January Budget & Buys

After Christmas and the accompanying spend-fest, I resolved (ha, do you see what I did there) to take it easy in January.  Here's what I got.

 

J.Crew bangle - $10

 

J. Crew wool cafe capri in iced lilac - $10

J. Crew Factory crewneck tee in olive - $8

Anthro teal tights (not available online, but worn here) - $7

Total: $35

Starting this month, I'm trying for a monthly budget of $200, so I came in way under budget... $165 under budget, in fact, since I only spent $35.  Yup, that's it!  Even better, every one of these purchases was in-store this month, so I didn't shop online at all.  It's a lot easier to avoid spending an extra few dollars when you're not trying to get the $150 or $175 minimum to get free shipping!  Being really busy also helps, since it leaves you much less time for browsing and finding things to love.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't get one or two of these mainly due to the insane prices (those lilac pants... but for $10, come on).  The bangle was something I'd actually added to my cart a few times before but never pulled the trigger on because it was like $30, so I was happy to get it at that sale price.  The capris, like I said... definitely a deal-biased purchase.  I don't super love the wool cafe capris because (1) they're originally $128 (are you serious, J. Crew?), and (2) the lining is kind of jacked, IMO - I had to size up so the lining would fit/wouldn't bunch, and they're still a touch clingy.  But for $10, they'll be really fun to wear a few times this spring, and I'm sure they'll hold up well compared to their price.  The Factory tee was a random find that filled a hole in my closet - I actually don't have an army/olive t-shirt, and I can foresee so many uses for this (especially for $8!).  I'm already wearing it today (outfit photos to follow tomorrow, God willing), and it is super soft.  The Anthro tights were definitely not something I had on my wish list, but I saw them in-store while I was returning something and the color just spoke to me.  $7 was the right price for a fun little pop to add to my wardrobe.

I gotta tell you, I wasn't even really that tempted this month.  I was still really grateful and excited over the things I was lucky to get for Christmas, so I just didn't even have much interest in looking for new things; even when I did, nothing piqued my interest.  I am actually hoping to do a little bit of thrifting soon because I've been in the mood to find something unique, but that's the only real desire I've had to buy anything.

How did you do this month?  Were you taking advantage of lots of post-holiday sales, or did the holiday shopping satiate you for the month?  Also linking up with Fran for Budgeting Bloggers!