October Shopping

Hey, I actually bought some stuff in October.  I really just needed some things that fit and I feel good in, so I bought more this month than I have in awhile, but mostly used gift cards!

J.Crew Factory emails me every day about sales, and I often put things in my cart and then forget about them.  I finally took the plunge on these 4 tops, which I have almost bought a few times.  The good news is I used a gift card for these.  The bad news is the floral top doesn't quite fit.  Oops!  Hopefully if I can start losing some of this baby weight, it will fit soon!

JCF Plaid popover: $15
JCF Floral blouse: $15
JCF eyelet henley: $12
JCF Striped tank: $15

Then I ordered a few things online from Old Navy.  I almost bought the striped skirt in store, but realized it was much cheaper online, and then I found a few other things to pick up!

ON Black stripe skirt: $8
ON Maroon skirt: $14
ON Orange dress: $11
ON Black shirt: $11

And then I bought a few tops at Target, also with a gift card.

Gray tank: $9
White tee: $10
Striped tee: $12
Off-white top: $9


So the total out of my budget is just $44 this month.  And I'm going to try to keep track better and link up with Budgeting Bloggers again each month.  We shall see!

Recent Shopping

My shopping habits have been pretty odd for the last 2 years, with being pregnant so much.  I kind of stopped shopping, and then had to buy some more maternity things, and didn't really keep track.  I'm pretty sure I am well under budget for the year, but I'm going to start fresh as of October.  For the sake of I don't know what, here's what I remember buying recently.

• Sperry boat shoes - my old ones are quite literally falling apart.  I wear them all the time, so figured a replacement pair was a smart purchase.  
• Target cognac flats - to replace these wedges.  I just didn't love those with the little heel, so I'm hoping to like the flats better.  
• Old navy dress - impulse buy when I was shopping and hated everything practical that I tried on.  The dress fit and was pretty, and was about $10. Seemed like a good idea.   
• Gap outlet jeans - I hate that I spent $50 on these, but I seriously need some jeans that fit me at the moment.  My maternity jeans are all too big, and my pre-pregnancy (or rather between pregnancies) stuff is either too tight, or at least uncomfortable.  So these were a necessity.  I hope I can get by without buying too much else in my current size, and can fit back into my old clothes soon!  
• Gap outlet black floral tee and Gap pink spacedye tee - just some cute basic tees I can throw on and not look like a slob.  
• Gap floral tank - high neckline? flowy shape? check and check. 
• H&M blue cardigan and Gap purple cardigan - I'm pretty excited for cardigan-wearing season to be back, even if I do hate the cold.  Layers afford some styling options that will just make me more comfortable in my current shape and size.  Some of mine are getting worn out, so I need to get rid of them.  These will be nice additions.  

I'm pretty unenthusiastic about my clothes right now.  I really want to clean out my closet and get rid of a lot of stuff, but I don't have a lot of free time at the moment.  Babies aren't the best closet advisers, either.    

April Shopping

"It's gonna be May" tomorrow, and thanks to everyone on the internet, I now have this song stuck in my head.  And I am trying to remember what even happened in April.  For example, this outfit is from mid-March.  This is one of the dresses I got from Bella Gravida, and I loved it, but it was a little short for my comfort, so I wore leggings, even though I don't love how they look.

As far as shopping goes, I know that I bought and returned many items, as I continued my search for the perfect casual shoes, and also a pretty dress for my sister's wedding.  I really thought the Sperry Zuma  slip-ons were going to be perfect, but they were too loose in the heel, and kind of slipped when I tried to walk around.  The casual shoe search continues, with increasing frustration on my part.

I ordered 2 dresses from Amazon, and 3 from ASOS, hoping something (anything) would work for my sister's wedding.  I also tried on pretty much every maternity dress option at the local Motherhood store, and the one department store that actually has maternity.  Fail!   I'm sure I've said this before, maybe multiple times, but you can be tall, or you can be pregnant, but good luck to you if you are both tall and pregnant!  All maternity dresses are made for someone who is about 6 inches shorter than me.  I had my eye on this Loft dress, but didn't want to pay full price, and it was never part of the sale offers.  I finally decided to cave (as a last resort), and it was 40% off!!  Hooray!  It is a little more casual than I was originally wanting, but at this point (wedding next weekend), I'm happy with it.

Otherwise, I bought a couple longer t-shirts at Gap factory, and I also had my Bella Gravida subscription, which I meant to cancel, but didn't get done in time, oops.

2 Gap outlet tees: $4 each
Loft dress: $48 (used a gift card)
Bella Gravida subscription:  $80

Total Spent in April: $136

Earned selling: $50

Since I have barely bought anything this year, I'm still well under my budget.  And I'm linking up with Franish, as always.

Cardigan: JCF
Necklace: ON
Dress:Bellyssima via Bella Gravida
Belt: Madden
Leggings: H&M mama
Shoes: Target

March Budget

Hey!  I've been out of town for the last week, and am now trying to catch up!  So here's what I bought in March.  It was a pretty slow month!  I just caught a pretty crazy sale at Gap.  

Gap maternity black pants: $2

Gap maternity red dress: $4

My goal this month was to buy some really comfortable shoes that aren't bulky sneakers.  I have failed!  I ordered these Puma ballet flats, and they are exactly what I have in mind for looks, but they are not very comfortable.  I also impulse bought some mint green Sperrys (like these, but lighter), but didn't like them when I got home, so I will return them.

I asked for advice in a mom group on Facebook and, well, the suggestions were mostly Toms (which I think are ugly - sorry!) or things I already have which are cute but not as comfortable as I want (Sperry, Converse).  So I don't know what my next plan will be.  I tried on a million options at DSW and nothing was quite right.  The search continues...

I do need to buy some new Sperrys, as mine are starting to split on the side where the mesh meets the sole.  I was complaining about it, but I have worn them about a million times in the last 2 years.  Don't think about that math too hard, okay?  

As always, linking up for Budgeting Bloggers.  

February Shopping

The end of February is here, so let's review what I bought this month (and link up).  I actually spent some money, which has been rare for the last several months!  Most of my maternity jeans from last year are a little too big, which is good, because I was about 10-15lbs lighter when I got pregnant this time.  But it's also annoying, because now I have to buy new jeans, or just constantly be hiking my current ones up, which isn't all that sustainable when I'm also lugging around a 9.5mo.  I tried these Old Navy jeans on in the store, but then looked online where they were each about $10 less and they had a promo for free shipping, so I'm waiting for them to arrive.  The shirt was a clearance find, and marked at $8, so I couldn't decide whether or not to get it. But then I figured that I don't have many summery tops that will fit when I'm 7-9mo pregnant, and it was pretty, so I decided to go for it.  And it rang up as $1.  Good decision!!


ON Maternity Skinny jeans: $18 (originally $35)
ON Maternity Boot cut jeans: $20 (originally $40)
ON Maternity coral lace yoke tee: $1 (originally $23) (similar in other colors)

And 2 things I bought a few months ago, but didn't want to confess until I had shared my pregnancy on the blog.  Last year I was due in May, so didn't have a lot of summer maternity clothing.  I grabbed both of these things on one of the big sales in November.  I think I will be very happy to have some denim shorts for this summer
Gap maternity denim shorts: $13 (originally $50) (similar)
Gap maternity gray tee: $10 (originally $30)

So for February, I officially spent $62.  Not too bad!

January shopping (and girl talk)

January wasn't a very big shopping month.  I did get some presents, though!

The Old Navy sweater was a Christmas present and I love it.  Most of my sweaters are getting kind of old, so I am getting rid of some and am happy to have a fun new addition.

The shoes were a birthday present, but they were back-ordered and finally arrived, just in time for it to be way too snowy and cold for flats.  I love them so much, even if they are probably fancier than I need at this point.  I am still in need of some more casual black flats.  I think these will be great for fancy occasions when I don't want to wear heels.

**Dad, if you are reading this, stop here.  I'm going to talk about bras**

My main shopping endeavor was the always complicated search for a good bra in the proper size.  This is way more complicated than it should be.  Several months ago, Nicole wrote about her bra sizing adventures, and shared this reddit that I ignored because I was so sure I had the right size bras.  Then I ordered a couple more of my favorite brand and was horrified that they changed the design and I no longer like them at all!  (it's like when your favorite shampoo and conditioner get discontinued... NOOOOOO!).  So I referenced back to that reddit and according to them, I've been waaay off on my size.  And as I read it, I realized yeah, my bras really don't fit properly at all (shoulder straps all falling off, uncomfortable, etc).  And guess what, my new size is not really something anyone has ever heard of before and is only available online.  So I ordered a few options to try out.  Of the first 3 I ordered, only 1 seems to work, so I returned the others.  After wearing the new one a few times, I have realized it's so much better, but still not perfect.  So the quest continues.  If Tom Cruise want an impossible mission, he should try being a lady on the hunt for a perfect-fitting bra.  But seriously, go to the reddit and measure yourself.  It will probably surprise you!

So as far as budget goes, I just spent $30 on the one bra that I am keeping.  I've ordered a few more, but will count them to February if I keep them once they arrive.

As always, linking up with Franish.

December Shopping

Another month of minimal shopping. But I will still link up with Franish! 

JCF Cardigan: $17 (originally $55)

So basically, I didn't spend anywhere near my budget for the year.  I have over $700 leftover, which is crazy.  I guess having a baby saves money in certain areas of the budget.  I'm not even going to try rolling that over into the new year.  I'll just start fresh in January.  I do really need a new pair of tennis shoes, which I have been saying for over a year.  I just don't know what to get.  

I did get a couple clothing items for Christmas, too.  But I couldn't find them online, so no pictures.  I got some new pajamas, a red sweater, and a purple sweater.  I think the sweaters will be nice additions to my wardrobe.

November Shopping and LeTote Update

November was another month of minimal shopping!  Just the one dress at Loft, and I used my birthday gift card, so zero budget dollars were spent.   But I will still link up with Franish!  

Dress: Loft (exact - on sale and extra 40% off!)

If you are wondering why the Letote subscription cost isn't there, it's because I went on hold for a month.  I've received 2 more totes since my review of the first month.  So it seemed like a good time for another assessment of things.  Here's what I received in my  4th and 5th totes:

Tote #4 had 7 items in it instead of 5.  I'm not entirely sure why, except that they were doing it to make up for the couple of issues I had with Tote #3.  I pretty much liked everything in this tote.

The green lace tee was so cute that I wore it twice!  The dress had weird sleeves, but nothing a jacket couldn't help.  I really liked the green skirt.  The top was way too tight, so I didn't wear it.  The jewelry was pretty, but I really have no use for jewelry at this point.  I confessed in this post that I put the necklace and bracelet on just for pictures.  I didn't end up wearing the turquoise necklace at all.

Tote #5 also had an extra item.  Again, I have no idea why, but I'm not complaining!  

The dress was really cute and actually fit properly (decent length, not too tight or low cut), but I didn't have any events to wear it for, and I didn't want to wait.  The dog sweater was fun to wear once.  The striped skirt was super long, so I hiked it up a bit, but otherwise really liked it.    And you may recognize that shirt from tote #4.  I liked the style, so requested the next size up.  It was still a little tight in the chest.  I guess it's just not designed for my body type.  I picked out really small jewelry thinking I might make these necklaces work, but still didn't wear them.  But I really like both of them, so might request again.  

So where does that leave me?  I will have probably 1 more tote left in my month when I got off hold.  I think I would really love Letote if I was still working, but as I've said before, I just don't have a reason to get dressed up very often, and I have enough clothes in my closet for those days.  I really think I should cancel, but something is giving me pause.  I guess it's just fun and convenient to get a box of clothes every so often!  But even so, I think it's kind of ridiculous for me at this point in my life.  I would totally recommend it to anyone who isn't a stay-at-home mom.  And they even have maternity now, which I would have really loved a year ago!  

If you are interested in trying it, you can get $25 off your first month with this code.   And you can even give it as a gift, if you have someone you think might like it.  I'll refrain from making an "out of the box" gift idea comment.  Oh wait, I just did.  

October shopping

October was another month of minimal shopping, but I almost spent my budget!  The last minute shopping trip for a dress to wear for a wedding was maybe not the wisest, but I do really like both of the dresses I got.  Of course, neither are online, and I can't even find similar options, so no collage this month.

Limited maroon dress: $30 (worn here) (similar in black)

Limited polka dot dress:$20 (similar)

Letote membership: $40  (you can get your first month for $25 if you use my referral link)

I'm still on the fence about Letote.  I put it on hold for a week so I have time to think about whether I want to keep it another month.  It is fun, and prevents me from shopping, I think.  But I don't know that I need much to prevent me from shopping.  Mr. Baby does a pretty good job.  

Since my birthday is in October, I also got some presents.  These are all from Loft.    

Scarf, Green Sweater, Cherry blossom sweater, Flare Jeans

Both of the sweaters are a tad too small.  Bless her heart, my MIL thinks I'm thinner than I actually am!  So I will need to exchange them.  The jeans were a present from Mr. Baby.  I'm suspicious someone helped him, but all adults deny any involvement.  

Anyway, linking up with Fran and the Budgeting bloggers, as usual.  Just a little late.  

September Shopping

Hey, guess who actually bought some clothes in September?  This girl!  I knew I needed to get serious about jeans shopping before fall actually arrived, and finally bought a couple pairs.  You can read all about that here and here.  Still on the fence about the Loft pair.  I suspect I will keep them, but I just hate spending that much on anything.   

Gap Slim Straight Jeans: $42 (originally $70)
Gap Chambray Dress: $7 (originally $60) (similar with sleeves)
Loft Curvy Skinny Jeans: $42 (originally $80) - currently 40% off with code FALL40)
LeTote subscription: $30 (originally $55)

Total: $121 (originally $265)

Since I barely spent any money on clothes in the last 3 months, I'm still like $400 under budget for the year.  Which really means I probably don't need such a big clothing budget, huh?  Or I should probably use some of that money to buy some new tennis shoes.  Maybe that should be my October shopping task.  

As always, linking up for Budgeting Bloggers!  

August Shopping

If you were excited to know about the socks I bought in July, you'll probably need to sit down for the epic shopping I did in August.  TWO UNDERTANKS!

That's right, folks.  I bought not one, but TWO tank tops at the Gap outlet.  It's out of control over here.  But I wear camisoles under pretty much everything, so I think these are a good investment.

Gray tank: $5
White tank: $5

I mean, babies are expensive, but he's doing his best to save the family money by crying whenever we go shopping.  Unless I'm with my nieces at a store I am not interested in, like Claire's or Justice.  Or at the fancy mall where all the stores are too expensive.  Then he falls asleep.

Full disclosure:  when my sister was visiting, her girls LOVE to shop, and really wanted to go to the outlet mall (which is an outdoor mall).  When we got there, it was raining and kind of chilly.  Assuming it would be hot since it was AUGUST, I was wearing shorts and a tank top.  So I bought this cardigan at Gap, so I wouldn't be too cold.  It was $20, which is more than I would ever spend on a Gap cardigan.  When we got back outside, it was sunny and warming up, so I returned the cardigan on our way back to the car.  Because I am ridiculous.  It's also entirely possible that I bought this shirt and this hoodie for the boy.  But I don't blog about his clothing budget!

In September, I really need to buy some jeans.  And I feel completely clueless about what style I should buy.  I've been mostly wearing skinnies for the past few years (haven't we all), but it seems like flares are coming back, and I do like those, too.  Maybe I need to buy 2 pairs of jeans.

As always, linking up with Franish for Budgeting Bloggers

July Shopping

I actually tried to shop a couple times this month, but only bought some socks.  My kid really hates shopping.  I guess he takes after his dad?  When my nieces were visiting, we went shopping but spent most of our time at Justice (and at Scheels getting taffy).  When John's side of the family was here, we went to the outlet mall.  I looked around at J.crew factory, Old Navy, and Gap but didn't find anything.  On another day, we met for lunch at the mall and walked over to H&M, but quickly had to abandon the mission because of a crying baby.  He's all "wah wah wah, shopping is lame!"

I'm still not looking to buy a whole lot right now, but I'd like to find some denim shorts and some solid color tanks.  Should be easy enough, right??  But I have an uncooperative shopping buddy.  So the July budget was barely touched.

I picked up these socks at Marshall's because my sister says they are the best!  I never wear socks with my flats or boat shoes, but I'm going to give these a try.

Sperry socks: $5

As always, linking up with Franish for Budgeting Bloggers.

June Shopping (or lack thereof)

It's the end of the month which means it's time to link up with the budgeting bloggers!  Only I haven't bought anything this month.  So I figured I would link up anyway and talk about my current wardrobe and shopping situation (hopefully that's legal).  And since I don't have any pictures of recent purchases, here are a few recent outfits I wore but didn't get real pictures of.  I have yet to perfect the outfit selfie, but you get the idea.

Late last summer, I was itching to do a major closet clean out.  I'm not ever going to be a minimalist, but I was just tired of having so many items that I rarely wore and wanted to pare down a bit.  I was really busy for a few weekends and hadn't gotten around to it.  Then I got the happy news that I was pregnant!  Since then, I've felt like I shouldn't get rid of anything because I have no idea what size or shape I will end up with and what kinds of things I will want to wear as a stay at home mom.  

For example, I would have gotten rid of several "nice" tees last summer because I rarely wore them.  But in the last month, I have worn them a lot!  Glad I hadn't donated them all!

On the other end of the spectrum, I've been looking for replacement nude pumps for 2 years at least.  I saw a perfect option at DSW last week, but then realized I probably don't need them anymore.    

So I'm not officially on a shopping break, but I think it will probably be a few months before I do any major shopping or closet cleaning.  It's not like I have a ton of free time to shop or organize, but even if I did, I think it's wise to let myself settle into my new life situation before adding or removing very much.  

For now, I'm trying to reassess my wardrobe and figure out what it should be.  I only need to dress nice one or two days a week, but I still like to wear something interesting when I am running errands or whatever.  So far, I've realized that I need more casual tank tops in solid colors..  I also need to figure out a comfortable shoe option that isn't tennis shoes.  Anyway, it will be a work in progress, but I figured it was worth writing a novel about, because if I can't share ridiculous thoughts about post-baby style on my blog, then what's even the point of having it?

May Shopping

So, I'm a few days late on this, but I wanted to make sure and share my May shopping info.  Having a baby is a great way to avoid shopping!  Of course, I'm spending all my money on diapers now...

I just bought a couple things in the first week of the month.  My goal was to walk around the mall and get labor to start.  That didn't work, but I did find 2 very cute items at Loft.

Loft Elephant tee: $20 (Originally $40)
Loft Lou & Grey Windowpane Skirt: $10 (Originally $40)

Total: $30 (originally $80)

I normally wouldn't pay $20 for a t-shirt, but I think this elephant print is unique enough and I really love it!  Plus, I think I will wear it a lot!

Linking up with Fran and the other Budgeting Bloggers

April Shopping

At the beginning of April, I was hoping not to shop much.  Then I realized that I had almost no tops that would fit over my growing belly.  So, I adjusted my plan a bit.  Since the 2 pairs of shoes that I ordered from Target in March didn't work out, I had that gift card again to use, so I picked up a few maternity tops with that money. And then my sister came to visit and we did a little shopping, where I was able to find a handful of "normal" tops that fit now, and should be very comfortable in the months after the baby arrives.

Target:
Maternity black blouse: gift
Maternity Mint Tee: gift card
Maternity purple tank:  gift card

Gap factory
Blue striped hoodie: $15
Striped tanks (Mint and Yellow): $6 each

J.Crew Factory:
Mint tee: $5
Egret Tee: $10

H&M:
Giraffe Tank: $10
Blue floral tank: $10

Total Spent: $62

I feel pretty good about this month.  I'm still in that kind of awkward spot where I don't know what my body will be like for the next several months (or ever), so I'm trying to pick up pieces that should work no matter what size/shape I settle into this summer.  Lots of knits!

Link up with Fran and the other Budgeting Bloggers to share your April shopping stories!

March Shopping

March is coming to an end, so let's see what I bought this month.  I think there's just one Loft online order, one Target online order, and one mall trip to account for:


Gap scarf:  $9 (originally $45)
Old Navy Maternity white jeans: $17 (originally $35)
Old Navy Maternity striped tank: $5 (originally $13)
Loft Maternity black shorts: $6 (originally $50)
Loft Maternity turquoise shorts: $6 (originally $50)
Loft printed chambray popover: $15 (originally $60)

Target:
Black sandals: $20 (used giftcard)
Pink Flats: $13 (used giftcard)
Black/White flats: $9 (used giftcard)

Total spent: $58 (originally $253)

I kind of hate buying maternity clothes, because I know I don't have much time to wear them, but I feel pretty good about what I have purchased, and the prices I have paid.  The shorts were so cheap, and I assume I won't be back to my pre-pregnancy size for most of the summer, so I think there's a good chance I will wear them a lot.

The shoes, well, some of my favorite pairs of shoes are getting pretty worn out.  Since Target was running a BOGO sale, and I had some giftcards, I decided to get a few things.  I have the sandals in cognac and LOVE them, so I think the black ones will be great for this summer.  I kind of miss my old pink shoes, so I felt like a replacement pair would be fun.  The striped flats are just really fun, and since my black/white polka dot flats are starting to wear out, I think these will fill that hole in my closet.  Hopefully they all work out when they show up in the mail!  

At this point in the year, I'm $100 under budget.  I'm really going to try not to shop in April unless I start to be desperate for clothing that fits.  If anything, I might need some more short sleeve maternity tops, because most of my normal tops aren't long enough anymore.  But with only a month or so left in this pregnancy, I hate to be spending money on much!  

How'd you do in March?  Link up with Fran if you want to join in with the Budgeting Bloggers!  

February Shopping

Well, I'm at the point where I really shouldn't be buying maternity clothes unless I am desperate, because I only have a few months left.  But I'm also at the point where some of my earlier maternity items aren't fitting as well, so I took the plunge on a few things. 

Here's the breakdown of what I bought (and then more thoughts below):

Target
Leopard print Ona flats: $8
Maternity White tee: $5

Old Navy Maternity
skinny jeans: $28
black and gray leggings: $18
black tee: $6


Loft Maternity (Note - I just split the shipping costs and added half to each item)
Gray quilted dress: $16
Chambray popover: $12

Christopher & Banks
Red Scarf: gift

Total Spent: $93

Gift Money used: $70

Total out of budget: $23

Since it has been freezing, I went ahead and ordered a couple pairs of leggings from Old Navy.  I think they will work perfectly under dresses for the next couple months and they are warmer and more comfortable than tights.  I also have been wearing jeans more often, and my 2 pairs of skinny jeans with the lower maternity band aren't as comfortable, so I ordered the full belly panel option.  So much better!  Then I needed to spend $4 more to get free shipping (or pay $7 for shipping), so I added the black tee shirt.  I think it will be a good basic piece!

Ever since I ordered a few things from Loft in January, I have had my eye on the Chambray popover.  It was more expensive than I was willing to spend for awhile, but then the price dipped, and I have been really wanting a maternity chambray.  Of course, I had to look at the other maternity items and fell in love with the gray dress.

And I just picked up a few things at Target when I was grocery shopping.  No idea how I even end up in the shoes and clothes sections.  It is one of the great mysteries in life.  I was very happy to find some comfortable leopard flats!  I have the Ona flats in a few other colors and really like them, so I think this is a good decision.  Plus I had a gift card!  I also ordered the Target Maternity Chambray Tunic online, but I didn't like it, so I will be returning it!

As always, I'm linking up with Fran and the Budgeting Bloggers.

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!

Maternity Clothes

So now that my little big secret is out, I can share that I've done a little bit more shopping than my monthly budget posts have included.  The good news is that I've only spent my birthday money on maternity clothes, so far.  So none of this came out of my actual clothing budget.  I've tried to keep it to a minimum, but the following things caused me to spend all my birthday money, and then I got a few Christmas presents, as well:

• I bought 2 Belly Bands right away.  These were amazing in the first few months, and I could still wear my pencil skirts and some of my normal jeans.  Now, I like wearing them under dresses for a little extra streamlining.  
• At a certain point, none of my jeans fit very well, even with a belly band.  So I ordered a couple pairs of skinny jeans from Old Navy.  Then I found a bootcut option at Gap, and then my sister gave me a hand-me-down bootcut pair from her last pregnancy. Then I saw some black "treggings" at H&M on black Friday for $12, so I snagged them, too.  So hopefully those 5 pairs of jeans will get me through most of the winter! 
• Tights!  Even though my regular tights still fit, they dig into my tummy in a not awesome way, so I've ordered quite a few pairs of maternity tights.  Old Navy is the winner for tights so far, but they don't have them available online very often, and don't have many color options, so I'm somewhat stuck.  H&M and Target are my other go-to places and I have mixed reviews on their maternity tights.  I think I'll need to buy a few more pairs of navy and gray.
• Speaking of winter, everyone says it's the best time to be pregnant, because you avoid the hot summer misery.  This may be true, but it also means I needed to buy a coat that would actually button.  I took the plunge on this H&M option because it looks so pretty on the website.  It's pretty in person, too - but it happens to shed quite a bit.  White fur.  All over my new car with black interior.  But it's very cozy, so I'm glad I got it. And it's half price right now, so if you happen to need a maternity coat, there you go!  
• Younker's was having an additional 40% off everything sale, so I checked out their maternity selection online.  There were a lot of dresses marked down to $20, and then an additional 40% was so tempting.  I got 3 dresses (here, here, here).  They are not for tall people, but I think they will work okay for a bit, and then I might just have to wear them more like tunics.  
• Kohl's gift card!  I've had this for at least a year, but I rarely go into Kohl's, because there's not one conveniently located when I'm shopping.  I heard they had maternity stuff, so I went in and got a couple tops.  One is a black/white marled looking sweater.  The other is a cream ruffle/tiered tank.  I think both will be frequently worn in the coming months. 
• Old Navy sweaters - Christmas gifts from my in-laws!  They got me this one and this one.

So there you have it - my maternity wardrobe in just a few bullet points.  I'm sure it will grow as I grow, but for now, I've been making use of my flowy dresses and elastic waist skirts.  And I'm trying to wear all my woven shirts while they still fit!  I'll probably have to break down and buy a maternity chambray before too long.  

Linking up with Fran for Budgeting Bloggers, even though this isn't really a budget post.  It's a "closet additions" post, so I think it counts.  

November Shopping

With Thanksgiving last week, I completely forgot about my Budgeting Bloggers post for November.  So here it is!  I barely bought anything in November.  I think this was the first time ever that I went to visit my family in Indiana and didn't go to the mall.  We were just having too much fun!  

H&M striped sweater: $10 (british version!)
Gap knit skirt: $10 (similar)

Total Spent: $20

This puts me in pretty good shape for 2014-to-date.  I have a decent overage rolling into December.  And I just took a big pile of stuff to the local consignment shop and then also ordered a bag to send things in to ThredUp, so I'm hoping to make a little money on the clothes I don't want anymore.  We shall see!

As always, I'm linking up with Fran!