Money Matters
hoffse
member
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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Places where you bleed money
We're having a minor spending crisis in my household. I found a piano website with a forum dedicated to adult beginners, and I've been buying piano books like they are going out of style. I think I have bought 4 in the last two days.
My H finally called me at work today and was like, "So you do know that every time you buy something on Amazon I get an email, right?"
Unfortunately for H, this is one of the few places where I have almost no self-control. I blame my parents. They were really good at telling me no for most things, but books and sheet music were the major exceptions. As a result, I consumed a LOT of books and music growing up.
I used to live close to the most amazing used book store in Nashville. It's basically the size of a Costco, and because it's Nashville they have a ton of sheet music there for pennies.
But then I moved, so Amazon it is. H is just going to have to get over it.
Where do you bleed money?
Re: Places where you bleed money
Honestly my biggest thing since ds has been born is probably kids clothes. Even though boys clothes aren't as cute as girls, when I run into good sales or clearances or coupons, I have very little self control. As a result ds probably has too many clothes, but at least his younger brother will also be able to wear most of them in the future
Eating out is 100% it for me.
I'm going to sit down with H this weekend and try to come to a healthy solution for our eating out problem. It's been an issue for a while, so I think it's time we address it and especially now that I have a gym membership (only $10 per month!) and have been going regularly but not seeing results. Meal prepping is probably #1 so if we can come up with a plan I might spend Sunday making and freezing crockpot meals.
ETA: I'm also A LOT worse than H with this issue. I will buy lunch out during the week or stop for a quick breakfast on the way to work. Usually it's because I didn't prep my stuff the night before or we don't have stuff I want to eat so I need to tackle that issue too.
Edit: Had to include some pics of my sewing space
My most recent obsession is Stitch Fix. I didn't realize I'd like it quite as much as I do. I have given myself a budget of $150/month (this is my clothes/accessories budget since I have refrained from buying new clothes anywhere else) but I have gone over budget the last two months because I have liked so many of the items I receive. I told H I'm going to do one more month and if I go over budget, I will cut back to receiving a shipment every other month because I can't afford it every month.
Other places we occasionally bleed money-
Books for my Kindle if there are good sales, such as Cyber Monday. I bought 18 new books for approximately $25. I couldn't resist.
Hunting supplies/expenses for H
Renting movies from Amazon
Gifts and donations-I can't seem to say no to all the little $5 and $10 donations for the food bank, or kid's Christmas shopping programs, or school fundraisers, or whatever it is. That stuff adds up!
Do you find the clothes to be a good deal based on quality/material?? I've thought about checking this out but I don't want to pay a ton for clothes that might be cheap feeling/quality. I have a heck of a time finding clothes I love so I thought this might be fun to try some new pieces.
Thanks! I get a little mad at lululemon since they-ahem-don't make my size (even though I'm very happy with my size!), but maybe I'll keep an eye out for holiday sales. The studio has free rentals so that buys me some time.
TTC since 1/13 DX:PCOS 5/13 (long, anovulatory cycles)
Clomid 50mg 9/13 = BFP! EDD 6/7/14 M/C 5w6d Found 11/4/13
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Oh! You mean you don't wear a size 5? Their version of a large, lol? That's one of my pet peeves also. There's a really upscale mall where I live, with a Saks and Tiffany's etc., and one of the stores in there doesn't carry anything larger than a size 10. Except their size 10s are more like 6s. And their size 0s and 3s look like they would only fit children (except for the styles), lol.
The snarky comment that runs through my mind every time I pass by is, "Sorry, I work for a living. I'm not an arm-candy wife who works out with a personal trainer for 2 hours a day and then plays tennis in the afternoon."
I agree that the prices are on the high side, especially for us MMers. However, I have found the quality to be above-average compared to clothes I usually buy (Kohls, JCPenney, etc.) I have really enjoyed the service; not because I don't like shopping, but because it takes me out of my comfort zone. I have had 5 fixes and the same stylist every time. She really gets my style, and sends me things I never would have looked twice at in the store but end up loving them when I try them on.
It's not even remotely MM, but since I've vowed not to buy any other clothes (except necessities like socks and undies) while I am using Stitch Fix, it's really not that much more than I would spend throughout the year on clothes. I'm buying fewer items but better quality things. Plus, I have gotten compliments on every single thing I wear from Stitch Fix, and I love that it's unique and I probably won't see somebody else wearing it. Especially in a small town where everybody wears the same things from JC Penney or Maurices
Thanks ladies for your help! I think I'm going to try it out.
At least once to see what I get... I'm pretty plain and don't step out of my comfort zone when it comes to clothes so I'm interested to see what they pick for me and what I like. I probably won't do it frequently, but I'll try it out. 
Oh! You mean you don't wear a size 5? Their version of a large, lol? That's one of my pet peeves also. There's a really upscale mall where I live, with a Saks and Tiffany's etc., and one of the stores in there doesn't carry anything larger than a size 10. Except their size 10s are more like 6s. And their size 0s and 3s look like they would only fit children (except for the styles), lol.
The snarky comment that runs through my mind every time I pass by is, "Sorry, I work for a living. I'm not an arm-candy wife who works out with a personal trainer for 2 hours a day and then plays tennis in the afternoon."
Oh! You mean you don't wear a size 5? Their version of a large, lol? That's one of my pet peeves also. There's a really upscale mall where I live, with a Saks and Tiffany's etc., and one of the stores in there doesn't carry anything larger than a size 10. Except their size 10s are more like 6s. And their size 0s and 3s look like they would only fit children (except for the styles), lol.
The snarky comment that runs through my mind every time I pass by is, "Sorry, I work for a living. I'm not an arm-candy wife who works out with a personal trainer for 2 hours a day and then plays tennis in the afternoon."
You can check out Manduka mats too. I hear they are great. It annoys me too about the sizing. I have to wear a size bigger in their pants. Same with alo yoga pants.
No one asked my opinion but I've been seriously practicing yoga for 8 years and teaching for 4 so I have tried so many brands of yoga mats over the years. My students who get Gaiam mats often complain about them being super slippery and I find that they tend to spread/stretch out. I used one for about a year but didn't realize how much better a mat could be. My mom has a hugger mugger mat that she likes and you can get one in the $30 price range. I've used it once and it was pretty good. I have two manduka mats (one in my car for teaching/taking classes and one for home practice), had a jade (left it in the sun and destroyed the rubber), and we have a jade at home that is my husbands - the manduka is slippery at first but amazing and I love it, one I have had for 5-6 years now.
Thank you for your opinion! I'll look into higher mugger. Slipperiness is my number one concern since I sweat quite a bit. That's awesome that you teach. I'm really enjoying getting back into it. I sort of fell out of it a few years ago when my studio started pushing the raw juice cleanses and such a bit harder than I prefer and the vibe got kind of weird. I think I've found one that's a great fit in my new city though.
Plan to Eat has been a life saver for me. A friend introduced me to it last year. They run a black Friday sale for half off. I missed it but still plan to renew my subscription. I like that I easily plan meals for the week, print the grocery list, scratch off what we already half and head to the store. It's been good for planning and staying on budget!