Fashion Friday: Shopping Plan Review

Back in January I posted about my shopping plan and goals for 2013.  I figured with almost 3 months behind  us I'd revisit my goals and update you on how I'm doing.

Do my research - I feel like my number of impulse buys has been cut down quite a bit, not only since January, but just in the past year or so.  I very rarely buy anything without doing research first, whether it be look for outfit ideas online or look for other similar items that might be a better price.  If I find myself thinking about an item for a period of time, it's usually a worthy purchase.  My shopping is more calculated and planned now.

My colorblock tees were something I'd wanted for over a year!

Focus on what I already have - I've been making a point to wear some of my lesser worn items in my closet.  I've got some really great items that are just lost in the mix.  I've been trying to mix new purchases with older items to keep things fresh.

Already had the scarf and let Pinterest inspire a new outfit combo!

Buy shoes - I've purchased 2 pairs of shoes so far this year!  That's pretty good for me!  As spring comes I'm going to weed through my sandal collection and toss ones that are falling apart.  My focus will be on updating and upgrading some of my summer footwear.

Image via TOMS

My new TOMS!  Perfect for spring!

Come up with a more firm budget - My budget as of right now for clothing, accessories, nail polish, and makeup is about $150 a month from my regular income. I feel like January and February were a bit heavy on spending, but overall I also allowed myself a little flexibility since I had some extra income and tax refund money.  I'm definitely trying to tighten things up a bit more this month.  Participating in Budgeting Bloggers has made me think about each purchase I make and encourages me to keep a running total of my spending.

How have you done with your shopping goals for 2013?  Please share your successes (or failures)!

I Don't Do Resolutions.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm not a big new year's resolution kinda gal...  For some reason that whole concept has kinda bugged me.  I hate when people list off resolutions like "I'm going to lose 75 pounds by spring break" or "I'm giving up all shopping forever."

Source: fffriends.tumblr.com via Kortnie on Pinterest

Rather than come up with a list of resolutions, I try to set a few goals to help me get the new year started.  I usually set goals a few times throughout the year such as in January, at the beginning of summer vacation, and at the beginning of the school year.  For me, those are kind of my fresh start making points of the year and good times for me to set and revisit some goals.  Goals are something gradual that we work towards and that help to build better habits.

Here are 5 goals that I've set as I begin the new year...  They're a little random and all things I've worked on in the past, but just some goals that I want continue to work on and focus on.

• Cut back on pop drinking.  I'll do really well with this for a while and then fall victim to my love for Diet Mountain Dew and Pepsi.  I'm going to try to cut it back to once a day (if any) and focus on drinking more water again.
• Complete at least 100 miles for the mileage club this quarter.  Working part-time and doing after school tutoring has really taken away from my workouts.  I haven't worried too much about it because I've still maintained my teensy bit of weight loss.  I love working out, though, and have a lot more energy when I do it regularly, so I hope to use this as incentive to beat my 95 miles from last quarter.
• Blog on a regular basis.  I've shared my struggle with blogging and how I feel like my blog has kind of an identity crisis.  I want to come up with some sort of schedule for blogging that will give me a little more focus on what I write about.  Don't necessarily look for this anytime immediately...  Remember, this is a goal and a work in progress.
• Cut out fast food.  Again.  About 2 1/2 years ago I cut out fast food completely in a last minute desperate attempt to lose a few extra pounds before I was in a friend's wedding.  I realized how much better I felt and how even after the wedding it helped me keep off about 5 pounds.  I'd been really good about avoiding fast food until the past few months when life started getting pretty busy again.  I've actually been making halfway decent choices when I do eat it (I try to avoid burgers and really greasy things), but I'm going to try to cut it out altogether again.  My exceptions to this are sandwich places like Jimmy John's (my obsession) and Subway, so if I'm truly on the run and need food I still have a few options.
• Stick to a (possibly tighter) budget for clothes and makeup.  I feel like I've made some pretty good improvements in this area in the last year or so, but there's always room for more improvement.  I'm a lot less impulsive with purchases and definitely put a lot more thought into the majority of my purchases   My temporary shopping bans on certain items have been a good start for me because I'm totally not one of those people that can just cut off shopping altogether.  

These aren't necessarily all of my goals, but probably the most relevant and more measurable.  

What are your goals for the new year?

Goals for the New School Year

There are several things that I've been contemplating setting as some "goals" as I begin the new school year.  It's kind of like having a New Year's resolution, but for the school year.  I think it's good to set some goals and motivate myself in several ways.  

These goals have to do with a little bit of everything, both inside and outside of the classroom.  I guess I have a wide range of things I want to work on.

1. Get up earlier.  I'm sooooo not a morning person and I'm on an awful sleep schedule right now.  I've totally mastered the bed, shower, door in less than 30 minutes routine.  I love taking time to do my hair and makeup, though, and would like to get away from doing just the bare minimum (or finishing at stoplights along the way).  I also live a teensy bit further from school now, so I'd like to try to get up about 15 or 20 minutes earlier so that I'm not so rushed getting to school in the mornings.
2. Be more creative with what I wear AND plan my outfits ahead.  I'd say I started on this goal last year and made some progress.  I get into a rut of wearing the same things over and over.  (Black pants everyday I'm not wearing jeans?  Guilty!)  I'm definitely in the market for some more work pants that aren't black!  
3. Enter grades online each week.  I'm supposed to do this, but I'm totally guilty of not sticking to it.  Once the year gets rolling I want to designate one day / plan period a week that I will consistently update grades online.  I keep up on grading papers just fine, but for some reason getting them into the computer isn't my strong point.
4. Blog more during the school year.  I really slumped off of blogging last fall, but I've been so into it this spring and summer I hope to keep up momentum!
5. Eat healthier.  I love summer for the fact that I have more time to prep my meals.  My school is pretty much in the middle of nowhere (sort of), so thankfully, I'm not all that tempted to go swing through a drive-thru during lunch since that would take up most of my break.  I'd like to break away from my Lean Cuisines and frozen meals a bit more and whip up more salads or make dinners that will provide me with leftovers.  
6. Consistently send out my classroom newsletter.  Some years I'm super consistent with my newsletter and other years (like last year), I'm a little more relaxed with my timing.  My goal is to send one home each week.  We have so many short weeks that I skipped a lot last year or forgot to write it until the day I wanted to send it home.  I also want to go back to e-mailing it out to parents since I got great feedback when I did that a few years back.  It's a little more effort, but I think it's totally worth it and super convenient for parents.
7. Workout right after school.  I go through phases with my workouts and when I like to go during the school year.  The Y by my house is super packed from about 5 to 8 p.m., so I sometimes prefer to go later and dodge the crowd.  But, that usually doesn't put me getting home and showered until at least 9:30 or 10 p.m.  Plus, parking at my new apartment isn't the best, so getting home earlier and staying in would be a plus.  I don't see this goal being much of a problem right now, but once after school tutoring starts it's going to be a real struggle since that adds an extra hour to my school day.
8. Integrate technology more in my classroom.  I use technology everyday, but I want to do more to get the kids using it on a daily basis as well.  I'm hoping for a new Mimio strip this fall and that will definitely motivate me to get more interactive!
9. Go to bed at a decent time.  It's the middle of the night and I'm writing this post...  Geez.  During the school year I shoot to be in bed between 10 and 11 p.m.  The problem is that I then get on my iPod or laptop in bed, plus watch TV.  I'm going to try to limit the computer time and be off by 10 p.m.  This is honestly probably going to be one of the hardest goals for me to stick to, but getting to bed earlier will help me get up earlier.
10. Praise my students more.  I feel like I'm a pretty positive teacher on an average day.  I try not to let the kids see me get stressed or upset, but I do feel like I need to be more consistent with celebrating with them at times.  I think this year may come with its challenges, so keeping a positive attitude and building my students up is going to be something I consciously work on.

What are your goals for the upcoming school year?  

Do you have any tips for me to help me achieve my goals?