Getting the Best Deal Can Be Frustrating and Two Weeks of Outfits

Hi there.  Being a librarian means that I have a Master's degree and having a Master's degree means that I have student loan debt.  In order to afford things like good beer and electricity I am on the Income Driven Repayment plan (IDR), formerly known as Income Based Repayment (IBR).  What this means is that I am required to reapply annually and a payment is calculated based on my income. For the past few years this has been a smooth process but 2016 is continuing it's record of being freaking awful. I received my newest student loan bill in the mail today and almost had a panic attack when I saw the payment amount.  Despite being assured over the phone and through email, in October, that my IDR application had been received and approved the payment amount was stupidly high. I called the customer service number and the automated female robot voice, (why is it always female?), tried to convince me that I could just go online to do whatever it was that I wanted to do.  Once I had the voice convinced that I needed to speak to an actual human being, she requested that I tell her what I wanted with that real live human so she could send me to the right one.  After loudly enunciating 'Payment' into the phone half a dozen time she told me that she could help process my payment. I almost yelled that I wanted a person.  (Husband comment, she did yell)

With a warning that call volume was high, I was placed on hold to wait for a person.  The wait time was a mix of medieval elevator music for 10 seconds and 15 second prerecorded messages about how great the customer service was at this company.  Back and forth between these two special levels of hell for five minutes. The most annoying thing was that every time the music cut for commercial my hopes were lifted that it would be a real person only to be dashed again with the chirpy, again female voice, telling me that 60% of the employees working for this company had experience paying off loans. By the time I got to speak to that elusive real life human being I was convinced that the music/commercial torture was designed solely to sap the will to live from the person on hold so they would just be a good droid and do their business online.  I must say that the customer service rep I talked to was lovely and it turns out that I am not the first person to have this particular problem today. She put me on hold, this time with elevator rock music, and came back to inform me that by December 6th my problem should be resolved and the required payment amount adjusted on my account.  So I will be checking in on December 6th and hoping the mix up is fixed but I can't say that I'm too optimistic.

End of rant, onto the clothes 😋

November 15

Dress: Ann Taylor - Last seen here (3rd outfit)  Cardigan: BCBG Girls - Last seen here (8th outfit)

The Stuff

Necklace: Chicos  Bracelets: Morocco  Earrings: Mom

November 16 - Check it out, it has pockets!
      

Dress: Chadwicks Collection - Purchased here in June for $2.50

The Stuff

Earrings: Chicos  Bracelet: From Susie - (story to be told soon)

November 17

Sweater: Old Navy - Thrift 2015  Jeans: Levis - Last seen here (5th outfit)

The Stuff

Earrings and Bracelet: Mom  Necklace: Etsy

November 18
      

Top: Banana Republic - Retail 2014 (?)  Jeans: Levis - Last seen here (6th outfit)

The Stuff

Necklace and Earrings: Gift (Thanks Ben!)  Bracelet: Cost Plus

November 19 - With action shots

                         

Top: Talbots - Purchased here in July for $3  Jeans: Levis - Last seen here (2nd outfit)

The Stuff

Necklace: Online Bracelet: Mom Earrings: Retail

November 22
  

Sweater: Moda International - Online 2010 (?)  Pants: Gloria Vanderbilt - Last seen here (4th outfit)

The Stuff

Necklace: Gift   Earrings: Rosetta   Bracelet: Mom

November 23 - Not sure what prompted that face
     

Sweater: Banana Republic - Retail 2015  Pants: Nine West - Last seen here (1st outfit)

The Stuff

Necklace: Gift  Earrings: Mom  Bracelet: Chicos - Retail

November 26
        

Top: Talbots - Thrift 2015  Jeans: Last seen above (3rd outfit)  Yep, it's jeans season.

The Stuff

Earrings: Unicef  Bracelet: Grandma

As always thank you to amazing blog photographers BB, Mr DC and the GH!!!

See you soon.

Another Two Week Roundup - Seriously America?!?

Hi there, this blog is first and foremost a blog about clothes, thrifting and to an extent frugality. However it is also my blog so I can write what I want. And right now I want to share my personal feelings about last Tuesdays election.  I did not vote for Trump, I voted for Hillary. Not because she's a woman but because, in my view, she was the only candidate out of the major four who had the experience and temperament to become the next leader of the United States. In my view she was the only candidate who wanted to continue to unite us as opposed to dividing us. I may be a middle class white woman and therefore protected, to an extent, from the vitriol and hate that spewed out of Trumps campaign and his supporters. But I have friends, colleagues and people that I love that are black, brown, Jewish, Muslim, gay, immigrants and otherwise different from the white male cisgender norm and these groups have been demonized throughout Trumps campaign. So I went to bed on Tuesday heartsick and woke up Wednesday feeling the same way. I am scared and I am angry. I am mostly deeply disappointed in my country. I truly didn't think that hate would trump love, I thought as a nation we had grown up a little. I was wrong. We as a nation elected a tax dodging, pussy grabbing, loudmouthed, lying bully who doesn't know fuck all about what being president entails.  Do we deserve what's going to happen to us?  I don't think so but maybe we do. Maybe it won't be so bad, but maybe it will be worse than I think.  I am not a fortune teller so I don't know what's going to happen, I do know that I will do what I can to fight for love, equality, the environment and the rights of all Americans. So with my next paycheck I am joining the ACLU and I hope that if you are as saddened by this outcome as I am that you will find your own way to support and fight for each other.

You might notice that I have my glasses on for all of the upcoming pics. That is because I pushed myself too hard a couple of weeks ago and woke up on Sunday morning feeling like I got punched in the face. Turns out I had a sty in my right eye. So I went with dressing for the glasses that week, hence all the dress shirts and pants. It was on it's way to resolving but then the election happened and lets just say that stress does not do a body good.  As of today it is almost gone so barring any unforeseen setbacks I will be glasses free in my next post. Now on to the clothes!

November 2

Top: Ann Taylor Loft - Thrift 2016  Pants: Nine West- Last seen here (4th outfit)

The Stuff

Earrings: Gift from the GH  Necklace: Gift  Bracelet: Chicos - Retail

November 3

Top: Banana Republic - Hand me down from T  Pants: Ann Taylor Loft - Retail 2001 (?)

The Stuff

Earrings: Gift from Mom Necklace: Online Bracelet: Chicos - retail

November 4 - Maybe with slimmer pants next time?

Top: New York & Co - Thrift 2015  Pants: New York & Co - Retail 2001 (?)

The Stuff - The necklace ended up being wrapped 3 times to see it better later in the day

Earrings and Necklace: Aunt Rosetta  Bracelets: Chicos - Retail 2012

November 5 - Must constantly adjust the glasses
    

Top: Chicos - Retail 2013  Pants: Gloria Vanderbilt - bought here in April

The Stuff

Earrings: Mom  Necklace: Chicos  Bracelet: Aunt Rosetta

November 8

Cardigan: Merona - Thrift 2015 Tank Top: Banana Republic - Hand me down from T Jeans: Levis - Last seen here (9th outfit)

The Stuff

Earrings: Gift from the GH  Necklace and Bracelet: Aunt Rosetta Ring: No idea (Disneyland or antique shop in the 90's maybe)

November 10  - Really, Trump? Really?  BB has been doing head  shots to get better jewelry detail. I'm just not a big fan of me close-up, but this one I really liked.
   

Top: Ann Taylor - bought here in April  Jeans: Levis - last seen here (2nd outfit)

The Stuff

Earrings: Chicos - Retail  Necklace: Etsy  Bracelet: Mom

November 12

Sweater: Ana - Thrift 2016  Jeans: Levis - last seen here (2nd outfit)

The Stuff

Earrings: Aunt Rosetta  Necklace and Bracelet: Gift from Reyna

As always thank you to blog photographers BB, Mr DC and the GH

Be  good to one another. See you soon!