Budgeting Bloggers ~ February

My challenge for February was not not purchase any new shirts...  I was hoping to keep my budget on the low end.  Ha ha ha!  That lasted for about 2 weeks before it became a BIG FAT EPIC FAIL.

I blame this on several things...

Spring items have been popping into stores and there were some pretty good deals around (especially around President's Day).  Second, I was originally planning on a spring break vacation, but that got moved up to this month, so I decided to go on and buy some things before going on that trip.  (I traveled with 2 guy friends, so I knew vacation shopping was most likely not going to be in the cards this trip.)

J.Crew Factory Colorblock Stripe Boatneck Tee - $30

Image via J.Crew Factory

I bought the retail store version of this tee in navy and orange last month, but when I saw the pink version came back the the J.Crew Factory store this year, I knew I needed it.  Pink and gray / black are just my colors and I felt un-buyers remorse last year after passing this one up.  To my credit, I snatched this one in the last couple days of January.

J.Crew Vintage Cotton Tee - $15

Image via J.Crew

I posted my Winter to Spring Wish List last month and one of the things I mentioned was that I wanted to upgrade my tee collection.  I have a lot of tees, but many of them are in need of retirement.  These Vintage Cotton tees from J.Crew are winners for me, so when they ran 40% off and free shipping I snatched this minty one up (since Gap's minty tees disappeared super fast)!

J.Crew Tippi Sweater - $29

Image via J.Crew

My Tippi sweater addiction may be getting out of hand.  I find them really versatile, though, and so this was another thing I had to grab during J.Crew's sale.  Unfortunately due to the recent Kansas "Snowpocalypse" my J.Crew package has been trapped on a UPS truck here in town for a week!  Ugh!  Hopefully I'll get my stuff soon!

Banana Republic Denim Shirt - $31

Image via Banana Republic

I bought this one two days before the February shirt ban and am so happy I snatched it up!  I used a 40% off coupon and a $10 reward which made this new arrival less than half price!  I have trouble finding button-downs that fit me properly, but this one was just right and a worthy addition to my wardrobe.

Gap Long Sleeve V-Neck Cardigan - $26

Image via Gap

This was my first cheat on the no new tops challenge.  I pretty much love this cardigan and at 40% off, I didn't want to risk it going away.  The weight and color are perfect for spring.

Gap Essential Short Sleeve Crew Tees - 3 for $39
More upgrades to my tee collection!  Gap's tees are really good this year and I was happy to find some stripes!

Abercrombie Alyssa Sweatshirt - $23

Image via Abercrombie / Polyvore

I really wanted this sweatshirt last month, but alas, it wasn't on sale.  I happened to pop back in and it was on sale, with an extra 50% off and the only one left was my size.  I took that as a sign it was meant to be.  :)

Mossimo Supply Co. Lady Satchel - $7 (purchased with birthday money)

Image via Target

I've been looking for a cross body bag for a while (as in a few years), but haven't found one that I love.  I went to Target thinking I would get this polka dot cutie, but when I found this black satchel for just over $7, I knew I had to snatch it up.  

Mossimo Supply Co. Knit Infinity Scarf - $15 (purchased with birthday money)

I have to confess I went to Target 3 days in a row one weekend earlier in the month...  I was tempted by this scarf each time and finally on the third trip I decided to just get it (even though it wasn't on sale) and use my birthday money on it.  Neon purple!?!  Money well spent!

TOMS Silver Crochet Classic - $58

I've had the black crochet TOMS for about 2 years and I love them, so when some new colors came out for spring, I decided that would be worthy shoe purchase.  My mom persuaded me to go with these gray ones (the color is actually called "silver") and I'm so happy with them.  It's a bit of a shoe splurge for me, but very much worth it because I know I'll get a lot of good wear and that they are very comfy.

Zigi Soho "Smokey" Studded Loafers - $13

Image via Famous Footwear

I've loved the studded flats I've been seeing around, but didn't like the price of most of them.  I found these at Famous Footwear and they were marked $14.99, but they had been marked incorrectly.  The sales associate was kind enough to honor that price and I had an e-mail coupon dropping the final price down to $13.  I was pleasantly surprised by how well these fit me and how comfortable they are for all day wear.  Now I can give my other black flats some rest time!

= $264 - $54 Ebates cash back

Total = $210

I do feel a bit guilty about spending chunk and cheating on my no shirts and sweaters thing, but I'm once again very happy with my purchases.  $71 went towards shoes, which is really out of the norm for me.  I typically allot a fraction of my tax refund for extra "fun money" which also takes away a little guilt.  (Especially since my vacation also came in under budget!)

On a positive note:  The no makeup or nail polish thing has been hard for me, but I made it another full month!  It's so tempting, especially since so many new items have come out for spring, but I've survived just fine.

March Budget Plan

I feel like the last few months have been a bit heavy on the spending, so I hope to cut back on things in the next month or two.  Here are my goals for March:

• Work on cleaning out and upgrading my spring and summer shoes.  I have a lot of sandals, but I have a lot that are on their dying days.  I need to clean out the ones that are falling apart so that I can start looking for replacements.
• Continue my ban on makeup shopping.  I decided this month to go for 100 days...  Or until Sephora runs their spring VIB sale.  I've used a pretty good assortment of items and have pinpointed some of the new items I really want to try out when the ban is over.  
• Focus on items I can wear to work.  I've purchased 2 hoodies / sweatshirts in the past 2 months...  This doesn't sound that bad and I do really like both of them a lot, but they're not really things I can dress up for work.  

Don't forget to join me and other budgeting bloggers over at Franish!