Budgeting Bloggers: September

 

Ah, September. The month where magazines gets thicker, and it’s time to buy all of the fashion. And this year, it was also the month where I found myself still unemployed and with a dwindling savings account. Great timing, huh? It was the perfect time to start a Le Tote subscription (you can read more about that here): I wore fun new stuff practically every day I left the house, and I barely paid anything for it! And, of course, I did take advantage of a couple sales and added some more permanent pieces to my closet. With all that, plus a few gifted items, it really wasn’t so painful being on an extra budgety budget this month. Here’s how it all worked out…

My Budget:

• +$150 (normal starting amount)
• +$20 (returned a bracelet I bought last month and never wore)
• +$33 (sold old clothes)
• [note: I did have blog income this month, but I didn’t add it to my budget like I usually do – willpower!]

            = $203

What I Spent:

• -$85 on a cropped sweater, necklace, red satchel, and black pants from Target (orig. total $104, used 20% off code)
• -$53 on blue flats from DSW (retail $79)
• -$44 on a graphic sweatshirt from Madewell (orig. $70, got on sale, plus additional student discount)
• -$24 on a Le Tote subscription (normally $49/mo., but I used a 50% off code during a Labor Day promo)

            = $206 (total retail value: $302)

What I Received:

• Marc by Marc Jacobs earrings and Steven mules courtesy of Shopbop
• Sunglasses courtesy of SEE Eyewear

See the other Budgeting Bloggers over at Franish!

Budgeting Bloggers: August

It’s the end of another month (can you believe it?!) so it’s time for another budget report. I’m proud to say I came in under budget again this month. But…I did get a couple things for my beach trip (a bathing suit, shorts, and coverup) that I didn’t include. Because I forgot. But let’s just call those one-offs. I’m not going to beat myself up about it because I got a little birthday money that I didn’t spend. Moral of the story is: let’s call it even. On to the deets:

My budget:

• +$157 ($150 starting budget plus $7 not spent in July)
• +$122 (blog income)
• +$46 (sold old clothes)

            =$325

What I spent:

• -$15 on floral sneakers from Target
• -$22 on a striped “beach” tee from Madewell (orig. $55, on extra sale)
• -$67 on leopard print pumps by Via Spiga (retail $250, got them on clearance at Nordstrom Rack!)
• -$21 on clear frame sunglasses from J. Crew Factory
• -$21 on a statement necklace from J. Crew (orig. $55, on extra sale)
• -$25 on a gray sweatshirt from Target
• -$69 on an embellished chambray shirt from Nordstrom (orig. $98, got during Anniversary Sale)
• -$58 on black & white pumps from DSW (retail $99, DSW price $60, used my $5-off birthday coupon)
• -$20 on a monogram bracelet from C. Wonder (which I just realized I’ve never worn)

           =$318 (total retail value: $638)

What I received:

• A black dress, floral d’orsay flats, and rose gold solitaire ring courtesy of Shopbop

As always, I’m linking up with the other Budgeting Bloggers over at Franish!

Budgeting Bloggers: July

Well, if there’s one bright side to spending all of July studying, it’s that it kept me from blowing my budget! I mean there was no point in buying a ton of new clothes when I was spending most of my time at home in sweats. But let’s not talk about the Bar anymore – IT’S OVER! Instead, let’s take a look back at the good part of July: the shopping.

My budget:

• +$93 ($150 starting budget minus $57 overspent in June…whoops)
• +$103 (blog income)
• +$32 (sold old clothes)

            =$228

What I spent:

• -$59 on an embroidered chambray dress from Madewell (orig. $148, on extra sale)
• -$37 on a floral top and skirt from J. Crew (total orig. $226, on extra sale, plus I had a $50 gift card!)
• -$30 on a striped maxi dress from Target (of course NOW it’s on sale)
• -$67 on a striped tee, pineapple tee, and polka dot tee from Ann Taylor (orig. total $123, minus $50-off deal, minus $20 credit card rewards)
• -$28 on a cork clutch from C. Wonder (orig. $54, on sale)

           =$221 (total retail value: $581 (I’m awesome))

What I received:

• Rainbow pastel watercolor Moroccan tote bag courtesy of Redbubble
• Jeff Koons for H&M balloon dog bag courtesy of H&M
• I also won the orange suede sandals pictured above from Shoemint! Lucky me!

As usual, I’m linking up with the other Budgeting Bloggers at Franish.

Budgeting Bloggers: May

Can you believe the month is over? I’m going to guess you said “no,” so I’m going to say “me neither!” As expected, my May budget was much smaller than the past couple months (check out March and April if you missed them). But what I didn’t expect was the fact that I would get graduation gifts to help fund a nice tote bag and new work clothes (for when I need them, which is hopefully soon).

I got monetary gifts (look, I sound like an attorney already) from my parents and grandparents, and I decided to do the responsible thing and put those in savings. But I also got checks from the in-laws that were specifically designated for adding to my lawyerly wardrobe. Well, it would be rude not to shop with that money as instructed, right? Right. 😉

For the sake of this post, I’m putting what I bought with my graduation money under the “what I received” category so you can differentiate what I spent my “real” money on. So here we go…

My Budget:

• +$166 (starting budget $150, plus $4 unspent in April, plus $12 for a return)
• +$123 (sold old clothes)
• +$55 (blog income)

      = $344

What I Spent:

• -$139 on an army jacket and sunglasses from Madewell (total retail $153, minus student discount)
• -$29 on Ann Taylor bow pumps (retail $128, found an unworn pair at a resale shop!)
• -$41 on tan Report sandals (orig. $60, on sale)
• -$47 on a white midi skirt from Nordstrom (orig. $78)
• -$6 on cheap designer-inspired sunglasses that I don’t look that great in (oh well, they were $6)
• -$62 on silver cork pumps (retail $99, got them through HauteLook)
• -$17 on gold flats (retail $55, got them at TJMaxx)
• -$26 on a midi ring at an art fair

      = $368 (total retail value: $605)

I went $24 over my budget, so I’ll subtract that from my starting amount for June. It was the midi ring at the art fair that put me over the edge, but supporting the arts is good so I forgave myself pretty quickly and so should you.

What I Received (graduation gifts from family & gifts from brands):

• Lavender Fossil tote (graduation gift)
• Lemon sweater, yellow skirt, wrap dress, and chevron scarf (graduation gifts)
• Blue printed dress, straw hat, bikini, statement necklace, and belt courtesy of H&M
• Ice cream tee and ampersand tee courtesy of RedBubble
• Striped maxi dress and navy fit & flare dress courtesy of Kika

A big thank you to the brands who let me try some new things for free, and an even bigger thank you to the lovely people (whom I actually know) that gave me gifts this month! You all helped me have a little more fun. Because to me, fun=new clothes.

As always, I’ll be linking up with Fran’s Budgeting Bloggers group! Be sure to check them out and prepare to be impressed. If you’re new here, follow Sarah’s Real Life to see how I’m wearing all this crap and to see all the additional crap I will undoubtedly buy next month!

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Budgeting Bloggers: February

You guys. I ROCKED February shopping-wise. It was a good month: First of all, I had a healthy chunk of extra income to pump up my budget. Second, I managed not to blow it all, which is a miracle for me. Third, I got some really great stuff.

My biggest purchase was a dress from Madewell. I tried it on in the store on Feb. 1 and immediately fell in love, but I knew it was a bad idea for me to spend $130 that early in the month. I decided to wait at least 2 weeks and reassess my budget. I sold some old clothes so I had enough to buy it at full price, but I was hoping there would be a sale. I decided I would wait until Feb. 20 for a sale and if there wasn’t one, I would just take the plunge. I couldn’t risk it selling out! Lo and behold, on the morning of the 20th I woke up to see an email from Madewell: 30% off spring styles and free shipping. Like it was meant to be. It just came in the mail yesterday so you’ll see it on the blog soon!

I also got the final touches for my Barristers’ Ball (aka Law School Prom) outfit. The old Sarah probably would have made some excuse like “well, it’s a special occasion so it doesn’t count toward my budget.” But the new Sarah isn’t making any more excuses! The Ball is this Saturday, and I can’t wait to show off my outfit. If you want a preview before it hits the blog, just stalk me on Instagram this weekend.

Anyway, here’s the breakdown! You might remember from my first Budgeting Bloggers post that my budget is sort of a moving target. For more details on how I come up with my shopping budget, see this post.

February Budget

• +$129 ($150 starting amount minus the $21 I overspent in January)
• +$109 (sold clothes at local consignment and resale shops)
• +$223 (blog income)

          = $461

What I Spent

• -$50 on a hat from Anthropologie (you’ve seen me wear it 3x already!)
• -$53 on leopard booties from Nordstrom Rack (orig. price $160, on clearance and I had a $10 gift card)
• -$37 on nude pumps from 6pm.com (retail price $89)
• -$58 on a sequin top and statement necklace from ModCloth (top originally $70, on sale, plus I had a $7 credit and 10% off code)
• -$80 on a Peter Pilotto dress and field jacket from Target
• -$24 on a wool cape from Forever 21 (orig. price $48)
• -$97 on an olive dress from Madewell (orig. price $130)

          =$399 (retail value $650)

That’s $62 under budget, people! *pats self on back*

As for gifted items…

What I Received

• Rose gold watch and heart bracelet from Dainty Wrist Jewelry
• Floral bead bib necklace from Fresh Produce
• Wave print infinity scarf from House of Gemmes

So, how did the rest of you do this month? Have you just given up on shopping until the weather gets nicer and you can buy pretty dresses? That’s not a bad idea actually.

Linking up with Fran’s Budgeting Bloggers