How to quit you.

Ok so I hear you. Some of you are telling me that we need to donate these clothes. And trust me, just this weekend Paul and I made a run to Housing Works to get our Spring Clean on. But there is another way. A way that I think you can get down with. Ladies and gentleman, I introduce to you...The Clothing Swap. My sister, and her sister-in-law have hosted at least a half a dozen swaps over the past few years. Here is how it works. PS, I am assuming that this is a girl thing. Most guys I tell about this seem to get turned off by the idea of trading clothes with their friends. But guys-- it's the bomb and you should go for it.

1. Invite a lot of people and encourage them to bring their friends. Eye someones style that you like? Ask them too.  In this case, it really should be the more the merrier. That way you get a great range of both stuff and sizes.
2. Lay out a few rules. Gym clothes? Lets skip them! Bring at least 4 things? Whatever you are comfortable with.
3. Set a date and send out invites. For the host, make sure to have a few snacks and drinks. You can always assign this task to some of your guests. 
4. Once everyone arrives, designate different areas/rooms for different pieces. Tops in one section, bottoms in another. Even shoes and accessories in another! Just keep it organized.
5. With the final head count, have everyone draw a number 1-how many people are there, lets say 10. You are creating the draft here.1 gets the first pick (lucky) with 10 being the last. But then, twist, 10 goes again and this time you go backwards. Does this make sense? It works for the NFL, it will work for you.
6.  While picking numbers, allow for time for everyone to scout out of the goods. Try ons are totally cool, just make sure you set a time limit on this otherwise it can last all day.
7. Get swapping!

Honestly, I have picked up some of my most favorite items at past clothing swaps. One persons junk jeans are another mans treasure. Over a dress, bring it on.

Have you ever been to a swap? What did you get? Would you guys like to have a swap sponsored by MPDaily?

I can't quit you

Maybe an extra pair of jeans wouldn't be a problem if our closets were two stories. Dang! Seen here

A friend of mine Nell recently shot me an email that I totally connected with. She was telling me about her Spring Cleaning process and the dilemma that arose. After going through her closet, editing out what she did and didn't wear, she was stuck staring at two pairs of Seven Jeans.  Had she paid a lot of money for them? Yes. Were they in style now? No. Had she worn then in years? No. But still, the idea of getting rid of them was foreign. And totally relate-able. I graduated college in 2004 (no shame in 30) and lived in at least 6 different apartments since then. You know what else has lived in those 6 apartments-all with limited storage space? My- painfully expensive- Diesel Jeans that I got as a senior in college. Why? I don't know, 100% of me knows that I will never ever wear them again, but there they are. Tucked away in a drawer like my old report cards and diaries. Maybe one day I will say mercy and donate them, but for now, I will keep them.

Do you have anything else that you keep even though you don't wear it? Is it often based on how much you spent on it? I am wondering since both Nell and my picks were on the more expensive side of things.

I actually might have a solution for this...stay tuned.

Non-Buyers Remorse

The ones that got away....from my own shopping cart.

 Since this week somehow seemed to be about making purchases, let's talk about a few woulda, coulda, shoula moments. Everyone and their mother has talked about and suffered from buyers remorse. Bad shirts, awful shoes and that one dress that you thought might work and WASN"T returnable. Ugh, we have all been there. But what about things that you have passed u?. When I went on a trip to Guatemala with my friend Barbara, we had to buy another suitcase to bring back all the stuff that we bought. But to this day, I still think about a few pieces that I didn't get. Specifically this ceramic (I think) cactus that I still envision being the perfect friend for our Jade plant. I also once saw tickets to Israel for $330.00 round trip from New York. It has been a typo (they forgot to put a 1 before the 3) and honored those who bought them at this price. Why we didn't snatch those up still mystifies me. What about you guys? Any non-buyers remorse moments for you?

Dream Jeans...Updated

Lusting over these jeans at J.Crew

How perfect do these jeans look? I love that they aren't skinny skinny, have some wear to them and look amazing with heels (and probably sneakers too). I can picture myself wearing them in Paris, walking through the flea markets with my perfect French hair and rocking my Hunter jacket. But hold up, these bad boys are $168.00 bucks at J.Crew so that ain't happening. Guess my search will continue for the perfect jeans....any suggestions?

I should make a side note that my most favorite pair of perfect always cute, very flattering jeans are JBrand 910's. They always make me look put together, skinny and they hit at the perfect spot both in rise and length. They are expensive but worth it. Plus I am pretty sure Kate Middleton has a pair. The only problem is that they only come in dark wash. And for this spring, I am really craving a light distressed wash. So please, JBrand, hook a sister up!

Let's keep this party going.

Thoughts on this jacket? I am looking for something that I can wear for spring, will be cute for Paris and isn't too trendy. I know that those military style ones are all over the place now but not sure I have the right look to pull them off. Plus this is on sale. What do you all think?

Seen at Saks

Cyber Monday!

And maybe a fur vest too? Image from here

Welcome back from Thanksgiving break! I hope you had a great holiday. Did you do any shopping on Black Friday? What about today, Cyber Monday? I am suffering over some boots at Bloomingdales and most likely going to load up on household supplies at Soap.com What about you? Any awesome deals I need to know about?

while on the topic of breaking the bank

When I opened my email this morning, staring at me was a notice. Take an additional 25% off all sale clothing at Anthropologie. This is what I call being tested. I actually find it helpful to look through all of it , even adding things to my basket and then quickly closing the page and walking away.  For anyone interested in what I did place in my basket, here is  a peak.I found the Blue Suede Skirt to be particularly hard to walk away from.  Please feel free to email me for size information if you feel like making a purchase in my honor. :) Did you see anything that you liked?

Pants Seen Here, Suede Skirt Seen Here and Tee Dress Seen Here 

Come get cozy

The combination of our somewhat new sectional couch and weather getting a little chillier (though no one told God it's fall today) is really calling for a new cozy blanket to get under on a Sunday night. Enter Leif Shop. Yes, I want to buy almost everything on this site but these two blankets were really calling out to me. I did look closer and not sure that they are going to be big enough but dang, that are cute. Plus, I am still holding on strong and not buying anything. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't.....and then gift it to me!

Blanket on the left seen Here, Blanket on the left seen Here

Also totally loving these from Leif too!

Tassel Bracelet Seen Here

Dipped Juice Cup Seen Here

Serving Platter Seen Here

is it cold in here? oh no, it must be a....

Oh yeah, just my stuff

After the holidays this past year, lets just say my credit card statement wasn't exactly what I wanted it to be. Once I did the math, I made a plan. I put myself on hold from buying anything that wasn't a necessity from January 1st until February 14th. The thought process was that there was a deadline and I could see it. It wasn't like 6 months, this was totally do-able. And I still allowed myself to go window shopping, even try stuff on. If I was still thinking about whatever it had been, and it wasn't a total budget buster, then after the 14th, I told myself that I could buy it. The thing was that I never went back for anything. A great resource and a way that I got through it was looking at Pinterest and putting clothing together to make an outfit that I wouldn't have otherwise.
So now with the summer packed full of vacations, moving and new jean shorts, its time for another spending freeze. It's actually been on for me since post-Barneys Warehouse Sale and I am trying to make it until Halloween. This time, it hasn't been as easy. With the fall season in full effect, oxblood being the color of the moment and me still desperately wanting leather leggings, it might not have been the best planning (so far only cheating once due to my iphone case and these new lipbalms that I have been meaning to tell you about). But lord knows I feel better when I see that Amex statement at the end of the month.

How do you save money? Any tips? Do you use an app for budgeting? Dudes, lets talk.