Little Miss Honey

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MY CAPSULE WARDROBE LIST

November 7, 2021 by Little Miss Honey

capsule wardrobe

I previously wrote a blog post on How To Build A Capsule Wardrobe. Some wonder how much items they should have to comprise a capsule wardrobe. Some suggested it should be around 25-50 items. Some suggested it should be lower those mentioned numbers considering capsule wardrobe idea sprung from the minimalist movement. Some mentioned there is no exact number for it. I agree with last one.

Credit: Teresa Laucar Instagram

I prefer to have a wardrobe of basic things for me to mix and match. I will put a list below for my capsule wardrobe.

OUTER WEAR

  • 2 cardigans (different monochromatic colour)
  • 1 sporty jacket
  • 1 dressy jacket (for special occasions)
  • 1 leather jacket *optional
  • 1 trenchcoat *optional

SPECIAL OCCASION

  • long gown
  • cocktail dress
  • little black dress
  • formal white dress

CASUAL UPPER WEAR

  • 3 plain t-shirt
  • 1 Breton Mariniere striped 3/4 shirt or long sleeves
  • 1 striped t-shirt
  • 2 monochromatic polo shirt
  • 2 monochoromatic spaghetti strap shirt
  • (2 monochromatic casual sleeveless top)
  • 1 graphic tshirt

DRESSY UPPER WEAR

  • 2 dressy tops
  • 2 monochromatic button down shirts
  • 1 white button down shirt (preferable oversize – own preference)
  • 2 3/4 or long sleeves monochromatic tops

BOTTOMS

  • 2 skinny jeans
  • 1 baggy jeans
  • 1 black jeans
  • 1 cropped jeans
  • 1 tattered jeans *optional
  • 1 coloured or patterned jeans
  • 2 slacks (preferable black and brown)
  • 1 culottes

SKIRTS

  • 2 A-line skirts
  • 1 pleated skirt
  • 1 short pattern skirt
  • 1 bohemian long skirt
  • 1 sequinned skirt *optional
  • 1 leather skirt *optional

SHORTS

  • 1 denim shorts
  • 2 coloured/pattern shorts
  • 2 cotton shorts
  • 1 textured shorts *optional

DRESSES

  • 3 work dress (to include a wrap dress)
  • 1 sundress
  • 1 sleeveless long dress
  • 2 short-sleeve short dresses
  • 1 sleeveless dress
  • 1 bandage dress

SWIMWEAR

  • 1 two piece bikini (preferable high waisted)
  • 1 one piece
  • 1 cover-up

SHOES

  • 2 pair of ballet flats in different colour
  • 1 pair of stilettos (preferable black)
  • 1 pair of work heels
  • 1 pair of topsiders
  • 1 platform slippers
  • 1 dressy thongs
  • 2 rubber beach slipper (one basic and one with straps)
  • 1 sneakers
  • 1 dressy slippers (glittery would be nice)

BAGS

  • 1 tote bag
  • 1 casual bag
  • 1 hand bag
  • 1 crossbody bag
  • 1 wristlet
  • 1 canvas bag
  • 1 beach bag
  • 1 work bag *optional
  • 1 backpack
  • 1 party clutch

ACCESSORIES

  • pearl stud earrings
  • diamond earrings
  • 2 chandelier earrings (one with pure gold)
  • 1 beach earrings
  • 1 silver hoops
  • pearl necklace
  • pendant necklace
  • layer necklace
  • statement necklace
  • gold stud earrings
  • 1 straight long earrings
  • 1 quirky earrings
  • 1 casual watch
  • 1 work/fancy watch
  • 2 bangles (gold and silver)
  • 1 bracelets with charms

I know this list looks exhaustive. But some people don’t realised how much dresses they have or dressy tops they have accumulating their closet. This list are most basics that are perfect for mix and match. All are well-thought of for specific occasions. Once I complete my capsule wardrobe, if I want to buy more from my list, I must either replace the one on my wardrobe or wait for it to be worn-out. This list are more for my own preference and lifestyle. If you create your own, it should reflect your own lifestyle. It may be shorter or longer than my list here.

Hope this will guide you when you create your own capsule wardrobe list.

Filed Under: Fashion Tagged With: capsule wardrobe, list, Lists, minimalism

10 TIPS TO SAVE ON FOOD EXPENSES

May 31, 2021 by Little Miss Honey

We have realised the importance of saving and being mindful with our spending since our move here in Oman. It is something that we have consciously woven into our lifestyle. We collected the good practices on mindful spending that we have done in Singapore and continued it here in Oman. We learned from the spending mistakes we were doing before our move. We realised that food is one of the major expenses in our budget, particularly on grocery. So we have managed to come up with 10 hacks to save on food expenses.

1. Budget monthly and stick to it

We have a monthly budget and we have a specific budget intended only for grocery. Monthly, we would adjust it depending if there is a celebration or a special occasion but most often than not, we stick to the allotted budget. We foresee if there is any need to to increase the monthly budget for that month and that month’s budget will reflect the adjusted grocery budget. There here is a fixed amount for every grocery trip. We use our calculator when doing grocery. Once we noted that we are exceeding the allotted budget, we will put back the unnecessary items like snacks or take cheaper version of the food item or smaller size of the item to accommodate in the budget.

2. Do meal planning

This is one of the things that has helped us tremendously. Previously in Singapore, our helper and I would create meal plans for the week. It will allow us to know what grocery items we will buy in our next grocery trip. We don’t just grab anything that looks “nice” in the supermarket. We know what we exactly needed for our meals for the next week which lessen our grocery expenses. We often have bread with spread, cereals, oatmeal or biscuits with coffee for breakfast and we would cook one big dish for our lunch & dinner. I also have a list of dishes we go on rotation which I based on for my meal plans. Let me know if it is something that you would be interested in for me to share with you.

3. Make grocery list and audit food stocks before grocery time

Now that you have your meal planner, it is advisable to go to the grocery store with a grocery list. Stick to it, don’t deviate so you can stick to your budget. Before I would make a list in my little handy notebook but now, I write it down in the Notes app on my phone. I would write automatically in it if I find any items that are low in our pantry throughout the week then I will add in the ingredients needed for the meals for the week.

4. Do grocery weekly

I prefer to do grocery weekly. I noticed that if we do grocery monthly or every 2-3 weeks, the stocks wouldn’t last a week (usually the snacks) and we would still go to the near store to buy more stocks. Doing grocery weekly can allow us to perfectly budget our grocery money.

food saving tips

5. Use credit card with grocery rebates (and pay total amount in full on bill time)

We got a Lulu Bank Muscat credit card because we often do our grocery in Lulu. Using that credit card in Lulu would give us points and reward us with rebates. One time, we did grocery worth of 30 omr and because of the rebates accumulated we only paid 15 omr. We paid half of the price of our grocery! With that being said, we still are mindful of our credit card usage. By pay day, we pay the exact full amount we used for grocery for that month, that is why sticking to the monthly budget is very important. There should be zero debt month in our grocery credit card once pay day comes. We have a separate credit card for non-grocery items which we also keep in minimum and usually for big instalment necessary purchases like home appliances.

Savings in Food Cost

6. Try online grocery

One thing that can allow you to stick to your grocery budget is by doing online grocery. This has been my trick in Singapore because I noted the difference in doing grocery with my helper & kids versus doing online grocery. I could stick better with the budget when I do online grocery via HonestBee. With my grocery list beside me, I can just search on the items I needed. I could see the total amount that I am paying for. If I see that I have gone over the budget, it is just easy to delete certain items before check-out. Here in Oman, there is no home delivery in our area but we do the Click & Select in Lulu. We do online grocery, select the time for pick and hubby will drive to the supermarket to pick it up.

7. Freeze leftover dishes

I mentioned that we often have one big dish cooked for lunch and dinner. Usually, we still have leftovers from that dish. Instead of keeping it in the fridge or throwing it out, I put it in a container and put it in the freezer.We would have a weekly Leftover Day. I would microwave the frozen microwave or heat it in the stove and it still taste delicious.

8. Repurpose leftovers by creating new dishes

If the leftovers are very minimal like just 2 pieces of chicken or dried corned beef, we use these to create new dishes instead of throwing it out. We would deep-fry chicken from adobo chicken or we can make left over Chicken Joy into soy garlic chicken. We also use the few leftover meats to out in our noodles or pasta dishes. Leftover beef from soups can be repurpose into teriyaki beef or Mongolian beef. We can create few days spaghetti from a party into baked spaghetti. Dried corned beef or stir-fried minced meat can be turned into meat patties using egg and flour. Also don’t forget to put your leftover rice inside the fridge because it will spoil if you leave it out. When we cook new rice for meal time, we will just put the old rice on top when the new rice is being warmed. We also make fried rice out of our leftover rice with lots of garlic.

Savings in Food Cost

9. Buy store brands rather than the name brands

Buying store brands from Lulu or Carrefour can help lower down our cost in grocery. We have tried both name brand & store brands. We don’t see any big difference in terms of quality of the items. There are just specific name brands that we buy but most the items we often go for store brands.

10. Plant your own vegetables and herbs

To cut down on the grocery budget, try to plant your own vegetables and herbs. If you have a good soil, plant like Moringa tree in your backyard. You can also buy seeds to plant tomatoes, cauliflower, cucumber, etc. Growing herbs in small pots would not only minus spending money on spices, it would also make your dishes more delicious since the herbs are fresher. You can also sprout mung beans to create bean sprouts.

Savings in Food Cost

That is the 10 tips I can share on reducing your grocery cost. I have one bonus tip for you.

* Reserve only take-outs or dine-out at least once a month

Take-outs or dine-outs often happen if people don’t plan our meals for the week. Since we don’t live in the city, we have few options for dine in or take-out in our place which help us to be less tempted to do take-outs and eat-outs. We often reserve it only at least once or twice a month when we go to the city or after pay day. But we don’t make it a daily habit.

Turkish Food

Do you find this list helpful? Share with me your tips in saving on food cost..

Filed Under: Expat Diaries, Food Discoveries Tagged With: Carrefour, hacks, list, Lulu, money saving tips, savings

10 THINGS I STOPPED BUYING

April 3, 2018 by Little Miss Honey 607 Comments

magazines

When I started my minimalist journey and having that goal to save more, I started looking to reassess some of the things that I should stop or at least minimise buying.

Here are 10 things I have stopped or minimised buying or stopped paying for:

1. Magazines

I used to look buying magazines because I enjoy flipping through the new smooth pages of the glossies and seeing all the beautiful people inside & pretty items I get tempted to buy. It often triggers my impulse buying when I see a magazine with a celebrity that I admire on the cover. I would get curious on the topics highlighted on the cover which makes me what to buy it all of a sudden. I would soon find myself with a high pile of magazine which I only manage to flip through once. Some of its contents are not even that appealing nor worthy of the money I spent. Or sometimes the advertising is too good, it would tempt me to do unnecessary purchases with unrealistic promises. So I curb my addiction to buying magazines and opted to just read it when I visit cafes, in bookstores or library. Plus most of the articles can be found online anyway.

magazines

2. Facial Moisturiser, Body Scrub & Deodorant

I recently learned to create some DIY skin care products like facial moisturizer, body scrubs & deodorant using essential oils & regular products I found in the kitchen & bathroom. I love that it is all natural, less chemical and very cheap. It is so easy to make. Here are the recipes:

Body Scrub

1 cup Brown Sugar

1/4 Oil of your choice (Coconut, Jojoba, Almond, etc)

7-8 drops of your favorite essential oils

Mix together

Facial moisturizer

Fill 3/4 of oil of your choice (Jojoba, Almond, Grapeseed, Argan etc) in a glass dropper bottle. Add 5 drops of Carrot Seed Oil, 5 drops of Frankincense Oil, 15 drops of Lavender Oil and 1 tbsp of Rose Hip Oil.

DIY Facial Oil Moisturiser

Deodorant

1/4 tsp of favorite essential oil

1/4 cup of cornstarch

1/4 cup of baking soda

1/2 cup of coconut oil

A squeeze of lemon

*Most of the recipes I found in Pinterest & some are from my fave minimalist YouTubers like Meghan Livingstone & Madeleine Olivia

I will soon try creating linen spray, mosquito spray for kids, all-purpose cleaner, facial cream, perfume & lip balm.

3. Paper Towels

I hardly buy this one ever since but I did buy a couple of times. But I realised how wasteful to buy such things when I can have a fabric cloth to wipe & clean surfaces. All I need is to wash it and reuse it. Less harm to the environment, more savings for us.

4. Movie Tickets

My hubby & I love watching movies but we hardly go to the movies for years now. We rather watch at the comforts of our own home. We can just watch online through Netflix or other sources for movies or TV series. The only time we go out for a movie is when we are given free movie tickets, hehe.

5. Gym Membership

Funny thing about enrolling in a gym is that we expect that the very act of enrolling in a gym would automatically make us achieve our desired body. We don’t realize we have to actually go diligently to the gym & do effective work-outs to reach that goal. So most often than not, we would be lazy to go to the gym with thousand of excuses after Week 3 after enrollment, which leaves our credit card eating away our money monthly while we still have our unhealthy, untoned bodies.

So I decided not to enroll to a gym (especially after having a horrible cancellation experience with one of the gym here in Singapore) and opt to just exercise at home, using free apps like PopSugar Fitness or other YouTube exercise routine. I also have a Bikini Body Guide, Strong Body Guide & Love Sweat Fitness Exercise Routine to choose from, which I will do after I give birth.

Pregnancy Exercise

I may opt for discounted dance or Zumba or yoga classes if I feel like it but definitely, not enrolling to any gym anytime soon.

6. Cute Knick Knacks

I am a sucker for cute knick knacks & fancy stationery. My favorite stores are Typo, Monoyono and Kikki.K. Let me enter those stores and I would definitely leave with some kind of overpriced notebooks, cute keychain or a glam-up container of some sort. Most often than not, I don’t really need any of it but its aesthetics beckons me to take them home. But now, I have consciously resisted or I would avoid the store all together. I only visit them when I really plan to buy something and I try my best to stick to the budget.

7. Cable TV Subscription

With YouTube and Netflix, my hubby and I realized we don’t need to a cable. We barely watched the other hundred channels in our cable subscriptions. It is usually our kids who watching the TV, going from Disney Junior, Nick Junior & Toonami channels in cycle. So by this April, our cable subscription contract ends, we have contacted our cable supplier that we are cancelling our subscription.

8. Pre-cut fruits & vegetables

I am lazy in cutting fruits. So I often opt to buy pre-cut fruits in the grocery & fruit shop. It can be a lot pricey than the uncut ones. I realised that the pre-cut fruits are the overripe ones or would go bad in a day. It requires to be eaten on the same it was bought. I have learned my lesson after buying pre-cut fruits on my weekly online grocery to stick to the uncut one and same goes with buying uncut veggies rather than the pre-cut ones.

9. Christmas Decors

I don’t normally buy yearly Christmas decors. I know people have yearly different Christmas theme but I rather reuse our previous holiday decors. Or better yet, get donations of Christmas decors from friends who loves changing up their Christmas motifs yearly.

Pinoy Christmas

10. Branded Grocery Items

I learned that generic grocery items work and taste just the same as the branded ones. So when I do my weekly grocery, I rather buy generic store goods than those overpriced branded ones.

There you have it, the 10 things I have stopped or minimised buying or paying for. I am sure I still have a few more but I am just listing 10 here for now. Do you have other things/items you would suggest we should stop buying to accumulate less, save more money and acquire more peace?

Filed Under: Inspirations Tagged With: DIY recipes, list, minimalism, Money savvy, saving, Saving tips, tips


Hi I'm Honey! I am a Filipina who has studied & lived in Saudi Arabia for a few years, worked in Singapore and is currently based in Oman with my husband & our three little boys. I am a medical doctor, a lifestyle blogger, travel junkie, a foodie and a bookworm. I hope I can drizzle a bit of sunshine and inspirations whenever you drop by my blog. Thanks for dropping by! See ya soon.. :)
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