Who's Idea Was This, Anyway?

I'm currently in the throes of a self-imposed no shopping challenge. And guys, it got really difficult in the middle of March, when everyone and their cousin launched their spring lines. It was especially painful on a trip to Target (which is my absolute weakness) when I wanted to buy ALL THE THINGS.

It's not that I'm a shopaholic, because I'm definitely not. But, I need to keep myself in check every-so-often. Every $10 here, $50 there, and $125 over here all adds up. My main problem areas are make-up (helloooooo Sephora), home decor, shoes, and just about anything from Target (told you I love this place).

In the past, I would have said clothes, but I've already stopped buying them as much since I started losing weight last August. I'm waiting until I hit my goal to buy new pieces. However long it takes me.

The sole reason for this challenge isn't just to save money, but it's also intended to be a lesson in appreciating and using up what I already own. I have probably 50 lipsticks & lipglosses already, so do I really need that new shade? Not so much. It's really tough sometimes, because I like to keep up on the beauty blogs and YouTube videos. I'm finding myself occasionally avoiding them, so I don't feel so deprived.

My Birchbox subscription is tiding me over, though. Each month I get 4-5 beauty samples to try, so that is currently filling any void I have. Plus, it's been fun re-discovering things I already own, but may have otherwise tossed aside.

I started this challenge February 13th, and chose June 24th as its end - my birthday. Here's to two more months of appreciating what I already have. Two more months of not giving in. I've got this.

Let's Do This Thang

So, yeah. I'm back in the game, so to speak. I've been blogging off and on since the year 2000. (Remember that Conan O'Brien skit? Seemed like the year 2000 was so far in the future, and now it's so far in the past).

I had my own domain for about 2 years when I got into blogging, and then I was kind of done. I created another Wordpress blog back in 2007-2008, but I didn't put a lot of effort into it, and my interest fizzled quickly.

Strangely, I mostly have Twitter to thank for my new-found blogging desire. When Twitter first came out years ago, I scoffed and thought to myself, "What a dumb idea. Who wants to know every little thought that I have?" I made a vow to never use Twitter - and I was good on my word up until last August. Over time, I made some good connections with people on Twitter, most of whom have blogs that I've been reading for years.

Over the last few months, I've been talking with my husband Zac about wanting to get back into blogging, and he's super supportive. So, why not?

After mulling over domain and blog names for a couple of weeks, I bought OfThePacific.com via Name Cheap. For now, I'm going to use my free blogspot account until I figure out if I want to have hosting or not. Plus, I need to re-learn how to actually design. I hand-coded everything when I had my domain in the past, so it's kind of weird not doing it now.

I think that about sums it up for now. Hi! I'm Stephanie.