Final Reflection

Final Reflection

          I did not make many changes to essay, but I did rewrite it a million times. Actually it was really only 3 times. When i first started writing my essay, i began to write about 30 Days of Reading. I started writing an essay on this and realized reading was something I already did on a daily basis and it made it difficult for me to discuss. I threw that essay away and started writing about 30 Days of eating healthy. I wanted to really challenge myself so I threw that away and kept thinking. I finally came up with the idea of 30 Days of Saving.

          I felt this was a strong topic I could relate to and write about. I enjoyed writing the essay on the 30 day challenge more than i enjoyed the digital story. I felt that i did not have enough time to tell my story in the digital story and felt nervous to hear myself tell it. The most difficult part for me was having to get personal with my story and using my own voice to tell my story. The most enjoyable part was going through family pictures to decide what to use for my final reflection. Going through those photos and looking back on all of the memories really made me think about what all my parents have taught me over the years. taking the time to pick out each photo carefully and with a purpose to my story also made me wonder about what messages I will pass on to my family.

          During this challenge I learned how to use blog conventions to help tell my story. In my digital story, I also used a limited amount of pictures to Show instead of Tell my story. By limiting the amount of pictures I used, also reduced the amount of distraction created for my audience because I didnt include music. If I could do things differently, I would spend more time writing my blog to give my audience more insight on my challenge.

Artist Statement - Digital Story

          My digital story is based on my transition from California to New Mexico, how that affected me as a child and what I learned from it. The purpose of creating my digital story was to tell a story about how I learned to save money and where my motivation to do it came from. I composed my work in a way that it told a narrative story of the morals i learned growing up. this was to make my digital story personal. I composed my story chronically, telling the events as they happened to help depict the story.
          I chose the topic of how i learned to save money for my digital story because my 30 Day Challenge was about saving money for 30 days. My inspiration for writing my digital story was my parents and how hard they have fought for everything they own.
          I wanted my readers to understand where my desire to save money began in the first place. I connected with my audience through pathos created in childhood memories and reminiscing those memorizes. I also connected with them through logos because...who doesn't want to save money??? Telling my story through a digital story helped me distinguish the important parts of my story  to be able to add pauses to it. The digital story brought my story to life and added a person effect to the story telling that the reader couldn't have gotten from just reading the story.
         

Digital Story

Digital Story

Land Of Enchantment
https://www.wevideo.com/view/793597050

Stick to the Challenge!

New Tires Are Definitely a Necessity 

         Learned the importance of saving this past month has really paid off. The tires on my 2006 Hyundai Elantra are shot and I need to replace them the front two before i have a blow out on the road. By reducing my unnecessary spending this month and following some tips on how to save money from 31 Money Saving Tricks, I managed to save up almost $300. By following these tips I saved quite a few bucks and rather than going shopping for black Friday as previously planned, I'm going to use the money to replace the tires on my care, something that is definitely more important.

          This past month I have learned a lot about myself and my routines and I tend to spend money on things I don't need without thinking about their long term use and necessities. I've learned to weight out the cost and benefit of buying something and its long term use. Tires are definitely more important than the new hottest deals on electronics or clothes.

          Id like to think that i grew up a lot over the last month. I've come to identify the petty high school worries I carry when I worry about what people think about me, and am growing to get over it. Jessi Arrington has made me realize that no one can take or give me confidence but myself. Happiness comes from within. If I want a happy life later on, its not only about learning to budget so I can make more money and be happy, but about learning to love myself first.

          Success later on in life isn't only attributed to what my financial situation will be (but I'm sure it helps,), but also the confidence I have in myself. Confidence is key to a happy life, not the amount of money in my bank account. If I learn to love myself and look at things in a brighter light, that in itself is a recipe for a fruitful and happy life. And who could ask for more?

What does my stuff say about me?

What does my stuff say about me?

            SIKE! Everyone judges! But you have to learn to 
            look past it and not care!

          While on the journey to save better, I started to think about what weve gone over this semster. Previously we have read the excerpt "What Your Stuff Says About You" by Sam Gosling where he describes how our possessions reflect our personalities and can also affect how others perceive us. He performs a series of trials with different people and their rooms and asked people what they thought about that person. Going through this challenge has made me reflect on what my possessions say about me and how that affects how others perceive me.

          In my room, the main things I have are a bed, a TV and a dresser. My room is usually pretty clean and my bed is almost always made (unless I woke up on the wrong side: pun intended). I have a snow globe, my parents photos and a jewelry box on my dresser. My room is very simple and clean, but my closet is a hot mess. My closet is where I shove all of my things so that my room looks as clean as it does. I definitely spend most of my money on clothes because thats the majority of my possessions. What does this say about me?

          One could say its normal for a young lady to want to shop till she drops, but others would say it might be borderline outfit obsession as Jessi Arrlington would call it. If someone saw my room, they would think that I'm a horder or a compulsive shopper. Although, I cant accurately judge my own room because of bias, others would be able to see the identity claims that are either directly or indirectly aimed at others or myself.

My goal at the end of this challenge is not only to save money but to not to care about what people think about me. At the end of the day, everyone judges the choices that they didnt make themselves. Although everyone tries to judge you, in the words of Tupac, "Only God Can Judge Me."

Outfit Obsessed

Outfit Obsessed

Do I cover up my insecurities by wearing clothes that I think will make me more socially acceptable?

What effect does my wardrobe style have on my wallet, and more importantly the environment?

Do I become too attached to certain pieces of clothing?

          These are some of the few questions I asked myself when I was on TED TALKS watching a video by Jessi Arrington. In her video, "Wearing Nothing New", Jessi starts off her speech by confessing to her outfit obsession. Arrington explains her concept of wearing nothing new by only buying recycled clothing. This will not only to minimize her impact on the environment but also  make shopping more of a treasure hunt and your style more unique to you.

           Arrington loves to second hand shop because she is an adamant believer that you dont have to spend a lot of money to look good in what you wear. She has influenced me to thrift shop more than I already to be more confident about what i wear. By picking clothes that is second hand, not only am I helping my pocketbook, but also the environment benefits more if I buy recycled clothing.

          Jessi Arrington didnt pack anything to wear for her trip, all she took with her was 7 undies! This was to prove the point that she was more than confident that she would find everything that she needed to wear at local thrift and second hand stores. Arrington uses a slideshow to show her audience what she wore through out the week. With every different outfit that she wore came a different lesson that she learned and shared. This video relates back to my challenge of saving money for 30 days because my biggest expense is clothing.

          Arrington shares the lessons she learned,  and the one that stuck with me the most was "if you believe your a beautiful person inside and out, there is no look you cant rock." I admit that im self conscious and shy and sometimes lack confidence, but this this video has impacted me and my lifestyle choices. I want to be able to wake up one day and feel beautiful  as a person, not as a result of what Im wearing. This challenge is so much deeper than just saving money, it has made me realise that I use and excess of make up and clothes to feel better about myself. I should feel good and be confident about myself as a person everyday and that is something that I also need to work on.

Wear Nothing New - Jessi Arrington

What doesnt kill you makes you stronger right??

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger right??

Well will be happy too hear that yesterday I went to the mall with my boyfriend and I did not buy a single thing! Not even a delicious Wetzels Pretzel!!!
Proud of me? Because I sure am!

As we walked around Cherry Creek Mall, I saw things I wanted everywhere "oh, look at that!" "ohhh, or that!" "ohhhh OR THAT!". I was actually pretty good at telling myself no and restraining from spending more than I had to. We went to the mall to get work boots for the auto shop he works in. As we walked passed Forever21 and Pacsun, I kept reminding myself that we are here to get him stuff, not me.

Later that evening, Aaron went to the bathroom for a second and left me waiting for him right by the escalator (which was coincidentally right in from of Pacsun!). As I stood there looking into the store, I started wondering why i have such a need to buy clothes? As I put more thought into it, I came to the conclusion that its because "its cool". Social media, celebrities, everyone thinks "its cool to dress cool". They endorse products and create fashion lines that are pricey and hard to keep up with for the middle class, and convince us that we need it because its the new fad. So whats so great about paying $60 for some jeans that already have holes in them? I didnt go into a single fashion store that day.

Two hours later, we have found the perfect shoes for him and are heading home. On the way home, i really reflect on my attitude and id like to think that I'm improving. Instead of thinking I need new clothes, now my mind is on more important things. Like getting my poor little car new tires before winter, now thats a priority. Groceries, education and my transportation are the only things I'm trying to focus on spending money on.

I was pretty proud of myself because regardless of all of the sales going on, and despite it being payday, I realized clothes isn't my biggest concern, I think I grew up a lot that day. When I got home, I read an article written by David Ning about the benefits of saving money at a young age and how it would affect your life as oppose to reckless spending, which inspired me to save even more.

Since yesterdays realization, I think i need to start putting more effort into not spending money. Although this challenge ends on 10/31, I'm going to try to keep saving until I can pay cash for my new tires. I'm learning the difference between necessities and wants, and id like to think I'm going a pretty darn good job. Lets see, whats going to keep me safe on the roads, new clothes or new tires? You do the math.

Benefits of Saving Money - David Ning