Project Stop & Splurge

When I gave birth, my priority was my son. I set aside my needs and made him number one in everything. This included stopping shopping for stuff for myself. I think since he was born, I only bought fewer than 10 items for myself and they were mostly toiletries (which if you are a shopaholic do not count because they are essentials; *naughty grin*).

Anyway, we are planning a trip on my birthday in February so I was thinking last night and I thought of undertaking 2 projects. They are Project No Baby Buys and Project Stop & Splurge. As the name suggests, No Baby Buys means I won’t be buying stuff for my baby (except the essentials, of course, like milk and diapers). Stop &; Splurge is for me. I was planning to buy a few things for myself for Christmas this year but decided against it. I will just save my money and then splurge on my birthday. So basically, I stop shopping now and splurge on my birthday. = )

I wonder how long I will last. I’m betting a long time because I was able to do it for almost a year now but then again, my shopaholic alter ego was satisfied because I was still shopping stuff for my son. Now I’m on a ban. No everything so I guess this will be hard.

I have set a few rules for myself during Project Stop & Splurge:

1. I will not buy makeup unless I run out of something I really need.
Right now, I have everything I need but my foundation stock is running low. My BB cream is running critically low and my Paul & Joe liquid foundation just won’t cut it when I travel. I’m scared to bring the pot with me. Transferring a small amount to another jar is out of the question so I might buy foundation either before I leave or when we go on vacation.

2. I will not buy new clothes.
This is easy for me as I haven’t done so in a long time. I can survive with what I have. I can wait until my birthday to get new clothes.

3. I will not buy new bags.
I made an inventory of what I have the other night and I found some pretty good stuff. I will try to use them until they wear out which is something I’m used to. When I like a bag, I use it until it gives out.

4. I will not buy new accessories.
This is going to be hard for me as I looooove accessories. Even though I cannot wear them right now because they might hurt my son when I carry him, I still stock up on them. I have a ton of accessories that I haven’t used yet.

5. I will only buy Christmas gifts and essentials like toiletries and stuff.
I have just a few more people on my list and I think I can finish the list before Christmas rolls around.

6. If I cheat, I need to pay Php1,000 for every item that I buy. This money will go to the baby fund which I cannot use for myself so that’s less shopping money for me on my birthday.

7. I will break all rules on my birthday!
I think it’s only fair as I spent my birthday this year in the hospital. I had a difficult pregnancy. I bled several times and the first time happened on the eve of my birthday so I spent my birthday hooked up to monitors and fearing for my baby’s life. Then it happened a couple more times. The only thing that made me cheer up a little that night was the Delivery Room staff. They gave me a J.Co donut with a solitary candle and wished me a happy birthday. They couldn’t even light the candle as I had an oxygen tank beside me. At least, that nightmare is over and thank God my son is a healthy and happy baby.

I will record my progress here until my birthday. If I ever buy something, I will also blog about it. Transparency is key to the success of this project. I am scared and excited at the same time about this project. I hope I’ll be successful. Wish me luck!

The Pleasure of Leaving It Behind

I really liked this dress. Enough that I stood there looking at it for far longer than necessary, having that familiar little debate with myself. It was black. Simple. Very me. I could already imagine how I would wear it. There was only one problem. The fabric was thick. And perhaps in another climate, or another version of my life, that wouldn’t matter very much. But I live in the Philippines. We’re going through El Niño. Heat and I are already not particularly good friends, and my histamine sensitivity has made me even less willing to wear something that might leave me uncomfortable simply because it looks good. Still, I stood there. Because sometimes walking away from something we like is strangely difficult, even when we already know it isn’t right for us. We start negotiating. Maybe I’ll only wear it indoors. Maybe the fabric isn’t that thick. Maybe I’ll regret leaving it behind. Then I realized I was trying awfully hard to convince myself to buy something my body had alrea...

Used to the Last Drop: The Ones I’d Already Told You About

There’s something particularly satisfying about finishing a product you’ve already written about. Not testing it. Not forming first impressions. Not wondering whether I’ll still like it three weeks from now. Finished. My Molang Honey sheet masks and this body scrub both made it all the way to the end. (Finally for the Molang sheet masks, right?) I’ve reviewed both before, so I won’t review them all over again here. But perhaps using something until there is nothing left to use is its own kind of review. Beauty products come through my bathroom rather frequently. Some are lovely for a week. Some get pushed to the back of a shelf. Some simply stop working for me. And then there are the ones that quietly disappear because I kept reaching for them. Maybe an empty container is the shortest review of all. I liked it enough to finish it. If you want to read my thought about these products, just type them on my search bar. —- With elegance and quiet fire, Lady E Founder, Glow by Lady E...

Soul Notes: For Your Journal Tonight

Come sit with me for a while. I have my journal open, and tonight I’ve been thinking about something I suspect I do more often than I realize. I turn healing into another thing I need to accomplish. I want to know when I’ll be over something. When I’ll stop thinking about it. When something that hurt will finally stop hurting. When I’ll feel like myself again. And somewhere along the way, healing quietly becomes another deadline. Another invisible date on a calendar. Another thing I can somehow be late for. But maybe healing doesn’t work particularly well under project management. Maybe there are things I will understand quickly and things I’ll have to revisit again and again. Maybe I’ll feel completely fine one day and unexpectedly tender the next. That doesn’t mean I’ve gone backwards. It means I’m still moving through it. I remember one day, many years ago, when I had fibromyalgia. I lived in constant pain. I just couldn’t get a good day. And then one day, in the office...

Glow by Lady E

Search This Blog