December 2015 Wardrobe Additions
J.Crew Factory Vest (seen here): $58 (originally $108; used PayPal)
LOFT Ear Muffs (sold out online): $18 (originally $34.50)
Gap Sweater: $30 (originally $70)
Moorea Seal Sunglasses (seen here): $19 (originally $24; used PayPal)
Express 'Portofino' Shirt: $27 (originally $50)
The North Face Gloves: $22 (originally $35; used $15 gift card on $37)
ModCloth Coat: $56 (originally $100)
Longchamp 'Le Pliage Neo' Tote (via Bloomingdale's): $162 (originally $180)
LOFT Scarf (gift)
H&M Scarf (sold out online; gift)
December Total = $315
$651 ($500 quarterly budget + $151 carried over) - $315 = $336 left for January and February
I knew this month would be a spend-heavy month. Those sales though! They really got me. Luckily, I didn't overspend with my previous quarter's budget, so I had some extra money to work with. That said, I'm planning on reducing my quarterly budget after this quarter due to the fact that I bought a car and because I'm feeling pretty good about the state of my closet right now. I need to sell/donate a few items, but otherwise, it's in a good place and I feel like I don't need to build it up as much anymore. (We'll see how that goes, but as of right now I'm feeling confident about it, haha.)
By far my most spendy purchase of the month was my Longchamp tote. The brand kept being excluded from all of the good sales, naturally, so I used my 10%-off sign-up code on it for a bit of a discount. (For some reason, the bag is now $5 more than it was when I bought it...weird!) I wanted something nice to use for academic conferences since I don't really use my satchel that much (my laptop doesn't fit in it). I'm excited to try it out in a couple of weeks! I think it'll be an excellent carry-on bag, too.
My Black Friday/Thanksgiving weekend purchases included the LOFT ear muffs, Gap sweater, Moorea Seal sunglasses, and Express shirt. The ear muffs were definitely an impulse buy. I loved the color and wanted to give them a try since they weren't too expensive. I meant to bring them with me for the holidays, but I totally forgot! :( The Gap sweater was suggested to me by Nicole, and I ended up falling in love with it! I went with the camel/black color for something a bit different; the camel is darker than it appears in the photo, but it's such a nice sweater. It seems to be very nice quality for the price. I ended up going one size up due to reviews and it worked perfectly. The Moorea Seal sunglasses were an impulse buy to get my order across the free shipping threshold, and I love the cat eye shape! They make me feel like a movie star. I also bought one of the iconic Express 'Portofino' shirts to give them a try. I actually bought the grey shirt above and one of the silky crepe shirts in emerald green. While the green was gorgeous, I didn't feel like I'd get enough wear out of it, so I sadly returned it. I love the grey color, though, and I'm excited to wear it! I ended up getting an XS in the shirt.
The J.Crew Factory vest had been on my wishlist for quite a while, but it kept being excluded from every good promo. The best price I saw it at all season was over Labor Day weekend...so next year, if you are considering a puffer vest, buy it over that weekend! It was finally reduced to 50% off right before Thanksgiving, so I pounced, especially because my size had been in and out of stock. I ended up going down a size due to reviews, especially L's review. It fits well, though I prefer to keep the collar folded down because my neck is so short!
I finished up the month with the plaid coat from ModCloth (which is now on sale for less, go figure!) and a pair of fuzzy gloves from The North Face. The coat is definitely not a winter-weight coat, which I expected because of the description on the website. It's super cute, though! I wanted to add a little pizazz to my coat collection. I bought the gloves just yesterday. I needed to use up an old gift card, and I will definitely wear these gloves, especially because they can be used on touch screens! I received the scarves as Christmas gifts this year from my mom and Chris. :) The LOFT scarf was featured on my winter wishlist, and the H&M scarf was one I was going to buy myself! I put on my H&M scarf for a bit and everyone asked me if I was cold... Ha!
Phew, that was a novel! Anyway, this year, I kept track of my wardrobe additions, and it was really eye-opening to see the exact number of items I added to my closet. Next year, I plan to add fewer items, especially with the reduced budget. I'm excited to start a fresh Pinterest board with my 2016 additions! Right now, the only items on my radar are goodies from Everlane's "Pay What You Want" sale happening now until the 30th. (New to the brand? Here's my referral link! I will love you forever if you use it.) I'm sure there will be plenty of tempting sales in the new year, though! :)
Linking up with Franish & my fellow budgeting bloggers