals, the hours spent anguishing over sending disappointing emails to people seeking to work on collaborative events. Mind you, I did enjoy not having to focus on the disappointments of sponsors that I was expecting to get – that I did not.

There are probably twenty reasons that I justified myself in taking a break for a while, and although I won’t share all twenty of them, I know it’s important to share a the main reason why.

The main reason I stopped blogging was my second trimester miscarriage.

You see my pregnancy was not a well known fact. Aside from my in-laws and a select few friends and fellow bloggers, no one knew. This was my choice, my way of protecting myself until I knew I had a confirmed pregnancy. Even after I had a confirmed pregnancy my baby, my nesting, my decluttering became my secret happiness.

And then one afternoon my world changed. I miscarried my child.

Losing my baby though miscarriage has been one of the most difficult experiences that I have ever endured. There are no words to explain the depth of despair that I’ve felt, the shift that occurs when the hopes and expectations of a new life are gone. It has been an experience that will never make sense to me.

I know the facts. I know that approximately 15-20% of confirmed pregnancies in this country will end in miscarriage. Yet I was still hopeful. I know that some women who lose babies through miscarriage are able to move through this loss freely. I have not been able to do so. I have felt less than grounded, not ready to move forward. My mind has been cloudy. I have been unable to tell anyone how I feel. Aside from my necessary work and family obligations, my life has been on hold.

While most of these changes are purely emotional, there have been physical manifestations as well. After the initial pregnancy ending hemorrhaging, bleeding, one of the most disconcerting aspects of my pregnancy was the slow tapering of pre-miscarriage blood flow which caused my pulse to throb in my ears. It was the kind of noise that makes one feel like an aneurysm is imminent. I felt like I was dying, but in your heart you know it’s the first of many stages my postpartum body will endure.

Never has that pit in your stomach analogy rang truer than literally having an empty belly. Of course engorged, painful breasts, two weeks of hormone-induced night sweats, bouts of acid reflux, back pain induced by a retroverted uterus, an infection, and three weeks of bleeding episodes, the kind where you don’t want to leave your home were excruciating. Worst still were my feelings. My emotions have been all over the place. Starting with denial, then anger, and as of late depression. And if the grief scale is true, I hope acceptance soon follows.

For me, discussing mommy issues, homeschooling, crafting, meal planning, and the like seemed very lack-luster, totally lame. The world of blogging can sometimes be nothing short of a ticker tape of all things baby-related. I had hopes my blog would be the place I could blog about my babies first memories. I was afraid of the conversation and comments that would come as a result of this very post. I can’t tell you how many times I read the infamous six-word 1920’s flash-fiction piece by Ernest Hemingway, “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.” It just seemed needed. It’s hard to believe it’s only been a little over a month since I miscarried. I miss my baby. Every day.

I can also tell you I’ve spent a lot of time in prayer, time in the word. Time filling the hole in my heart with the outpouring of love I’ve received from my husband and others. And I’ve tried to fill the emptiness in my gut with chocolate and mandarin oranges, a habit that will have to worked on at a later date.

Miscarriages are horrible at any stage. But this was my miscarriage. I felt my baby move, and now I feel unsettled. Late last year I started to work towards periscoping daily, youtubing weekly, then put these goals on hold to focus on building my family, and now I frankly feel as I look like a giant, fat, empty slug, with little to share with others.

This is not to say I haven’t tried to focus on the blessings I do have, my family, my husband, my home, my faith. These were just the notions are the thoughts that run through my head each night. This is just how I’ve felt. I’ve always called this blog my second child, and well, I feel I’ve failed in the mom department on that one as well. When my life fell apart, I lost my focus as a blogger. I lost my desire to work and document my life, and I hope this has helped explain why I needed time.

I believe in transparency on my blog and in life. After my miscarriage I was not comfortable with my vulnerability, and I couldn’t put my whole heart into the blog. I felt like I couldn’t keep up with everything. Namely social media, recipes, ideas, pictures, and more importantly life. I’ve screamed, cried, washed my face, and am ready to paint the barn of life again.

So, what have I been up to? I’ve spent a lot of time focusing on downsizing my work schedule. I re-read Marie Kondo’s The Life-changing magic of tidying up. I gained eleven pounds. I bought a treadmill. I noticed a few gray hairs. I didn’t color my hair. I listened to Louis Armstrong. I watched a lot of HGTV’s Fixer Upper. I created a capsule wardrobe. I ditched half my makeup. And I slept. A lot. I just needed to step back, breath, look at everything from a different view. I needed to give myself grace.

And while I’m making a laundry list of confessions, I’ve also decided to make some changes on this blog as well.

You see at the beginning of 2014, I made a halfhearted commitment to publish a blog posts and deals each and every day, sometimes in excess of ten deal posts a day. This was done to provide my readers up-to-date couponed deals.

The ante of life has re-directed my focus.

While still a frugal-minded blogger, I want to stay more consistent with my niche as a frugal living blogger. Simply put, my heart is no longer focused on couponing and deals. In fact, I have not personally shopped with coupons in the past eight months. As a result, I will no longer be posting coupon deal posts via my blog. This is being done to keep the integrity and transparency of this blog in tact. I only want to show my readers how I actually shop.

Before you ask, no my budget has not increased. I am still able to keep my monthly food budget for a family of three under $I60.00 each month. I do this by way of meal planning, shopping in reverse, price point lists, budgeting, online shopping, and digital app savings. No more, no less. I will no longer post weekend drugstore scenarios, coupon listings, and rebate forms. I will post monthly shopping haul, freezer cooking, meal plan posts, recipes, diy and upcycled posts. My reviewing will also be drastically reduced. While I will continue to blog about book, product, and subscription service boxes, the reviews I chose will only be for products that are truly my jam!

I’ve also decided to start posting editorial pieces, Weight Loss Wednesday, and DIY posts each Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Meal Plan Monday’s and Sunday’s weekly Happiness is Homemade Linky Party will remain as-is, leaving Friday and Saturday’s posting schedules open and used as needed. I just want to create more quality pieces on this blog. I don’t want to end up with an abandoned blog that damages my professional and personal credibility as a blogger. While three posts per week is an arbitrary number, I do think it’s a good amount of writing.

Yesterday, I found a bunch of old posts I wrote for my first blog, The LadyPreferstoSave. I loved the frankness of these early posts. This is also not the quality of posts on this blog as of late. In 2015 I wasn’t producing my best work, and I don’t like it. I can’t tell you how many posts this past year were thrown together from a last-second idea because I had to publish something. Most was awkward at best. I don’t want to publish just for the sake of posting, because I’m supposed to do so, because my Google calendar said so. I feel I can do better than this for me, and you.

My new plan is this: to write and publish blog posts with a focus on diy’ing, cooking, creating, meal planning, store hauls, gardening, capsule wardrobes, and upcycling.

I want to share my struggles and triumphs. I want to post my actual budgetary guidelines. I want to write about living simply. I want to write about thriving. That’s truly a passion of mine, my calling. Helping others learn by my former financial missteps. I want to put more effort and care into the things I publish. And to write because I have something worth saying.

So, today I’m switching to this new model. While in some aspects of my life I may still need distance and grace, my writing is not . Having some time off from writing has given me the time to regroup, to get excited about blogging again.

I plan to blog about my raw blogging views. I’m just going to come back and do things the way that feels right. And I’m super excited about it.

Here’s to us all,

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