Tag: budget shopping

Spend or Save? You Won’t Find the Answer Here.

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The elusive “they” say that you should spend more on the things you’ll wear for years, and less on trendy items. In general, I’d say that’s pretty good advice. Then again, sometimes I don’t even know whether I’ll wear something for years at the time I buy it. I got this dress for about $40 I think. Not super cheap, but definitely not what I’d call an “investment piece.” It’s from the Isaac Mizrahi line for Target…that shows you just how old it is, because Isaac hasn’t been designing for Target since 2008! But I distinctly remember buying this from the Target in my college town, which means it’s more likely 2007 or earlier. Since when is a cream, mod-style crochet mini dress a staple to keep in your closet for years? It’s really not. But it is for me. And if I had known at the time I bought it that I would have it for 7+ years, I might have spent more than $40 on it, but it would have been a waste of money because this one has held up perfectly.

And to make you (or maybe just me) scratch your head even more: Less than a year ago I spent $70 on Kate Spade sunglasses, and I now realize they look ridiculous on me and I think I’m going to sell them. So…spend or save? WHO THE HELL KNOWS. Have a good weekend.

similar Dress // Hat (on sale) // Jacket // Shoes* // similar Necklace (on sale) // Bag (on sale)

*Shoes purchased with gift card provided courtesy of H&M.

Budgeting Bloggers: May

May budget breakdown!

Can you believe the month is over? I’m going to guess you said “no,” so I’m going to say “me neither!” As expected, my May budget was much smaller than the past couple months (check out March and April if you missed them). But what I didn’t expect was the fact that I would get graduation gifts to help fund a nice tote bag and new work clothes (for when I need them, which is hopefully soon).

I got monetary gifts (look, I sound like an attorney already) from my parents and grandparents, and I decided to do the responsible thing and put those in savings. But I also got checks from the in-laws that were specifically designated for adding to my lawyerly wardrobe. Well, it would be rude not to shop with that money as instructed, right? Right. 😉

For the sake of this post, I’m putting what I bought with my graduation money under the “what I received” category so you can differentiate what I spent my “real” money on. So here we go…

My Budget:

  • +$166 (starting budget $150, plus $4 unspent in April, plus $12 for a return)
  • +$123 (sold old clothes)
  • +$55 (blog income)

      = $344

What I Spent:

      = $368 (total retail value: $605)

I went $24 over my budget, so I’ll subtract that from my starting amount for June. It was the midi ring at the art fair that put me over the edge, but supporting the arts is good so I forgave myself pretty quickly and so should you.

What I Received (graduation gifts from family & gifts from brands):

A big thank you to the brands who let me try some new things for free, and an even bigger thank you to the lovely people (whom I actually know) that gave me gifts this month! You all helped me have a little more fun. Because to me, fun=new clothes.

As always, I’ll be linking up with Fran’s Budgeting Bloggers group! Be sure to check them out and prepare to be impressed. If you’re new here, follow Sarah’s Real Life to see how I’m wearing all this crap and to see all the additional crap I will undoubtedly buy next month!

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