Money! How to be Levelled Up on a Budget!
If you have been a low maintenance kinda gal suddenly having to incorporate facials and a gym membership into your budget can seem expensive and insurmountable. I’m going to help you navigate being a Distinctive and Sophisticated Fashionista on a budget.
Firstly you need to prioritise. How important is finding a husband and getting married to your dream guy? My guess is, its probably an extremely important goal to you, since you’re here reading this blog. We invest in what is important to us so its time to rejig your budget so that money is available for this mission.
Wardrobe
Going through and replacing all your frumpy outfits in one go is financial suicide for most people. Instead you only really need 2 or 3 date outfits. If you’re really struggling financially just get 1. You can hit the charity shops and ebay for second hand deals. You’ll have a rotation of different dates with several different men, so you can wear the same outfit again and again! You most likely only need high heels, a bodycon dress or other dress you feel comfortable in, a suitable clutch or bag and a coat. Four items and you’re done. If you stick to the same colour scheme you can reuse the coat, bag and shoes so all you’ll need for Date Two and Date Three is a different dress or top and skinny jeans combo.
Signature Colour
For the rest of your life, when you’re not on a date start to choose your outfits more mindfully. Go through your clothes and see what you already have. Try these outfits on in front of the mirror. Consult with a levelled up friend or a dating coach about these outfits.
You might want to find out what your colour season is or build your wardrobe around a signature colour.
Two programmes I found really helpful for this are
The Curated Closet by Anuschka Rees
and
The Happy Closet by Annemarie O’Connor
Both these programmes offer something unique and different, taking you step by step to curating your clothing. O’Connor’s book delved into wedding dress storage so I’m glad I read it for that reason alone!
Start looking at fashion blogs and fashion books to see what is in vogue at the moment and what works together. With a bit of thought and careful planning you can look more elegant without spending any money at all.
If you’re heavier than you’d like to be then don’t decide to leave this wardrobe overhaul until after you lose weight. Start now and counter-intuitively it will actually help you to reach your goal. Remember self acceptance and self love is the first step on the road to accomplishing your goal. You will get there.
Grooming
After the initial purchase of cosmetics and hairspray most grooming can be done at home for pennies. If you’ve never worn make up before then start watching youtube tutorials on how to apply it. Go to a department store for a free makeover. Look into ways to style your hair. Do your nails at home, Shellac home kits can be bought on ebay very cheaply and with some help from Youtube the skill of applying the polish can be learned quickly. Once you’ve bought the kit you never need to buy it again, only to replace the gel nail polishes. You can do facials at home, all you need are a few skin care products (a face mask) a bowl of boiling water and a towel. I colour my own hair every two weeks and give tips how not to stain your bathroom when doing it here. Wear perfume every day and wear it for you.
Upskill your Level Up
Learning to do make-up, style hair and do your own nails at home will save you bucket loads of money as you level up.
Diet & Exercise
All of us eat anyway, so you still need to buy food whether its junk or healthy and nutritious. Many ladies like to take ‘beauty’ vitamins but these aren’t strictly necessary if you’re taking in enough fruit and vegetables. If you make meals yourself from scratch you can eat very cheaply indeed (this post is all about saving money, not saving time) Water, the best drink for us and to make our skin clear is free in developed countries, so just drink it from the tap. As for exercise, walking and running are both free after the cost of appropriate footwear is factored in. There are literally hundreds of free workout videos on YouTube that you could log in and do. Failing that charity shops are always filled with exercise books and DVDs that people have tried. You don’t have to have a personal trainer or a gym membership. You just need to move that booty!
Work Out
You don’t need to join a gym or even buy any exercise DVDs / sign up to peloton.
All you need to do is DO SOMETHING!
Walking. Running. Yoga. Pilates. Stretching. Weight lifting. Callanetics. Calisthenics.
Singles Events:
Singles parties, Speed Dating, Meet Ups
These have a cost but they are essential to your dating journey. Find out who all the companies are in your local area that offer these events and subscribe to their newsletters for discounts. Bulk buy if they offer you a discount. You can always email them to ask (for many companies any sale is better than no sale, no harm in asking if you’re polite) I bought five speed dating tickets in bulk and never needed the last two. Do you think I care about the wasted money? Of course not!!! Make space in your budget after professional photos. Going to these type of events needs to be prioritised. You need to go out and go out where single guys are!
Singles Holiday (vacation)
Consider going on a singles holiday (vacation) or join a group for single people who go hiking or do other activities together.
If you’d like some help how to navigate dating and your Level Up journey while on a budget schedule an appointment with me
or
sign up to my email newsletter
and
check out my book for further details Feminine Energy 101