Couple Frugal Things.....

So while I've always considered myself pretty thrifty and making sure I'm getting the best deal - there is always room for improvement.  I started reading "The Frugal Girl" blog 4 or so years ago.  I like seeing how she manages her family on one income.  What I really take away from her posts is the ones where she repairs something that is still functional.  Before I started reading her blog I would have thrown something away that had a flaw/defect.  But now I look for ways to repair it before I let it go if it still has a function in my life.  Will repairing it be cheaper than replacing it?  She replaced a button on her jeans after the first one came off.  I would have in the past totally thrown the jeans away, but these fit her great and the only defect on it was the button!  It cost her $5 or so bucks to fix it after she got a kit that she can use again!

She does freezer challenges where she will eat the things in her freezer before she goes shopping again, or plans meals around the things that NEED to be eaten in her freezer before they go bad.  She has taught me to be more intentional about spending money.

Enter my closet!

 Like most of you I'm sure, you have watched the Marie Kondo show on netflix.  I binged it over a weekend and cleaned out my closet.  I got rid of that entire section!  HUGE pile I took to Clothes Mentor.  They offered me $37 for the items that they wanted to sell, I took that in store credit and then treated myself to a brand new pair of Lilly Pulitzer shorts that totally Sparks Joy in my life!  I still have money left over too.  The clothes they wouldn't be able to sell I went ahead and had them donate. They were still usable clothes just WAY too big for me now.

My favorite sunglasses...

 I'm sure you have seen a ton of pictures of me in these sunglasses on my blog.  They are my favorite.  I love glitter and rhinestones.  Recently they fell off my head and had a piece come out.

 Insert sad face!  There was definitely a chunk missing I couldn't get them to touch even if I wanted to glue that seam together.  Because I didn't want to damage them further I hadn't been able to wear them the last couple of weeks.

I realized the other day that I could repair them with my UV resin.  I'd been dabbling in this craft recently.  I don't have a picture of me placing the UV resin in the space with a Popsicle stick because it was a two handed job.

 My first cure, the resin shrinks a little during the curing process.  Once it was done (about a minute later - I always add time to it just in case.  I filled in a few small spaces - very carefully I might add, because I didn't want it to be all over the place and noticeable.

 From far away you cant even tell I did a repair job.  And if you are close enough to tell I did it, then you are WAY too into my personal bubble!  :)

 Close up of my handy work.

I'm so happy that they are fixed and I'm able to wear them again!!!

Monat Hair Care



 (I apologize for the black and white photos but our bathroom isn't painted yet and the ugly pumpkin orange walls make the contrast horrible and it makes everything on me different colored and awful!) 

I started with Monat back in October of last year.  My niece was selling it and needed another person under her to meet a goal she had.  I had tried it and it wasn't a bad product so I said no problem sign me up. 

I have used Monat exclusively for 7 months.  I normally use the Renew shampoo and condition line. 

This is right after I finished blow drying my hair.  I ALMOST could walk out of the house and not have to worry about straightening my hair, but alas I live in Georgia and the humidity would KILL any straightness it had. (trust me I have tested this theory and I ended up with my ends expanding in a reverse mushroom effect!!)

This is after I straightened it.  I have a GREAT brush straightener that I prefer over the typical straightener.  My daughter loves it as well because it takes me 7 minutes to straighten her hair vs 20-30 minutes it would take with a "normal" straightener.

These are the products I use every time I blow dry my hair.

  I start with my hair damp and put in the leave in conditioner, brush my hair, apply the blow out cream and blow dry.  I always blow dry from my roots down.

I love Savannah's description of why you blow dry that way, makes so much sense and made such a difference in my hair!

https://www.facebook.com/boldbeautifullife/videos/736046616593351/  she does advocate for L'ange hair care, but her tutorial on blow drying was life changing! :P

  I LOVE the blow out cream, it's my heat protectant.  Then when I'm finished blow drying I follow with my straightener.  It takes me 20 minutes from start to finish.