We are one week into Frugal February and it's been tough, but I've made it this far with only one purchase-some Nancy Ganz pants for a modeling job I've got later this month (which in my defence, I tried to buy online last week and they didn't have my colour and size!)
But gee, I've been tempted to cave, especially when I spotted a pair of burgundy over the knee leather boots at Witchery. And a sequin jacket from Sportsgirl. Or a fun, flirty off the shoulder dress at Mister Zimi and stripes and ruffles at French Connection. There were also some cute earrings from Shabby Sisters and a beautiful blue floral frock from JAG that would really make my eyes POP! .
So yeah, it's been a struggle, but I didn't. buy anything! I did exchange one thing for another, but I actually got money back so technically, that doesn't count. (My game, my rules).
Speaking of which, let's talk about style challenges.
You know those mornings when you stand and stare at your wardrobe and you know there are clothes in there, after all, you can see them. And yet ... there's nothing to wear.
It can be tough and a bit of a crap feeling, so habit tends to dictate that this is the moment when you'll reach for something old and familiar. Something you probably feel like you wear ALL THE TIME (stripes and jeans, anyone?) .
A great way to get into the spirit of shopping/rediscovering your wardrobe and starve off that desire to buy is to take part in a style challenge.
I've taken part in a few of these over the last couple of years and they're not only fun, but they definitely got me thinking about my existing wardrobe in a new way as I tried to tackle each theme. Sure, there were some days when I didn't participate because the theme just 'wasn't me' and that's okay.
I decided I'd whip up a 14-day challenge as part of #WBWFrugalFeb to give everyone taking part some ideas on what to look for in their wardrobes - or to put their own spin on the topics if they didn't have something to match.
It's been going great guns with almost 250 posts under the #WBWFrugalFeb hashtag on Instagram (check them out here).
If you'd like to play along, there's still a week to go and here's the list of themes. If you've got something that matches one of themes we did this week, I'd still love to see it!
One of my favourite style challenge, Style File, is run quarterly (Summer, Autumn, Winter, Spring) by my blogging mates, and and now has its own Instagram account, StyleFileInsta, so everyone can follow along and share their #everydaystyle for more inspiration.
Past themes have included Topical Tuesday; Tassel Tuesday; On Wednesday's We Wear Pink; Team Stripes; Gaga for Gingham and Monochrome Magic.
The next Style File challenge kicks off on 1 March (that's #AutumnStyleFile) so jump online to kimbalikes.com or join @stylefileinsta on Instagram to play along.
Would you play along if I ran another style challenge later this year? What themes would you be keen to see? Are you doing Frugal Feb? If so, how's it going for you? 05