NYC Recessionista's Quick Tips to Surviving the Times

As the months have gone on and with no end to the economic situation, I have become a full-blown Recessionista. What is a Recessionista, you ask? A Recessionista is a social phenomenon. Recessionistas stretch the value of their depreciated dollar to its furthest extent. We are the fashionistas that used to shop to our hearts' content at the major fashion houses, but now decide to choose select designer pieces to compliment our overpacked wardrobes. Here are a few tips that I've picked up over the past few months as a Recessionista:

1. The less that you spend on frivolous items, the more you can spend time with friends.
I used to go shopping 20000 times every single month, exhausting my spending budget with countless designer items (particularly bags and shoes). I've now realized that for every item that I don't purchase, I can afford to have at least one good New York night on the town:) As a Recessionista, we can't have it all and we have to make choices about what's more important. Think about it: would you like to have the newest Christian Louboutin shoes, or would you like to go to a concert and a fancy dinner with friends? Make your choice!

2. If you do decide to spend, spend your cash wisely.
Before I purchase anything new, I ask myself if I *really* need the item. I *really* needed both the cream and charcoal James Perse Open Drape cardigans, so I got them. I also *really* needed another pair of skinny jeans, so I got them too. Focus on classic essential pieces that will never go out of style or look extremely flattering on you.

3. Don't be afraid of a SALE!
If you thought I was discount crazy before the recession, you should see me now! Nordstrom Rack, Saks fire sale, sample sales, you name it. I'm there. At the Sunner sample sale, I found a $30 silk dress (see below), $30 plaid pocket shirt, and a $30 warm wool jacket (also featured below) that all would have retailed for at least $700. And I paid $90. Yes. Deals are out there, you just have to dig a bit. Don't be afraid to check out the clearance sections of TJ Maxx, Marshall's, and Century 21. It's what the cool kids are doing nowadays;)

4. Don't get take out excessively.
Did you know that before the recession, I used to get $30 takeout just about every night? Seriously, no joke. Do you know how much I was spending every month?!?!? I've wisened up and I go to the grocery store to buy food! I'm domestic now;) It takes a little more time and effort, but you can take the money that you've saved to the bank!

5. Search for airfare right now, cause it's cheap.
Just because the economy has taken a nosedive doesn't mean that you have to sacrifice life's simple pleasures. Yes, YOU deserve an annual vacation. The best part about this is that airfare is extremely inexpensive these days:) I bought a ticket to Barcelona for $240. Compared to my $750 ticket to Rome last year, I'd say that I'm practically going for pennies!

6. Last tip: Enjoy life's simple pleasures.
As a result of being positively influenced by my good friends Karen and Dee , I've gone back to one of my favorite hobbies, photography! We actually went to a cute restaurant in the LES called Supper for brunch today. There were also some lovely pictures taken by Dee, which are posted below!

Re-Cap of the Last Week Or So:)

I've had quite a busy few weeks. But unlike my usual routine, there was much fun to be had after hours! Thursday night, J and I were invited to a little fashion show at the Museum of Sex. With white wine and blueberry drinks in our hands, we toured the ever so delightful museum, and I even managed to emerge with a goody bag of sweet but useless trinkets.

Friday night was extremely fun:) E and I met up for the first time in what seemed like ages. Off we went to Bendel's for Rebecca Minkoff's showcase of her new spring collection. Some pictures of these new spring bags for your viewing pleasure:











Saturday was also an exciting day! I went to the American Museum of Natural History to celebrate Harlem and Black History Month. My co-workers, E and I went to Food for Life Supreme, an amazing and health-conscious restaurant in the heart of Harlem for dinner:) The food was absolutely scrumptious! Smothered carrot fries for an appetizer. A salad with homemade dressing. Cajun salmon with mac and cheese and the very best green beans that I had ever tasted. This place will definitely give Sylvia's and Amy Ruth's a run for their money!

Sunday was my favorite night because I had waited all week to go to the Jazmine Sullivan, Musiq Soulchild, and Ne-Yo concert! I was seriously psyched for this concert:) I even had a dream that Ne-Yo dated me for a month. Well, the concert brought out my love for him, because his sexy performance has me completely lovestruck for him now. Ne-Yo is the sweetest and the most romantic guy out there in the music industry. He completely sings from the heart and I love that he produced and wrote every single one of his songs. His performance was absolute perfection. He even had a dancer on the stage with him that just seemed to ooze sexiness. It's re-ignited my desire to take a pole dancing class, LOL. And seeing Mary J Blige in the audience was the icing on the cake.

And then there was the TV show taping on Monday... what a week!

Lazy Saturday

James Perse cardigan, Banana Republic top, Joe's Jeans skinny jeans, Car Shoe sparkle ballet flats, and my new Rebecca Minkoff Black Basketweave MAM

I decided to take off from work on Friday to drive home to MD for the weekend. Friday night was so much fun! M, S and I went to the JICC to see Jungle King Leo, possibly one of the *best* anime movies of all time. Disney totally lifted everything from this movie to create Lion King, which is a bit annoying.

We went to Tackle Box in Georgetown for dinner:) It's such an adorable restaurant. I mean, picture this, an authentic looking lobster shack in the middle of our nation's capital? The food was absolutely delicious, with grilled or crispy seafood, a choice of any of their delectable sides and a sauce. I opted for the crispy shrimp w/ cocktail sauce, a corn muffin and strawberry tea. M had the bluefish w/ lemon basil aoli sauce and the sweet potato fries (which were divine!). S had the yummy trout:) We had such a good time catching up!

Today was a bit more low-key. I woke up late and finally ended up running errands and going to Nordstrom Rack. The James Perse white cardi that is featured in the pics above was purchased there. I tried it on and knew that it would be the perfect staple.

The rest of the afternoon was spent visiting my grandma! I love listening to her talk about the "olden days" and make amusing comments. I think that seeing her always brings me back to reality. It reminds me that you truly can live a simple life and be extremely happy.That life isn't all about the glitz, glamour and city lights. I welcome these few moments of introspection and reflection in my otherwise busy world.

The evening was spent at Tyson's Corner with M. We tried the new berry chai tea latte at Starbucks, which has such a spicy, fruity flavor. A great alternative to my usual chai latte with a mocha shot. Key stores of the night were Lego, UO, Banana and Bloomies. We actually had so much fun in Bloomies that we got locked in the store, hehe. M's definitely an amazing shopping buddy!

Inauguration Day *Should* be a Holiday

So I went to work in a delightfully excited mood today. Practically having dreams of sugar plum faeries as a result of the impending inauguration of our 44th President, our FIRST minority president, Mr. Barack Obama. There have been so many times when I've felt that America has let its people down. Allowing racially incited acts of cruelty to go on, even in the 21st century. The baggage that is still here today as a result of deplorable actions that were abolished 150 years ago. But I continued to believe in my country because I have seen how people have risen and succeeded despite the numerous challenges that they have faced. Ordinary people. Champions that I see and talk to on a regular basis. But to know that an ordinary person like these amazing people that I've known and met for years has the opportunity to do amazing things like running the leading country of the free world... it makes me burst with passion and pride that I have the privilege of being an American citizen. We have entered a new era, and I sincerely cannot wait to see what it brings:)

Sundays can be fun too:)

I had such an exciting Sunday yesterday, and I just had to share:)

Jamie and I met up at the Waverly restaurant for a delicious brunch. It was the first time in awhile that I'd had french toast with scrambled eggs and cheese. Yum. Darn new years resolutions, keeping me from eating my breakfast faves.

Off we went to see Bride Wars. In the movie theater, I got a bit distracted by a certain mouse, which resulted in the cute pictures that I've added. Jamie said that Desperaux was blushing from my sweet kiss;)Check it out:








Afterwards, we had a quick window shopping trip at Saks. I was hoping to find a new bag before the 80% off sale ended (and also have a relapse), but no such luck. I spoke to all of the salespeople and they told me that they had nothing. Finally, I knew what I had to do. I told Jamie that I had a surefire way to figure out if there were any items left. We walked over to the Chloe section of the store. I see a short Latino man helping a customer. I told him that I was looking for Juan, and he informed me that he was the guy. I told him that a friend worked with him and that I wanted to know if he had any sale purses in the back. He goes to the stockroom. I tell Jamie that this is *exactly* how I imagine a drug deal would go down. Juan emerges from the stockroom with 3 clutches. I'm sad that I did not get my fix, but he lets me know that I can be added to his mailing list so that I'll be informed about new sale arrivals.

Then it was time to catch a train to BK for Kim's housewarming. I was RIDICULOUSLY late, and arrived like 2 hours after the party began. Actually, I even missed her subway stop and had to wait 10 minutes for an R train in the other direction to arrive for to get to the correct destination. But it was worth it. Kim's new apartment is really gorgeous. It's spacious. I love how there's wallpaper and the rooms are painted different colors. And I love the oak panels, etc. It looks so cozy, and I wish that I could get my apartment to that point. The evening was spent drinking red wine (my lips are stained today, still!) and playing Wii and Playstation. OMG, wii olympics is FUN. I kept playing as Princess and came to the conclusion that she looks like a hooker. Trust me, if you played the game, you'd completely agree.

We also played American Idol. It was the first time that Kim and I heard each other sing! It was sooo much fun, and the characters on screen are hilarious. Like, we had a blond girl a baby dreads black girl. And they were doing the funniest dance moves (which I imitated). Hell, at one point when I was singing Michael Jackson's Rock With U, Kim exclaimed, OMG, she dancing just like you! And this was in response to the girl jutting her booty out and dropping it like it's hot, LOL. Way too much fun for a grandma like me on a Sunday night;)

Blogging on the train

My iPhone has a great blog writing application, which allows me to write on the go! How exciting!

A friend told me that she was experiencing feelings of restlessness resulting in her wanting to take more classes and fill up her free time. I've been experiencing the same sort of restlessness. For now, I'm going to try to remedy it by keeping busy, but eventually I might need a change of scenery.

And I got Amy Wined-Out

Last night was the first time that I really let loose in a while! Kim and I decided to have a night of dancing and debauchery, lol.

So the original plan was to try out the whole nightclub circuit 26th/27th st and 10 Ave. These are the places that are over there:

Marquee



Home


Pink Elephant



Mansion


All of these gorgeous venues, and so little time, or so we thought. We got out of the cab at around 11:00 and were greeted with a "closed" sign at Marquee. Of course the club beside Marquee, called Glass, attempted to welcome us with open arms (complimentary too), but we told them that we would be back later. We should've taken them up on the offer.

We walked up to Home. I love this place just because of the drag queen doorman. Someday, I vow to take a picture with him. Well last night, he was in a bitchy mood. Kim and I were first in the line, and two white guys ignored us and walked up to the doorman. Of course, they were denied entrance (guys need to be with girls to get into these nyc haunts). So Kim and I thought that the doorman would talk to us next. But no, he focused on the group of white girls behind us! Kim and I were thinking, OMG, it has to be because we're short and minorities. Everyone else seemed to be tall and white. Anyways, so these girls got in because they were willing to put down a $50 tab. So afterwards, Kim and I waltz up to DQ doorman, and he tells us the same story that we have to do the $50 tab. So that's out.


We walk over to Pink Elephant, and the international folks automatically butt in front of us. I give them a dirty look and say excuse me, and they say that they're sorry and move to the back of the line. Kim and I discuss our invisible status. We get to the front of the line, and they'll only let us in if we do a $300 tab, since we're not on the guestlist.

Onto Mansion. We decided not to wait in line because a doorman let us know that the large room plays techno and house, while the smaller room plays hiphop. Sounded boooring.

We decide that we're just going to cab it over to Babel in Alphabet City. But even the cabs are ignoring us! We finally hail one, and the guy informs us that its his second night on duty.

So we go to our trusty spot, Babel. We go in and it's a bit dead. But it quickly starts to get packed. we order vodka cranberries and mango flavored hookah! After a few rounds, we are so feeling the hookah. I'm getting all lightheaded and giggly, the room is spinning. I'm dancing in my seat and jumping up and dancing while smoking. It's just utterly fun. The DJ played a great mix of reggaeton, middle eastern and hiphop music:) Just what we needed!

So essentially, K and I get somewhat trashed and we have such an amazing time. It's always a lot of fun when we go out. I don't know if it's because we've known each other for so long or if it's because we're such good friends, but I think that we feel completely comfortable with letting loose around each other.It's just pure unadulterated fun!