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 Striped Tee - $7

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

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

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!

Fashion Friday: My Summer Uniform

I'm back!  

It's technically only been about 2 weeks since my last post, but that's equivalent to at least 2 months in the blogging world, right?

Anyway, life has been super crazy lately between the whole car issue, the end of the school year, and the fact that I've been working more part-time on weekends.  (The bonus of having a boss that likes you...)  

After today I will officially be down to 2 1/2 school days with students, plus another day or so of work time. I'm sooooo ready for summer vacation!  My summer is actually looking to be fairly busy, but I'll still have a lot of downtime for relaxing and recovering from this crazy school year.

Summer Vacation Uniform by conolley featuring animal print shoes

Here's a look at what would be a typical summer outfit...

Colorful Tees - I love basic cotton tees for running around on summer days.  I've been on a mission to upgrade my collection this year with some bright, fun colors and Gap's "Essential" tees have become a new favorite.  Tees can be paired with just about anything, which makes them a great summer essential.

Comfy Denim - I'm totally in love with my cropped boyfriend jeans from AE and wear them all the time.  I'm not much of a shorts person, but on really hot days I bust out my denim shorts.  They're another versatile hot weather item that keeps me cool and casual.

Fun Tote - For running around on summer days I sometimes choose a small tote over a regular purse.  They're great for when I'm taking a class and need space for a notebook or when I just need some extra space for a water bottle and sunglasses.

Cute Sandals - If I could get away with sandals all year, I totally would wear them all the time.  Well, those and my TOMS...  Cute, comfy, flat sandals are totally my go-to during the summer and are another item that's perfect for running around on a hot day.

Eye Catching Necklace - Since jeans and a tee is so basic, I love topping off a look with a cute necklace.  Sometimes a blank canvas like a colored tee is the perfect background for a fun statement necklace.

What is your typical summer uniform? 
Where are your favorite places to get clothing and accessories for the warm weather months?

5 Days, 5 Ways: My Go-To Accessories

Today's the third day of "5 Days, 5 Ways" with Fran and Whitney!

You can find us today (and the rest of this week) over at Along the Lines of Style!

I'm going a slightly different direction with today's post and combining it with a post that I already had in the works.  I'm a huge fan of accessories, so it was hard for me to choose just one accessory.  I was already planning on doing a post on versatile accessories, so I'm going to share my top 5.  These aren't 5 ways items, these are ALWAYS items!

1. Leopard Scarf - I've never been a huge fan of animal prints, but last fall I decided I get one.  It's gotten a lot of good wear and I even had to stalk Gap's website to get my mom her own!  I've found this scarf is great to dress up a basic outfit and that even with the brown and black it goes with a lot of colors and patterns.  (Here are some leopard scarf options.)
2. Black Coach Purse(s) - I have 2 black Coach purses that I have been rotating over the past few months.  One is leather and one is a fabric.  They go with pretty much everything.  I've started investing in purses a bit more in the past few years, so I try to go with things that are on the versatile and slightly more classic side.  These purses will be favorites for years to come!  (The style pictured is the Coach Ashley Large Leather Satchel from the Coach Factory store...  I bought mine over a year ago, but it still pops up online every now and then!)
3. Tortoise Watch - I debated adding this one in since I haven't owned it more than a few weeks, but I've been wearing it almost everyday since I bought it!  (I'd actually been eyeing this watch for about 2 years!)  It seriously goes with everything!
4. Black Flats - A good pair of basic black flats is pretty much a go-to when it comes to shoes.  I can go out of town for a few days and be perfectly fine packing just a pair of black flats.  They go with jeans, black pants, and dresses...  Pretty much everything!  (Here are my current faves!)
5. Statement Necklace - I love this necklace from Banana Republic and it's always the one I turn to when I want to dress up a basic outfit.  It was a super clearance find (I think I spent around $10) and it's gotten lots of great wear over the past few years!
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    What are your most versatile accessories?  
   
   
   Do you have any items that you can wear with virtually every outfit?