january purchases.

as we have been trying to simply our lives, to live with fewer, better things, we've been careful with our purchases in the apparel, footwear, accessories categories. i'm the big shopper of us two, so yes, i'm at fault most of the time, especially when they are at deep discount (jcrew sales!) and making impulsive buys (wow i'm totally going to wear this beautiful pencil skirt!). in the past few months, i've tried my best to simplify my wardrobe; cleaning out and donating items i have not worn in the past season, year, or years. 

i love cuyana's lean closet movement, and have been shopping with more purpose. i'm not going to try to be a saint and cut myself off from all the lovely things i'd want to buy, but really asking the hard questions of "will i really wear this?" "does this make me happy" "how does this item add value in my life?" "what will it replace when it is added to my closet?". sounds all so zen. 

i hope that every month, i can document the items we've purchased. it will be interesting to look back at the end of the year the list we've made.

1. footwear: casual sneakers
i've been wanting another pair of sneakers from nike for a while now, more for casual-wear than for performance. the flyknit is so comfortable and hugs my feet. they'll be the perfect for our next vacation - to travel in, explore the destination, and also get some gym time!

2. footwear: winter boots 
east coast winters can be brutal and unpredictable. i've always had winter boots, but never really a pair i've been 100% satisfied with. i've been looking at true winter boots for a couple years, but having worked for a footwear company for the past 7, i rarely went outside the brand the purchase footwear. it's pretty crucial for me to have a sturdy pair that i can count on. i've been eyeing this pair of uggs for a while now, and finally, after this past winter storm, made the purchase. now i'm looking forward to the next storm, knowing that my toes will be kept dry and toasty.

3. apparel: versatile black dress
dustin picked out this rag & bone dress for me when we were shopping at neiman marcus. it was on super sale and i tried it on. to my surprise, it was very flattering. i love the white piping that follows the curves, and also the zip front. it's got an edgy, sophisticated attitude. i can see myself wearing this throughout the year; during colder months layered with a button up shirt, a sweater, or a turtleneck, and when it gets warmer, wearing it by itself with black booties. i love it when dustin picks out things for me.

4. beauty: cleansing creme
i wash my hair everyday, and i feel like some of the shampoos i've been using have really been drying out my scalp, especially during the winter. i read up on the purely perfect cleansing creme, loved the concept, and decided to give it a try despite the steep price tag. after a few days, i definitely noticed a difference; my hair is silkier, shinier, and less oily. it's also great to know that i'm not stripping my hair of detergent, even if the other products i've been using are paraben, phosphate and sulfate-free. i think i will be switching the products every other day so that i'll prolong the usage of the cleansing creme!

5. for the home: upholstered bench
as we were re-organizing the apartment and moving furniture around, we realized that we were not taking full advantage of the beautiful manhattan skyline view from our living room window. with that we headed to home goods in search of a bench that would fit the space (as well as some other items to stage the apartment with). dustin and i both laid our eyes on a beautiful lavender-gray bench with arms (similiar). we took it home and immediately fell in love with it. it's a great reading spot during the day.

6. for the home: all-in-one printer/copier/scanner
as previously mentioned on going paperless, we have made efforts to get rid of paper in our lives. with that, we made one of the more important purchases of january; an all-in-one machine. this thing scans, copies, and prints double sided! AND connects to our laptops wirelessly, which is like the cherry on top. with all the advantages this printer has, it takes us one step closer to building our "home office". 

going paperless.

most people have a new year resolution. most of the new year resolutions are very broad: be more healthy, exercise more often, save money, eat out less. i'm not going to critique on them, nor is this post about how these kinds of resolutions are not effective. eg: HOW are you going to be more healthy? by eating more vegetables and less junk food?...etc. anyways.

as a part of our "life-changing magic of tidying up" (note: see previous blog post), D has been busying himself, a few hours each weekend, scanning every single piece of important paper we have stacked up and filed away in boxes we will never open or look at, and saving it on our home computer. with that, i've been diligently shredding every single piece of paper (and recycling it, of course) that has already been scanned and digitally cataloged by D. without realizing it, this whole process of going paperless has become our new year resolution and our eventual goal for the future.

we have also been reducing the number of junk mail we receive by signing up for different services that help put us on the "do not mail" list. i wonder if by signing up for these services i'm actually putting our names and address out there even more! we will see if after a few weeks/months our junk mail batch eventually decreases - only time will tell.

going paperless already has a positive effect on me; feeling lighter, cleaner, decluttered. paper never brings anyone happiness or joy; mostly just paper cuts. and getting rid of things that causes paper cuts feel good. no more bleeding fingertips. hooray to that!