Budgeting Bloggers: February

February Budget Breakdown

Look at all this good stuff I got this month! Even if you’ve been reading my blog every day of February (and of course you have, because you’re smart), you probably won’t recognize half of this. That’s because it’s been so effing cold this month that I either haven’t been able to wear my new stuff or just haven’t been able to take outfit photos. But stay tuned and you’ll see it all in action soon!

February will go down in history as the month of returns and price adjustments. Let me share a couple stories for those of you who want some real-life tips on getting the best deals:

The whole top row above is stuff I bought from Loft. I started off ordering 4 items during a flash sale. I knew I wanted the polka dot shirt, but I ordered a few extra things to try because you got free shipping with a certain minimum order. I loved the shirt and the red skirt, but I didn’t love the other 2 pieces. After I made my first order, I received a coupon for $25 off a $75 in-store purchase. I decided to return the 2 duds to a store and then look around for something to use my coupon on. I found the other 3 pieces you see in the top row up there, and there was an in-store promotion going on that I thought would give me an extra awesome bargain. But when I got up to the register, it turned out everything was full price. I was in a hurry to get somewhere and I couldn’t decide what to do, so I just went ahead and paid for it even though it made me feel guilty immediately. I really liked what I got, so I decided to just let it chill out in the bag for a while, and I waited for the next online flash sale. Then just last week, I was able to snag the pieces I wanted for a lot cheaper. Once I had ordered them, I returned the duplicates to the store. Boom!

The same day I made that last return, I stopped by Macy’s and found a really cute pleated floral midi skirt. I knew there was supposed to be a big sale coming up, and I asked the sales associate if this skirt was going to be part of the sale. She said no, so I went ahead and bought it. ALL LIES. The next day I was back at Macy’s to help Kristin do some shopping, and I noticed that the skirt was 20% off! Since I had used my Macy’s card, they were able to look up my purchase and refund me the price difference. Moral of the story: some sales people have no idea what the hell they’re talking about, but others are very helpful. It never hurts to ask.

OK, story time is over. Here’s everything else you might want to know about this month’s shopping haul:

My Budget

  • ~$338 (starting monthly budget of $150, plus $188 unspent in January)
  • ~$480 (blog income)

          = $818

What I Spent (pictured above, starting top left)

          =$523 (total retail: $861)

Almost $300 under my budget! I think I’m going to be good next month and not carry over all of my unspent money. #willpower

What I Received

I’ll be linking up with the Budgeting Bloggers on Franish, so be sure to check them out! And maybe join us next month 🙂

Budgeting Bloggers: January

January Budget Breakdown

I’m sitting here working on this post and watching Parks & Recreation, which is LIT-RALLY the greatest show in the universe. If you don’t watch it, you should start immediately and don’t stop until you’ve caught up on the first 6 seasons. Done? OK, great. So now you understand the concept behind “Treat Yo Self.” That’s what Tom and Donna are doing in tonight’s episode, and it’s what I did for myself this whole month. I opted not to bedazzle my elbows because it’s just not practical in the winter. Instead I stocked up on sweaters, coats, and jewelry.

As you probably remember, I use my blogging income to supplement my shopping budget, and January was a good month so I had plenty to work with. I would have spent the rest of my budget, but I had to hold back thanks to good ol’ vehicle troubles. It’s a little too cold to walk 15 miles to work, and I have exactly zero pairs of shoes appropriate for such distances. So. New tire thingamajig for me. #TreatYoself

My Budget

  • ~$335 ($150 starting budget plus $185 leftover from December)
  • ~$479 (blog income)
  • ~$18 (sold old clothes)

        = $832

What I Spent

        = $644 (total retail value: $1,115!)

Look at that, $188 under budget. That almost makes up for my bill at the mechanic. There were only a couple things I bought at full price. I definitely took advantage of all the post-holiday sales.

What I Received

See how the rest of the budgeting bloggers treated themselves this month – linking up with Franish!