$30 Project

Some of you might not know this, but the beginning of 2011 found me back home in CT with a plan to move to Boulder, CO in the spring. I was taking phone interviews and job hunting, I was serious enough that I had given up my apartment in Queens and commuted to the city every day in order to save on rent. 

This lasted about two months. 

At the end of the day, and for a whole variety of reasons, I wasn’t ready to leave New York. Instead of moving to Boulder, I moved to Brooklyn. Into a warehouse loft space. With three dudes. (No, I’m not dating any of them.) 

By this time, my friends and family had decided that I was officially crazy and wrote me off as a lost cause. Then, I was laid off from my job at MTV. 

Needless to say, 2011 didn’t start off on such a hot note. 

HOWEVER. 

Just when it was coming down to the wire at the beginning of June, on the LAST DAY of my severance pay, I got a different gig. And so, in a dramatic turn of events, the end of 2011 found me in a new neighborhood, with a new job and a new relationship. Still got the same ol’ blog though. (WINK.)

In between all these going-ons, The $30 Project was featured in The New York Post and I wrote a couple funny pieces for The Hairpin. A far cry from the girl who had “given up” on writing and just wanted to go hide out West in the woods somewhere. (Although seriously, Colorado is incredibly beautiful and I hope to have many visits there.) 

I’m not sure if I would say that change is bad or good. But change is change and it’s constant. After this year, I am more committed to the idea that I have NO CONTROL WHATSOEVER over my life and ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN. There is no way that I will ever be prepared. This is both exhilarating and terrifying. Mostly terrifying, but I’m trying to be more comfortable with my discomfort? You get it. 

With all this change, I have an entirely brand new life-style that I have been trying to adapt to. I have a lot more work and a lot less time. I have more commitments. Also, my idea of myself, of what constitues me exactly, has been constantly shifting. Sometimes on a daily basis. As a result, my style has changed a lot too. 

More than ever, I am focused on comfort and functional pieces. But I’ve also become less focused on trends and more enamored with quality. 

So here’s what I’ve decided to do on The $30 Project. 

I’ll keep my budget of $1,200 for the year, but I can spend it wherever and whenever I choose. No monthly limit. I’ll be saving the receipts for an exact account of my spendings. I’ll have more freedom, but more responsibility about how I chose to spend it.

What does this mean? 

Probably less outfit pictures. The $30 Project will be making a shift into more of a life-style blog and less of a strict personal style blog. I mean, let’s face it. This place has always been a confusing hod-podge of my ideas and interests. I think that I would just like to make it even more confusing! Or on the flip-side, I would like to take a genuine stab at making it more interesting. Over the course of the last few months, it’s become a little dull to post pictures of myself day after day. I would like to try and provide a more balanced perspective of myself in hopes that you all enjoy it. 

So that is THAT, kids. 

Oh yes! In case you’re wondering, I came in approximately $43 under budget for 2011. I spent $1,157 on clothing and came up with over 150 different outfits. NOT. TOO. SHABBY.