Hey, guys, it's Chelsea from The Financial Diet. And this week's video is brought to you by FreshBooks. And Merry Christmas.

Ho, ho, ho. Merry Christmas, obviously, to all of you who celebrate it. Happy regular day for those of you who don't.

And especially Merry Christmas to all the people who are spending it on YouTube. And since today is Christmas, I thought I would do something very fun and festive and out of the ordinary and also take a bit of a stand. And that stand is, if you couldn't have guessed by watching this channel, I hate haul videos.

I know that they're a huge phenomenon here on YouTube and on Instagram. People just love vicariously watching a 19-year-old with a airbrushed-looking body show you all the shit that she bought at h&M I get that that's, like, a real meaningful thing for people. But I think it's actually bad for us in a very psychological slash sociological way.

I think watching this really, really vapid consumerism, and aspiring to these lives where you can go to, I guess, a suburban mall and hit like five stores and buy thousands of dollars worth of products to show off in your perfect teenage bedroom. I don't think that's particularly healthy. I think, if anything, we should be thinking about the things that we don't need-- the things that we could get rid of, sell, donate, give to a friend or at least find a way for it to get more use.

For most Americans, statistically speaking, and certainly for myself, the last thing that any of us need is more crap. And given, of course, that it's Christmas, the likelihood that you're going to receive some more stuff that you don't particularly need or even want is very high. So to combine my hatred of haul videos with the realization that we're going into a new year, and as I've mentioned in a previous video, we should be cleansing ourselves of the stuff that's weighing us down going into that new year, I thought I would do what I'm calling an anti-haul video, and that is the stuff that I am getting rid of going into 2019.

Obviously, I can't show you every item that I'm getting rid of because that would just take too long. But I picked a bunch of items that I think really typify their category, either in the type of item they are or the reason that I'm getting rid of them. And hopefully by sharing some of my consumerist shame, you can get a little inspired in your own life and maybe get rid of a few of the items you don't need as well.

So without further ado, let's get right into it with my anti-haul video for 2018. So the first category of item I'd like to talk about, and there are several examples in this category, are what I will refer to as foofy dresses. Now, some of you may not know this, but I used to dress in sort of like a Disney princess move-to-Brooklyn kind of way, like really foofy and kind of kitschy, almost costume-like clothes and really bold colors that didn't do me any favors.

And I just really, really regret doing that because A, those outfits are generally not very timeless, and b, they tend to make you look like you're trying to be young, which as someone who's turning 30 in a few weeks, I'm really not interested in doing anymore. And amidst my category of foofy dresses, there are several subcategories starting with really sparkly dresses. And as you can see, these are obviously not in sort of like Easter egg colors like some of my other princess dresses.

But let's be honest, who am I, Barbra Streisand? Why am I wearing this? Like, I should not be wearing a dress that is completely covered in tiny rhinestones.

Yeah, I mean, I wore this to a wedding, and it's actually fairly flattering on, like, a body level. And obviously, it's black which makes it more understated than most. But like I do not need to dress like a retired Vegas showgirl.

Like I should not be wearing a dress that's covered in diamonds. It's just not for me. And because this is obviously a fairly nice dress, it's Calvin Klein, and it's been worn like twice, I'll be selling this.

And sparkly dress number two-- so this actually breaks my heart a little bit because I remember how much I loved this when I first got it. And it is, again, a fairly flattering dress and not in those, you know, foofy, princessy colors. But ultimately, again, why am I wearing something that is just entirely covered with sparkles?

It's no longer age-appropriate. It kind of looks like a costume a little bit. And also, it's made entirely out of kind of like a Spandexy material, which, let's be honest, if I'm wearing a dress to a night out, I need something a little bit more forgiving.

But, yeah, so that one is in the to sell pile as well because it's a nice dress. So the other subcategory of foofy dresses are the more sort of traditionally princess ones, which as you can see, these are in rather bold colors which, I mentioned earlier, really do me no favors. We'll see this is a repeat theme.

But essentially, I'm someone with red hair and a fairly ruddy complexion, so I should really stay away from super bold saturated colors. And 2012 Chelsea did not understand this. And I left it in the dry cleaning bag for effect, these two dresses, because I should point out that these were dry cleaned about a year and a half ago.

And obviously, I've never taken them out or worn them. Lastly, they're also too big for me now, slightly. But I am in no way motivated to get them tailored which I think should be the ultimate sign.

If you're not willing to throw a couple bucks at an item, that means you probably don't love it, and you certainly should not be wearing clothes that don't fit you anymore. But yeah, these are both rather nice dresses. They have been worn slightly more, so I will probably be either selling them or giving them to friends.

But I do love them. They're just-- who am I kidding? Why would I wear these?

They're very, like, Trudy Campbell slash Betty Draper, from the era when I confused my love for the show Mad Men with some sort of drive to actually dress like the characters even though we live in the 21st century. So next is a special item that I would like to put under the category of, "Why the hell did you not look at all of the pictures of the item before you bought it?" Because I have several items like this which I bought online and clearly did not do enough analyzing of the product before I bought it. And as a result, I have an item that I can barely use.

This one breaks my heart, too. Most of these do. Which honestly, when you're going through and doing your anti-haul, like, these items should break your heart.

Because we should feel the pain of having something you don't need or can't use. You know what I'm saying? Like, you should really feel that.

So these are the shoes that, as you can see, I have still worn them, not never, but quite rarely. And the thing is I actually love them. They're leopard mohair, and they're super cute on the foot.

I love this little, like, sort of divot. It gives you toe cleavage, as my mother calls it, which is just like not a pleasant term. They're really cute, but the problem with them is duh, duh, duh, they're kitten heels.

I thought they were flats when I bought them. And I don't know how you guys feel about kitten heels, but A, I just think-- I just think aesthetically, they're terrible. They look like something went wrong when they were being made.

But also, they're just really hard to walk in. You would think that because they're so short, they would be easier to walk in than more traditional pumps. But they're actually rather difficult to walk in, and they constantly sort of slide underneath me, and so they're very, very uncomfortable.

So yeah, I can basically never wear these. I think they're slightly to worn to sell, but I'll probably end up giving these to someone who does like kitten heels. So onto another category of clothing.

These are items that I'd like to put in the category of, like, "Why the hell are these still in your closet? Either fix them or get rid of them. You look like a crazy person." So the first item we have, and this-- I know I'm saying they all break my heart, but this really breaks my heart, because this is a beautiful Ralph Lauren sweater that I got with a gift card from my mother to Macy's.

I absolutely love it. Although, we can note that it has what I referred to in a previous video as 2017 sleeves. What's going on here?

But I actually did not mind the bell sleeve. I thought it gave it sort of a retro look which I enjoyed. But tragedy of tragedies, the first night I wore this was I was throwing a fondue party at my house for New Year's last year, and I was like, ooh, you should wear that, like, chic vintage looking sweater, which what was wrong with me that I'd wear bell sleeves while doing fondue?

Lo and behold, I set myself on fire. So you could probably see there's like a chunk missing out of the sweater. And, of course, I was like a little tipsy that night, so I was, like, oh, I'll just cut it.

It'll be fun. And now, I mean, come on. This looks absolutely crazy.

So my plan for this is actually not to throw it away because I do like it, and it does fit wonderfully, and I think it's a beautiful sweater overall. But I'm going to take it to a tailor and be like, can you do anything with this? Because obviously, I can't keep it like this, but there you go.

And on a very similar note, I have these jeans, which they need to go for several reasons. One, they are a little stained and definitely like dingy and worn through, which is to be expected after like four seasons of white pants. But I'd also like to direct you to exhibit A right above the pocket.

We have a giant-- a giant rip, that is, as you may have guessed, directly on my ass cheek. And I have the shame to say, I have worn these like maybe five times. I've worn them like five times with the rip above the ass because I was too lazy to go to a tailor.

But the thing is that like when I think about the idea of either taking the time to fix it myself or going to a tailor, like these jeans are really beat up, like not very nice white jeans are not going to freely last you more than a couple seasons, and that's just par for the course. So I need to learn not to hold on to things that are well past their expiration date. Now, to mix it up a little bit from apparel, I thought I would address something that I know a lot of you at home are going to love.

Because if there's one thing that commenters loved, in our old set it was screaming at me about how many throw pillows I have. Well, you will be happy to know that I'm getting rid of some throw pillows, you guys, but not because I don't love them. I love them.

I wish I could keep them, but they don't go with anything in my house. And these are really nice quality. I got them at TJ Maxx.

They're like super soft and puffy. And they would look great for the Christmas season, but I don't have true reds, like a very, like, rouge color in my living room, so it just wouldn't look appropriate. But yeah, so I'm going to give these a wash.

Let's be honest, they're a little beat up from being in the closet. But then I'll probably just give them away or take them to a thrift shop because, you know, someone will love them. But yeah, so I'm sure you I'll be happy to know that occasionally, I do get rid of throw pillows instead of just acquire them senselessly.

So another one in the non-apparel items is something that I actually spoke to in a previous video, which was what I referred to as aspirational books, which is books that you have on your shelf that you are never going to read if you're going to be honest with yourself. And I have many books like that that I'm going to get rid of, to be perfectly honest. But one of the ones that I thought was hilarious that I have this on my bookshelf is this book.

So there's a lot to discuss here. So first, I should note that this is a book from 1960, which obviously, as a political book, quite a lot of the information is going to be outdated. It's also, just fun fact, written by a woman named Dorothy Pickles which is great.

But yeah, so I picked this up at a, like, a little cleaning out a house thing. I didn't even pay for it, so I don't feel bad. But someone was clearing out their home library when they moved.

And I was like, ooh, look how fancy and smart. A smart person would have this on their bookshelf, a smart, cultured person. And when I say that I've never read this book, I literally didn't even open the first page to know it was written in 1960 until three seconds ago when you saw me do it.

I'll never even crack this book. And it's not for lack of interest in France. Obviously, I'm fairly interested in France for a variety of reasons.

But yeah, absolutely not. This book is a sham and a fraud, and it should leave my bookshelves. I'll just give this away to another person who will never read it.

So back onto the beauty and apparel train. I'd like to point out two items. Ooh, and you can tell how much these need to go because they're covered in dust from my makeup shelf.

So obviously, I didn't spend a ton of money on this because this is Milani, but yeah, I've never used it, basically. As I said earlier, I'm a redhead with a ruddy complexion. Me and pure red like that are not friends.

We do not get along. Also, I'm just someone who wears basically the same makeup every day, and I like neutral, subdued, et cetera. But especially with lipstick, because I have a very hard time keeping my lipstick applied and looking fresh and good.

Like I know I have to invest in a bunch of lip primers and shit, but that's just not my journey. So anyway, lesson learned. Not going to wear this color.

I'm going to toss this because who wants like a partially used, three-year-old $5 lipstick. Nobody. However, I don't only have items that need to go that were cheap and therefore not sad.

I also have this Chanel lip gloss which is like full-on 2004. It's like sparkly and Barbie pink. Honestly, I have no idea what I was smoking when I'm bought this.

Because I won't even demonstrate it for effect because it's so heinous. And it's also really gluey and gummy and bad in every textural way. But I think this is a good lesson, A, to only get things that you know you'll wear and will look cute.

But also, to remember that just because something is expensive doesn't mean it's very good. Particularly when it comes to beauty products, I have been burned so many times by designer beauty products. And kind of similarly, we're back on the Milani train, so no great love lost financially.

But why am I going to wear like pitch black purple lipstick? Have we met? I mean, come on.

It looks ridiculous. So anyway, that's not going to stay. So next, we have something that is very tragic.

So I actually have a friend who works at Essie. And when I was getting married earlier this year 'cause I was looking for the perfect nude polish, and she read that, and so she sent me a ton of these Essie nail polishes. But tragically, they're all gel nail polishes.

And I've kept them because I feel like it's the right thing to do to keep them. But ultimately, I should give them to someone who trusts themselves and their manual dexterity enough to do gel nail polish on themselves because I do not. And the idea of painting my own nails in a way that I could not immediately remove is very scary to me.

So these are going to go to a home that will love them 'cause there's like a dozen, and they're completely unused, and they're all very cute colors. So lastly, we have jewelry items. Now honestly, I should really, if I'm being practical, get rid of all of my jewelry.

Because aside from my engagement ring and studs and very occasionally this super, duper simple necklace, I don't wear jewelry. And it's funny because I love it on other people. I love it in theory.

And then I get it, and I just never, ever wear it. I just don't like it. I feel like it's cumbersome, and I just don't love the look.

And maybe that will change, and I'll get back into wearing jewelry. But for now, I don't. But amongst all of my jewelry items, there are definitely some that need to go way more than others.

And two of those are these gigantic gold hoops. Again, have we met, would I ever wear these? Absolutely not.

And I just need to be honest with that. Those will go to a friend, though, because I do have many friends who can pull off the gold hoop look. And the other one, of the reasons I hate the whole culture of haul videos is because the whole sort of beauty, fashion, influencer thing, like, so much of what they do is just convince you to spend a lot of money on things that you never would have otherwise liked until you saw them hawking it.

But so this is definitely-- so this is a Michael Kors watch that I bought back when, you know, I did not have Michael Kors money, let's say. OK, so first of all, just from like a logistical perspective, when I did wear this, I would have to take it off anytime I did anything, even typing on the computer because it weighs like a pound and a half. But also, it's just not me.

I hope someone will love it. I hope someone is still living that very sort of mid-aughts gold Michael Kors watch life and pulling it off, but I am not that person. Almost every sort of designer or quasi designer item I've ever bought has come from someone sort of influencing me to buy it, because I would never care about this stuff if left to my own devices.

So tuning out that noise is probably really good for your mental and financial health. And in the meantime, I will be doing my best to find this nice home. So those are just some of my items that I'm giving away or selling or throwing out.

And even though some of them are objectively still nice, and I could, theoretically, get more mileage out of them, I think it's much more healthy to be honest with yourself about what you actually use. And if you don't use that item, do what you can to make sure it's going to someone who would. And in the meantime, possibly making yourself some cold hard cash.

And while I can never prevent you from turning off this video and then immediately turning on like a $500 Sephora haul buy a rich teenager video, I can only encourage you to remember that for every new item you're getting or new item you're desiring, you should remember all of the items you already have and either don't love or have forgotten about. Maybe you'll never get quite to the one item in, one item out ratio, but the closer you can the better. And while these were just a few examples of my items, I'm going to be spending the next month doing everything I can to make sure I'm not holding onto stuff that's just holding me back.

And with that extra money you make from getting rid of some of those items you don't need, you'll want the best possible way to manage your finances. And one indispensable app for getting your money in order is FreshBooks. As always guys, thank you for watching.

And don't forget to hit the Subscribe button and to come back every Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday for new and awesome videos. Bye.