Natalie - Natalie Wise Blog

Valentines

I made some Valentines.

I’m planning to hand them out like Bachelor roses.

“Will you accept this valentine?”

I mean, really, who could say no?!

{hehe}

Happy Valentine’s Day!!

I’ve been working on these super fun Valentines all week, like a school girl, making sure the boys get the mushiest ones, and the girls get the “Best Friends 4 Ever” ones.

Actually, mine all say, “I think you’re a hoot!” Hehe. But I did carefully hand write names like in school 🙂

Cute, quirky, love-struck owls downloadable free online but I canNOT find the link anymore (please leave it in the comments if you find it!!)

Arrow idea from Carolyn at Homework

Week Two: Wear it Out

The challenge for Week 2 of Frugal February is to “Wear it Out!”

The way I see it, there are two arms of “Wearing it Out”:

1.) Preventative care, or taking care of your things so that they last as long as possible

2.) Actually wearing things out, and not getting a new one until it is completely worn out.

As far as Preventative Care goes, it really does save you money to take the time to properly care for your possessions. Above, I’m shining up my leather boots. This not only restores shine, but it erases scratches and makes my boots look brand new. Even better? These bottles sell for $3.49 and up at the drugstore, and I picked mine up at the Dollar Store!

Other Ideas:

~We all know I’m a fan of finding a good COBBLER! See this post for more info

(Those boots are so almost dead again. Wearing them OUT!). Cobblers have helped me add extra holes to belts, repair heels, fix broken purses, and add new tread.

~I’m all about the “band-aid” solution sometimes, to get extra wear out of something. Weigh the costs of spending a little now vs. how long that ‘little’ will make it last vs. the costs of a new item.

~Find a good handyman, or better yet, become one!

~Take care of your CAR! Oil changes, oil filters, clean windshields, secure gas caps, clean undercarriages–all of these small details will help your car wear much better in the long haul, and will save you expensive repairs.

~Pills on your sweater? Don’t despair! Grab a sweater stone or shaver.

~Spend some money on your “investment” pieces for your wardrobe. They will wear much better and last much longer…spend your money where you spend your day. If you work all week, invest in quality work clothes such as a gorgeous pencil skirt, suit, and silk blouses (see my magazine article for detailed ideas!). If you are home with the kids, then invest in quality jeans and beautiful (washable!) sweaters.

I don’t want to get into “repurposing” items too much here, since I’ll be talking about that next week for “Make it Do.” But I’ve got a few more ideas up my sleeve I’ll share this week! What are YOUR ideas? You’v e been sharing some GREAT tips in the comments! Keep ’em coming 🙂

Weekly Progress

Weekly Progress Check-in!

1.) Went to thrift store. Left empty-handed! Woo-hoo!
2.) Used the last of my slightly-stale Rice Krispies and overly-ripe bananas for breakfast, instead of getting something on my way to work (though I desperately wanted to!!)
3.) Used up one shampoo bottle!

You?

Week One: Use it Up

The challenge for Week One of Frugal February is to “Use it Up!”

I don’t like the ends of things. Not of jobs or days or relationships or trips. Or bottles of hairspray, toothpaste, lotion, or handsoap.

So I ditch. I ditch before they’re really through, and move on early.
Leaving me with (all other things aside), lots and lots of nearly-empty bottles.

Sigh.

So! My goal is to use up the half-empty bottles. There’s lots of money in them there bottles!

Another great idea to “use up”? Food– I know I sure waste a lot of food by not planning ahead and using things on time. So I’ll try to manage that, as well.

What are you going to USE UP instead of buying new, to save some buckaroos?

Fave New Sweater

This sweater. I’ve been seeing similar versions all over the internet, so when my local thrift store had half off all sweaters, THIS had to come home with me. For $3! It’s like a big old blanket from the comfy couch in front of the fire at the log cabin….in sweater form. And besides, I’m always looking for an excuse to wear my colored jeans to work, hehe.

Style Secrets

Coat: J.Crew splurge

Scarf: Hand-me-over

Shirt: Gap

Sweater: Thrifted

Belt: Thrifted

Jeans: F21

Boots: Thrifted

Psst..if you’re wanting a sweater like mine, I noticed F21 has a few similar ones!

Budgeting 101

{word heavy post tonight, sorry!}

Sooooo…what IS a budget? Some people have been budgeting since they got their first tooth fairy quarters. And some people have this vague notion of what the word means, but no real foundation.

A budget is a “GPS” for your money. It tells you what, where, and how you can use your money, should use your money, what to do if you want to “detour” for a bit and do something else with your money…It takes stock of your income, your outflow, and what’s left at the end of the month.

Getting started is easy! Print out your monthly statements for any and all debit/credit cards, and gather up receipts, your checkbook, and a calculator. Write down any cash transactions you remember from the past month. Then, make a spreadsheet.

*On one side, list all Income you get each month.

*On the other, list all of your “non-negotiable” expenses, or your Fixed Expenses. Write down everything! Do you have to pay for laundry? Parking at your job?

*Below that, list your Discretionary Spending. This includes everything else, such as: Netflix, lattes, gym memberships, haircuts, entertainment, eating out, gifts, etc.

Go through your statements, receipts, and check payments, and make sure you put ALL the numbers into this spreadsheet, adding as you go . Don’t forget to include any tithing and giving. Find your car insurance bills, and divide that by 12 to get how much you pay each month (if you don’t pay it monthly). Same with health insurance or renter’s insurance (which you have if you are renting your living space, right?!). Now you should have a pretty good idea of what you have spent for the past month. Then, look at your “ending balance” in your bank account statement. How’s that lookin?

There are a ton of good tools online to help you with this. I especially love LearnVest’s online Money Center and Financial Bootcamps (these are amazing and free!). You can also try Mint. Scour Crown Financial Ministries website (and books!) for some great, Christ-centered strategies. I’m sure there are iPhone apps, too, if you’re cool like that.

Are you shocked at all? I always seem to spend too much at the grocery store and thrift store. But don’t stress yet!

So when you have the numbers, this is where we going gets tough. Take a critical eye to them. Do you notice that you spend a lot of money by not returning your Redbox movies on time (those extra day charges should be on your credit card statement)? Or by paying for magazine subscriptions you never read? Turns out I had an online store that was charging me $10 a month just to keep it online, and I hardly EVER logged in or tried to sell anything! Oops.

Assignment:

If you don’t have a budget, follow the suggestions above and MAKE ONE. Get a cup of coffee, clear off the kitchen table, and just get to work on it. I promise, once you do it the first time, it gets easier.

Then, try this: I like to keep one copy of the budget exactly as it was when the numbers went in. Then start another one and begin fiddling with the numbers. Slash all of those “Oops” categories immediately. Cancel memberships. Stop listing things on eBay if they aren’t selling and are just racking up fees for you. That’s the initial clean-up.

Now….sleep on those numbers. Pray over them!!!!!!!!!! Ask for wisdom about which areas are suffering most from either too much attention or too much neglect. That’s enough of my words and numbers for tonight 🙂

Frugal February

As Good Girls, we are called to be stewards of our finances in a way that is God-honoring. Without Him, we truly have nothing. It is not ours, but by His grace and mercy. It is another area of our lives where, with joy and thanksgiving, we can lay it down at the altar, and honor God. I think that is so exciting! And when we are obedient to God, without fail, He blesses us.

I’d love to invite you to trek with me deeper into the heart of God, as I explore stewardship and frugality as part of “Good Girl Style”. I’m talking nitty-gritty budgeting strategies and rubber-hits-road confessions. It’s gonna be real.

This is my second year of what I call, “Frugal February.” It’s something I made up for myself, after realizing that I NEEDED to take a bit more care with my finances. Being a single twenty-something is difficult, especially in these economic times, so budgeting is essential for me. I also recently finished a “Financial Fitness” class, and heard a sermon on finances, that gave me extra incentive to be fiscally responsible (and a few more tips to pass along this month!).

Frugal February comes at the perfect time of year. My budget is definitely looking a little bit overstretched (oh who am I kidding, I haven’t looked at my budget since Christmas. And I may have been overindulging a bit in those January sales. Oops). It gives us a bit of time to reflect and dust off those budgets for the rest of the coming year.

I am actually very, very excited about Frugal February and I really do hope you’ll join me!

Our Motto for the Month

The Game Plan

First, a “Budgeting 101” post, coming right up!
THEN

Week 1: Choose one thing to “use up”

Week 2: Find one thing to “mend”

Week 3: Find one thing to “make do” with instead of replacing or upgrading

Week 4: “Do without” one thing

PLUS

Each week has a specific challenge, or extra tips & tricks from my budget girl arsenal
+++++

I am so excited to get started! I really, really need this, and I hope you do, too.

If you’re going to join me, grab a button below and then link up!

If you want to join in on the fun, put your link here, and we’ll track progress together!

Let’s get started, girls!

Lemon & Honey

I’m having a rough go of it today. I’d venture to guess that’s because it’s 1pm and I am just now getting around to having my first cup of tea of the day. Ouch.

Friday Morning

Can we just talk about my breakfast for a minute? It’s like, Valentine’s Day in food form. Brown Cow CREAM-TOP Strawberry yogurt and a DOUBLE CHOCOLATE muffin. Strawberries and chocolate. Mmmmm.

Mmm, God, you have definitely filled my heart with greater joy. And this breakfast did a pretty good job, too.

The saying on my Chai tea bag “Chai-med” in (Hahaha, I’m so hilarious) with a pat on the back.

And I think this will also do well for Friday morning God-time. Indeed, it will.

Another post is (almost) ready for you all later today! Yay!

Fashion & Photography

I love fashion, and I love photography. So an evening spent indulging both passions was truly inspiring. Here’s what I wore to the fashion show to people-watch through my camera lens. And sip lots of Vitamin Water, since they were sponsoring the event.

{Vitamin water & giant ball of gerbera daisies. Chic.}

{more Vitamin Water decorations}

When I saw this ballskirt, I knew it was what I wanted to wear to StyleWeek. And at $8, I could afford something new & special to wear, without breaking the bank.

I love the juxtaposition of the raw silk ball skirt with the military vest.

{neon nails are my favorite!!}

My Outfit

Earrings: Hand-me-over

Ring: H&M

Sunnies: Local store

White shirt: Michael Kors, thrifted

Vest: Thrifted

Skirt: Thrifted

Hose: Target

Boots: NineWest

Purse: Missoni, consignment store

One of the photographers told me I was the best dressed photographer in the “Press Pit.” And by that he meant, ‘overdressed.’ Since everyone else was wearing varying degrees of dressiness–front suits to t-shirts. And lots of black.

To which, of course, I said, “I love fashion and photography.” and handed him a business card. Thanks for the compliment, sir! And then another photographer asked to take my picture. So I think that worked out.

What’s the Press Pit, you ask?

It’s where all of the photographers and videographers crowd on a tiny stage to jostle elbows over the best shots. And it’s awesome, if I do say so myself.

And some randoms…

How cute is this “off-duty” model from Sarah’s show {see slicked back “wet” hair} who was heading home with her mom and little sis? Super cute, and I love her scarf. So sweet and fun!

And look at this face below! Girl will probably be famous someday. But she’s a good friend, too, and made me take a picture of her with her friends. Rock on, chica! Fierce.

I’ll end with a photo that embodies so much about the fashion world:

But remember, girls, we don’t depend on brand names or runways to be beautiful. We shine for God. And fashion? Well, sometimes, it’s just the icing on the cake, and we get to enjoy it.