My September Budget

Here's a look at what I bought in September:

1. Victoria's Secret leather jacket, $257

2. H&M dress, $30 (similar F21 skirt, similar dress)

3. H&M racerback tank, $15

4. H&M tweed blazer, $60 (similar, similar, similar, similar)

5. Old Navy sweater, $17 (similar J.Crew, similar Loft)

6. Gap t-shirt, $7

7. H&M belt, $6 (similar)

8. Forever 21 shoes, $22 (similar, similar)

9. Love 21 dress, $20

Grand Total  = $250 (with $50 taken out of the next 3 month's budgets to cover the rest of the jacket)

1. As discussed in this post, I recently splurged on a black leather jacket. The Victoria's Secret version turned out to be hands-down the better choice over the H&M one! The fit was the same, the material is super buttery, and it has a fold-over collar versus the Mandarian collar on the H&M one. To cover the cost, I'm using $80 from this month's budget and $32 from last month's budget (I returned one item), and then will take $50 out of the next 3 months budget. I've always tried to strike a good balance between quantity and quality every month with my budget, but I'm planning to lean more towards quality over quantity in future months. A leather jacket is a great investment for my lifestyle (I wear my camel one to death) and I know I'll have it for years.

2. This was an impulse purchase so I could wear it NYC, but I also think this dress has major staying power throughout the fall and can be styled tons of different ways.

3. I've had my eye on this H&M racerback tank for over a month and decided to bite the bullet. I love a good graphic tee, and this is a category that I don't like to spend a lot on so the price is right.

4. The tweed blazer was another investment piece for me this month! If you have seen this jacket in person, you know it is super-soft, which is rare for tweed. I've had a tweed jacket for going on 7 years that I still absolutely love, but this one is a huge upgrade in quality.

5. I'm loving polka dots so much and I have some styling ideas for this sweater so I decided to keep it.

6. I got this t-shirt for a steal, and the preppy stripes will look great with equestrian boots for fall.

7. I'm a total sucker for this mint color! I did not need another belt, but the color, quality and price sold me.

8. If you gave me 10 guesses where these shoes are from I would never guess Forever 21. I spotted these in NYC and just couldn't pass them up for that price! I love the heel height and color.

9. Another purchase I made in NYC. I loved the color of this dress and the quality is high for Forever 21 (which is the idea behind the Love 21 brand). I'm worried how the material is going to look after washing though, and I'm wishing I would've invested in a dress that will last longer (see #1).

October wish list

Here are some of my favorite items for October! Something about that horse print has stolen my heart, I'm dying for a white peplum top, I'm loving shirt dresses in every color but especially this olive, and I love this lace detail dress although F21 tends to be short on me so I'll look for a similar dress elsewhere. I'd also love these quirky python shoes, a new pair of cognac pumps, a black leather purse and some black motorcycle boots to go with my new jacket! What are you shopping for this month?

1. Kensie dress, $35.99
2. Nordstrom top, $36
3. Gap shirtdress, $59.95
4. Forever 21 dress, $22.80
5. Deena & Ozzy shoes, $59
6. Sam & Libby shoes, $30
7. Marc Jacobs bag, $478
8. Roxy boots, $79

For more information see my post, "How to Set a Clothing Budget."