Perspective

Just read a humbling statistic in this article from The Tennessean.

17.5% of Nashville's population lives below the federal poverty line. That means an income of less than $21,834 for a family four.

Stunning.

I spend a considerable amount of mental power figuring out ways our little family of three can save money, and we are privileged to have an income much, much higher than the poverty line.

These thoughts bring to mind several questions for me.

1) How on earth do people make ends meet with an income of less than $21,000? I know that all too often the answer is that the ends just never meet. A lot of these families can't afford basic food and clothing.

2) Where on earth am I spending all of my money? Sometimes I think my mind is in a permanent state of "there will never be enough," when really I am richer than I can possibly imagine.

3) What can I/should I do about this? Do I need to examine my own spending habits? How can I help others in my area?

I am really grateful for the perspective this article has given me. Sometimes I pride myself on frugality, gloating that I clip coupons and choose not to subscribe to cable TV. In truth, I'm not particularly frugal, I just prioritize my luxuries. I can't imagine the daily decisions my fellow Nashvillians must face in trying to provide for their families.

Purse Predicament, a.k.a. Diaper Bag Dilemma, or, Alliteration is Alluring

I think I may ditch the diaper bag.

I love the diaper bag we received for Ian, but I'm realizing it's not the ideal solution for my lifestyle right now. Ian and I run errands several times throughout the week, so I tote him and the diaper bag many places. But when I go somewhere without Ian, I have to switch all my stuff from the diaper bag to a purse. After all, it would look silly to take the diaper bag with me without the kiddo, and Paul might need the bag when he's in charge of Ian. However, the constant switching of stuff is time consuming and means that I often arrive places without my coupons/camera/lip gloss/keys.

For reference, here a diaper bag that is similar to what I use now:

So I think it's time for a change. I think it's time for a mom purse. I'm ready for one of those giant, hold-everything-plus-a-roll-of-duct-tape satchels to tote everywhere I go. I'm sure I'll still use the larger diaper bag for longer outings with Ian (zoo day!), but I like the thought of one bag for a some baby stuff as well as my own junk.

I've started keeping an eye out for the right purse. My friend Jessica recommends I find one with lots of pockets to help me keep everything organized. I'm thinking basic black is probably a good color choice. Ideally, I would love to find a fair trade bag, but I've checked several fair trade sites and haven't found any that are appropriately gargantuan or particularly stylish (and while I'm succumbing to the mom purse, I still want to be stylin', yo?). I might go vintage; that way, even if it was made by sweatshop labor, at least it was sweatshop labor a long time ago.

There are some fund diaper-bag-disguised-as-trendy-purse options, but most of them are a bit out of my price range. Here's a cute diaper bag I found on saksfifthavenue.com, and it's only $550! (Ummmmm.....no.)

This one at Diaper Bag Boutique is only $128! (Ummmmm, still no.)

It's funny being at this point in my purse life. I used to pride myself on carrying the smallest purse I could, trying to be an accessory minimalist. I think becoming a smart phone junkie heralded the end of that era, since that meant I couldn't fit my phone in my jeans pocket. Now I'm back to the level I was in 5th grade, when I carried all sorts of random things in my purse "just in case" (extra water in case of natural disaster? check).

I have a feeling I'll be upgrading to a bigger diaper bag, too, if our family grows any time soon (no, nothing to report there). As a naive, first-time expecting mother, I figured my cute little square of a bag would provide plenty of room. Then I got introduced to babies with reflux and their never-ending need for burp cloths. Of course, now I just need room for tons of extra socks since someone likes to chew on his.

So, other mommies out there, I would love to hear your thoughts on purse vs. diaper bag, and what you have found to be helpful.

Haiti

What can words express about Haiti? I didn't want to write about the great tragedy there because, really, what can I say? I can't imagine the pain and fear that many there are feeling. And let's be honest here -- I don't want to imagine it. I hope I never have that experience.

An admission from me: For a day or two, I didn't want to donate because I didn't want to be joining some trendy cause. It seemed like tweets and statuses about Haiti were everywhere, and I didn't want to make a donation because peer pressure told me to do it.

And then I realized how silly that was. People are dying. People need help right now.

So I donated through World Vision. There are many other organizations offering relief as well. You can check out some more options over at Suburban Turmoil and Faithful Provisions (read the comments for some great ideas from readers).

And now, the moment you've all been waiting for....

We proudly present for your viewing pleasure....The Microsoft Windows 95 Product Team!

No, just kidding. That was some vintage geek humor for ya.

So what you've REALLY been waiting for -- the results of my makeover!

My stylist, Jessica, took $200 and 5 hours of shopping and gave me a wonderful wardrobe refresher.

Here's my "before" picture:

Below you can see our purchases, which rang up at $206.16. Jessica was quite adept at finding sales -- both pairs of jeans were $15 at Old Navy, and the sweater dress was discounted 20%. And the best part? Everything is machine washable!

In case you can't tell from the picture, that's two pairs of jeans, one pair of leggings, one rockin' sweater dress, a cardigan, a plain cami, an embellished cami, a striped top, an Assets camisole (Target's Spanx-ish line), black flats, a flowered headband, black tights, a belt, and an awesome necklace. Yep. $200.

So here are my "after" pics, complete with hair and makeup by Jessica as well.

The outfit with the cardigan is my absolute favorite. I feel like I can hold my own at Green Hills Mall now.

Jessica was able to give me some style tips that will carry me through the rest of this season, such as adding a scarf to a thermal and jeans for some extra flair. She also saved me from spending the rest of my life wearing pants that are too short, lovingly informing me that I am no longer allowed to by regular-length pants. Tall sizes only for my 5'9" self.

We took one afternoon and went through my closet, donating pieces that no longer fit or that I really didn't like. Having someone with me helped me be brave enough to get rid of a ratty, old sweater that I'd had for 10 years, as well as a blazer that was "too nice to throw out," even though I  hated it.

So I think I'm set, style-wise, until.....March, perhaps? Unfortunately, my favorite fashionista is moving to the land of all things stylish -- Italy -- in February. Here's hoping she can do long-distance styling!