Monday, May 13, 2019

Fashionista vs. Budgetista in Colombia

I was recently asked "how much do you spend on clothing for your many trips?" Well the answer is simple and complicated. In short, it depends. The more elaborate answer, it depends on where I'm going, how much I'm trying to spend, whether it's for work or pleasure, how excited I am about the trip, etc. LOL! The fashionista in me wants to buy ALL new clothes for EVERY trip. But the budgetista in me wants to spend as little as possible. Therefore, I often re-purpose pieces that are veterans to my closet. However, re-purposing has become quite difficult with the popularity of social media posting. I can admit I fall into the category of paranoid people who dread being seen in an outfit more than once. But in the words of my dear friend Crystal, "clothes are made to be worn, so wear them as many times as you want." So as I continue my frugally fly journey (cuz this single girl has responsibilities), I often repeat the words of Crystal when my Fashionista heart and Budgetista mind are having an inner conflict. A great example of this was my recent birthday trip. I embarked on a five-day exploration to Colombia, South America with my cousin Dee and friends Keina and Crystal (yes, same wise-words Crystal). We soaked up the sun during a day of island hoping, we got a dose of Afro Colombian culture while touring Palenque, and we danced, walked and explored throughout the city of Cartagena. There were several great trip moments but there were three trip highlight. One, visiting Isla Baru was a vibe. As we docked on the island shores we saw people who looked like us, we heard Caribbean music playing, we smelled grilled food in the air and it was definitely all the feels.  Two, visiting Palenque which is a town originally founded by escaped slaves was very rewarding. I truly enjoyed learning about the history and culture of Afro Colombians (which I did not realize was so prominent until I began my pre-trip research). Three, bar-hopping with a party bus was soooooo much fun! We met people from all over the world, we drank Colombian liquor, ate street food, danced til our feet hurt and even made up our own line-dance that everyone in the club began doing. LOL! My favorite restaurant, that we visited, was Arsenal Rum Box because of the great customer service and overall experience. My favorite area of Cartagena was Getsamani because I loved the murals and street art. And my biggest piece of advice, don't worry about trying to figure out their money. Take dollars and pay with your ATM or Credit card when possible.  Trying to figure out their currency and the exchange rate was confusing at times and took away from the experience. But needless to say the trip was a AMAZING.  As for my attire, well Cartagena in April ranges from mid to high 80's and is extremely humid so less and lose fitting clothing came highly suggested. However, the less doesn't always suit my fancy because I'm very particular about exposing my arms, legs and stomach but I managed to look cute and be comfortable. And how much did I spend? I surprisingly stayed well within my budget by purchasing a few new items and re-purposing a few veterans. The key ingredient to staying  under budget was separates! I could get away with wearing a top or bottom that I've worn hundreds of times but it looked completely different because I paired it with a new item. Cheap jumpsuits and dresses were also very helpful and for lack of better words, a double win (I got the top and bottom for one price low price). And last but not least, accessorize ~ accessorize! I wore jewelry, shoes and purses that I've had FOREVER but in new ways. So here are the LEWKS...


Getsamani
New Shorts - Fashion to Figure
All other clothing/accessories previously owned.

Party Bus/Bar Hoping
New Pants - Burlington
All other clothing/accessories previously owned.

Downtown Cartagena
New Jumpsuit - Ross
Shoes/accessories previously owned.

Palenque
New Jumpsuit - Ross
Shoes/accessories previously owned.

Plaza de Santo Domingo
New Crop Top - Fashion to Figure
All other clothing/accessories previously owned.

Group shot in the elevator of the Air BnB :)
New Dress - Ross
Shoes/accessories previously owned.








Rosario Islands
New Swim Cover - Rainbow
Swimsuit/accessories previously owned.