Adhering Badly to the No-Shopping Statute

I am supposed to be saving to remodel my condo and throw a fun wedding reception. So why can I not I keep myself out of the stores!? Mother's Day was spent at the mall, because the winds were too high and dangerous for the original plan of a lovely walk in the historic, amazingly-landscaped Mt. Auburn Cemetery (tree limbs crashing down on my head are not my idea of a relaxing afternoon). I did spend far more than I should have but a) my tax return just came and b) I am practicing the one-in, two-or-three-out rule and paring my wardrobe down to a smaller number of items I adore rather than many that are just OK. A rundown of my spree (pardon the cell phone pics):

EXPRESS: (This is one store where I head straight for the clearance rack and pause only to fondle the expensive loveliness on the regular displays). In place of two black skirts that were never quite perfectly flattering (one from Raspberry Beret, one unknown), I purchased a sleek, structured pencil skirt in a soft, stretchy light black denim fabric, half off, for $29.99. I also snagged a cute watercolor-print cardigan there for $19.99.

(With previously owned light blue cami)

OLD NAVY: I suppose I didn't need another pair of jeans, but most of the ones that currently fit me are of too light a wash in which to leave the house (I'd rather not talk about the stacks of Rubbermaid containers with sizes 8, 10, etc. inside which taunt me from my basement storage). So, being sadly unable to find my length on the sale rack, sprang for the full-cost "Sweetheart" cut jeans in a nice dark wash for $29.50. They'll work with anything, obviously, but I'm a big fan of how they look with the new sweater (more on the shoes shortly!):



I also snagged a cobalt blue henley tee because I somehow have, like, no blue clothes. What?! I love blue! How did this happen?! Oh, right, I was busy being drawn to purple, pink and turquoise... Here are the jeans with it, and my new flower clip from Etsy, and my Rampage jeweled ballet flats (a year or two old).


FAMOUS FOOTWEAR: My 20% off rewards coupon came in the mail recently, so I scurried to the clearance section and scored these incredible Madden Girl platform peep-toes for about $16 (also pictured above):

I can now give away all of my other purple pumps, and die happy.

...and it's espadrille season again so I also bought some cushy Naturalizer wedge ones in a pretty metallic-and-bright stripe pattern with a bow, $27. They go quite nicely with that blue henley and a floaty crepe skirt I found at Goodwill a while back:




MARSHALLS: Just one minor purchase here- a $15 leopard pencil skirt in stretch twill:

(with previously owned black short-sleeved sweater)

Leopard is hot again for fall, according to the powers that be (I've seen mentions of mixed leopard, too- as in two or more mismatched pieces?). It's bombshell, it's punk rock, and it's classic all at the same time, and never really goes "out" per se (I certainly wouldn't buy it just because it's "in"). Some people don't think of animal print as a neutral, but it can be; paired with just about any color, it works, unlike most patterns. Witness:

(with aubergine silk button-down by Dana Buchman, Goodwill Fall '09)



(with hot pink sateen Talbots blazer, Goodwill Winter '10)

(with teal silk ruffle-front Victoria's Secret blouse, Winter '10)

See?!
(Oh, and those cute little flats are canvas, American Eagle from Payless, $12.99 last week)

I definitely have a shopping problem. But I'm trying to tame it and only buy things I adore and those that fill holes in my wardrobe while getting rid of plenty of the old stuff that doesn't follow those rules-- the duplicates, the too-revealing-for-work, and the just-not-flattering are gone! Have you endeavored to make any changes in your closet recently?

Happy outfit-planning!

Thrifty Eats: Batch Cooking

Sundays are a wonderful day to kick back, enjoy the weather if it's lovely out, and perhaps get some chores and projects done around the house. I try to reserve a few hours of my Sunday to cook in bulk, no matter what my other obligations and desires are, because it ends up saving so much time and effort throughout the week, never mind money!



The first step in this process is to take stock of your pantry and refrigerator. If you're a Virgo, you will likely love this one: make a list of what you have on hand, with food group categories and quantities (this can be fun and be made permanent in Excel, if you are a spreadsheet girl like Struggling to Be Stylish). With a quick glance at your list you should be able to come up with one or two meals that can be made with only a few additional ingredients. Cross off your items as you include them on a separate meal-planning list, and create a shopping list for what you're missing while you're at it. Trust me, it sounds complex but you will waste so much less and avoid spending on take-out because you can't figure out what to make! Be sure to actually examine all foods you're planning to use and toss any expired produce or growing-its-own-colony bread. Once you've disovered what you need and made room for it, step two is, obviously, going shopping.

The old adages will serve you well here: don't shop on an empty stomach. Avoid the middle aisles where the chips and cookies live and try to stick to the whole, fresh foods around the perimeter. Make a list and stick to it. Try not to bring children who are easily swayed by fancy packaging and promises of gobs of salt and sugar.

The biggest mistake most Americans make when shopping for produce is buying far too much. If you've planned your meals you should know exactly what you need, and perhaps grab a few extra pieces of fruit for snacks. Don't worry that you'll run out-- you can always go to the store again if need be. It makes a lot more sense to shop twice a week than to end up throwing out piles of spoiled greens and smooshy zucchinis.

I like to do much of the washing and chopping immediately when I get home from the market so that vegetable snacks are easy to grab instead of junk. I keep Tupperware filled with carrot and celery sticks stacked on one side of the fridge, and sometimes diced peppers for quick meals as well. This is when I begin a big pot of chili or pasta with vegetables, also, while I'm getting the rest of the groceries put away and the kitchen cleaned up again. When it's done and cooled, I separate it into containers, label them and freeze them. Then I have my very own "Lean Cuisines" for work lunches or nights I am only cooking for myself. Saving $5-$10 at every meal by not getting takeout is definitely worth the extra effort.

Here are a few of my own "batch cooking" recipes, all of which are ridiculously easy and freeze tremendously well, published on SparkRecipes by SparkPeople (a terrific free healthy lifestyle site if that's something you're interested in!):

Vegetarian Chili
Lentil Stew
Spinach Mushroom pasta

Invest in a label-maker or just use small post-its to indicate what something is and when it was made, whether you store it in the fridge or freezer. Most leftovers have a shelf-life of one week. Most frozen goods can be stored six months to a year. Indicate when it should be tossed by, not just when it was made! Here's my fridge with the new system in place:




You're looking at a whopping 9 cubic feet of storage space (about a third of your average fridge) so planning is essential for me. You may not want or need to be quite this OCD about it, but keeping things visible, neat and labeled will help diminish the amount of money and food you waste.

The last thing I'll mention here is that these frozen meals and any leftovers should never be reheated in their plastic containers. Ziploc has pledged to not put any terrible, horrible, no-good, very-bad dioxins or BPAs in their products, but no other brand has to my knowledge, and due to a lack of awareness/caring/FDA testing or regulation, we're still unsure how dangerous many other plastics in common use are. Better to defrost at room temperature until it's possible to slide your meal out and into glass (or microwave-safe ceramic without metal-based glazes) before microwaving. Or as a last resort in a time pinch, nuke for a few seconds to defrost/loosen from the plastic before doing most of the actual cooking in glass or ceramic.

Do you enjoy batch cooking? If so, please share a favorite recipe (it doesn't have to be meatless by any means, by the way).

Happy cooking!