Kacy Kizer

2010: Started off with the worst stomach virus of my life // immediately followed by a trip to NYC // where we stumbled on the 9th Annual No Pants Subway Ride gang // (but we kept our pants on – it was freezing) // suggested a road trip to Montana & Wyoming // hit the road 2 hours later // saw Glacier National Park, Jackson Hole, the Grand Tetons, etc // my nephew was born! // headed to Vegas for WPPI and roomed with lovely ladies Jen and Shannon // was chosen out of over 300 applicants to work with Diana Levine on a celebrity photo shoot // tried to learn how to swing a golf club // (it didn’t work out) // put 90% of my belongings in a storage unit // (and I don’t miss them) // shot a lot of portraits // and some of the most amazing weddings // including one on a rooftop // one where a live band played Guns N’ Roses ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’ for the first dance // and one with a pin-up theme in New Jersey with Lindsey // chopped off 12″ of hair for Locks of Love // spent a lot of time in Portland traffic // and way too much time talking to my cat // among other things…

Happy New Year! :)

My nephew, the meerkat :)

There is nothing in this post about basketball, I just wanted another B word to make it catchy. Sorry to disappoint ;)

It has been 3 months – THREE MONTHS – since I have purchased any item of clothing. Or shoes. I’m on a self-imposed shopping ban that started in December, when I finally took a good hard look at my 2009 spending and saw just how much I’d thrown out the window on clothes – many of which rarely get worn. Ugh!! It’s an ungodly number that I don’t want to admit publicly, but let’s just say… it’s big.

I cut myself off, cold turkey, til June. Yep, June. 6 full months. Now that I’m halfway through, I’m considering stretching it out even longer (women of the world are now questioning my sanity).

Why am I telling you this? A few reasons. 1. I have been telling anyone who will listen, so that all of those people can hold me accountable. (“Is that new?” “Yep.” *SLAP*)  2. It seems like more often than not, when I tell people about my little mission (women in particular), the response I get is “Oh I don’t even want to know what I’ve spent” on clothes, shoes, anything else.

Guess what? You NEED to know! I don’t know about you, but my life goals don’t involve having the most amazing wardrobe you’ve ever seen (although I am quite proud of my 4 pairs of Frye boots – my one brand addiction). In the next two years I want to have all of my debts paid off and travel more, among other things.

I’ve shrunk my budget in almost every other area of my life to achieve my goals faster. If you ask me to go to a movie, I’ll probably invite you over to watch something on NetFlix or Hulu (no cable here!) instead of going out. Margarita at a restaurant? $9. Margarita at home? Well I haven’t done the math, but it’s much less.

“Yes Kacy, this all sounds fine and dandy, but why do I care?” I’m glad you asked! You care because you have goals (I hope?), and spending $300 a month at restaurants, $200 a month at Starbucks, and $50 every Friday night at the movie theater isn’t getting you there. And yes, you are spending $50 at the movie theater if you go with someone like me who wants the nachos, the huge cherry Coke, the Sour Patch Kids, etc etc… I definitely still spend money – but it’s on experiences, travel, things I’ll remember and be happy about years from now.

If you’re stuck in the no-budget, aimless-spending lifestyle, here’s what you’re going to do: Sign up for mint.com (an amazing free budgeting site), and start keeping track of your money. I love this site, it’s super easy to use – and unfortunately I don’t get paid to endorse it, or I’d probably be a teeny bit closer to my goals ;)

If you’re in my boat, planning to get in my boat, or want to tip my boat over, I’d love to hear about it!

Yes, I’m still alive! I took off to California for awhile (sunshine!) and have been playing catching up since I got back.

The morning I left for California I had the chance to participate in a letterpress workshop held here in Corvallis by Lynn of Satsuma Press. We each had the chance to make our own cards (from her designs) on her Vandercook press, here are a few shots of mine:

Check out Lynn’s Etsy site to pick up some cards of your own!

Future brides, if you’re looking for letterpress invitations be sure visit the Satsuma Press web site and contact Lynn! She’s working on a separate site for her wedding line, check out http://www.satsumapress.com/weddingline/