March 1, 2011

My February Budget



There's so much that goes into creating a well-rounded closet that I could literally fill up a book (<-- I'm working on one of those right now). I thought I'd at least show you how I used my budget this month and how I made decisions on what to buy. This post does come with one disclaimer though: I am quite finicky, so it's possible that I might return something! ;-) For now, here is what February looks like for me: 

Overall: I have spring fever and color was on my mind! I also allocated a big chunk of my budget to bottoms. I never feel like I have enough, so that's an area of my closet I wanted to work on. 

Top Row: It's rare to see pencil skirts in unique colors like these, so I immediately jumped at the chance to buy these two. Bottoms were also a high priority this month, which is why I spent almost half my budget on these two items alone. 

Middle Row: Accessories are my weakness. I have plenty of belts and jewelry but I just couldn't pass up these unique, colorful extras and their amazing prices! 

Bottom Row: A mixture of tops for many occasions. The cardigan and silky shirts will work for professional and casual situations alike, and the neon pink t-shirt is perfect for summer errands.
  1. LOFT aqua pencil skirt, $55
  2. Limited magenta pencil skirt, $35
  3. Gap pink belt, $10
  4. Forever 21 turquoise necklace, $8
  5. Charlotte Russe green necklace, $9
  6. American Eagle blue belt, $15
  7. H&M blue cardigan, $18
  8. Gap olive shirt, $10
  9. LOFT coral/camel shirt, $20
  10. American Eagle neon t-shirt, $12                 = Grand Total, $192

Note: prices differ online because I bought all of these items in the store (where they are usually cheaper). I also shopped during President’s Day weekend while many stores were having promotions.

23 comments:

  1. Loving the pink skirt and the Charlotte Russe necklace. We don't have CR in Toronto or Canada for that matter.. but I'm in thinking for the most part it's probably too young for me now.

    Has blogging become a way of living for you? If so that's so exciting!! It's happening fast too..

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  2. oh p.s. Any tips on keeping track of your monthly budget? I tendto forget what I've already bought that month, or I get excited with something I find.. etc that I always spend more then I think.

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  3. Yay!! I bought the coral Loft shirt, I can't wait to see how you wear it!

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  4. the LOFT camel/coral shirt is gorg!! i need to hit up gap for some belts and tops!!

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  5. I also forget, so when I get home from shopping I go through the receipts and write everything down to keep me honest. :-) If I overspend, I take something back or carry it over into next month's budget.

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  6. Thanks Stephanie! Is blogging my way of living? Yes and no. I don't make any money directly from the blog, BUT I have been asked to do all sorts of exciting projects like freelance social media marketing and Facebook coaching for local companies, which is a source of income for me. I'm also working on my show (which could have some revenue, we'll see!) and a book proposal so the hopes are that one of those will pan out. Fingers crossed. :-)

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  7. Great finds. I also write down what I buy. I only have a 20.00 budget that I give myself.

    http://amyfashionblog52.blogspot.com/

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  8. Wow! That all sounds like great news. It also seems to have happened fast so I can only imagine what's to come. Congrats to you.. I love fashion, I love the blog.. You've been very helpful to me. I'm on maternity leave (in Canada we get a year but I'm only taking 9m) with 2 weeks left before I return to work and I'm trying to put together my basics again while working with what I have even though I'm quite a bit smaller then before (yay!).

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  9. Good for you. I'm going to have to follow suit. With 2 kids in daycare, it's going to cost more then our mortgage payment and I won't have all the disposable $$$ anymore... But I love to shop.. like really really... :D

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  10. Hmm, I never really thought about how stores are cheaper than looking online. Why is that?

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  11. It's funny... while I love almost all of your outfits, I can't say I really like any of these peices by themselves. (Except for the forever 21 necklace). Just goes to show you how lacking I am in the creativity department I guess. Can't wait to see what you come up with.

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  12. That is interesting! I definitely have some cute outfits up my sleeve with these pieces! :-)

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  13. Mimi, as far as i can tell, a store only has so much space so they HAVE to get rid of stuff so they slash the prices. An online warehouse probably has a lot more room and doesn't need to mark things down as much!

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  14. Thanks for sharing your budgeting skills! I am on a tight clothing budget and can use some of your ideas. I have a long way to go as I have mostly jeans and sweatshirts... but I'll get there. Thanks for the post!

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  15. I love the way you broke down your budget! I need to create a budget and STICK to it! I buy such random stuff but I feel like I never have anything to wear ;)

    --Talia :)
    www.vargastore.com

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  16. Its encouraging to see a reasonable budget for such cute clothes.

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  17. Can't wait to see how you wear them!!

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  18. wow, nice stuff for the prices you paid! I'm so excited to go shopping!

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  19. J-I just bought that pink Limited skirt too & I'm excited to see how you style it. Great finds!BTW girls-right now the Limited is doing $100 off a suit both in store & online. You can also use mailer coupons on top of that so you can get a suit (either jacket & skirt; jacket & pants or jacket & dress) for around $70 to $80. Just a thought if you're looking to build up your spring wardrobe a bit.:)

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  20. I almost bought that Charlotte Russe necklace!! Now I'm regretting the fact that I didn't!! So pretty! :-)

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  21. I just bought a pencil skirt with the matching jacket at The Limited for $59 b/c of the $100off promotion plus my coupon. The total would have been $167. A great deal!

    http://www.thelimited.com/detail/studio-400-border-pencil-skirt/7066361
    http://www.thelimited.com/detail/studio-400-military-jacket/2509264/322

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  22. Thanks for posting your shopping budget here. It's nice to see the reasoning behind certain purchases and makes me think about my own shopping habits.

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  23. Wow it would be great to read a book on how to create well rounded closet on a budget! I feel like I always just buy things I like and don't think about creating the well rounded closet. Keep up the good work!

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