Spending Recap: January 2012

Someone tell me why I committed to doing this again?  Fashion week has gotten me into all kinds of hankering for pretty clothes.  But I SUPPOSE cutting back on unnecessary spending and having a more discerning eye for pieces is important.   /cue disgruntled tone of voice.

Anyway, this was definitely more of a thrifty month!  Here's a recap of what I got in January:

 

Item(s): Thrifting finds - Polka dot turtleneck, J Crew purple button down, Silk Scarf, Pink Gingham Shirt, Nanette Lepore skirt, Ben Sherman Gingham shirt
Cost: $40
Original retail price:  Who knows?  Let's pretend $1000000

Why: A few of the items I've bought displayed above.  Thrifting is super fun!  Really picked up some great items on the cheap.  I guess I'm really having a gingham moment. 
Assessment: This is the way to go when I have the itch to shop.  Definitely going to keep this going.

 

Image from coolspotters.com

Item(s): StyleMint Fillmore shirt (sold out)

Cost: $30
Original retail price:  $30


Why: This is my cheat item.  Admittedly, I forgot to skip this month so I had to get something, but I probably would have gotten it anyway.  I've been looking for an ever-so-slightly over sized shirt and the grey/blue is super pretty. 

Assessment: I keep wearing this top, so it's definitely worth the money. Want to try the StyleMint service out?  Check it out here.

And finally, Modcloth is the bane of my existence.  I did get some Christmas money from one of my aunts though, so some of this haul is c/o her.  They had their Cabin Fever sale with some seriously cute stuff. 

Item(s): Modcloth Foliage of Innocence Dress

Cost: $16
Original retail price:  $53

Why: Pretty, pretty pattern! And the back is open so it's pretty sexy.

Assessment: This actually turned out to be a little tighter on the hips than I expected.  And the material has no give, so while I still LOVE the print, I probably would relegate this piece to wear as a "shirt" under a skirt or going out for short periods of time. 

Item(s): Modcloth Desert Winter Sandal

Cost: $15
Original retail price:  $50


Why: Sky high heels and a neat wrap strap in an amazing color.

Assessment: I actually had to put in my own holes for the straps (I have skinny ankles), but otherwise, these are super cute!  I need more comfy, high heels for my pants (I'm short) and these fit the bill.

Item(s): Modcloth Glitz Time to Shine Heel
Cost: $29
Original retail price:  $100

Why: I lost my gold sandals a few years ago at a bachelorette party and have since been missing fancy glitzy shoes.  And Pour La Victoire does glitzy so well.

Assessment: Wore this on the Ostentatious Train I talked about in an earlier post.  Comfy for stilettos and super pretty!

Item(s): Modcloth Instant En-Wrapture Dress

Cost: $20
Original retail price:  $70

Why: I'm a sucker for chambray recently.  And this was just so sweet and would pair with so many great things.

Assessment:Wearing this tomorrow, but it fits sublimely.  It's soft and a great, versatile piece.

Total Damage for January: $150 - $50 Xmas present = $100

Is it cheating that my aunt contributed to my shopping this month?  I don't think so!  Either way, this is the best I've done so far, even if you take the $150 where it is.  And if not, I totally met my goal this month!  So far, I've become more and more open to thrifting and the great treasures it can bring and I'm absolutely saving hundreds more dollars that I can put towards other things.  So thrilled!

Stay tuned for February! Is this a passing phase, or can I stick with it?

Thanks for stopping by!

Spending Recap: December 2011

Short Intro: I've decided to start capturing my purchases on this blog as a journal of meeting the savings goals determined in this post.  Each month, I'll recap my spending budget for fashion-y items and how well I've done.  This will be good data for me to determine what causes me to shop, whether the items are worth it several months down the road, and to (hopefully) encourage others aiming to do the same kind of cutback.   Here's the recap for December 2011!

Ugh, the holiday season is the WORST for spending budgets.  Its the combination of PTO, meeting up with friends and family and buying presents for others that makes it difficult to stay on track.  Now, I know there are techniques for dealing with this sort of thing.  Strict budgets, even to the point of taking out the exact amount of cash out per person per present, and so on and so forth, but I've always found it hard to execute.  I guess what I'm saying, in a roundabout manner, is that I sorta really failed at staying within budget this month.  Especially with the 50% sale that Anthropologie had during the holiday season. But, in the spirit of full disclosure...

 

Image source here

Item: Liamolly Hummingbird Dress
Cost: $30 (inc. shipping)
Original retail price: greater than $150
Why: There was a major clearance sale on Swirl and I scored this for basically nothing.  It's so unique with the cowlneck and loose knit sleeves, I knew it would be a great purchase. 
Assessment:  Brand new and more than 80% off?  No regrets.  It's super comfy too.

Item: StyleMint Charlton Tee
Cost: $30
Original retail price:  $30

Why: This was my "cheat" item this month.  I'm really loving the basic tee with a twist and I really wanted to do some "field research" on some of these subscription shopping services I've been hearing so much about.
Assessment:  I actually really love the cut on this shirt and the pattern is pretty amazing too.   Still on the fence as to whether or not I want a tee every month, but I thought this purchase was well worth it.  I've already worn it 3 times in the last 2 weeks! 

Item: Anthropologie Lucerta Mary Janes
Cost: $70
Original retail price: $170

Why: Honestly, I didn't understand the blog love for this pretty pair and was fairly sure I was going to pass on them.  Until I was in the SF Anthropologie.  And got to try them on.  And realized that not only were they super versatile, they were super cute.  And they blow my rules out of the water.
Assessment: I'm glad I bought them because they make me look taller and go with the bulk of my wardrobe.  But since they stand against all my spending recap rules, I feel guilty.  

Item: Anthropologie Kentfield Blazer (still available here)
Cost: $40
Original retail price:  $158

Why: I have a thing for plaid.  And I've been looking for new blazers.  Cropped ones typically don't look good on me because they're targeted at longer torso-ed (is that a word) women and end up making me look short.  Not this one.  So cute.
Assessement: This wool number is definitely staying in my closet.  It's versatile and warm.  Meets the criteria.  Score. 

Item: Anthropologie Tarpan Button Down
Cost: $25
Original retail price:  $88

Why:  I couldn't resist the whimsy of this piece.  And it totally fell into the awesome red/pink color palette category.  And lets face it, mice eating cheese are cute.
Assessment: Ugh, I probably shouldn't have made this purchase.  I still haven't worn it because I can't figure out what to wear it with (which is oddly rarely a problem for me).  Which probably tells me it doesn't mesh with my wardrobe.  Darn. 

Item: Anthropologie Ruffled Demi Turtleneck
Cost: $20
Original retail price:  $68

Why: I got this in the burnt orange color.  It called to me from the rack and there's something I love about how Anthro does basic long sleeve tees.   It would be good tucked into a skirt or under a blazer for a pop of color.
Assessment: I was stalking this to go on sale for a while.  Its a good basic.  Was it necessary?  Probably not.  Should I have taken it back?  Yeah.  Not going to though.  I <3 it. 

Item: Anthropologie Torino Scarf
Cost: $25
Original retail price:  $158

Why:  It's Missoni.  Seriously.  And pretty.
Assessment: I don't regret this one.  That is all.

 

(similar)

Item: Nine West Combat Boots
Cost: $30
Original retail price:  ~109

Why:  I've been looking for short combat boots for a while (do I hear a common refrain here?).  And these were cute and the price was right.
Assessment: This wasn't a necessary buy, but it was something I wanted for a long time.  It was the right style and a great price.  

Item: Francesca's Collections Necklaces
Cost: $45 for two
Original retail price:  $65

Why: My cousin works at Francesca's and they have amazingly cute costume jewelry.  I got caught up this day and decided I just HAD to buy some.
Assessment: I do wear these pieces a TON after the initial purchase, so at least I'm getting use out of them.  I do feel guilty about purchasing these though.  

Total Damage for December: $315 (Yes, that's 3X my budget)

So, yeah.  Here's my complete failure for all the interwebs to see.  Retailers hit the promos hard this past holiday season, and Christmas shopping made them hard to avoid.  That isn't an excuse, its just what happened.  To make matters worse -- all those thrifting scores?  Those were courtesy of my mom's Xmas present to me, so I didn't count them.  But yes, I realize it means that I acquired a TON of stuff in a small amount of time, and I'm not exactly proud of it.  But it's a work in progress!  Quite frankly, I spent twice as much at Anthro, but thinking about writing this post made me return more than half of it, which is a small triumph.  I've made it through half of January and so far so good!  It's definitely getting easier to avoid the sales and when I get a shopping itch, thrifting usually scratches it.  Not to mention, I'm re-focusing my blog to be more than just outfits, which helps me keep busy without thinking about what clothes I'm going to buy all the time.  

So, wish me luck in January!  Any tips for being good?


Thanks for stopping by!

Spending Recap: November 2011

Well, November has come and gone and I have set some wardrobe spending goals for myself for each month.  So, here's full disclosure on what I've spent this past month and how well I've stacked up to my goals.

Here's what I bought:

Item: Anthropologie Rainforest Morning Dress (via the Effortless Anthropologie Trade Market)
Cost: $40 (inc. shipping)
Original retail price: $168
Why: I've been stalking this dress since it came out back in 2010.  It's silk, a shirt dress with an elastic waist and features my favorite color -- green!  Well, I caught it on the Trade Market and couldn't NOT pick it up.  And for a quarter of the price!
Assessment:  It's used, bought for >75% off and something I've been wanting for a long time.  This was a great purchase.

Item: Steve Madden stacked heel black pumps (via Nordstrom Rack)
Cost: $60

Original retail price: $98
Why: I don't know why I fail to buy basics for my wardrobe.  I think all the fancy patterns distract me when I go shopping!  I just needed a good pair of black pumps. 
Assessment:  This is my cheat item for the month.  It doesn't meet any of my criteria other than it's a general wardrobe necessity.

Item: Anthropologie Lingonberry Mini
Cost: $40

Original retail price: $268
Why: I picked this up on super sale during Black Friday.  I love minis, this color palette is not in my wardrobe yet and, admittedly, I just got swept up in the crazy deals. 
Assessment:  Ugh.  This brought me over my monthly limit.  I haven't received it yet because its in the mail, so we'll see if it stays in my wardrobe.


Grand Total: $140

So, I want to celebrate and say that this is a significant improvement over the last year of spending on clothes.  In fact, I'm probably on the right track to actually be successful in the upcoming months! But I can't just yet.  Why?  Because of this:

Item Vince Vintage Leather Jacket
Cost: $399
Original retail price: $995
Why: I've been dying for a leather jacket for the last 2 years.  This one fits, its a great color and it has a totally unique vibe.  Not to mention, it's buttery soft and is a pretty reasonable (?!) price for something of this quality.
Assessment:  Well, it obviously blows all the limits I've set for myself.  So why haven't I returned it?  This may fall into the category of one of those investment pieces that will last me a long long time.  So I need your help.  Keep it as a Xmas gift to myself?  Or stick to my budget guns and return it? 

So what do you all think?  Is this a keeper feature?

Thanks for stopping by!

to look for: Savings

Image courtesy of BestCashCow.com

Okay, I think it's time for a confession.  I'm ashamed to say that I have failed a few of my objectives of this blog.  If you've read my "About Me" section, you'll see that a subset of the goals are:

• Prove to myself that I don’t need to constantly shop to have a solid, mix & match closet of clothes: This may be a delusion on my part.  But, I figure that the blog will keep me honest, and also will help me shop my own closet.
• Develop a system for adding pieces to my closet: A blog archive will help me find the gaps in my wardrobe – and the unnecessary.  (I’m talking to YOU, frilly pink prom dress!)

The sad truth of the matter is not only have I failed to meet these objectives, I actually went in the opposite direction! I spent the better part of the first 6 months of writing this blog shopping.  Constantly.  Its the peril of reading other blogs focused on fashion as well as looking for inspiration for my own blog posts.  What? The trends are micro-pleated skirts and red skinny jeans?  OMG. Must. Find. Now.  I ended up getting sucked into a money-grubbing monster of my own making. 

I'm fortunate to have a career such that I didn't end up in tens of thousands of dollars of debt.  That money, however, could have been saved to go towards a better distribution of things.  Like vacations.  Like savings for a house.  Instead, I bought things -- things that, after wearing them for the first time, I couldn't figure out how to wear them a second.  And it was too late to return them.  Now I have closet full of clothes that desperately needs to be edited and possibly purged.

So what am I going to do about it?  Well, I'm not going to stop blogging about style.  It's something I'm passionate about and I still find it really fun.  I am, however, going to start the (painful) journey of learning how to edit my wardrobe and practice restraint.  Here are the goals I am now setting for myself:

• Reduce my budget for clothing/accessories to $100/month.  This is going to tough.  Really tough.  I know that this may be a much higher budget that some of you have, but trust me, I used to blow this number away.  No more. 
• Use Pinterest to clearly identify and pin the items that I'm vying for.  Sometimes I get swept up in sales at my favorite stores or flash sales hosted by RueLaLa or Gilt.  Doing this will provide me a documented reminder of what I actually want in my wardrobe.
• Only buy items that are thrifted or 75% off or more.  Good style is timeless.  This will help me save money, but allow me to satisfy my love for shopping.  There is a caveat in the next bullet...
• One freebie a month.  I can buy one full priced or slightly discounted item a month.  I'll have to consider carefully and make it count. That's where Pinterest will come in.  

I'm going to start there.  Lessening my budget will free up funds for other fun things.   Eventually I want to do a few challenges where I wear everything in my closet or style up an item I haven't worn several times to determine whether or not I want to keep it.  But for now, I plan to disclose what I've bought and how well (or badly) I'm doing.  Nothing like blasting your finances on the interwebs right?

This is going to be really hard for me (oh first world problems).  I may destroy this goal more than once.  But the first step is accountability, so I'm just going to go with it.  

What do you do to curb your shopping habit?  Do you even have one?  How do you develop your wardrobe?  Share in the comments!

Thanks for stopping by!