Wednesday, May 27, 2015

May Budget

Dude. May went FAST. The good months always do, right? January moves like a slug but May...boom, blink and it's gone.

This month was a story of a lot of happy but unplanned purchases. Plenty of things I didn't know I needed until I saw them. I went quite over budget, which isn't super happy news. There were more than a few things (due to sales and limited release collections) that felt like they couldn't wait, and then a few things I just didn't want to say no to. Here are the numbers:

Starting Budget:

$200


Purchases:
may budget




































clockwise from l to r:

Zara Multicolor Yarn Sweater ($59) -- I love this sweater so much, though my brain struggled a bit with the idea of purchasing a thick wool sweater in May. It just makes me HAPPY. It's like they made a sweater out of rainbow sprinkles! Marie Kondo gets it. I'm sure it will cheer up some of those dreary days in winter, but I'm also loving the idea of pulling it on over white jeans in the summer, or leggings and a tank for a comfy/chic travel outfit.

Banana Republic Factory Sun Hat ($20, on sale) -- I have always wanted a fabulous floppy sun hat, and now I have one.

Anthropologie Space-Dyed Jacket (n/a) -- I don't count workout clothes towards my monthly budget, but this jacket was just too cute not to share. I sale-stalked it for weeks until it finally dropped to a reasonable price. Love, love, love.

Milly x Kohl's Floral Scuba Skirt ($30, on sale) -- one of my favorite pieces in this collection.

Milly x Kohl's Dolman Maxi Dress ($41, on sale) -- this color is just so cool and inviting. I think it would flatter so many different skin tones.

Zara Leather Printed Wedge ($120) -- probably the primary reason I busted my budget. I can't even describe how much I love the shape of this shoe -- perfect heel height, perfect buckle, perfect everything. At first I'd wished it was in a more basic color like black or solid gray, but the snakeskin pattern has really grown on me -- a fun twist on what is basically a neutral.

Nike Air Pegasus '83 ($37 x2) -- proclaimed my love for these delightful sneakers in an earlier post. Loved them so much, I bought 2 pair!

Old Navy Striped Tunic ($17) -- sometimes Old Navy just surprises you with a gem. This tunic is great as a beach cover-up, but I could also see it belted over skinny jeans and maybe a pair of bright wedges.

Total: $361

Not really sure what to say, other than that it is funny to see how quickly the numbers add up even during a relatively modest shopping month. When I decided to start tracking my budget, I thought $200 sounded like more than enough on a monthly basis. Now that I'm five months into this process, I'm learning that may not be the case. And my spending habits are so unpredictable -- sometimes I want quality over quantity, sometimes I just have the urge to treat myself in the form of a fast fashion binge.

And I find that I am very quick to fall in love HARD with a beautiful dress, a perfect blouse, an exquisite pair of shoes (funny, I'm not at all like this with human relationships). I convince myself that my beloved item is so special, so perfect, and so life-changing that I need to have it...which is fine, except a few weeks later, the cycle starts all over again.

I have my eye on a few things for June's budget, but I'm going to try to hold off on buying for awhile and try to really enjoy all of the great things I've added to my wardrobe so far this year.

Linking up with Fran and the budget bloggers again this month -- pop over and see what the other ladies bought! And let me know how you did this month!





8 comments:

  1. Great picks! I love that workout jacket! And that skirt and maxi are so fun--I'm super into bright colors this season. That coverup is perfect too! I really should pick up a new cover up, mine are all so old and I don't really like them much anymore. I felt like I went crazy this month spending-wise but when I totaled it up I realized I just ended up getting a lot of good deals.

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    1. Thank you! I was pretty glad to be adding some bright stuff to my closet this month -- earlier in the year it was just all black and white all the time. This is a great time of year for punchy, happy colors!

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  2. Lol, I love that you used Marie Kondo in your justification for buying a sweater in May. I'm over budget this month as well (and also bought a sweater).

    Bloglovin seems to be having issues with your blog. I tried adding it earlier in the month and it couldn't find it. It found it today, but the posts only go up to March, with nothing more recent showing up. I realize the issue may be on their end, but I thought I should give you a heads up.

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    1. I am very good at finding a good justification for whatever silly thing I want to do...a blessing and a curse!

      Ooh, thank you for letting me know that Bloglovin does not seem to love this teeny little blog -- I'll see if I can sort it out! (And thanks so much for reading :) )

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    2. I don't know if you did something or they did something, but I can see all of the posts now :) Love your blog!

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    3. That's great news! And funny because I only got as far as going to the Bloglovin' site and then thinking, "I don't really know where to start, I'll come back to this later"...they must have fixed something on their end.

      And thanks so much for your kind words - it is wonderful/scary to know someone is reading, but it is fun to have a little outlet for thinking about and obsessing over pretty things!

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  3. Now I'm a little obsessed with those sneakers. They're so cute!!

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    1. They're so perfect, right? Memo to designers: more pink and orange, please!

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