You may have picked up a recurring theme here at Almost Posh; I don't mind engaging in a bit of shopping activity from time to time.

As recently pointed out in 6 Ways To Being Better With Your Bucks, this is not a habit that aligns itself well to my part-time budget and current status in life as a mortgage-paying parent who springs for daycare twice a week and has such mundane expenses as eating, council rates and nappies.

Mica from Away From The Blue mentioned she was thinking of giving the No-Buy July challenge a go, which made me wonder if I could commit myself to it*. 

Could I??

But I like things and stuff!! What to do??

Trading

"Are you a size 7.5? OMG ME TOO!!"

Enter the sustainable and ethically responsible world of trading.

My friend Stacie recently added me to the TRADE*LAIDE group on Facebook where people are busily trading all manner of items they don't want or need for things that they do.

I listed my old Kindle DX and got loads of offers. I ended up with clothes, accessories and even a spinning toy top for Miss L.

For a bottle of wine, I am pending receipt of some snazzy leopard-print Top Shop sneakers.

Since no money is changing hands, it's not buying at all. IT'S TRADING. You should see if there's an FB group in your area. People seem to like fruit and veg (organic), baked goods and other food (vegan) as well as art, musical intruments, services like sewing and are willing to trade fun stuff for them.

You may have to pick through multiple posts of people whose expectations of value don't align with yours and there may be trade requests for organically-grown items of questionable legality but if you can look past that, you might get yourself some decent deals. 

Cleaning Out

"After" shot of my wardrobe. Lolz. [image credit]

Instead of adding to the stash, I plan to do some massive wardrobe editing; including shoes, accessories and jewellery to allow better visibility and identify potential gaps to fill when August arrives. Do I need a large and varied selection of "slop around the house" clothes? No, I do not. Can I maybe list some of the better stuff on eBay to bank in PayPal for August? Yes, I could. 

Cashing In

Illustrative purposes . . . we have a trailer and wheelie bins [image credit]

I am lucky enough to live in South Australia, where we have had a very sensible Container Deposit Scheme for the last 30 years, whereupon we get a 10 cent refund on cans and bottles. Our collection is at the point where it's bankable, which will net a healthy cash return . . . that in turn will probably be spent on things that come in bottles. It's also all environmentally responsible too. Up to 85% of cans and bottles in South Australia are recycled. We don't have plastic bags at the supermarkets either. Go SA!

Gift Cards, Store Credits and Vouchers

In case of emergency, I have a few things of this nature chilling that I can pull out if I really need a retail buzz, including Savers vouchers, store credit at SWOP, a quarterly Priceline voucher and even a Harvey Norman gift card. Okay, technically, it's still BUYING but it's not strictly speaking SPENDING. And only in an emergency. It's like shopping methadone. #selfenabler

Will you be giving #NoBuyJuly15 a go? What would you find hardest to stop buying? 

* obvs does not apply to groceries, petrol and basic living needs like lunch

So my friend Stacie has been away for the last 6 weeks visiting her homeland of the United States of America and returned recently bearing gifts.

From SEPHORA.

Specifically, the Tarte Poppy Picnic limited edition palette (not strictly a gift as I paid her for it)

Behold the luciousness!

and

Tarte 4-in-1 Lights, Camera, Lashes mascara

Look at that purple snakeskin packaging!

I have been LIVING for the eleganza of Tarte's packaging and beautifully presented cosmetica on beauty blogs and Insta for months now, so the chance to own some was most exciting. It was all I could do not to go and clean my face at work and reapply using these gorgeous-looking products then and there, but I was patient and waited until I could have a good go at them.

The palette comes in a gorgeous box, the pattern of which is replicated on the lid.



It feels proper weighty and super luxe with a nice big mirror and a clear overlay slip with product colour names on it. Also in the box, a guide to creating two looks.




Here is my attempt at recreating "A Walk In The Park":




The eyeshadow is like butter. LIKE BUTT-AAHH. Super creamy, pigmented, glides on like a dream and blends perfectly. The colours are a gorgeous selection of matte neutrals and the blush has just enough sparkle to make it pop.




Tarte is cruelty free and according to the packaging is formulated without parabens, mineral oil, phthalates, triclosan, sodium lauryl sulphate or gluten. The palette is dermatologist tested and the mascara is opthalmologist tested.

As an added bonus, she also gave me my birthday present four months early. Why wait?

Kate Spade Saturday Mini Polyhedron Necklace in Rose Gold

Although I have a daughter who occasionally gets a mention here at AlmostPosh.com, I don't consider myself a mummy blogger. As I've said before, other people have made my salient points already and the phrase "sensory play" doesn't get much of a run in my household.

However, my friend Kelly, who runs the business Elemental Beginnings here in Adelaide asked if I would contribute a guest post to her blog about the first three months of parenthood (also known as the "fourth trimester") and I have duly done so:

Just Plain Lucky: My Fourth Trimester

Kelly is a qualified post-natal doula and placenta encapsulator, providing her support services to mums of Adelaide and selected regional areas of South Australia.




This is probably all a bit woo woo to a lot of people - and admittedly, I did not have my placenta encapsulated - but Kelly's satisfied clients give some great testimonies on her website regarding her post-natal support and the benefits they have enjoyed from her services.

Kelly has undertaken a huge amount of study, training and research, including a degree in microbiology, and is eminently qualified to provide services and advice relating to care of newborns; including family adjustment, breastfeeding, settling and soothing, coping skills and bonding.

Research has indicated that having the support of a post-natal doula can increase the success of breastfeeding, lessen the chance of post-natal depression and improve the bonding process.

To find out more, have a look at her website and if you're in the upcoming market for some newborn-style support or to learn more about the possible benefits of placenta encapsulation and what is actually involved in the process (spoiler alert: Thermomix!), then get in contact to see what she can do for you.

If you're not in Adelaide, Kelly has a far-reaching network and may be able to recommend services in your area.
___________________________________________

** Not sponsored **

On the weekend, I got myself down to Little.City in Prospect for the Little Blog Big workshop, presented by Carly Jacobs of Smaggle and Christina Butcher of Hair Romance.

I had an amazing day and am so very glad I took the plunge and booked in. As an introvert, these kind of events can be stressful and/or hard work but I read a couple of good blog posts, including this one from Flying Solo and this one at Agent Mystery Case, so I was well prepared.



As the graphic above suggests, here are five reasons why you should totally attend a Little Blog Big workshop if they come to your 'hood (or within reasonable travelling distance). See, "I'm learnding!" . . .  which brings me to the first point:

You Totally Learn Stuff

Carly casually owning life in general

You get proper worksheets aligned to four informative sessions relevant to people who want to grow their blog, use social media effectively for their blog or business and learn simple yet effective strategies that you can implement THEN AND THERE. I literally changed my Instagram user handle to claim @almostposh at the lunch break. 

You Get Inspo For Reals

The sky's the limit!

Being sat in this funky, light-filled space contributed to the creative vibes. Little City hasn't opened to the public yet but will be a collaborative workspace in the near future which I can totally imagine being a great success. I want to work here on the daily. When I finally tore myself away from the space and got home, I was buzzing with inspo. I wanted to rewrite all my headlines of every post and reshare them on social media with new scheduling apps then write a list of blog ideas then tweak my media kit and update my Facebook cover photo. (I settled for Hungry Jack's and an early night).

You Get Really Well Fed

A2 milk, yes GAWD!

Catering was by Food Man Chew (I. KNOW!) who provided a delicious lunch, there was ample fresh fruit, we had ice creams from Golden North (who are totally from my hood, the Mid North of South Australia - recognise!) and wines to round it off from Lou Miranda Estate and Dell'uva Wines. So. Good. There were even Red Rock Deli Sea Salt chips which are totes my fave. How did they know??

You Get To Meet Peeps

Note to self: next time, grab hold of a balloon, you chump

With Sonia of Sonia Styling!  I have been following Sonia's blog since I started myself so it was a buzz to meet her in person.

Carly and Christina don't retreat like rock stars to their trailer to snort gold glitter and drink champagne made from the tears of angels during the breaks. They totally hang with everyone, mix and mingle throughout the day and are happy to pose for fan girl photos. They keep it real and relevant while being funny as. You may end up in a Simpsons quote-off. Be prepared.

With the extremely rad Christina of Hair Romance

Anelis The Lunch Lady, Sarah Jensen, LouisaG, Lee from @MrGallivant

Importantly, you get to connect with fellow local bloggers which is fantastic! Whether you blog about fashion, fitness, lifestyle, wellness, food, travel, whether you have a brand or business or whether you haven't started yet and aren't even sure what you're going to blog about - you will find some cool people to chat with and add to your social media circles. Even an introvert like me didn't stand around like a dipstick for too long at a time.  

You Get A Cool Goodie Bag and - if you're lucky - a BALLOON

Some serious swag from companies like Evo, L'Oreal, Lady Jayne and Garnier plus a lovely limited edition print from Emma Kate Co. How. Rad.

I also got to gank the L balloon for my daughter Miss L, who loved it. With a capital L, if you'll pardon the pun.

They all float down here

Google's Auto-Awesome feature rules

I have recently signed up to be a Little Blog Big affiliate, so do both of us a favour, click here and register yourself today! 

My Mum and I love a bargain. LOVE. There has been many a squealing of brakes and sharp turns upon the spotting of an A-frame sign and the frantic call from the passenger . . . "OP SHOPPPP!!!!" 

Taking a break in Freeling, which you may recognise as the setting for McLeod's Daughters Wearing my new Rachel Zoe cardigan from Costco, Kmart top, ASOS jeggings and Target boots Eating a Balfours custard tart. Why wouldn't you?

Now you know how I love Savers (the Recycle Superstore) - more on that later - but quite often the best ones to hit up for the real bargains are the country/rural (often church-run) shops that are far enough away from the city to avoid the antique dealers and vintage re-sellers out looking for stock, with hardly anything priced over $5 and usually housed in church halls or converted homes. Getting in among the racks and shelves usually nets some awesome vintage finds at a low low price.

Our most recent trip netted: