k, byeee! – Beauty. Wellness. Inspiration.

I Tried to Cut Frivolous Spending for a Month: Here’s What I Learned

I have a question for you: Do your spending habits spark joy?

Last month Marie Kondo’s simple philosophy had me thinking about more than just my clothes. I love a good closet purge, but what about the thing that gets us in the predicament of needing to purge in the first place? Shopping. My spending habits are far from out of control, but I’ve started becoming aware of how many things I buy that I either regret or feel meh about later. Think of all the money I could save for travel!

I decided to challenge myself to only spend money on necessities for the month of May, which mainly meant food, gas, savings, and money for my joint account with Worsham. I wanted to see if I could actually stick to my ideal spending (see my Money Edit post here).

Let’s cut to the chase: I didn’t end up sticking to it, but I’m happy about it (keep reading to see why). Here’s what I learned during my May Money Challenge!

I Spend When I’m Bored – This isn’t totally shocking, but I was surprised at how many times my brain thought about buying things on a hourly (maybe even more) basis. It was ridiculous! Sometimes I just like the thrill of having something new on its way to my mailbox, ya know. Instead of giving in to my every purchase whim – even the ones that seemed semi legit – I wrote down a few things in my phone that I might actually want later like a new glass water bottle and Louis Vuitton key pouch (my potential birthday present from me to me). I even had things in my cart online multiple times and was like, why am I even doing this? I felt like an addict waiting for my next high.

“According to Ruth Engs from Indiana University, some people develop shopping addictions because they essentially get addicted to how their brain feels while shopping. As they shop, their brain releases endorphins and dopamine, and over time, these feelings become addictive. A professor in applied health sciences, Engs claims that 10 to 15 percent of the population may be predisposed to these feelings.” – PsychGuides.com

It Got Easier After Week Two (for a while) – Once I got past the first two weeks, not spending wasn’t such of a struggle. My brain wasn’t racing with a million things I “needed” or wanted. It was calm. I felt lighter and less anxious. It was a nice change of pace.

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The Birthday Edit: Things I Learned Being 28

Well, I can no longer pretend to be in my mid-twenties anymore. On June 19th, I’ll turn 29. The final year of my twenties is upon us, and what a wild ride of a decade it’s been.

I feel like a completely different person than when I was 20, or even when I was 26. It’s been a decade of heartache, happiness, and growth. And even though I’m not where 20-year-old me thought I’d be – sipping mimosas in high rise apartment in Boston with a best-selling novel and a bevy of Louis Vuitton purses everywhere – I’m happy with where I am. (Don’t worry, I fully plan on treating myself to a Louis Vuitton key pouch during my birthday trip to Dallas.) It’s been a decade full of beautiful milestones with my husband, trips, a house, and fur babies (the best kind of babies). I have it good. We all do when we really stop to look at how far we’ve come.

27 and 28 have been a lot like 22 and 23 if I’m being honest. Anyone else feel me? I had an early quarter-life crisis and a delayed one too. It’s been a lot of internal growth, confusion, and wondering if I’m doing the right thing. That’s not because things have been bad (far from it); it’s just the blessing and curse of being able to see the outcome of things before you even choose them. That probably doesn’t even make sense, unless it does…in which case you’re probably 28 too.

Anyway, enough of my philosophical ramblings. I sound like my husband when he’s drunk (love you, Worsham!). Here are a few things I’ve learned this past year of being alive.

Take Time to Be Truly Alone – For someone who has always loved spending time alone, I hadn’t really been alone in the past seven years until my work trip to Florida. I totally downplayed how much it bothered me in my travel post. The week before I left was a mood to say the least. I felt clingy, anxious, and teary. I bought a new crystal and l-theanine just to soothe my worries, and basically followed Worsham around like a child for several days. Cute (I mean, I’m younger than him so this is allowed, right?). Sure, I’ve traveled without him many times, but I’ve always been going to stay with friends aka not really alone. This time was different. I was going with coworkers and would be sleeping alone. ALONE. If you know me, you know I hate sleeping alone. I’m that Drake song, people.

As soon as I walked into the airport though? Totally fine. Totally calm. Excited for the week to myself. That week apart taught me just how essential it is to take time apart for yourself and for your relationship. I got to recharge, do yoga, NOT HAVE TO CLEAN A HOUSE, eat food for free, hang at cool government places where they probs keep aliens, and get to know my coworkers better. I got to remember who I am when I’m just me, and that’s always a good thing.

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2019 Crystal Tour

Lately, I love looking at people’s crystal tours on Instagram. Who needs a traditional house tour anyway? Let’s be real – we all just want to see what’s inside. Give me a tour of your fave crystals or your skincare cabinet over your actual house any day.

Without further ado, here are the crystals you’ll find sparkling in my home! Side note – I recently read Crystal Reiki: A Handbook for Healing Mind, Body, and Soul. Highly recommend for anyone who is even remotely interested in crystals or reiki healing! It’s super thorough, easy to read, and the illustrations are beautiful.

My most important crystal area: the windowsill above our bathtub. Baths are one of my fave things, so I tend to put most of my crystals nearby.

Here’s a more up close view! The big one is a recent purchase. Isn’t it gorge?! It’s a chevron amethyst, which means it’s a combination of amethyst and white quartz. It’s supposed to repel negative energy and bring relaxation.

Up front we have another amethyst (a treasure from when I was little), a quartz, and a rose quartz. The pyramid isn’t a crystal obviously, but it works with the vibe.

On the other side, I have an amethyst that my cousin brought me back from Brazil. The tower is a rose quartz from a recent trip to see her out in LA! It’s another one of my favorites.

The rest are tiny ones (rose quartz, obsidian, blue chalcedony, and chevron amethyst) that came out of my JaxKelly candles. If you haven’t tried their candles yet, do yourself a favor and get one immediately. I also have a little clear quartz from when I was a kid.

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New Organic Faves!

It’s been a while since I’ve updated you guys on new products that I love! There are a lot, including an organic deodorant that actually works (yes, it’s really true). Here’s what I’ve been using non-stop lately.

Caudalie Beauty Elixir – This little gem has always caught my eye in the checkout line at Sephora, so I finally decided to give it a try. You’ve probably heard beauty experts rave about it, and I’m just as obsessed now. I got this in Florida when my skin was dry and have been spraying it on before makeup, after makeup, and before bed. It gives off the most perfect amount of mist, and the formula was inspired by Queen Isabelle of Hungary’s own special youth formula.

Andalou Naturals Cannacell Happy Day Cream – Like I said, my skin has been kind of dry! I picked this up at Whole Foods and it does the job. Some days I just don’t feel like dealing with facial oils, ya know? Especially when I’m about to put on my makeup. It just doesn’t work for me. This is just the right amount of moisture without being too greasy!

Pure Life Soap Co. Coconut Milk Body Lotion – Another Whole Foods find! I have a habit of going in there to buy olives and leaving with beauty products. What can I say? This is my favorite body lotion right now! Not only does the scent remind me of the Bahamas, it gives a cooling sensation thanks to the aloe vera in it. This will be a summer must-have in this wretched Oklahoma heat!

Herbivore Botanicals Blue Tansy Mask – Okay, so this isn’t a new product for me, but I kind of forgot about it. I usually use Lush’s Cosmetic Warrior mask, BUT they just changed the formula and it made me break out. Still not over it. Anyway, this led me back to this gem and it hasn’t let me down! It’s great for acne, post-acne marks, and exfoliation in general. Plus the jar lasts forever.

Vibes Up Deodorant – This is it. The only natural deodorant so far that doesn’t leave me smelling like a beast. Is the packaging cute? No, not really though it does have crystals in the cap at least. WHO CARES THOUGH?! It works. If you’re in Tulsa, you can find this in store at COR Wellness.

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The Travel Edit

If you know me, you know I’m a homebody who loves to travel. Yes, I realize this is a contradiction, but I’m Gemini. It’s just the way it is. I love being cozy at home and at the same time, slowly start going crazy if I don’t go on vacation twice a year. Lucky for me, I’ve not only been to Salt Lake City for my best friend’s wedding this year, but have also been in Florida for the past week for work! Admittedly, I was super anxious about going on my first business trip. After all, I haven’t slept alone since Worsham and I started dating 7 years ago. Should I be okay sleeping alone at 28? Probs. Am I? Debatable.

Here are a few of the things I brought with me to make my trip easier and more fun!

1. Salt Lamp Night Light – This is the goddess of all night lights. Given that I haven’t slept by myself in 4,000 years, this was a necessity. It’s usually in our kitchen, but this week it’s been in my hotel room. It’s just enough light to where you can tell your suitcase isn’t a serial killer watching you sleep, but not too much that it’s annoying.

2. Pacifica Deodorant Wipes – These are always in my purse regardless of the occasion. They are a must-have, especially after a long day of traveling. It’s great being able to freshen up a little bit in the bathroom at the airport. Pacifica recently came out with a new rose scent and it’s magical!

3. L-Theanine – Ride or die. ALWAYS. L-theanine is the best for stress and anxiety, which I was having a lot of before I got to Jacksonville this week. Solaray’s formulation is the best because it also contains green tea. If you’ve tried a different brand before and it didn’t work, TRY THIS ONE. You won’t regret it.

4. Thieves Hand Sanitizer – This needs no explanation. It’s the ultimate hand sanitizer and one of my favorite things that Young Living makes.

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