Okay, so let's re-cap last month's goals (although to be honest, I didn't post that frequently this month. You could scroll down a little bit and see for yourself. But I will address that in my goals later!)
1) Whiten my teeth with at-home whitening solution. This sounds terrible, but they are so stained from drinking diet Coke, I've been using some PicMonkey magic in my pics so they don't look as bad. If all works out okay, I will have some real before and after shots for you.
Result - Not sure how to call this one. The instructions said to do it weekly and I did it probably every 4 days at first (because I kept losing track of when I did it so I kept doing it whenever my teeth felt gritty. The baking soda would scrub them clean. Then the last 2 weeks, I hardly did it at all.) I do think I saw some improvement (you can check out the before and after pics for yourself, although I think the lighting had some effect on how yellow they look) but my teeth feel weird, like they are somehow weaker after this experiment. Probably going to consult with my dentist before continuing!
2) Take the stairs at my apartment whenever I'm not carrying a load of bags (I often have groceries or overnight bags.) I figure if I do this, I may not need any other exercise - I live on the 16th floor of my building!
Result - not the greatest. I had my dog at the apartment about 10 days out of the month and taking the stairs was absolutely not an option. Other than that, I hardly left my apartment (full hibernation mode!) and when I did, I often had bags (as earlier mentioned.) I took the stairs probably 5 times total.
3) Clean my house. Maybe I'll update later with some pics. Because it's so scary, it's worth documenting.
Result - sort of? I technically did clean my house. I'm not one of those people who clean day to day. I do it in one fell swoop. It was so bad, I enlisted my mom's help. We cleaned for 6 hours and we still weren't able to finish. When she left, I kept plugging away at it for about an hour a day for the next 3 days. It still was never finished and I was never able to take "after" pics. I took some "before" pics though. Sad thing is, it's probably even dirtier right now.
4) Buy one thing from Etsy, one really unique thing instead of always running to Modcloth as my go-to.
Result - ha! I did this one. Quite easily. Probably because it had to do with shopping. I bought that Lolita necklace I posted about, plus these Grumpy Cat and Nyan Cat earrings, and this custom engraved business card holder (which was actually in my gift picks on Scathingly Brilliant's blog!)
5) Visit actual vintage and thrift shops for Treasure Tuesday to take pics!
Result - success! But only once. And I hardly took any pics because it was so busy. You can see some of what I purchased in this post.
6) Carry camera in purse to photograph life's little adventures. I do have the camera in my purse all the time, but it never comes out, haha.
Result - meh... fail. Hardly any pics taken. Although the camera is always with me.
7) Start cooking things using my oven and my stove. I'm terrified of fire/heat and this will be a big one if I accomplish this goal!
Result - technically at the beginning of the month, my mom did have me cook some garlic shrimp at her house and made me use the oven. Since then, I've reverted back to being utterly afraid and eating pudding and cereal if my boyfriend isn't around to cook for me.
8) Eat less pizza. I literally ate it 4 times this week. I ate it right before composing this entry.
Result - fail, fail, fail. I think I ate it even more.
9) Keep applying in banner swaps, but invest in one big time ad-space that will hopefully drive traffic to the site!
Result - pretty successful! I invested in ad space on Kate Gabrielle's blog over at Scathingly Brilliant and I'm enjoying the traffic it's bringing my way.
10) Renew library card so I can have books for Factoid Friday FOR FREE!!!!
Result - success! I took a huge stack of books out (plus bought 7 magazines for a quarter each) so that was a great trip I made. Only problem is that I've read all the books and need to return them... but I haven't made Factoid Fridays about each book yet. So basically I have to make a fact summary about each book before I can bring them back. Yay, it's like homework!
For December, I'd like to continue with these goals (except maybe minus the Etsy one! Need to lay off the shopping) but I also added a few goals.
1) Type up facts from those library books like I mentioned
2) Finish sorting through and uploading items to my Trend Trunk profile (yay money!)
3) Start using apple cider vinegar for all my health and beauty needs (I have a bottle in my fridge just waiting to be used!)
4) Start going to the bar more frequently. I know that sounds bad, but I don't drink. It's a social thing and I've been incredibly anti-social and isolating myself. I've been a total recluse lately. The difference between my blog and others is that other people go out and do things. For instance, there was a local fashion show that I could have gone to, taken photos to show what was going on in the local fashion scene and networked with people but I didn't bother. Also, this isn't related to the bar, but the Santa Clause parade was just outside my building the other day. I could hear the music, and I just stayed huddled inside. I need to get out! See people! I dragged my butt out last night so I'm hoping I can keep the momentum going.
5) Write blog posts more frequently, ideally 3 times a week or more. No more of this "10 posts a month" stuff!
If you're anything like me, having pretty journals, agendas and other stationery makes getting organized and motivated easier. Here are my top picks (more on the expensive side since it is Splurgy Sunday.)
Clockwise from left
2014 Medium Agenda Calendar - Etsy - GirlinGirlStudio - $38.50
Campo Marzio Filigree Fountain Pen - Kate's Paperie - $27.50
Hidden Pencil Notebooks - MoMa Store - $14.95
Knock Knock Sticky Notepads - Amazon
- $11.75Calligraphy Set - Victorian Trading Co - $29.95
Listography 2014 Weekly Calendar - Urban Outfitters - $15.99 (P.S. I love the Listography books! I have nearly all of them. OCD list maker here!)
Vintage Ruler Folders - Indigo - $16.00
2014 Planner - Etsy -StephanieCreekmur - $50.00
Here's to a great month!
Are you getting lots of traffic from scathingly brilliant? I've gotten a couple clicks, but not much :( I'm starting to find that paying for advertising isn't really worth it. I've put out a good chunk of change, and not seeing much of a return. Maybe I just need to change up my ads. They don't really indicate what my blog is about.
ReplyDeleteAnd you should have come to the fashion show! I was showing my knitwear there! I'm going to try to get into more fashion shows, and your butt had better be at some of them!!!
-Nicole
Mercantile519
Awww, I should have gone to the fashion show! This is a notoriously lazy time of the year for me, but I'm gonna try to break out of that. It would have been cool to see you! I've noticed with paid advertising, most of the hits seem to be the same that I would be getting from a banner swap. The only 2 that I notice any real hits from are from Scathingly Brilliant and Mermaidens... and the only reason I think I get hits from Scathingly Brilliant is because I splurged on the $40 ad. My banner is right at the top of her page! I think it was worth the $40 and I'll probably continue doing it.
DeleteI got the slightly smaller ad, and I'm kind of kicking myself for it. It just kind of blends in :/
DeleteIf you're looking for a small investment, http://www.awildtonic.com/p/sponsor-wild-tonic.html has some good spaces. I've advertised with her before :)