Kelly - Freakin Fabulous on a Budget

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INTRODUCTION

ecently I was interviewed for a newspaper article, and the reporter asked me what my life was like during graduate school. (I received my masters in journalism from Northwestern University.) I couldnt help but laugh when I recalled my first apartment in Chicago. It was the size of a walk-in closet, with two windows overlooking an alley. The kitchen had a two-burner stove and a half refrigerator. I slept on a backache-inducing futon and ate my meals while sitting on a folding chair at a card table. Those meals were usually something I cooked on Sunday and stretched to last most of the week.

And during it all, I thought I was the luckiest guy on earth. I was living in a spectacular city, making new friends, and learning one of the most important lessons of my life: Fabulousness has absolutely nothing to do with money.

Fabulousness comes from within. Its about living your life the most conscious way possible. Are the foods youre putting in your body the highest quality you can afford? Are the clothes youre wearing telling the world youre glad you got out of bed this morning? Does your abode make you happy the second you walk in the front door?

You want to be answering yes to those questions. I know you do. If you dont want to be eating well, dressing your body in a flattering way, and surrounding yourself with things that energize you, youve got a problemand Im not the guy to fix it. You probably need a therapist.

I honestly believe that each of us, at our core, wants to be a splendid version of ourselves. But modern society is constantly urging us to take the easy way out! Think about how simple it would be right now to grab a triple cheeseburger at the drive-through, go home and pull on a pair of sweatpants, and spend the rest of the day watching a Hoarders marathon from your couch.

And, look, Im not judging. I have actually done a version of that. Who hasnt? But it rarely makes you feel good about yourselfbecause its the opposite of fabulousness.

You know youd be much happier if you ran to the supermarket in a cute pair of jeans, came home, whipped up a cassoulet, and made a terrarium for your windowsill! Omigod, I would so love you right now if you did that.

Ive written this book with the hope that youll be inspired to see the opportunities for fabulousness all around you. If I can do it, so can you!

P ICTURE IT : SICILY, 1922.

My Salvatore and I are on our way to a feast.

P ICTURE IT : LONG ISLAND, 1975.

My mother, Terri, dons her finest caftan and bell-bottoms to host a Tupperware partyavocado green and burnt orange are everywhere! And she puts out this spread of fabulous 70s hors doeuvres like Swedish meatballs and rumaki. The whole scene is pure heaven to six-year-old me, and I think,

And thats the moment I know my future adult life will include hosting fabulous parties.

love having people over to my place, and I know that I cant successfully entertain without serving great food. I also know that I can do it at a great price. This is the thing: A lot of fancy foods arent really that fancy or expensive to prepare. In fact, many high-end foods have very lowbrow origins. You might pay ten bucks for a side of polenta at a fancy Italian restaurant, but its still the same stuff poor farmers ate for centuries. And the next time you see a review for a sushi house charging hundreds of dollars, realize that those seaweed rolls began as cheap Japanese street food.

I also like to entertain because, quite frankly, I get off on impressing people with my mad entertaining skills. And you can too! People really dont expect much. I find that friends are actually kind of happy if you just order in a pizza and open a bottle of wine. While cost-effective, thats something people can do in their own homes. Instead, I like to offer people something homemade and delicious.

As it turns out, fabulousness is affordable when you have a few tricks under your apron. Ill show you mine if you show me yours.

FOOD

CLINTONS

T HERAPY C OUCH

Q Whenever I host a dinner party, friends always ask me, What can I bring? Even though I want to tell them to bring booze, as the host, I feel bad asking them to contribute. Is it all right to suggest that they bring a bottle of wine or is the only polite answer, Nothing. Just yourselves?

A Well... it depends on what kind of party youre throwing, how many people youre having over, and how well you know your guests. A good host throws a dinner party so that his or her friends can have a relaxing, carefree evening. So, ideally, you should be prepared to have every aspect of that evening covered on your own. However, if you state in the invitationeven if its a verbal onethat the party is potluck, then you can ask a guest to bring wine if she offers. You dont want to put your guests in the awkward situation of having to provide alcohol for everyone at your dinner table. Lets say you invite eight people over and only one friend asks if she can bring wine. Youd be better off buying the wine yourself, rather than charging her with the task or risking an awkward I-cant-afford-to-buy-that-much-wine moment. But if your group is close-knit and your dinner party is small and casual, feel free to accept a guests generous offer. Just be sure to return the favor at her next party.