2. J.Crew Factory Crystal Necklace - originally $55, on sale for $33
3. J.Crew Linen Tee [seen here] - originally $42, on sale for $20 + giftcard = $10
4. J.Crew Factory Pencil Skirt [seen here] - originally $75, on sale for $45
5. Missoni for Target heels - $18 at Buffalo Exchange: I have admired these shoes for a long time on Heidi and thought they were just so cute. I found these in a consignment store in Seattle when I was with Kimmie and took them straight to the register. The thicker heel makes them easier to walk in, and the neutral palette makes them go with everything. I'm excited to wear them to school as soon as the scrap on the side of my foot heals.
6. J.Crew Linen Blazer [seen here] - originally $190, on sale for $90 + giftcard = $0 : I used my Chippmunk winnings to finally purchase this blazer after admiring it for months. It hasn't been cool enough yet to wear a blazer but I can hardly wait.
7. Target tote [seen here] - $30: This was a total impulse buy when I was at Target picking up more things for the house and for school. I've wanted a structured cognac bag for a while, but the ones I really like (like this one or this one) are way out of my current budget (also, how amazing would this red one be? so cute, and probably a lot more fun!). While I have my Madewell tote, I'm afraid to stuff too much into it because there is no structured bottom, so I'm afraid that the bottom will permanently be damaged or a handle will come off (is this an irrational fear?). We'll see how long this guy holds through and if it looks like it becomes a staple, I'll start saving for a nicer bag.
8. Kut from the Kloth white jeans - from Nordstrom Rack for $60: I've wanted white jeans for a while but every pair I've tried on in the past were either see through, too tight, or too short. These are thicker, stretchy, and long enough!
not pictured: Grey tee with leather details ($30) and orange tee ($15) from Nordstrom Rack (seen here)
= $276 - $85 sold = $191
So obviously this month wasn't the greatest for me in terms of budget. "Technically", I was $50 under last month, so it evens out this month, but I always still feel somewhat guilty about it. My trip to Seattle was where most of my money went since I had access to stores I didn't have in Madison (Madewell and Nordstrom Rack). I did find white jeans and a colored pencil skirt, which were two holes in my closet. The necklace is something I've wanted for a while, and the jeans are already worn all the time, so I feel good about this month's purchases.
As far as the last of my school wardrobe fund goes, it went towards buying this dress and these pants during a 40% off promotion. In the future, and with my normal budget I think I would like to add a dark grey or navy pair of dress pants to the rotation as well, so I may keep my eye on these (as long as I wear pantyhose socks with them....ugh dress code).
As far as August goes...I'm not sure. We don't get our student loan money for another two weeks, so nothing for sure until then. Anything I do purchase will probably be school oriented though - maybe those black wedges if a 50% off sale happens, or another pair of dress pants. Anatomy is going to hit us hard in the next few months, so I will have very little time to go shopping so whatever is purchased will be done online. I also still need to figure out how I want to handle my budget now - do I continue it monthly like I have been, or do I transition to yearly budget? On the one hand, having a monthly budget keeps me in check because I'm not like "oh, I have $1,500 to go through, WHATEVER, BUY IT ALL" but on the other hand, I will do a lot less shopping, so this would be a good time to buy some more quality staple pieces and that's easier when you can buy a $200 purse one month, and then nothing the next. I'm done selling clothes now since everything that came with me are items I actually like and wear, plus I just won't have the time to deal with it. Let me know if you have any suggestions on how to handle this whole new financial situation I'm in.
So how did July treat your budget? I'd love for you to join the budgeting bloggers below - all I ask is that you please link back to this post so that your readers can discover other budgeting bloggers!
