Tag Archives: Frocktober

Challenges – An Update

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We are now more than halfway through the month of October so I thought it was time I posted an update of my progress with my twin challenges of ‘Frocktober’ and ‘Stoptober’.

Frocktober is going well.  I have worn a dress or skirt and top every time I have left the house, apart from a couple of weeks ago when it was quite cool and I wore jeans for our casual Friday.  I have managed the additional challenge of not wearing an identical outfit twice in the month so far.  Hopefully, I can get to through the next 13 days as well.

Stoptober has been less of a stellar success, possibly because I started it on a whim and did not have any great plans.  Mind you, I think it is a bit of a fruitless exercise if you buy up big the month before in order not to spend during a particular time.  We have continued to buy modest amounts of groceries as well as fruit and vegetables.  I have thought carefully about what I needed and bought only the basics.  Our ‘essential’ spending has included a doctor’s appointment for me as well as a trip to the dentist for The Duke.  He has a follow-up appointment for more treatment next week.  On the weekend we bought some wire to fence the vegetable garden, seedlings and more grain for the chickens.  I see these purchases as an investment because the returns will always outweigh the outlay.

Our one real ‘failure’ was a decision to eat out last Friday.  We went to the local pizza restaurant and I tried the gluten-free bases which were very acceptable.  We have taken our packed lunches to work each day and I managed to dodge a couple of lunches at work which has meant that I have saved the money but also have not had to confront the issue of what to eat while maintaining my grain-free, sugar-free eating plan as much as possible.

The mortgage will look a bit healthier with the additional money saved!

Still On Track

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My tandem challenges for October are both still on track.

Frocktober – I have accepted the challenge to wear either a dress or skirt each time I leave the house.  In order to add a degree of complexity to the challenge I am trying not to wear the same outfit twice during the month.  So far this is going well.

Stoptober – in conjunction with Frugal Queen I am endeavouring to spend as little as possible this month.  In addition to my haircut and fruit and vegetable shopping which I mentioned in an earlier blog, I bought some hem binding to complete a false hem on a skirt for Missy.  My total spend in 9 days has been $59.70.  The Duke has ordered a new DVD player online since our old one simply ceased to work.  He searched for a good deal and this one is less than $5o, including delivery.

My organising has been fairly limited recently but I am working on completing mending and sewing projects.

I am busily making lists of what I need to achieve before Christmas which is only 11 weeks away.  Composing my Christmas letter and writing cards are things that I like to get done fairly early so will be starting those soon.  I am also keeping an eye out for recipes to include in our Christmas menu.  It will be a little different this year as I am eating a gluten-free diet.  I try to make it grain and sugar free as much as possible, too.  Creativity will be the key.

Have you started thinking about Christmas or do you have your head buried firmly in the sand?

Frocktober – What I Wore Last week

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I promised I would post photos of what I wore during the week as part of my personal challenge to wear only skirts or dresses during the month of October.

2012-10-07 01Unfortunately, there was not time to take photos each morning  but here is my outfit from Thursday.

On Friday I wore a black and white striped denim skirt with a red t-shirt.  On Saturday evening when we went out the spotted skirt was given another airing with the red t-shirt.

I am enjoying the fact that my planned pieces are truly versatile and can be worn as several different combinations.

Spending for Stoptober – $35 for haircut, $20.75 for fruit and vegetables.  Tomorrow I need to buy some olive oil and also look for some vegetable seedlings.

I will report back tomorrow after I have been to the shops.

Project 333 – Frocktober

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It must be because the name of the month lends itself to corruption, but as well as my participation in Frugal Queen’s  ‘Stoptober’ I have also taken up the challenge of ‘Frocktober’.  This is an initiative of the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation here in Australia to raise funds for and awareness of ovarian cancer.

As those of you who read this blog regularly will know, I only own 1 dress/frock and I am not quite ready to embark on a challenge of the magnitude of ‘One Brown Dress’.  This was one woman’s personal challenge to wear the same dress everyday for a year.  Although the original blog no longer exists the link gives an idea of the project.

I have not registered officially for ‘Frocktober’ but plan to make a donation to my friend who has registered.  I have broadened the scope slightly to include skirts and tops and my goal is to wear a skirt or dress to work every day this month and also whenever I go out socially or just to the shops.

To add some interest I am planning not to wear the same combination twice during the month.  This will test just how versatile my wardrobe items are.  When I started Project 333 about 6 months ago I had to seriously consider what I had in my wardrobe.  I decided that everything I kept needed to earn its place and be able to be worn as part of several different outfits.

At the end of the week I will post photos of the outfits I wore.

On another note, today was another no-spend day and in fact, I even made money.  I sold 1.5 dozen eggs for $6.  I also received an email advising that someone wanted to buy 2 dresses that I had offered for sale (a closed group) for $10 each so that will be a bit of additional income also.  I had not worn the dresses for several years and they no longer fit me so it is better that someone else gets the opportunity to wear them.