March Budget

It is budget post time already! Where did March go? I'm happy to say this month was a success for both my wallet and my closet. 

Here's what I bought...

Starting Budget:

$200

Purchases:

Merona Shortsleeve Jumpsuit ($30)
Banana Republic Sweater Sleeve Duffle Coat ($104, on sale)
F21 Windowpane Blouse ($16)
Mossimo Glitter Sandals ($10, on sale)
F21 Striped Tshirt Dress ($18)
F21 Drawstring Pants ($15)
Target Nolan Slides, Fawn and Gold ($30 each, used gift card)
Merona Envelope Clutch ($17, used gift card)
(not pictured) Jeweled t-strap heels ($18, thrifted)

Total: $211

$11 over? I'll take it!

I felt like I spent a lot of time shopping this month, so I was expecting another busted budget. Luckily I did get a few deals and found a few Forever 21 gems (and I did end up with a couple of returns), so I was able to stick pretty close to my goal.

Overall, I'm quite happy with my purchases. I'm in love with the windowpane blouse -- it is so light and airy and has a great drape-y fit. I was pleasantly surprised with my other Forever 21 purchases, too -- the wide leg pants are great for those rare occasions when I need to dress like an adult for my job and brave the sticky Florida heat (when you work from home, leggings are your best friend), and the striped dress is pretty fab.

I did buy quite a few pair of shoes, but I feel like all of them will be in heavy rotation over the next few months. You can never have too many cute and walkable sandals (especially in a year-round summer climate). I don't think I actually need another jumpsuit, but I just like this one so much...it's OK to have one relatively cheap nonessential splurge, right? And that coat -- wow. I mentioned previously that I caught this on a super sale. This was an impulse buy for sure and I normally like to plan for major purchases like winter coats, but I was glad that I pulled the trigger when I saw a great deal.

Returned:

It's never fun when you're disappointed by something you thought you'd adore. I absolutely love the look of these Target pumps, but they were just too small. Ugh. They come in a great leopard pattern, too, and I would have bought both pair in a heartbeat but I am too old to force myself into uncomfortable shoes. And the Kate Spade Constellation Sweater was a dud. I wanted a great rich navy blue sweater and I got one that was more of a dull black. It also looked a little cheap (but definitely wasn't, even on sale).

I'm hoping April will be a bit of a lighter shopping month. There aren't really many things I need, so this might be a good time to focus on quality instead of quantity and think about investing in something special...maybe even something off of my wishlist.

Linking up with Franish and the fabulous budgeting bloggers -- be sure to stop by and see what the other ladies bought this month. And let me know if you've bought anything good lately!