Author: Debbie Roes

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December 2014 “Grab Bag” of Useful Links

Is it just me or has December sped by more quickly than any other month this year?  Yes, we still have another week left in the month, but it will be filled with lots of holiday festivities for many of us.   A lot of my fellow bloggers are taking some time off this week and next, but I decided to still do a few posts.   Instead of sharing my useful links at the very end of the month as per usual, I opted to go live with this post today.  That way, if some of you want to take a bit of downtime later in the week or over the weekend, you’ll have some interesting things to read.

Christmas Tree

Today’s post includes links to articles I think you’ll enjoy related to shopping and shopping psychology, wardrobe management, personal style, and a few posts from the “Recovering Shopaholic” archives (you can view all previous articles HERE).  As a special addition this month, I also offer a few holiday-themed links.

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Sharing Your Thoughts – Reader Survey Results

I’d like to extend a sincere thank you to all those who completed the reader survey I sent out last month.  I received 458 responses in total, which definitely exceeded my expectations!   Since I know that only a small fraction of readers comment on posts or send email, the survey was the best way for me to understand what you like about “Recovering Shopaholic” and what you’d like to see in the future.

Reader feedback

Of course, I will never be able to fully please everyone, but receiving input from a large number of readers will help me in shaping the future of the blog.   In today’s post, I will share a summary of the survey responses, complete with some fun charts that were easily generated by the survey program.

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Outfit Restyling – Advice from Bridgette Raes

This is the final installment (I think, anyway) of my Bridgette Raes series.  It’s hard to believe that I only had two virtual sessions with Bridgette given how much wonderful advice I received from her.   We really packed a lot of information into a short amount of time!

In the last two posts of this series (see here and here), I outlined some of the suggestions that Bridgette made for improving my skirt ensembles and enhancing some of my favorite outfits.   I’ve recently had a chance to play in my closet and implement some of Bridgette’s advice.  In today’s post, I share before and after photos that show how I changed some of my looks through incorporating the words of wisdom I received from the fabulous Ms. Raes.

Good Better Best - Outfit Re-styling

A Few Caveats

I wasn’t able to translate all of Bridgette’s advice literally, as I was limited by the contents of my closet.   I didn’t own some of the items that Bridgette recommended wearing, but I did my best to use what I have to improve upon my outfits.   While I don’t love all of the new looks, I feel that many of them represent a vast improvement over the original ensembles.  Some of the differences are quite minor, such as switching out the shoes, while others are more dramatic.   All in all, I enjoyed experimenting and trying new things.  

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November 2014 Accountability Update

December is well underway, so it’s high time for me to share my November accountability update. For those who are new to “Recovering Shopaholic,” these monthly reports are where I share what came into and left my closet during the previous month, what I wore, and how I did with my shopping budget and rules.  It’s my way of keeping myself honest and on track with my goals.

Shopping Accountability Updates

What Left My Wardrobe and Why

I always start these reports with what left my closet during the previous month.  In November, I focused on purging some unused and unloved jewelry pieces from my collection.   Although I’ve already met my jewelry pare-down goal for the year (goal #10 here), the new jewelry tracking system I started this fall has really helped me continue to downsize.

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Useful Links on Accessorizing: Necklaces, Belts, and Scarves

I was planning to post my November Accountability Update today (see previous updates here), but unfortunately a power failure and a horrible migraine got in the way.  So I’ll have to put that post off until next week.

But I didn’t want to leave you with nothing, so here are some useful links on the topic of accessorizing.  This edition covers necklaces, belts, and scarves.  In a future post, I’ll share some links on additional accessorizing topics.

How to Wear Necklaces Continue reading →