Diva On A Budget

Diva On A Budget

It is not easy being a diva who wants to look fly, fabulous and fierce when you are restricted to be on a budget. A budget is a great way for you to learn to get more bang out of your buck even when you are on a limited income. If you are like me being on a budget has taught me to shop for the best for less. When I decided to separate from them military in 2008 it devastated my pockets because I no longer was getting paid a military paycheck. Soon reality hit me when I found myself unemployed and a single parent with a restricted income. The last couple of years has challenged me financially but yet it has taught me to live within my lifestyle and no longer live beyond my means. I have learned not to be wasteful with my expenses but save for me and my daughters future. However, since I am a woman it is a necessity for me to pamper myself and feel good about the myself. I love being a woman continue  to embrace every aspect of my femininity. But it is important to use wisdom on my shopping sprees. So, below I will give you a few tips on being a diva on a budget.

Here are a few helpful tips to help you still maintain your diva status on a budget:

• Every month set aside a shopping budget for yourself after all your financial commitments are subtracted.
• Do an Internet search on all the thrift stores, good wills, and consignment shops in your area.
• Focus on one area you want to build in your wardrobe such as dress pants, casual shirts, summer dresses etc.
• Make a list of what items you plan to get so you will not go over your budget
• Mix and Match name brand items with regular brands (no name brand)
• Try out new items that you may not normally buy and try to create your own style
• Read magazines like Glamour, In Style, Vogue, etc. to get a grip on what is in or out for the season (Buy your local libraries magazines that they are selling at a very low cost from back issues)
• Look in your closet and reinvent a new outfit(put a scarf, vest, or cardigan over a shirt to make a whole new outfit)

Here are a couples of sites to help you be a diva on a budget:
www.bagborroworsteal.com
www.justfab.com
www.ebay.com
http://www.platoscloset.com/

Diva On A Budget

Diva On A Budget

It is not easy being a diva who wants to look fly, fabulous and fierce when you are restricted to be on a budget. A budget is a great way for you to learn to get more bang out of your buck even when you are on a limited income. If you are like me being on a budget has taught me to shop for the best for less. When I decided to separate from them military in 2008 it devastated my pockets because I no longer was getting paid a military paycheck. Soon reality hit me when I found myself unemployed and a single parent with a restricted income. The last couple of years has challenged me financially but yet it has taught me to live within my lifestyle and no longer live beyond my means. I have learned not to be wasteful with my expenses but save for me and my daughters future. However, since I am a woman it is a necessity for me to pamper myself and feel good about the myself. I love being a woman continue  to embrace every aspect of my femininity. But it is important to use wisdom on my shopping sprees. So, below I will give you a few tips on being a diva on a budget.

Here are a few helpful tips to help you still maintain your diva status on a budget:

• Every month set aside a shopping budget for yourself after all your financial commitments are subtracted.
• Do an Internet search on all the thrift stores, good wills, and consignment shops in your area.
• Focus on one area you want to build in your wardrobe such as dress pants, casual shirts, summer dresses etc.
• Make a list of what items you plan to get so you will not go over your budget
• Mix and Match name brand items with regular brands (no name brand)
• Try out new items that you may not normally buy and try to create your own style
• Read magazines like Glamour, In Style, Vogue, etc. to get a grip on what is in or out for the season (Buy your local libraries magazines that they are selling at a very low cost from back issues)
• Look in your closet and reinvent a new outfit(put a scarf, vest, or cardigan over a shirt to make a whole new outfit)

Here are a couples of sites to help you be a diva on a budget:
www.bagborroworsteal.com
www.justfab.com
www.ebay.com
http://www.platoscloset.com/

Never Stop Dreaming

I think for one moment, one still moment I stop dreaming I got consumed with reality and I stop dreaming. It was like the lights dimmed for a brief second and my breathing was frantic. I could not think, talk, or see the path before me because I let the reality of life take away my imagination. I realize how dreaming keeps me alive no matter if it is a world of fantasy, dreaming keeps me happy. I expect a greater life than what I am living now because I know through my struggles there is another world that exist, the one I supposed to live. I will travel around the world, internationally touching the four corners of the Earth. I will witness the most beautiful, breathtaking sites that God has created here on Earth. I will live an abundant life filled with joy, love, laughter and adventure. I will create adventure everywhere my feet are planted but I will not stop to embrace reality. Reality says, "I am not where I need to be, I need more money, it is hard being a single mother, sometimes I want to scream and cry because it seems like the road is getting harder". I will never listen to Reality because Dream says,"I love life, I am living abundantly, I do not lack anything, I enjoy the richness of my life and I am a gift to the world".  I think for one short second I stop dreaming and became overwhelmed with reality. My dreams are so much greater than reality. No matter how loud reality is I have drown out the noise with my dreams. I am human just like the next person, I bleed, I cry, I laugh, I sing, I love and I hurt. But most of all I dream-BIG,small, Long or WIDE.....I can never stop dreaming, do not never stop dreaming, never stop dreaming...."STYLICIA, NEVER STOP DREAMING"! In this quick moment I hear a small still voice, who is it? It is the Spirit of God and he tells me "Never stop dreaming"! So, in my moment of reality with being consumed with the "realness" of my situations I close my eyes and shut out the world and start back dreaming.

I ENCOURAGE YOU TO NEVER STOP DREAMING!

Never Stop Dreaming

I think for one moment, one still moment I stop dreaming I got consumed with reality and I stop dreaming. It was like the lights dimmed for a brief second and my breathing was frantic. I could not think, talk, or see the path before me because I let the reality of life take away my imagination. I realize how dreaming keeps me alive no matter if it is a world of fantasy, dreaming keeps me happy. I expect a greater life than what I am living now because I know through my struggles there is another world that exist, the one I supposed to live. I will travel around the world, internationally touching the four corners of the Earth. I will witness the most beautiful, breathtaking sites that God has created here on Earth. I will live an abundant life filled with joy, love, laughter and adventure. I will create adventure everywhere my feet are planted but I will not stop to embrace reality. Reality says, "I am not where I need to be, I need more money, it is hard being a single mother, sometimes I want to scream and cry because it seems like the road is getting harder". I will never listen to Reality because Dream says,"I love life, I am living abundantly, I do not lack anything, I enjoy the richness of my life and I am a gift to the world".  I think for one short second I stop dreaming and became overwhelmed with reality. My dreams are so much greater than reality. No matter how loud reality is I have drown out the noise with my dreams. I am human just like the next person, I bleed, I cry, I laugh, I sing, I love and I hurt. But most of all I dream-BIG,small, Long or WIDE.....I can never stop dreaming, do not never stop dreaming, never stop dreaming...."STYLICIA, NEVER STOP DREAMING"! In this quick moment I hear a small still voice, who is it? It is the Spirit of God and he tells me "Never stop dreaming"! So, in my moment of reality with being consumed with the "realness" of my situations I close my eyes and shut out the world and start back dreaming.

I ENCOURAGE YOU TO NEVER STOP DREAMING!

Be Yourself....

“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” 

~Ralph Wado Emerson~

The defining of age has define my beauty, increased my confidence and help me embrace the beautiful woman that lies within. I am learning at this stage in my life to embrace my beauty in all forms, from my hair; short and chic, to my eyes, to the accent of my curves, to my soft brown hue, to my petite height. I am not ashamed to admit how beautiful I am, how smart I am, how brilliant God created me. Some may say this is pure conceit but I beg to differ, this my Darlings is what you call "CONFIDENCE". It took me a lifetime to accept me for who  I am now. I never got a chance to tap into the authentic woman I desperately wanted to become. The persona I created did not define the real me. Many people say be authentic, be real but we tend to live in a society where fabrication is accepted quicker than realness. Originality is described to be the state of having a freshness or newness that evokes a nontraditional persona. In 2011, I took time to examine myself and found out I was not the "Stylicia" I really wanted to be but just a fabrication of what others thought I should be for the sake of being polite. I am at a turning point in my life where I have decided to be true to myself and not allow anyone to define me. When I was in my 20s I was constantly trying to find out who I was so I went through different transformations in my hair, the way I dressed and much more. But when I turned thirty I realized I could not stay on this path I had to embrace the authentic me. When you begin to think of authenticity you think of realness, being bona fide and unadulterated. When you are authentic you are not a water down version of what others believe you should be for the sake of pleasing others. Authenticity has a class and charm that attracts other authentic people. It has been 9 months since I have been on this authentic journey and it has changed my life. There was a time I cared about what others thought of me and I spent time trying to explain myself. I finally got an "Aha" moment and realized  I do not need to explain or justify who I am to anyone. The things I need to improve God will help me improve overtime but until then the Lord will help refine those thorns to make them a beautiful flower. So instead of spending hours of imitating someone else look, style, and persona how about you be bold, daring enough to create your own edgy look through fashion and through life. Express who you are by being true to you...God has created us for His glory and He did not make us all to be clones of each other. The Lord is a God of variety and diversity from different shapes, sizes, skin tones and cultures. Embrace who you are and be the "authentic" you!

Be Yourself....

“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” 

~Ralph Wado Emerson~

The defining of age has define my beauty, increased my confidence and help me embrace the beautiful woman that lies within. I am learning at this stage in my life to embrace my beauty in all forms, from my hair; short and chic, to my eyes, to the accent of my curves, to my soft brown hue, to my petite height. I am not ashamed to admit how beautiful I am, how smart I am, how brilliant God created me. Some may say this is pure conceit but I beg to differ, this my Darlings is what you call "CONFIDENCE". It took me a lifetime to accept me for who  I am now. I never got a chance to tap into the authentic woman I desperately wanted to become. The persona I created did not define the real me. Many people say be authentic, be real but we tend to live in a society where fabrication is accepted quicker than realness. Originality is described to be the state of having a freshness or newness that evokes a nontraditional persona. In 2011, I took time to examine myself and found out I was not the "Stylicia" I really wanted to be but just a fabrication of what others thought I should be for the sake of being polite. I am at a turning point in my life where I have decided to be true to myself and not allow anyone to define me. When I was in my 20s I was constantly trying to find out who I was so I went through different transformations in my hair, the way I dressed and much more. But when I turned thirty I realized I could not stay on this path I had to embrace the authentic me. When you begin to think of authenticity you think of realness, being bona fide and unadulterated. When you are authentic you are not a water down version of what others believe you should be for the sake of pleasing others. Authenticity has a class and charm that attracts other authentic people. It has been 9 months since I have been on this authentic journey and it has changed my life. There was a time I cared about what others thought of me and I spent time trying to explain myself. I finally got an "Aha" moment and realized  I do not need to explain or justify who I am to anyone. The things I need to improve God will help me improve overtime but until then the Lord will help refine those thorns to make them a beautiful flower. So instead of spending hours of imitating someone else look, style, and persona how about you be bold, daring enough to create your own edgy look through fashion and through life. Express who you are by being true to you...God has created us for His glory and He did not make us all to be clones of each other. The Lord is a God of variety and diversity from different shapes, sizes, skin tones and cultures. Embrace who you are and be the "authentic" you!