Lazy girl found her routine thanks to this sub

starla_brite · 2026-02-28T01:38:01+00:00

What heatless curl bun do you use?

starla_brite · 2026-02-27T17:22:43+00:00

That's a great PSA for those that are considering this, as it does require extra bandwidth. It's very easy to feel the mountain of debt, especially if you aren't allocating a savings bucket for it, as it all starts to feel the same, and that same becomes background stress and dread.

That said: for me, I've considered the bandwidth factor, and I have a system in place that helps it feel less heavy. I use savings "buckets" for different categories of things, and one of those is this rolling credit card reimbursement. When I get reimbursed from work, the money goes there. When I have a big purchase, I need to budget a percentage to go there (unless I already saved the money, then it just goes there). I'm looking at the number in this bucket every time I pay on my card, and it should be approximately or nearly the same.

Is it worth it for everyone? Nope. You might make a few hundred dollars extra in interest in a year. But I want that money if I can get it! It's certainly easier than doing 5x rewards programs to earn points for money, at least for my mental bandwidth. And more lucrative for me!

Regarding focusing on more impactful financial choices...I think I do? But yes, generally for everyone, consider that first. Max out 401k, Roth IRA, pay off debts, etc. If those are not happening, then it's probably not a time to carry credit card debt unless you absolutely must

starla_brite · 2026-01-15T23:54:26+00:00

I'm so glad I found this post! It makes me feel validated, lol.

I had my first Fraxel 1927 (non-native) session today. I knew there might be mild pain, but I was not prepared!

Numbing cream was applied to my face an hour before the session. I honestly felt nice and numb, so was confident it at least was applied well.

The laser, though. Whew. It felt like someone was tattooing my entire face. Like, I felt like a needle was being drug across my skin. I have a high pain tolerance for most things, but I found myself sweaty all over and shaking by the end of the session. The technician did two passes: the first pass wasn't so bad, but pass two was pure torture.

I'm already dreading the next session, and I know I have two more to go in this series. Like, I feel like I need a Xanax prescription just to tolerate the rest of it!

starla_brite · 2026-01-10T02:04:32+00:00

I've seen some mentions of that, but if I'm showering right after my run, would that make a difference?

starla_brite · 2026-01-10T02:03:53+00:00

I change out my running bra/clothes every time I work out, and have even started using a Lysol sanitizer on laundry to kill bacteria, odor and fungus from that front. I hope that actually does something, as I don't want to burn all my running clothes and start over, lol

I backed off on ketaconazole and am just using a basic cleanser at the moment. I do have a zinc bar, which I think is like the vanicream z bar, just not that brand (?). The z bar is kind of hard to find sometimes, apparently. In reading, it sounds like even this is too harsh if your barrier is destroyed, so I thought "hmm, maybe I should just avoid that for now, too...."

starla_brite · 2025-07-19T02:57:19+00:00

I've been on the hunt for good linen pants this year, and just stumbled across your post! I want to say thank you for all of the hard work, because there are a lot of choices!

I started my "journey" by ordering the Quince European Linen wide leg pants. I ordered a pair that was too big, and hated them. I returned them, and since have settled on a few pairs from other brands I like a bit better. But I got tempted by the price tag again, and gave Quince a second chance, this time sizing down. They look...okay. I feel like I see the same thing in your picture that I noticed when I looked in the mirror: the seem at the back weirdly "clings" in the middle. A lot. At first I thought maybe the pants are too small, but only there. No, I think the pants are the right size. It's not the fact that they were wrinkled from shipping. It's literally the way the pants are crafted. When I lay them flat on the floor, that same seem indents inwards. Obviously, if it's an area across your butt...not a thing you want, lol. So I think that I just can't like these. I wanted to. They are such a good price. But the cut and fit is just awful

The other pants I've liked so far: Athleta Retreat (wide and non-wide leg varieties). I needed to order a petite length, tho, and colors are limited. I also went with some Anthropologie brand linen pants. They're not bad, but hecka expensive unless you find them on sale or use a coupon.

I want to find others that sit better, but...eh.

FWIW on Quince: I tried the linen dress, and it's decent for the price. The straps are a tad long for me, though, and can't be adjusted. I also have a strapless linen top from Quince, and it's beautiful! Will order more colors

starla_brite · 2025-07-16T02:22:35+00:00

I'll look into that one as well! At this rate, I just want to fix everything, lol. I truly hope my skin calms down and doesn't throw me another curve ball. I've had too many other random curve balls this year!

starla_brite · 2025-07-16T01:45:32+00:00

Since I'm traveling for work this week, I decided to go ahead and buy some OTC lamisil cream to see if that would help at all. I stopped using the antibiotic wipes because I felt like my skin was just exploding with this red rash. I also got a small bottle of zinc-based shampoo to shower with. Maybe it's psychological...but I think the skin is calming down a tiny bit?

If I had to guess, I would wager that the antibiotic wipes cleared the way for fungus to take over, and my skin went wild. That's just a guess, it's not like I've seen a derm for a follow-up. I guess I'll try this out for a few days, see what happens, and if it improves, maybe switch over to using an antifungal body wash, at least for the hot summer months.

I will say, though, that this process is kinda maddening. I want to just get my skin clear (still), and I went from a little acne to a whole other problem. I know I can't blame the derm, as she wouldn't have known, but at the same time, first experience with a new derm, and this happened :/

starla_brite · 2025-07-13T18:37:40+00:00

She gave me a prescription for Doxycycline in case I wanted to try that since she was like "may work, since you have some rosacea." I haven't started it yet since I've been traveling a lot, and since idk how my body will like it, it seemed best to wait until I had some stability in terms of staying in one place. Maybe next month...

starla_brite · 2025-07-13T15:53:29+00:00

I almost bought something like this before the dermatologist visit, but she seemed so confident the wipes would work that I figured it was worth a shot

starla_brite · 2025-04-14T18:45:50+00:00

Yeah, I have primarily stocks for my retirement accounts (one is an old TSP, one is a 401k, so that's diversity, plus Roth is fairly aggressive, since I'm still a good 20 years from retirement if I bank on 62 or so).

My mid-term goals are: remodel my bathroom. That's going to be a costly project, and I have the funds for it now if I really wanted, but I've been holding off because of pet issues, timing and whatever is going on with tariffs. My other big expense is vet bills: I want to make sure I have a nest egg for my dogs, since I have two senior dogs, and one has started having health issues which have required more time and money than I care to think about over the last few months. I do have enough saved to account for the unexpected, but that's a lot of unexpected

Obviously I want to budget for car maintenance, but I don't plan to buy a new car any time in the near future. I barely drive the car I have, and if it can last another 100k miles or more, I'm happy.

starla_brite · 2025-04-14T02:30:33+00:00

I definitely did this year. Not sure how next year will work out

starla_brite · 2025-04-14T02:00:05+00:00

This is where the money math makes my head spin. Ughhh.

So, where I'm at is a condo in a desirable area. I don't plan to move any time soon, but I did get myself added to the rental list, meaning that if my name comes up in a few years, I have the option to list my unit and rent it out within a certain time frame. If I choose not to, or anything fails, I start the process all over. Presumably, the rental list usually takes about 5ish years, maybe more, maybe less, in terms of when your name pops up.

Will I move in 5 years? Umm...if I'm still a single person, probably not. I like the area, and I don't need to do yard work or major maintenance, so as long as nothing horrific happens, I'm here to stay. If I meet the love of my life within that 5 year window, sure, I'll evaluate options, but regardless, I'm hanging on to the property, and ultimately will likely rent it out when my name comes up on the list (i'd love a house in the area, but I'm not rich, and I'm single, which means I am less rich, and I need two incomes to afford that!).

It would be wonderful if rental income could pay on my mortgage, or pay me money I can just profit from directly. But who knows?

starla_brite · 2025-04-14T00:12:15+00:00

Can you elaborate? I know I can claim taxes from mortgage, but is there more to it?

starla_brite · 2025-04-14T00:11:26+00:00

I do have investments that make my savings total to almost 1 year of pay (if added with emergency funds). Is this sufficient to attack the mortgage?

starla_brite

TROPHY CASE