I am stepping out of my comfort zone a lot lately, daring to wear red. In the past few months, I donned a red dress here and there and received many compliments.
These dresses are not necessarily dresses that show off my assets. They are just showstoppers because of the color. It literally stops people in their tracks, just like a stop light does. People take notice when they see red.
I wore this Kate Spade ensemble to the office this week. A lot of the ladies stopped to remark at how cool it looked. It was light and airy. The matching bag though is my favorite.
Before you think you cannot afford to spend $726 on an outfit like this, get it for $139 like I did through Rent the Runway Unlimited. You choose any three items out at any time for $139/month. It is perfect for those who love expensive clothing, have a constant rotating closet, or just want to be a minimalist. Or you can just buy it because you have to own it.
Personally, I own way too much clothing as is, but every now and again, I like the thought of having something new to wear. I usually wear an item once every season (because I have that many clothes). It’s nice that RTRU is around so I can minimize my closet and still have something fun to wear to work and out for the evening without adding to my closet.
Don’t be scared to wear red. Sometimes just trying it out will amaze you. If you’re afraid to make that bold of a statement, start small with a red accessory. Even a red jacket is a step in the right direction. Red has a misnomer of being a sexy color. It can also be a color of energy, strength, power, passion, love and desire. It can be all of those things or one of those things…it just depends on how you wear it.
Here are all of my favorite red fashion items. What is your favorite?
How is everyone’s summer so far? We’ve been graced with this absolutely perfect 70+ degrees weather in NYC. With Father’s Day this weekend, I’m sure there will be a lot of feasting, barbecuing and I Love You’s all across America.
Here is my weekly wrap up of some of my favorite things that caught my eye this week. Happy Father’s Day to all the Dads out there. Kids, make sure to spoil your daddy!
Feel Good Stories to Read This Weekend
I always love reading the good stories out there. It really makes our hearts smile.
1. Some Amusing Little Things in the US You have to read this just for the laughs. It’s funny to read stories of newcomers to the US and how things are so different here for them. I always find it funny discovering differences when I travel to new countries. I remember learning “Take Away” meant “To Go” in Ireland and London. I remember standing there going, “HUH?” when she asked me about take away. Then I saw there was a sign up that displayed two different prices for dining in and taking away. Then it made sense. Take away meant TO GO!
When you ask for hot sauce in some countries, they give you some weird version of sweet salsa (it’s disgusting) [Prague, Czech Republic]. When you’re in Africa, wee-fee means wifi. In Ireland, there are XXXX number of ways to use one curse word. Believe me when I say within the first 5 minutes of arriving in Dublin, I learned about 20 different ways to use one curse word. I’m sure the woman had more meanings to it, too. I was just like…welcome to Ireland.
2. Bucky Fucking Dent. Need something for your book loving Dad this Father’s Day? Does he like baseball? This book came on my radar this week when I attended an event with the author, David Duchovny (you know, Agent Fox Mulder and Hank Moody). Who knew that this actor has a serious background in literature? That’s what he went to Princeton and Yale for.
Here’s the Amazon synopsis:
Ted Fullilove, aka Mr. Peanut, is not like other Ivy League grads. He shares an apartment with Goldberg, his beloved battery-operated fish, sleeps on a bed littered with yellow legal pads penned with what he hopes will be the next great American Novel, and spends the waning days of the Carter administration at Yankee Stadium, waxing poetic while slinging peanuts to pay the rent.
When Ted hears the news that his estranged father, Marty, is dying of lung cancer, he immediately moves back into his childhood home, where a whirlwind of revelations ensues. The browbeating absentee father of Ted’s youth tries to make up for lost time, but his health dips drastically whenever his beloved Red Sox lose. And so, with help from Mariana―the Nuyorican grief counselor with whom Ted promptly falls in love―and a crew of neighborhood old-timers, Ted orchestrates the illusion of a Boston winning streak, enabling Marty and the Red Sox to reverse the Curse of the Bambino and cruise their way to World Series victory. Well, sort of.
David Duchovny’s richly drawn Bucky F*cking Dent explores the bonds between fathers and sons and the age-old rivalry between Yankee fans and the Fenway faithful, and grapples with our urgent need to persevere―and risk everything―in the name of love. Culminating in that fateful moment in October of ’78 when the mighty Bucky Dent hit his way into baseball history with the unlikeliest of home runs, this tender, insightful, and hilarious novel demonstrates how life truly belongs to the losers, and that the long shots are the ones worth betting on.
Bucky F*ckingDent is a singular tale that brims with the mirth, poignancy, and profound solitude of modern life.
I purchased a copy of the book after hearing Duchovny talk about writing. Not acting, just writing. I’ll have more on that talk this weekend.
3. About the Night. I’ve been reading this book for the past couple of weeks. It’s the current selection for next month’s PW Book Club. I had downloaded the Kindle version, but then ordered the book when it was released to the public on 6/1. This was one of those books that had so many deep, heartfelt words that I had to buy one for my personal library. I wanted to be able to highlight all of the beautiful words that touched my soul. This is a story about an Arab man falling in love with a Jewish woman and then a wall divided them in Jerusalem. It’s such an incredible story. I’m only 2/3 of the way through it.
If you’ve ever loved someone greatly and then they were ripped away from you…you will understand this suffering.
Battle of the Bastards. If you’re a Game of Thrones fan, you know the battle between Jon Snow and Ramsay Bolton is coming.
Orange is the New Black Has Dropped. Well, apparently all your plans this weekend have been cancelled for Netflix. OITB was dropped today. Let the binge-watching commence!
3. Oscar de la Renta. If you saw my Instagram post of this beautiful necklace, you’re probably wondering why I’m wearing a necklace valued at $990 to the office. And then there are some who say, “HOW?” or “WHY would you pay that much for a necklace?”
RTRU is a great way to add couture designers to your daily wardrobe without adding to your clutter. For those who Kon Mari’d their wardrobe, you don’t really want to add any more items to your closet. Renting is great for those who have minimized their closets, but still want something new to wear every now and again. For $139/month, you can rent couture designer items (3 out at a time).
[If you click on the Rent The Runway Unlimited link in this post, you can take $30 off your first month. You can cancel at any time.]
A Better You to Try Out This Weekend
My Most Simple, Most Effective Productivity Technique. For those who are looking for ways to focus and get things done, take a look at this article. I’ve been practicing this technique. It is a challenge, but it will help you to focus on the task at hand so you can get more things done.
One of my favorite stores in Rockefeller Center is Anthropologie. Their catalog (as well as J Crew) is one of the most anticipated (and the most dangerous) catalogs to reach my household. The whole catalog becomes a major wish list every single season – clothing, accessories and home goods.
My friends and I go through the catalog and start marking down what we want the most. Usually at the top of our list are new duvets, tops and dresses.
With spring in full swing, it’s time to freshen up our wardrobes (plus shop the sales) with a few new picks from Anthropologie. Since this is gown season for me, I love that Anthropologie is now a source to purchase unique gowns for weddings, parties, theater, red carpet, etc.
Here are a few of my favorite picks from Anthropologie.
There are so many items I love. It’s so hard to just pick a few pieces. Every time I go into their store, I want to just wrap everything up and take it home with me.
It’s the first day of spring! While some parts of the United States are watching the snow falling outside of their windows, thoughts of spring flowers, bright, sunnier days, and the return of spring colors (not to mention love being in the air) starts to fill our brains. It makes us feel like it’s time to put away our winter clothes and pull out the lighter, spring wardrobe (or at least go shopping for a new one).
But wait…it’s not warm enough yet! You’re still going to need to bundle up, but at least now you don’t have to wear those dark oversized puffers. It’s time for your perfect spring coat to see the sunshine.
While shopping for a spring trench, think of one that suits your current fashion personality the best. Maybe you want something classic that you can wear every spring/fall. Go with the classic Burberry trench. Maybe your spring fashion personality this year is filled with lots of pastels. Or maybe you plan on wearing more florals or patterns this spring. Find a trench that will match well with the majority of your spring wardrobe you plan to wear this season. That is the investment you are seeking.
You can go subtle or you can go dramatic. Or if you’re like me, you buy a new coat each season to add to your coat wardrobe. That way, you have a variety of choices no matter where your fashion mood strikes year to year. When you build a coat wardrobe, you’ll always need to start with the classics and then later add a little fun into the mix. From day coats to evening coats, you’ll eventually need one for every event that may come your way. Take it one coat per season at a time. A wardrobe doesn’t happen in one shopping trip, it takes years to build, so take it slow.
The perfect spring trench is one that makes you (and everyone else that sees you) happy, because it reminds them that it’s time for spring. People think a lot of happy thoughts in the spring!
Think color. Think florals. Think patterns. Let your coat make a statement. Whether it’s a bold pattern or a light pastel, your perfect trench is the one that makes you feel happy.
Here are a few trenches that will get you thinking of what to add this spring.
Over these past few months I’ve been shifting my financial house in a new direction. I’ve paid off 60% of my debt, maximized savings, maximized my 401k and started budgeting (living by the envelope method). But even though I’m doing what’s best to push my financial dream in a new direction, I’m constantly revising what I’m doing to see if there are better ways of doing things.
So why talk about this on “Diary of a Perfectionist Wannabe?” Well, it has more to do with becoming a little bit better at making financial dreams come true. Here are a few things I’ve come across recently that has saved me time, money, and hassles. It’s made my life more convenient and helped me to reach my goals. It’s also helped me to find new places to get a better deal for the things I love most.
BUDGETING
After all the bills are paid, I set aside a certain amount to spend on food, laundry, dry cleaning, eating out and other miscellaneous expenses. It’s from this budget, I have to figure out the best way to get more bang for my buck.
I joined Amazon Prime this year. I am actually grateful that I did because I’m seeing that there are a lot of benefits to this membership. First, I don’t shop in stores often. I shop online. What’s great about Amazon Prime is that I can order the monthly items (like cat food, treats and litter) for a much lower price than I would find at Target. I don’t even have to pay for shipping, because technically, I already did. It cost me $105.93 for a year long membership, but if you divide it up by 12, that’s $8.83/month. If you think about how much it would cost to ship a 20 pound bag of litter plus 2-3 cases of of cat food every month…you’re actually getting a severe bout of savings.
Normally, I’d have to take a cab or an Uber car to/from Target. That’s $30-$40 round trip. If I have it delivered by a grocery delivery service, that’s a $20 delivery fee, plus another $4.95 service charge. If I pick it up at KMart by Madison Square Garden, I’d have to do all the schlepping plus the cost of using public transit to go from Point A to Point B and go up and down a lot of stairs. Amazon has saved me a lot of money, time and hassle just to get these items to my home.
For those who drive, factor in your car payment, insurance and cost for gas for the entire month. Divide the total to how many times you use your car during that month to get a better idea of how much each trip costs you (not to mention the amount of time you spend in the store and traveling to these places).
Prime customers also get access to Prime Pantry where you can fill up a box of groceries for a flat rate of $5.99. I’ve used Prime Pantry for the 20 lb bags of litter and then added in some additional items on the side (they separate the stuff up into 2 internal boxes inside of 1 big box). I also plan on using this to order and ship boxes out to my brother’s platoon. It saves so much time at all of the stores, going to the post office, etc. and it saves me $10 in shipping costs to ship to an APO. Once again, another cost savings.
Another amazing benefit to Prime is that members get access to Prime Instant Video, Prime Music, Prime Photos and 1 Kindle Book a month.
For those who like streaming movies and TV shows at home or on your devices, you’ll have access to hundreds of thousands of movies and programs. It’s unlimited. Netflix and Hulu Plus both start at $7.99/month…and you don’t get access to free shipping on stuff you’re probably ordering from Amazon already.
I also added Kindle Unlimited and Audible memberships to my entertainment budget. I am addicted to the Books with Narration from Kindle Unlimited. You can read the book, but when you have to stop and bookmark it because you have to walk from one place to the next, just switch it to the narration and you can listen to the book while you’re moving. For those who commute, this is an incredible feature. I was able to get through a 246 page book in 2 days. I usually do 1/2 of that just sitting down to read because I have to keep putting the book down. Being able to switch to narration while I’m walking around keeps the book going.
My goal of getting through 52 books this year is more feasible now.
I added Audible as well because it gives me access to more audio books that Kindle Unlimited doesn’t offer. For me, this is mainly for those Book Club books that haven’t become available on Kindle Unlimited yet (or when I want a book that just came out).
I took the suggestion from a fireman friend who suggested I start listening to audio books, especially since I’m having problems getting back into reading. Audio books have been a godsend because I can actually listen to “War and Peace” instead of forcing myself to sit down to read a chapter. Now, I can just listen to it while I’m walking around.
Another great feature from Kindle Unlimited are the reference and self-help books available to customers. While I’m at the office and have some down time, I’ll read books that help with my job. Like this week, I read “Math Made Easy” (which is basically a cheat sheet on how to do math in your head very quickly), and I read a book on Passive Income. Today, I plan on reading a book on organization. Truthfully, these aren’t books I’d spend money on or take time to take out of the library, but make them available to read online and I’m more apt to read them to better myself.
All in all, by using these new services from Amazon, I’m saving a lot of money and time by simplifying my life in many aspects. Sure, I can get library books and DVDs from the library for free, but the convenience of downloading the book I need where I can both read and listen to it? I’ll stick to these two services. [Note: Audible is only for Audio Books. Kindle Unlimited offers the book/narration option, but not all books offer narration.]
For Movie Going Lovers
Another part of my entertainment budget I keep in is Going to the Movies. These days, it’s about $15 a pop. Even more if you want to go to IMAX. There is a solution to this. MoviePass offers a membership for movie going lovers. It’s $34.99/month. You can see 1 movie per day.
Before signing up, I strongly urge you to see if the movie theater you go to takes this membership. For me, I can use it at every movie theater I go to, including the artsy community one across the street from me. These days, it pays for itself in 2 movies a month. I recommend waiting until the summer months to really take advantage (technically May starts the hot Hollywood films of the summer).
In order to get more bang for your buck, sign up for the movie theater’s membership club as well. Those tickets you’re purchasing through Movie Pass can be turned into points which can be turned into money you can use at the movie theater for concessions and even movie tickets (like if you want to see an IMAX film or use the extra ticket for a friend who isn’t a Movie Pass member).
The downside? You can see 1 movie every 24 hours. They are strict on the 24 hours. It used to be that it just reset itself every night (which was perfect)…and then it went strictly 24 hours down to the very last second. Another downside for some is that you can only watch the movie once. You can’t go see the same movie more than once while it is still in the movie theater and use the Movie Pass card.
How does it work? First, you need a smartphone in order to download the app. They’ll send you a Movie Pass credit card that is activated only after you check in to the movie through the app. You can only use it to purchase that 1 movie ticket.
If you go to movies frequently, I highly recommend this. It seriously cuts down the cost for movie lovers who love to go to the movies but don’t go because it’s just ridiculously too expensive these days. If you go to just three movies a month…the membership is more than paid for. If you went to one movie every day, each movie would cost a little over $1 each. It’s $34.99 for me because I’m in NYC. It will be less for people not living in major metropolitan areas.
FOR THE DESIGNER ADDICTS
I have a confession. I’m a bit of an addict when it comes to buying designer accessories. I have a rather large designer handbag collection. A couple of years ago, I decluttered the handbags down to only major designers, getting rid of all of the lesser names. Now, I just buy what I like to add to the handbag collection.
Currently on my radar is the Fendi fur bag bugs (aka Monster) collection. In my search, I came across a site called Tradesy. I took a look around and let’s just say I went on a bit of a spending spree.
I netted a Chanel, Hermes and Dior bag and purchased a pair of Louboutin and Fendi shoes. My friend did a delayed double take when I said, “So I bought an Hermes bag.” She couldn’t believe it, so I showed her my cart and lo and behold, my closet said I purchased an Hermes bag. No, I didn’t spend $20,000 on a birkin. I found a Herbag for $500. That’s half off what you’ll find at other consignment places.
Luckily, they were having a friends and family event, so I was able to take additional money off. You can get $25 off your purchase of $100 or more by using my special link: TRADESY.
P.S. As of right now, The Outnet is having their semi-annual clearance sale. This is a great time for fashionistas to stock up on all their favorite designers for up to 80% off the retail price. [My major score were a pair of Adidas by Stella McCartney ballet flats for $18. After all was said and done, I’d saved $2,286.75 on my entire order. That’s some serious savings.]
Also, for designer addicts that frequent Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom…trust me when I say you can get your coveted designer accessory for less. For instance, the Fendi monster tote bag is $1500 at Saks. That same bag is $999 at Overstock.com. The exact same bag. {Also, if you’re a Club O member, you can earn rewards from your purchases. I’ve been able to score free Fendi sunglasses thanks to all of the reward dollars I earned from shopping at Overstock.com.}
Other places you should look: Century 21 shops (they have an online store), TJMaxx (yes, they are finally online), Loehmann’s (they may have closed all of their stores, but that’s because they went e-commerce) and Modnique. I’ve found that a lot of these shops have the same merchandise, but you never know if they’ll have a special sale on top of their already discounted prices.
The book is a quick read, so I highly recommend taking a look at it just to get your brain moving in a direction of earning passive income (I don’t recommend doing what he suggests, but it’s worth a read to understand what you can do to grow passive income) [it’s a free read with Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited].
I want to touch on the Education part. This is why I recommend Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited…he suggests putting away 10% of your income to the education fund. I never put 10% away to an education fund mainly because I already had my schooling and frankly don’t have time to do continuing education courses. I also don’t have kids, so really, this was an account I could do without.
I started to think about it and then realized just how much money I’m saving by using the Kindle Unlimited membership, especially if I take the membership fee from the Education account. During the day, I’m pulling up books that will better myself. I even have books written by scientists discussing their various theories. There are even books on Photoshop, photography, etc. that I can read during the day. In other words, Kindle Unlimited has opened the door to a world filled with resources where I can better educate myself.
I spent a lot of time on Wednesday doing math problems just to jog my memory of how to do math in my head. I’m glad I did, because it forced me to re-memorize addition and multiplication tables (something that I had forgotten post-op). By really diving into complex math equations I started looking at the equations and answering them in my head in half the ‘short steps’ the author was suggesting. To me, this meant that math was back in my head again.
In other words, sometimes you just have to challenge yourself, especially when it comes to forgetting how to do things that are as important as math.
There are so many things out there to learn. That was the point of the Education account. You have to constantly challenge and better yourself. If you don’t, you won’t be able to command good salaries or keep working. After all, I’ve seen what happens to people that didn’t learn how to use a computer. They’re barely making it. You never want to be left behind, so continuously better yourself through education. It doesn’t have to cost you a fortune.
Who knows? By all the money I save in the Education account, maybe I can just use it towards an educational trip or an archaeological dig somewhere.
Just something to think about…but I highly recommend reading the Passive Income book. It will give you a new idea on how to budget yourself in order to earn income, and take a hard look at how you’re living. Re-doing the way you do your budget is interesting. It’s the 50-30-20 lifestyle, but that 30-20 is changed to 30% savings and 20% doing whatever you want with the money. Previously, it was vice versa. You’d save 20% and use 30% to do whatever. Personally, I like this new take on budgeting. What he shows you is how to use 10% of that 30% towards increasing your passive income…that’s what makes it worth the read.
People that know me know how obsessed I am with Bauble Bar. I wear their jewelry all of the time. I pass out their business cards every single time someone stops me to tell me how much they love my jewelry.
Back around the time I was shopping for what to wear to the NHL Awards, I came across Bauble Bar. I took one look at their peacock cuff and knew it had to be mine. That is what started it all…
Gorgeous little piece, right? What’s just as gorgeous was the Bauble Bar price…$32.
Thanks to Bauble Bar, I was able to build up my jewelry wardrobe with amazingly beautiful pieces.
Thanks to word of mouth, Bauble Bar has gone viral. For a company that just went live back in April, they are now worn to red carpet events, donned by celebrities from J Lo to Justin Bieber, and featured in fashion magazines every single month.
Would you believe that I was one of Bauble Bar’s first customers? Since that peacock cuff, I’ve referred so many people to them thanks to a post I did on them way back when. I wore the peacock cuff on the red carpet at the NHL Awards. Now, I wear their pieces every single day.
POP UP SHOP
For the holidays, Bauble Bar launched a pop-up shop at 144 10th Avenue in New York City, which they share with BirchBox, Artspace, Joor and Quirky.
Last Wednesday, they launched their shop, and of course, I had to be there because I love this little company so much!
I picked up a new cuff that was very similar to my first peacock cuff. {That’s currently under the Christmas tree right now.}
I also became a subscriber of Birch Box last week. They send you deluxe sample products every month to try out. If you like it, you can go back to their site to purchase the product. They work on a loyalty program just like Bauble Bar does. In other words, you are rewarded for ordering and referring business to them. This is a customer based service that I’m a huge fan of. Credits to shop? Credits to refer friends? Hey, that’s how I have so many baubles these days. 🙂
One of the exciting DIY features I picked up and loved at the event came from their alcohol infused candy bar. What is that? Try alcohol infused gummy worms and gummy bears…as well as other alcohol infused candies. I thought this was such a cool thing, I asked around for recipes, because this would make the perfect gift for my brother for Christmas…well, at least the part where we eat alcohol infused gummies all weekend…he’ll have a recipe to take home in his stocking!
Here’s the recipe! It’s very easy to make, but it takes several days to get it going. That means I need to buy the gummies and vodka now, in order for it to be ready for when my guest arrives!
So kids, make sure to buy more baubles…and sign up for your BirchBox. I can’t wait to get mine!
If you haven’t seen the movie “The Italian,” you have to see it. It was a powerful performance by a young boy named Kolya Spiridonov. Haley Joel Osment has nothing on this kid’s acting ability. The movie was so emotional right from the get-go.
Throw in the circumstances of the story about a young orphan growing up in a Russian orphanage who decides to go looking for his mother. The movie will leave you balling in tears.
After I saw the movie, I wanted to adopt my own little boy from an orphanage in Russia. But then I thought about all of those other little Russian orphans and then I thought…well…I can’t become an Angelina Jolie of Russian orphans. So maybe working with kids in Russia wouldn’t be such a bad thing…one of these days (when I get my Russian down and I can read and speak it better then a first year).
So when Depesha magazine announced that it was hosting a charity event to benefit children at risk in Russia…I thought…well, as long as the hockey season doesn’t interfere with it, then I’m there.
I’ve met some interesting people at Depesha events…mainly writers, critics, models, etc. Lots of beautiful people there.
So if you’re in the NYC area, you should consider watching “The Italian” and then buying tickets to this event. For the fashionistas of the world…clothing up for auction from various designers in Helen Yarmak’s showroom. It’s worth every single penny to donate your money because really…it breaks my heart to see orphans just trying to make it in the world.
One of my favorite stores in Rockefeller Center is Anthropologie. Their catalog (as well as J Crew) is one of the most anticipated (and the most dangerous) catalogs to reach my household. The whole catalog becomes a major wish list every single season – clothing, accessories and home goods.
” by Raiden Steven that everyone should have five accounts. 1. Financial Dream; 2. Basic Savings; 3. Education; 4. Basic Necessities; and 5. Other.
