Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Budgeting Bloggers ~ August

As August draws to a close it's time to look back at this month's purchases and link up with Franishh for Budgeting Bloggers.  I feel like I've been shopping a lot lately, but I realized some of my new items were covered in my July post.  

Gap and American Eagle saw the most action from me this month...  Gap ran their Friends & Family promo and then followed it up with another 40% off promo the next week.  I really didn't do as much damage there as I'd intended and feel like I got some basics that transition easily from summer to fall.  I'd budgeted about $100 for the Gap sales (I thought I'd go crazy in there) and only ended up spending a little over $60.  

American Eagle has been a long time favorite of mine, but I really haven't bought much there at all since the beginning of the year.  Their spring and summer stuff just wasn't doing it for me, but I guess that's probably a good thing.  Their fall stuff is really great, though, and I'm having to show some major self control with that place.  They usually run a nice sale during the Labor Day weekend, so I'm holding out to see if that happens and may get a couple more items.

My big splurge of the month was on this navy blazer from AE.  I have the black version from last year and had been contemplating the navy one when it popped up a month or so ago.  When I received a $15 off coupon I decided this was the time to snag it.  I got it for about $55, which is a lot for me to spend on one item, but I know it's a worthy investment.  The lace shirt is something a little unexpected for me, but I loved it when I tried it on.  The tan color is very pretty for fall and will look great with a lot of existing items.  The teal sweatshirt is probably my biggest impulse buy and the item I didn't need, but I loved the color and the fact that it doesn't have a logo.  I'm itching to wear it with a cute scarf during the lovely fall days.

AE & Aerie Fall Finds






My only other purchase of the month was the oh-so-famous Old Navy Polka-Dot Chambray Shirt.  I'm sure you've seen it all over the blogs lately.  I spotted this one early, tried it on, and loved it, but didn't purchase it.  I never have luck with button down shirts, but this one fits me perfectly!  I decided to hold out for a coupon or deal and snagged it for 25% off.  I believe that brought it down to $18 or $19...  Much better than the J.Crew version that is going for $88.

I stuck to my no makeup and no nail polish thing pretty well this month.  My only makeup purchase was some powder (an essential) and this $10 Smashbox eyeshadow quad that I bought in order to finally get my 500 point Sephora perk (a Tarte mascara and liner kit).  I've really cut this part of my spending and plan to continue to do so for another few months while I use up some of my current items.  I've actually been having a lot of fun playing around with the makeup I already have!
Smashbox - Master Class Eyeshadow Quad
sephora.com

I'm not entirely sure about my exact total for this month (is that bad?), but I wasn't too worried  about keeping super careful track since I still had some "fun money" lingering in my summer budget since I didn't go on a trip like I'd originally planned.  

I'm going out of town next weekend for a wedding and will be doing some outlet shopping while I'm away. I'll be hitting up J.Crew Factory, Loft Outlet, Gap Outlet, and Banana Republic Factory while I'm there. I still have about $150 in "fun money" that I had been saving for summer travel and plan to use that during my shopping trip.  After that trip in September I plan to really buckle down for a month or two in preparation for the holiday season.  We have a lot of birthdays in my family in the fall, so I plan to use the bulk of my shopping budget on gifts for others and try to stash away some extra money for Christmas shopping and additional savings for my travel fund. 

I don't know about any of the rest of you teachers, but I get paid in a lump sum at the end of the school year and then don't get another paycheck until September 11th.  I've had some extra income opportunities this summer that have helped to offset the cost of moving and a few other out of the ordinary expenses.  I'm proud to say that I'm ending the summer with more money in savings than I started the summer with!  Despite my success, though, I am soooo ready to have another paycheck in the bank!  3 months is too long!

How did your August budget turn out?  Link up with Franishh and let us know what you bought and how your budget fared this month!

2 comments:

  1. Looks like you got some great things - of course that blazer is perfect and if I hadn't already purchased one I would totally go find it myself. Thanks for linking up girl - I always love seeing how you did :)

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  2. WOW, its very easy and nice method and post you share are very helpful for my project of making furniture design. Thanks

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