Soup is the best on a dreary day. It’s comforting to make and eat. I love a recipe that’s both healthy and filling; this potato and kale soup fits the bill.
My friend @suzeverly introduced me to this recipe by halfbalkedharvest.com. It’s packed with flavor and nutrition, with or without the chorizo. It’s even better the next day.
The instructions include multiple cooking methods: I used an Instapot and it was ready in eight minutes. Instapot is my new BFF! If you don’t have one, you can get the one I have here. (It’s currently on sale at the time of this posting. By using this link, I make a small commission at no extra cost to you and it helps support my efforts.)
I tweaked the recipe a little for my tastes. I used 2% milk for a little richness and color. I also added one extra medium Yukon gold potato as some of the potatoes are pureed for richness. Also, you do not need to peel the potatoes.
Free coat. Free athleisure pants. All of these closet additions came from Athleta.
Now that I got your attention, I’ll tell you how to get the same deal.
By cleaning out my closet and bagging up my items to send to ThredUP, I earned store credit to spend at Athleta. Thredup is a consignment service that resells your items and pays you a commission on those items. You can choose to get a cash payout or, work through one of the Gap affiliates: Athleta, Gap, or Banana Republic. You’ll receive a 15% higher payout in gift cards vs cash, per the website.
Here’s how it works:
Grab a closet-cleanout bag from one of the Gap affiliate stores or request one online.
Fill the bag with unwanted clothing items in clean and good condition.
Register the prepaid postage sticker on the bag through email and drop off at the post office for shipping.
Good for a lot of reasons.
That’s it. You will get an email confirmation when the bag is received and a few weeks later, another email with a gift card amount to spend at your chosen store. Any items that can’t be sold are either donated or recycled, zero waste.
I’ve always selected Athleta because I love the Brooklyn pant for travel or running errands. This winter, I invested in two winter coats, one for really cold events like football games or trips to the snow. The other coat, I’ll wear to run errands or to the movies or some casual event.
I actually posted about this opportunity months ago. Since I was just getting started with ohsofancyfrancie, I don’t think it made the impact. In talking with my friends, I could tell they somehow missed the post or it didn’t seem meaningful at the time. One friend was moving out of state. She couldn’t bear the thought of watching her clothes go for a few dollars at a neighborhood garage sale. Since she was moving in a hurry, the ThredUp bags made the move easy and quick.
Another friend was shopping with me when I picked out my free coats.
“Wait! How are you getting those coats for free?” A month later, she earned $60 for her first bag!
When you know you can make money cleaning out your closet, it’s a lot more motivating to do a tedious task. With dreary weather out there, it’s even more motivating to stay indoors and pull out all those things you just aren’t wearing or rarely wear.
For the higher-end items, you can make a little more money at your local consignment stores. It takes a little longer, but it’s a nice surprise when that payout check arrives. My friend Maureen, owner of ReChic, says it’s best to just get rid of things instead of holding on to something for years. The quicker you get it out of your closet, the more money you can make on consignment.
A classy consignment store that feels like a first-hand boutique.
Technically, I got the Sam Edelman boots I’m wearing in the photo for free, using the money I earned from reChic. The boots are weatherproof, comfy, and cool. They are hard to get, Nordstrom is sold out. Head to Amazon instead. Link here.
Free coat and boots!
Make a closet-cleanout one of your goals for 2022. In fact, put down a closet clean-out in your calendar with each new season, or at least spring and fall.
Over the last six months, I’ve learned a lot about fashion-over-fifty posting. It’s not as easy as it looks, that’s for sure. It takes a lot of planning, as much in advance as possible. It’s not just the outfits, but where to take the photos and from which angle? When it all comes together, it’s really magical and it makes me so happy when followers tell me they scored on something I suggested!
That was my plan, to inspire the over-fifty, and really the over-forty, because we can all wear the same things and look age-appropriate and not grandma. When I described my mission to a friend that recently retired, she lit up!
“I don’t want to look like a grandma! First of all, because I’m not a grandma!”
That’s my goal, to keep us looking current, whether we are grandmas or not! I’ll share what I know about fashion, fitness and, nutrition, because who doesn’t need a fresh take.
Thanks for supporting me while I try to figure out what being an influencer is all about. One of the things I learned is how to make catchy videos on TikTok and IG. Below is a year in review, the top ten looks in 2021 as selected by followers on IG.
