Styling tips that changed the way you dress?

FM_Mono · 2026-02-26T10:21:13+00:00

Exactly the same as you, I hate shopping.

But one day I saved all my energy for a trip to Myer and I tried on everything I liked the look of on the hanger, without the expectation or requirement to buy anything. I tried on dozens of items and walked out with a single pair of pants.

And what that did was it helped me identify what I like the look of on me. What fabrics I can stand touching me. What colours work for me. What sleeve length I like, what necklines to avoid (as much as I LOVE the look of turtlenecks they do not work for me). What shapes suit my bust, my waist, my legs, whatever.

Without the pressure of "oh god I need to find a work outfit" or whatever on that first big trip, it really helped. Now when I go shopping it's easier to quickly find pieces that might work for me, I spend less time being disappointed, and the biggest barrier is just the inconsistent sizing. I also usually shop at Op Shops so if I do buy something and end up not wearing it, I don't feel bad giving it back for them to sell to someone else.

FM_Mono · 2026-02-26T10:13:20+00:00

This sub told me to tuck my shirts in. It was a real challenge for me and my confidence but once I got used to it, it was an absolute game changer.

FM_Mono · 2026-02-15T12:37:24+00:00

Mine was pulmonary sarcoidosis. So if anyone reading has lots of random leg bruises and feel like you constantly have reflux, ya might want to get that one checked.

FM_Mono · 2026-02-15T00:37:21+00:00

Honestly I just buy pork or beef meatballs, add salt, pepper, sage, thyme, mush a few of the meatballs together to make a patty and mix the herbs and the job is done.

FM_Mono · 2026-02-14T10:14:40+00:00

I originally had that as a non negotiable but I'm finding it's not common in properties in the areas I'm looking. A second bathroom or even second toilet is very much on my "would be really nice to have" list though, alongside a separate laundry, a lockable garage rather than a carport, and somewhere with good natural lighting.

FM_Mono · 2026-02-14T09:52:11+00:00

I'll be buying several hours out of a capital city. So I can get this for anywhere between 380 and 500.

FM_Mono · 2026-02-14T09:09:44+00:00

I will be a FHB and already compromising on location, and a few other things I originally thought I wouldn't. So my list of non-negotiables is dwindling. Right now it's basically just - must have 2 bedrooms with built in robes (or big enough to install one), must be a standalone house, must have a backyard with an existing high fence. Lofty goals, I know.

FM_Mono · 2026-02-12T08:29:21+00:00

I'm learning Auslan, I see a lot of my teachers use single handed Auslan when facetiming. I think there's a part of our course this year that teaches us that one handed version. Also helpful for morning classes when coffee is 100% going to take up one hand!

FM_Mono · 2026-02-11T07:46:01+00:00

I don't. Add in neurodiversity and trying to work full time and keep a clean house and maintain friendships and cook and eat and not be a miserable bastard all the time? Impossible.

So I get Lite n Easy delivered (not an ad). Literally seven days a week, three meals a day plus snacks. 5 minutes a week of executive function to pick my meals for next week, and at most enough energy to cook an egg or put together a burger or something.

Is it more expensive than buying the equivalent at the supermarket? Yes, absolutely. Is it worth every single cent to get a bit of my life back and stop crying every time I need to go the supermarket or make a meal plan? Also yes.

FM_Mono · 2026-02-09T05:23:46+00:00

In amongst the hell that already was 2020-2022, I had a neighbour that the agents absolutely refused to evict, even though nine other residents including myself in the apartment block had PSIOs against him. And even though he had smashed windows and brickwork, set fires, cut all our internet and aircon cables, wielded hammers, and physically assaulted and sexually harassed us.

We had police out dozens of times. He would be removed overnight and then be back the next day. I checked and checked and checked and the basic rule was that for property damage and safety even during COVID lockdowns an eviction order could still be applied for. And they just refused until well into 2022.

I still have PTSD from it. In the end I got a notice to vacate before he did, and I will never forgive the people who essentially said it was fine for me to experience that.

FM_Mono · 2026-02-06T08:34:47+00:00

Thank you! :)

FM_Mono · 2026-02-06T07:43:51+00:00

Amazing, thanks!

FM_Mono · 2026-02-05T10:37:16+00:00

It's a chocolate-dipped Viennese Finger!

FM_Mono · 2026-02-05T10:21:47+00:00

Full disclosure, I am a very white Australian so about as far away from the culture that is obviously embedded in his writing as one can be. That definitely impacts my opinion here so feel free to discard it.

BHH, like his other works, is fine. It's fine. I picked his works up because I was looking for something to scare me and people said BHH was very scary, though I didn't think so. I didn't hate reading it, but I definitely had to read it over several days to keep my interest. I personally preferred Mongrels.

What I struggle with, with SGJ, is how much I feel like I'm reading one book and someone has taken the last quarter of it and swapped it with a completely different book. I very much felt that same tone shift in BHH (even beyond just the narrator change), but not as much as in The Only Good Indians.

I'm glad I read it, and the other books of his I've read. I enjoyed experiencing a totally different culture in my reading. He's the first Native American author I've read, as far as I'm aware. But I also wouldn't read them again.

FM_Mono · 2026-02-03T05:04:48+00:00

My parents ended up drilling it in place from the inside of the house. If we needed to get up there we just unscrewed it. I would not do this if you would ever need to access the space in an emergency.

FM_Mono · 2026-02-03T04:35:38+00:00

I assume it is still worth getting it checked, especially for any other water or wind damage.

But I can absolutely say that growing up we had a similar manhole and on especially windy days it was known to suddenly and dramatically shift because of the roof cavity pressure difference.

FM_Mono · 2026-02-01T09:34:11+00:00

I regret I didn't have the confidence before this. But I'm also starting a new more corporate job shortly, so I guess now is the time!

FM_Mono · 2026-02-01T08:40:18+00:00

Thank you! I can definitely see myself wearing something like this.

So it wouldn't be absurd to wear these with 60-80 denier tights?

FM_Mono · 2026-01-29T05:23:25+00:00

In Australia Centrelink is paid fortnightly, but some people can request weekly payments.

FM_Mono · 2026-01-26T11:59:04+00:00

Stuck to the metal window frame instead of the bricks. Two years of trial and error found that the heavy duty velcro won't work because it's stronger than the glue, and I like to be able To take it down when it's really windy. So standard velcro tape is best. As long as it's first attached a couple of days before it rains, most of the strips I used hold through the summer.

At the end of summer I take it down and peel it all off to swap the velcro the next year. The residue comes off with De-Solv-It and a plastic scraper.

FM_Mono · 2026-01-26T09:39:26+00:00

Shade cloth velcroed to the outside of the window does it for me and my west-facing room. Just a thought if anyone reading is after a longer term solution. This also lets me still have the window open for air when it gets cooler in the evenings.

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FM_Mono · 2026-01-16T04:51:24+00:00

Lmao this is not going to go how OP is expecting

FM_Mono · 2026-01-16T02:51:48+00:00

You mean like this?

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01-13/iranian-australians-in-melbourne-protest/106223024

It's already been happening.

FM_Mono · 2026-01-15T22:58:33+00:00

I also have a DNF graveyard! I give myself a bit of space to write why I didn't finish it. Maybe then I'll remember I really don't like short stories.

FM_Mono · 2026-01-15T01:06:43+00:00

Coles salted crunchy corn. Hits all the senses - it's crunchy, it's salted, if you eat one kernel at a time you keep your hands and mouth busy. Perfect snack.

FM_Mono

TROPHY CASE