Sunday, February 28, 2016

february budget

Last year I started tracking my spending on clothing -- it seemed like a kind of a smart, grown-up thing to do. Around the same time I did a major closet clean-out/purge and discovered too many flammable looking Forever 21 pieces, pilled Target cardigans, and regrettable impulse purchases that were all gathering dust. I liked the idea of having some accountability to curb some of my mindless buying, so at the end of each month I survey my purchases and make sure that I'm sticking to my budget and making smart decisions. And here we are.

February was supposed to be a no shopping month for me, so how'd I do? Ehhhh...

I didn't make it. All was fine until about a week ago when I decided to make an exception and buy these sneakers that I fell madly in lurve with. I was planning to just wait until March, but all of a sudden they were selling out everywhere and I realized they wouldn't be around that long. I also realized I'd really be bummed to miss out on them. I mean, they're just sneakers, but I do have a habit of obsessing over the ones that got away. I spotted my size back in stock and a nice little President's Day promo code and just went for it. When I got to the checkout, there was also a pair of sunglasses in my cart from a previous session but I pretended not to notice and placed my order. So my purchases for this month are as follows:


Adidas Originals ($101) // Oversized Retro Sunglasses ($14)

monthly budget: $200 ($0 in February)

total: $115 ($85 under budget/$115 over budget)

The good news is that I love both purchases and know I will wear them both often (practically daily), so I'll consider it a success for thoughtful, mindful shopping. Small victories.

When you're not shopping for (most of) a month, you have lots of time for window shopping, which I did plenty of. All kinds of spring goodies are showing up in stores, and I have my eye on a few:




























this lace shirt is a little off-beat but has some interesting potential // still digging the crazy pants // this perfect looking sweater is from the upcoming Lemaire collab with Uniqlo (love the half sleeves) // I love this inkblot floral, which seems less twee than most spring-y prints // black and white striped espadrilles with a little platform? sold // I've been a little wary of the cropped wide-leg jeans thing, but I'm digging this white pair // my very excellent sunglasses in tortoiseshell

Did you buy anything good this month? What do you have your eye on right now? Let me know!

I'm linking up with Fran and the budget bloggers, because those ladies always find great stuff...

PS -- wishing a special happy birthday to my brother (who does not read this blog) because he and all of the other leap babies get an actual birthday this year! If you are celebrating something special this Leap Day, check out the NYT's collection of treat yo self recipes (and do NOT check out the movie of the same name -- the delightful Amy Adams deserved better).

4 comments:

  1. I'm kinda loving those sneakers. They're not something I think I could pull off personally, but they certainly are eye catching!

    My biggest steal this month was probably the DVF wrap dress I found on the sale rack for less than 20% it's original retail price. This month I think it's going to be all about the accessories :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, they're fun to wear! And that DvF dress was a great find!

      Delete
  2. Those sneakers are fabulous! Hopefully you'll get good use out of the sunglasses too, seeing as they were an accidental order?

    Next month's shopping will probably break my trend from the last two months of just buying one large item with my monthly budget: I'll likely pick up a few small things, some from Uniqlo, and maybe some from other sources (I have an eye on one cotton and one linen t-shirt from Loft).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. March is always a fun shopping month: spring, finally! I'm excited about the Lemaire collection at Uniqlo launching tomorrow. We don't have a Uniqlo in Florida (yet...coming soon!) but I'll definitely be placing an order :)

      Delete