July Budget & Buys

Well friends, it's that time of the month.  Oh yes, budget recap time.  I do this for myself every month, but it's the first time I'm actually posting it on the blog, so... be nice?

Tops

J. Crew anchor print silk blouse - $39

Tommy Hilfiger teal striped top - $51

Nordstrom faux fur utility parka - $60

Nordstrom Element half zip top - $40 (thinking of returning this...)

J. Crew Factory striped long sleeve tee in neon azalea - $15

J. Crew Factory "Hold Fast" t-shirt $17

J. Crew mixed tape cardi in pool blue - $21 (not pictured, wore it here)

Bottoms

Anthropologie Lawn Party Skirt - $30 (wore it here)

C. Wonder seersucker blue pencil skirt - $20

J. Crew black pencil skirt- $46

J. Crew succulent green pencil skirt- $30

Nordstrom Nike white track shorts - $20

Extras

Talbots Lysa suede leopard bow flats - $42 (but $0 for me, thanks Mom!)

J. Crew Havana clutch - $36

C. Wonder white studded bangle - $9 (next to the clutch)

J. Crew Factory resin green/gold link necklace - $12

Madewell sandals - $32 (thinking of returning these...)

Bass Wayfarer Loafers - $54

Total (gulp...) $532
(would be down to $460 if I returned the sandals and Nike top... hmmm.)

Wow, that adds up fast.  I ended up buying a total of 18 items this month, which... is kind of a lot.  This also made me realize that I do not need to buy another pencil skirt at the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale even though I was planning to - I think 3 new pencil skirts plus 1 other skirt in one month is plenty!  I actually purchased a few other things but have already returned them, including those Nordstrom tops (they were just way too big) and a striped blazer at J. Crew Factory that I didn't really love and didn't fit right.  The sales this month were out of control, so I went a little lot over my budget.  However, I did finish a 1 month shopping ban in June, so I had a bit of a buffer from not spending any money last month, and I borrowed from the August budget too since the sales are always better in July.  I mean 40% off at J. Crew?  Could.not.resist.  I did try to buy only things that had been on my radar for awhile - I had been stalking everything at J. Crew for weeks if not months, so I knew I wanted those; the army parka is something I had been wanting since last winter and could never find an affordable one; the loafers are definitely a classic that I had wanted for awhile and finally found on major sale; and the Tommy Hilfiger top... well, it was too expensive and pretty simple for what it is, but I didn't care, I had to have it because I didn't own any striped tops in my favorite color!

Nevertheless, I did buy a lot of stuff and spend a lot of money, so I've also decided I'll be doing another shopping ban for the month of August to take a little breather from rampant consumerism, although the rules are slightly amended - the ban applies to everything unless have a gift card or a rewards card to spend.  I amassed quite the little rewards situation by using my Discover card like a mofo this month (see above!), so I'm letting myself use those for gift cards if and only if a few special items come up.  That's the only exception though, no real money.  This is the perfect time to do another ban for me because I want to reign in both the spending and the amount of stuff I'm bringing into my closet before the start of a new season.  Remember how I was talking about focusing on quality rather than quantity from now on?  Yeah, this is it.  I'm working on cleaning out my closet for fall and putting together a wish list for my wardrobe, so I'll be sharing those in a weekly series of posts in a few weeks!

How did you do on your July budget if you have one?  I'm linking up with Frannish's Budget Post too, so definitely check out the other submissions there about shopping within a budget this month, and also linking up with Real Girl Glam today, so feel free to check out those submissions for some actual outfit posts! :)