Budget Rewind - January 2013

Well, I had so much fun with the January 2014 review that I decided to go back to 2013.  This means I have 2 years of reflection instead of just one. 

Good

• Gap Always Skinny Mint Jeans - $13 - I wore these 9 times on the blog, and I think quite a bit undocumented.  I just recently sold them on ThredUp, and got a few dollars, so I'd say these were well within the $1/wear that I'd like to shoot for.  A super impulse buy, but I loved them while I had them!
• J.Crew Factory Classic Cardigan in Vibrant Flame - $14:  I love these JCF cardigans!  So glad I got this one, because I don't have a lot of orange in my closet, and I think it is a fun color to wear!  
• Gap Boyfriend sweater - $6: this was a replacement for my prior Gap navy sweater that was falling apart because I wore it so much.  For $6, I was super happy to snag this one.  
• Gap Boyfriend Fitted Shirt - $12:  I've been neglecting it lately (and most recently due to inability to button), but this is a great basic shirt to have.  I wore it a lot in the first year I had it.  Hopefully I will be able to wear it again sometime!

Medium

• Gap Striped Scoop-neck Tee -  $9:  I really loved the contrasting sleeves and pocket in thinner stripes on this top, but since I almost always wore it with a jacket or cardigan, I noticed I was picking my other navy/white striped tee or tank, because those just fit better.  
• Mossimo Lady Satchel - $12: I used this purse for quite awhile, and I still think it is super cute, but then I got a couple nicer purses for birthdays, and I mostly just use those.  With that in mind, I recently got rid of all my random cheaper purses, because I am not a purse-hoarder like some women (I much prefer clothes and shoes!)
• J.Crew Factory Tissue V-Neck Tee  - $5 - I mean, it was $5, but I've only worn it a couple times. Still in the closet, but I'm not sure it should be.  

Bad

• Merona Kylan Fur Ankle Boot - $10 - I guess I wore these more than I thought I did, so they've been promoted from the 'ugly' category.  I just sold them on Thredup, as well.  But these were an impulse buy that I probably should have just left at the store. 
• 
  

Ugly (aka already removed from my closet):

• Old Navy Polka Dot shirtdress - $19 - I really tried to make it work, but the length on this shirt/dress/tunic whatever just wasn't working for me at all.  I cringe that I spent almost $20 on something and only managed to wear it a few times.  But I'm defenseless against polka dots.  

Honorable mention:

• Old Navy Striped dress - $10  (Update: I had to return this, due to a giant hole appearing!) - I think this would have been in the good category if it hadn't been ruined the first time I wore it.  I'm still sad about this one, because I loved the varying width on the stripes.  

So 4 good, 3 medium, 2 bad, and 1 ugly.  With 2 years of reflection, I don't feel super ashamed of those numbers.  

Budget Rewind - January 2014

So I'm going to try something new and see if it sticks.  I've been doing the Budgeting Blogger posts since January 2013, and I definitely think it has helped me be more conscious of what I am buying and why.  At that very moment.  But there's not a lot of reflection.  So I'm going to try looking at the same month last year, and reviewing what I think of those decisions now, with a year of potential wear to consider.  And just maybe that will help me figure out what makes a wise purchase and how to avoid mistakes in the future. (Shout out to Kate for this post, which reminded me I wanted to do this.)

January 2014 was a big month.  I got some Christmas presents, and I also had some Christmas money to spend, and then just did a lot of shopping at the post holiday sales.  I won't include gifts in my analysis, but I am going to include things I picked out using gift cards or gift money.

Good:

• Old Navy Green jeans - I love these jeans!  They were on my wish list forever and I'm so happy I bought them.  I've blogged them 6 times, but worn them way more than that.  I hope I can wear them again next fall!  
• Old Navy Gray cardigan - kind of boring, but I've worn it a bunch, which just proves neutral basics are an important part of any wardrobe!
• Old Navy Rhinestone leaf necklace - if memory serves, this necklace cost about $2.  Which means I've got a pretty excellent cost-per-wear going with it.  I think I've been neglecting it recently, so I just need to remember to reach for it.  
• Gap Light Denim jeans: $15 (originally $60) - I just sent these to ThredUp, and got about $5 back.  I was in a pregnancy closet cleanout frenzy, and maybe should have kept them.  But who knows what size I will be next winter, so I will probably want new jeans.  I wore these a lot over the 10 or so months that I had them, so I'll say it was a smart purchase.
• Gap Striped workout tank:  $11 (originally $23) - I wore this to the gym a lot earlier in the year.  And it made me feel fancy while I worked out, so I say it was a good idea!  
• Target Cognac wedges:  $11 (originally $22) - worn 8 times on the blog, a handful of times otherwise, and still in my closet.  
• Black moto jacket:  $22 (originally $40) - this was on my wish list forever and I still love it, even though I can't zip it at the moment.  

Medium: 

• Gap Orange/White bow-print blouse:  $10 (originally $40) - well, I still have this top, and I still like it, so I'm not sure where it belongs.  I hope I'll be able to wear it again.  
• Piperlime Patterned blouse: $8 (originally $54) - another top that I haven't worn a whole lot, but I do really like it, and I can see it working for me in the future.  

Bad:

• Old Navy Pink blouse (worn here) - my heart is thinking "good," but the evidence suggests not so good.  I've blogged it 3 times, and I don't know if I've worn it more than that.  I think this falls into the "would love it if it didn't require ironing" category.  Note to self - stop buying things that must be ironed!  
• Old Navy Pink bracelet (worn here) - so well-loved, I didn't even make a category for it.  I didn't even remember having this bracelet, so I should either get rid of it soon, or dig it out and decide if I like it. 
• Target Leopard Pumps:  $15 (originally $30) (worn here) - well, I think these are really cute, and I still have them.  I've only worn them once, but I think about wearing them a lot.  It's just that the heel is higher than I feel like I can manage most days.  I should probably sell them, but they are just so pretty!  

Ugly (aka already removed from my closet):

• Old Navy Black/Gray Dress - Mistake!  I wanted to love this dress, but it was a tad bit too bodycon for my taste.  In fact, I think it made me look pregnant when I definitely was not pregnant.  I got rid of it at some point.
• Old Navy Black/White striped dress - It was just too short.  I wore it 3 times during the 30x30 remix, and then never again.  And then I bought this similar but longer dress in June, which I wore quite a bit in the summer, but only blogged once.  We'll see if I think that was a smart purchase when we get to June (if I'm still doing this type of post at that point). 
• Gap Pink Shirtdress: $7 (originally $60) - I love shirtdresses, but I haven't had much luck finding one that looks good on me.  I liked it the first time I wore it, but it seemed too short, so I did a little sewing project and wore it once more.  And then I gave it to the Goodwill.  I should have just left it alone and sold it.  
• Gap Leopard print flats:  $18 (originally $50) - can you say "mistake"?  I loved these shoes, but they were so unfomfortable.  I think I wore them just once, and they never even made it to the blog.  I sold them at the consignment shop a few months ago, so I made back some of my foolishly spent money. 

Honorable mention: 

• Target Nude pumps:  $15 (originally $30) (UPDATE - I returned these. The color wasn't quite right and they weren't very comfortable!) - so bad initial purchase, but I fixed it quickly. 

So out of 16 items, we have 7 good, 2 medium, 3 bad, and 4 ugly.  I don't like those numbers!  I would prefer to see at least 50% in the good!  

February 2014 should be much easier, because I barely bought anything!  

Copy an Outfit

Audrey's challenge for us this week is to copy an outfit.  So I figured I'd go ahead and copy one of hers.  This one, to be exact, from 2 weeks ago when she was doing the Wear a Dress portion of the challenge.  

It seemed like the perfect way to try out my newly acquired maternity dress from Loft, as well as dig my yellow cardigan out of the "spring/summer" storage under the bed.  Plus, it was a completely gorgeous day, so I even let my knees out to play.  And I didn't need a coat.  If only I had gotten home early enough to take pictures outside, it would have been super exciting.  As is, it was just an exciting day.  Not super.

Cardigan: JCF
Scarf: CK
Dress: Loft Maternity
Belt: Gap
Boots: Madden

January Shopping

Another month gone means it is time to review what I added to my closet!  Here are the details:  

Loft Maternity:
Floral Jacquard Tee: $16 (originally $45) (worn here)
Foil Layering Tee: $12 (originally $35)
Paisley Print Shorts: $4 (originally $55)
Navy Dress: $14 (originally $90)

Old Navy Maternity
Black Paisley Top: $13 (originally $30) (worn here)
Black Polka Dot Ponte Dress: $16 (originally $30) (worn here)
Black Pixie Pants: $32 (originally $35) (worn here)

Gap
Gray skirt: $8 (originally $55)
Maternity navy sparkle tee: $6 (originally $25)
Camo shorts: $2 (originally $45)

Total Spent: $123 (originally $445)

Total earned selling old stuff: $40

Total out of budget: $83

I feel pretty great about everything I got this month.  The maternity items I ordered online all worked out when they arrived, which was awesome.  And the 2 non-maternity items I got at Gap fit now and (thanks to elastic waistbands) should still work post-pregnancy.  The camo shorts are ridiculous (I couldn't find anything similar online).  I grabbed them to try on because they were so cheap, and I thought they might be good for lounging around the house.  But then I kind of loved them when I tried them on.  We will see how I feel this summer, and if any of my other shorts fit.  I might be rocking camo shorts a lot.

Question for those of you who keep a clothing budget: how do you handle extra money from a prior year?  Basically, I give myself $100 per month for clothes, and I let it roll over each month.  But for 2014, I had $212 leftover at the end of December.  Should I just call that a win and start fresh as of 2015?  Or should I take that $212 and buy something I normally wouldn't?  Or should I donate it to the baby supply fund and buy the kid a car-seat (just kidding, I will get him a car-seat no matter what).  What do you do for this?

Linkup with Franish to spill your budget stories!

Another Almost Repeat

Here's another outfit that felt very similar to one I wore last January.  What can I say?  This blazer just looks good with a pink top and skinny jeans!

I also feel like every day I'm wearing something for the last time I can get away with it.  This shirt is one of those things.  It was this close to being too tight, so it should probably be retired to the back of my closet until after baby arrives and my body starts getting smaller again.  That happens, right?

Blazer: Gap
Top: JCF
Jeans: Old Navy Maternity
Shoes: Old Navy

Nesting and Bump Thoughts

I really hate the term "nesting," because I am not a bird.  But I suppose the instinct has kicked in, because I have been feeling super energized to get things ready for the baby's arrival.  John spent most of Saturday getting things moved out of the nursery so we can paint soon.  I was working on painting an old dresser and night stand for the nursery.  It's pretty exciting to get some things checked off my list!  

Recently, one of my co-workers accused me of not looking pregnant at all.  I have to confess, I think I am usually dressing in a way that downplays the bump.  But I am definitely looking pregnant these days.  I've found that actual maternity clothes really accentuate the bump, like this top from Loft.  Sometimes I'm happier to wear normal clothes and just look chubby, but it's nice to look actually pregnant sometimes, too.  And I suspect I am running out of days where I can get away with normal clothes, so I should probably get used to looking pregnant.  And start practicing my ninja skills for when people try to touch me.  No.  Just don't do it.

Sweater: Gap
Top: Loft
Skirt: Old Navy
Tights: Old Navy
Boots: Madden

Double Sweaters and a New (old) Necklace

These 2 sweaters were hanging next to each other as they dried and I thought they needed to be worn as a team.  And then I decided that I really need a purple cardigan, like not lavender, but really purple.  And then I searched on Shopstyle and couldn't find anything remotely close to what I would like.  So, I guess I should add it to my Wish List.  And you know, update that at some point, because I don't think I've looked at it in awhile.

Oh, and more importantly, this necklace is really cool, right!  My dad got it in Israel when I was a baby, and I don't think I ever wore it (and then the string was all stretched out).  So I recently restrung the beads and then forgot about it again.  Then Meghan suggested a wooden necklace to go with this outfit, and I remembered I should really wear this one sometime!  And I'm so glad I did!

Necklace: gift
Cardigan: Gap
Sweater: Old Navy
Skirt: Gap
Tights: Target
Boots: Madden

Wearing the Pants

After almost buying regular pixie pants from Old Navy several times in the past couple years, I finally took the plunge on a maternity version.  It's been too cold for skirts/tights many days and I've been getting tired of wearing jeans, so I thought a pair of black pants would be a good investment.   And I haven't had a pair of non-jean pants in several years, so this is an adjustment.  But I think it's a good thing.

While I was shopping online, I added a few things to my cart to get free shipping, like this tunic top!  I really like it, and there seems to be a lot of room for the baby to grow, so I hope it continues to fit for the next 4 months!  Maternity clothes are the weirdest thing!

Blazer: Gap via consignment
Top: Old Navy maternity
Pants: Old Navy Maternity
Boots; madden

Wear a Bright Color

This week's style challenge prompt is Wear a Bright Color.  Again, easy as can be!  It's hard to find a day where I'm not wearing a bright color.  I just really love this skirt and wanted to sneak it in for one last hurrah.  Full disclosure - I'm doing the belly band trick!  Thank goodness for pencil skirts with side zippers!

Necklace: Charming Charlie
Sweater: Old Navy
Skirt: Limited
Tights: Target
Boots: Madden

Sneaky Dots

This dress has very subtle polka dots on it, which you can kind of see if you look closely.  Or if I post a close-up outtake where I'm laughing.  That would also work.  

And it's Tuesday, so I'm linking up with Laura for Confident Twosday!

Necklace: InPink

Cardigan: Old Navy

Dress: Old Navy Maternity

Belt: Chinese Laundry

Tights; H&M

Boots: Madden

Weather Talk

So, fake spring is happening right now.  It's those few days in January where it gets up into the 50s and we all think there is hope that winter will be over soon.  And then it's gets terribly cold again for about 2 more months.  At least, that's usually how it happens.  But I'm still grateful for fake spring, because it means I can get away with not wearing a coat for a few days.   And it means I got to take some pictures outside!  So, spoiler alert - you will get to see my backyard again in upcoming posts.

Top: F21
Sweater: Old Navy Maternity
Jeans: Old Navy Maternity
Boots: Madden

Jailbird

This outfit seemed like a good idea in my imagination, but then I just felt like a convict all day.  I thought the chambray and leopard would break it up enough, but I was wrong.  So unless you are dressing up for Halloween, I'd caution against black/white stripes with black pants.

Sweater: Gap (similar)
Shirt: JCF (exact)
Jeans: H&M  (similar)
Shoes: Gap (similar)

Things Kids Say

How about a funny story for Thursday.  Yesterday, one of my co-workers had his kids at the office.  His son is 5, and was hilarious when he learned that there's a baby in my tummy.  He kind of moved around to the side and was checking my belly out.  And then he slowly said "I like... your... tummy."  And I said "thanks, I like it too!" and then I just laughed about it for the rest of the day.  I don't know how you elementary school teachers get anything done with kids saying silly stuff all the time!     

And here's a fun little outtake.  John was taking these pictures, and after a few, I realized that I still had my winter scarf on, which wasn't part of the outfit!  But he just kept snapping away as I noticed my mistake!  And then he told me that I had a weird strand of hair sticking out the side of my head.

Cardigan: Gap(similar)
Scarf: Gap
Top: JCF  (exact)
Jeans: H&M Mama (exact)
Boots; Madden (exact)

Wear a Dress

You know I'm usually up for any kind of style challenge, so of course I'm going to participate with Putting Me Together whenever I can.  This is going to be helpful as I continue to run out of clothes that fit properly.

This week's prompt was to Wear a Dress.  Well, that's easy enough!  I love dresses!  This is actually one of the maternity options I picked up during the Younker's friends and family sale, and is significantly longer than the other 2 dresses that I got.  Much like Monday's post, this was a mostly neutral outfit and I just had to add a colorful necklace for some extra interest.

Dress: Younker's
Cardigan: JCF (similar)
Necklace: Lucky B Boutique
Belt: Steve Madden (similar)
Boots: Steve Madden (exact)

Different but the Same

This outfit felt very familiar, so I dug into the archives.  Yep.  It's almost identical to the last time I wore this scarf and cardigan, almost a year ago.  Except my hair is shorter now, and my belly is bigger.  It's amazing how much changes and how much stays the same!

Cardigan: Gap
Scarf: Gap
Tee: Old Navy (option, option)
Skirt: Gibson & Latimer (similar, similar)
Tights: Old Navy
Boots: Madden (exact)

Winter Planes

This is one of those dresses that makes more sense in the summer, but I like it too much to ignore for half the year.  The nice thing about this dress being slightly too big when I got it is that it still fits when I'm 5 months pregnant!  And most of my normal dresses are not even possible right now, so this makes me happy.  Looking at these pictures, there's a lot of white and black and snow going on, so I'm glad I wore the bright pink necklace.

You can also tell that I'm doing the "it's freezing" smile, and only took these 2 pictures, so you know, I'm super committed.  It's just that there was still a teensy bit of light when I got home, so I had to take advantage of it!

Necklace: Dillard's
Dress: eshakti (navy option)
Cardigan: Gap (similar)
Tights: Old Navy
Boots: Madden (exact)

Scenic Overlook

I think I would love all of my outfit pictures better if I could take them in front of mountains all the time.  I mean, this is way better than the wall in my entryway, right??  Right. 

Anyway, this is what I wore one of the days in New Mexico.  John and I went to the science museum in Los Alamos, and just had to stop and take pictures at this overlook spot.  It was so gorgeous that day!  And my frequently worn camel cardigan totally coordinated with the mountains/mesas in the background!  

Cardigan: JCF (similar)
Top: JCF  (exact)
Jeans: Old Navy
Boots: Madden (exact)

Baby Smith Is A...

Ninja!  I mean, based on all the kicks I've been getting this week, that's the only explanation.  Or maybe a Rockette.  But they don't let guys into the Rockettes, so he's probably a ninja.

You read that right, our baby is a BOY!  It's pretty exciting, except that boy names are completely impossible.

And if you are just here for the clothes, this outfit is a copycat of a copycat that I did last year.  The original inspiration came from Whitney's Instagram post, and featured a blue cardigan.  But then my blue cardigan was dirty, so I substituted my pink one.  I still had in my mind that I wanted to wear this outfit with the blue cardigan, so I did this a few weeks ago.  I much prefer the shirt shame-tucked, and the belt at my actual waist, but that's not happening these days, so I tried a higher belt, and didn't really like it.  But I felt like I needed the belt to go with the boots, so it stayed.  I might have to try this outfit again next January when I can (hopefully) wear a belt at the normal place!

Top: JCF (exact)
Cardigan: Old Navy
Belt: Gap (similar)
Skirt: Old Navy (similar, similar)
Tights: Old Navy
Boots: Madden (exact)

Currently January

In blog-related news, yesterday's post was my 900th!  That's so crazy to me.  I noticed I was getting close before Christmas, and meant to do a special post making a big deal out of it, but then I completely forgot, and it was just my Christmas recap.  That's pretty good though.  Maybe I will hit 1000 before baby Smith arrives!

Anyway,  another month means another Currently post.  Here's what I'm up to:

Planning: for a new baby to arrive in just 4 months!  EEK!  How did time fly by so quickly?  I'm trying to get all registered and then plan out a few DIY projects for the nursery.  I really want to use some furniture that we already have, so I'll be trying to freshen them up a bit.

Hoping:  that the next several months go as smoothly as possible.  Praying for a healthy baby and a healthy me.

Baking:  still not baking anything.  I'm tempted to whip up some cookies just so I have something to say, but no.

Wearing: anything that still fits!   A lot of my regular clothes still fit, but just aren't as comfortable or flattering as maternity options.  I've ordered a few more things online this week, so I'm hoping those will give me some new inspiration.  And I will continue to rely on scarves and cardigans to add color to the neutral maternity options I have found.

Resolving:  I don't really do resolutions anymore.  If anything, I'm trying to really live in the present this year, and not worry about what is coming next, or over-analyze what I should have done differently yesterday.  Everyone tells you how fast the years go by when you have a baby, so I want to treasure every moment (and I know I won't, because it's going to be tough)!

What are you currently doing?  Link up with  In Residence and Dearest Love to share your answers! 

Scarf: CK
Maternity Dress: Younkers (similar)
Belt: Gap  (exact)
Tights: Target (similar)
Boots: Madden  (exact)

New Mexican Christmas

Most of the time, when I say I'm going to "New Mexico," people just hear "Mexico."  Then they are kind of disappointed when I explain that I'm actually just going to the Southwestern United States, and not some amazing beach resort.  But New Mexico has been kind to me over the years, so it's all good.  I mean, the beach resort sounds nice, too...

Anyway, a quick Christmas recap!

Usually we end up wearing sombreros in Los Alamos

John and I flew into Albuquerque on the Saturday before Christmas.  His grandparents from Northern NM picked us up and took us back to Los Alamos.  We spent a few days there, mostly relaxing and eating at all of John's favorite restaurants.  I don't like Mexican food, so I mostly subsist on quesadillas and sopaipillas.  This is fine by me.  On Monday, the boys ventured into Santa Fe for some errands, and John's grandma took me shopping to buy exactly one million new outfits for my baby.  (Okay, maybe not that many, but I sure felt spoiled!).  That evening, we met up with John's aunt and uncle for dinner.  On Tuesday, John and I went to check out the science museum in Los Alamos.  I kind of think I'm a nerd sometimes, but when I end up at a science museum I am just bored.  I was more interested in the history of Los Alamos in respect to the nuclear bombs.  The museum was more interested in all the different science applications for nuclear research.

Christmas Day

On Wednesday, John and I drove all the way to the opposite end of the state to the other side of the family.  We had fun catching up with his aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents. We ate plenty of food, played games, built gingerbread houses, opened presents.  And that was just the first day.  On Friday, we were all scrambling to get everything set up for the big 50th anniversary party on Saturday.  It all came together beautifully, and the party went well!  Then John and I had to leave early Sunday to fly home.  And that was a whole whirlwind of the week.

Almost the entire Smith side at the anniversary party - The camera obviously blurred me since I'm the newest Smith

As I always end up saying, I didn't do a very good job of taking pictures, but we did have a great time with everyone!

So, 2015 huh?

Well, happy 2015!  So much has been going on in the past couple of weeks, and I haven't had much of a chance to collect my thoughts or blog about anything.  I still do want to write up something about our Christmas week in New Mexico, but for now, just a few highlights from the last little while.

• My sis-in-law got engaged a couple days before Christmas!  They are looking at sometime in June, which means I will have a 4-6 week old baby at that time.  This will be interesting, but I'm pretty excited for her!  We went dress shopping this weekend and found an awesome dress for her, and got the bridesmaid dresses figured out.  I'm just praying mine fits (I ordered a couple sizes bigger, and will probably end up getting it tailored at the last minute).
• Speaking of the baby, this kid was making me nervous with lack of movement, but over the weekend, I felt a lot of kicks/punches.  It's pretty weird and cool.
• NYE was super fun, but John was sick, so I was without a date for the party.  Good thing I have awesome friends (don't worry, that's sparkling grape juice I'm drinking).  And I just got to stand there awkwardly when every else was kissing at midnight.      
• I'm starting to feel more productive, and have been cleaning out the room we will use for a nursery.  Plus, my in-laws have bought a ton of baby stuff, so I need somewhere to put it!  I think weekends in the foreseeable future will be packed full of baby preparations!  

Anyway, I hope you all survived the crazy holidays, and that you are having an excellent start to 2015.  It's going to be a wild year around these parts!  

*these pictures are from early December.  I was about 18 weeks.  I definitely look more pregnant now!  

Cardigan: JCF (similar)
Dress: Limited Outlet (similar)
Belt: Gap (similar)
Tights: Target
Boots: Steve Madden (exact)