Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Budgeting Bloggers ~ May

It's that time again!  In looking at my purchases this month, I really did better than expected...  It feels like I spent a TON of money this month, but I have to consider the fact that I had to buy a new car this month.  (I had a lady hit me while I was stopped in traffic totaling my 2 year old car.  Thankfully I had insurance money to cover those costs!)  When I look back at this month's buys I feel like I did pretty well getting some good deals and summer essentials.

          
Images via Gap 

Gap Tee - $9
Gap Tee - $9
Gap Striped Tee - $12

I've managed to do almost a total t-shirt collection upgrade this spring.  Gap's "Essential" tee collection is pretty awesome.  The fit is great for me, they have a ton of great colors, and they're the perfect weight for wearing alone or layering.  I picked up 2 of these on clearance at the beginning of the month and then the other 3 were new arrivals that I scored with a couple coupons later on in the month.  (Read here about how tees are part of my summer "uniform.")

Versona Accessories Necklace - $22
 Versona Accessories Earrings - $6

 Love.  This.  Necklace.  It's a complete knockoff of the J.Crew Flower Lattice Necklace that runs $228.  Yup.  Naturally, I snatched this one up immediately and have been loving it ever since.

Versona Accessories Wedge Sandals - $16

We had a new accessory store open this month and is of course way too close to where I live.  Everything is super affordable, which is totally my kinda thing when it comes to accessories.  I grabbed these wedges on clearance since they comfortably fit my wide-ish feet and have a lower height than my other wedges.

Target Linen Skirt - $22
Merona® Women's Linen Casual Skirt - Assorted Colors
Image via Target
I first found this skirt in bright pink and loved it, but just couldn't justify a(nother) pink skirt.  I was thrilled to find it in navy, though, and grabbed it as it will be a great basic skirt to have in my wardrobe.

J.Crew Factory Textured Charley Sweater - $38
Factory textured Charley sweater in neon
Image via J.Crew Factory
I have a serious weakness for these sweaters and was interested in getting the "textured" version.  I really love this sweater and the fun neon pink color!

Old Navy T-Shirt Dress - $15
Image via Old Navy
I love simple dresses for the spring and summer and was pleasantly surprised by this find at Old Navy.  It's somewhat comparable to my black t-shirt dress from BR, but at a fraction of the cost!

Sakroots Tote - $70
Sakroots ID Holder - $10

I'd been contemplating a new summer bag for a while and when I saw a friend with this tote in another pattern I had to check them out.  I'll have a whole post on what's in my summer bag later this week, but let me just say, this bag was a great buy!  I got mine at Dillard's, but you can find these online at quite a few other stores as well.

Total = $245

While I did technically go a little a lot over budget, I had quite a bit of extra income on top of teaching and my part-time job.  I allowed myself to take a portion of that to put towards a new bag and a couple accessories for the home.  If you take out the bag, I'm pretty much on track for my monthly budget.

I was proud of myself for not making any makeup purchases this month.  I think my 100 day makeup shopping ban really helped me in this area!

June Budget Plan

Since I don't yet have any summer trips planned out, I am going to attempt to reserve most of my shopping budget for when I go out of town.  I love hitting up stores that we don't have locally and hope to do so at least once before I go back to school in August.

How did you do with your budget this year?  Don't forget to link up with us over at Franish!

9 comments:

  1. I really love that first tee, with the pink/square pattern! I haven't seen that one in stores, but I want it now!

    Also, I haven't heard of Versona and I am intrigued. It sounds sort of like Charming Charlie.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I found that Gap tee a few weeks ago... I know they also have a button-down in that same pattern.

      Versona is a lot like Charming Charlie, but maybe a little nicer. It's really great!

      Delete
  2. Just bought a few Gap essential tees - good to hear that you like them. :) That necklace is a great find, too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, those Gap tees are great! I've been wearing them a lot! I hope you enjoy yours as well.

      Delete
  3. I can't believe someone hit your 2 year old car - that totally totally sucks. I got my new car last May so I know the hassles of figuring out what to get. I'm so glad you linked up again this month, I always like seeing what you have going on!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, it was a mess! I ended up getting the exact same car again, just 2 years newer! I definitely needed some retail therapy after all of that stress!

      Delete
  4. Those Gap tees are so cute - they fit so well too! I really like that Old Navy dress too - I picked up a few things from ON myself but I didn't see that dress - I wish I had!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. These dresses were kind of tucked back near the swimwear and came in several different colors. Who knows... It may be considered a cover-up, but I personally think it's a step up from that!

      Delete
  5. Love the bag and the necklace! So pretty!

    ReplyDelete

Comments make me smile! :)