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