One of my New Year’s resolutions was to stick to $300 monthly shopping budget. And even though this may sound like a lot to you, my previous budget was $450 a month. So in order to help keep myself accountable, I wanted to post a little monthly budget recap for the month of January.
Note, my makeup budget is also included by request.
Shopping:
- Budget: $300
- Actual: $241.12
- Over/Under:
+$58.80+$101.67** All thanks to Elle for letting me know that the J. Crew skirts went on sale and providing me a 20% off discount code!
Makeup / Toiletries
- Budget: $50
- Actual: $46.96
- Over/Under: +$3.04
And here are the expenses all broken down. Linked items will direct to posts where items have been worn.
Shopping:
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- Ann Taylor LOFT Abstract Print Blouse: $16.24
- J. Crew Double-Serge Pencil Skirt:
$127.74$84.87 (thank you Elle!) (buy) - Forever 21 Pleated Pants: $22.30
- Jessica Simpson Dany Shoes: gifted
- Forever 21 Coral Cone Pumps: $22.80
- Forever 21 Teardrop Jeweled Necklace: $6.80 (buy)
- Forever 21 Glam Layered Necklace: $12.80 (buy)
- Forever 21 Forever 21 Teardrop Collar Necklace: $7.80 (buy)
- Forever 21 Teardrop Beaded Necklace: $6.80 (buy)
- Forever 21 Jeweled Damsel Necklace: $9.80 (buy)
- Forever 21 Patent Leatherette Skinny Belts: $8.12
- Louis Vuitton Bellevue Purse (not shown): gifted
Makeup / Toiletries:
- Neutrogena Makeup Remover Wipes (3x – 1 not shown): $13.41
- Stila Illuminating Powder Foundation: $30.31 (buy)
- Blistex DCT Lip Balm (not shown): $3.24
Fortunately I was able to stay under budget this month (whew!). I am a bit nervous with February though as I know many stores will have their spring collections coming out and winter clothes on deep clearance. I also know I have bought a few things already (ahem, Banana Republic and J. Crew) that have not been charged yet to my card that will also put a major dent!
And while I realize this post is probably going to be veering on the more boring side of my posts, I know that this will ultimately help keep me accountable. Thank you all for still reading. 🙂
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Great post! I force myself to budget also so it is nice to see that others do that too! Without a budget, i would spend all my money on clothes and not be able to eat, haha!
I don't have a shopping budget but I am pretty sure that I spent less than $300.00 a month on shopping. I am glad you were able to stick with your budget for Jan 🙂
$300 sounds like a lot but I know from experience it is not. Especially with work clothing – one can easily blow that on places like J.Crew and Ann Taylor for basic skirts or pumps…not even including suits! Good job sticking to it this month.
I really want a pair of mens-ish trousers that hit above my ankle. Is that how the F21 pleated pants fit?
PS – you should continue the photo monthly recaps with pictures of what you spent your fashion and beauty budget on!
@PetiteAsianGirl these pants are little baggier than i would like and actually are long on me even after I shrank them in the dryer on super high heat. i cuff the bottoms when i wear them so they're above ankle, but i wouldn't recommend the pants for petites smaller than me as you'll be drowning in them!
Lucky!! Wish I had that big of a budget! Love all the stuff you got!
I love this feature! 🙂
I should probably do something similar but I am scared to count…even though I have been pretty tame this month.
Congrats on staying under budget! My clothing budget this month is $0 (30 for 30) so it is going to be tough!!
way to go girl! it's tough to stay on a budget.. i must say im a little jealous of yours tho! i have a $100/shopping budget and then additional money allocated to entertainment and eating out. it really makes every purchase special 🙂 xoxo jcd
Well done for sticking to your budget. Although I don't spend much on clothes I'm hoping not to spend anything til I've completed 30×30
Nice job, Kileen! I like all the necklaces you picked up. So sparkly and blingy. Can't wait to see you wear them! Do you allow yourself to rollover leftover amounts?
haha what a perfect idea!!And congratulations you bought very nice things!;)
Good for you, Kileen! Keep it up 🙂
@Cee i do allow myself to rollover. i think i'll need it for Feb. 🙂
Good job!! Such a great idea to monitor your spending like this. It's always good to have a little extra for this month 🙂
<3 kris&kel
http://www.krisandkel.com
Yay! For staying under budget! I wish I had your clothes budget girl! Guess I'll have to get one of those job things!
I like the budget post! I just started a blog so if you get a chance please stop by (I emailed you a while back but my name on my blog is a nickname to keep me anonymous).
I recently purchased about $100 worth of makeup in the last two weeks and am not allowing myself to shop at all this month…also gonna try the remix challenge for the first time. I shop way too much and don't use a budget, so this month is like my detox from shopping. 😉
Great job! I'm under budget for January as well and have leftover to spend. ; )
xx The Little Dust Princess
oops…forgot to post my link
redgoldandglamorous.blogspot.com
I'm so glad I'm doing the 30 for 30, I NEED (or more like my bank account!) needs a break from shopping. I hope I can make it through the 30 days! Good job staying on budget, keep up the good work!
I have no budget…but now I'm thinking I need one..LOL
Great post Kileen!
I have no budget…but now I'm thinking I need one..LOL
Great post Kileen!
good for you for staying budget
i know how hard it is
i am hoping this 30 for 30 and no buying for a month will help me detox. LOL
Wow that does sound like a lot! But it's quite an improvement from before. Way to go with spending under your budget! I bet it feels good! I'm awful with budgeting! 🙂
Better Than a Milk Mustache
ohh yay i love this!! i hardly ever budget and never know how much i spend.. soo not good!!
Yay! You're under budget! I know how tough it can be to work with a budget and still buy things you love! Since I'm on a two month shopping ban, I have a wishlist set aside for when that fateful day arrives…but I think it'll still be within my budget limits!
Keep it up! =)
Yay for keeping under your budget! And it's great that you set a budget for yourself in the first place.
Dude. I am so amazed at your self-control. My budget is way over that. Wait … budget? Yeah, I don't have one.
I probably should.
http://glamkittenslitterbox.blogspot.com/
I bet my monthly clothes allowance would be around that same amount if not more, I may start keeping track of it to help manage my finances better.
Not a boring post at all! I'm nosy so am always curious about what people buy hehe. It's hard for me to keep track of how much I actually spend because I usually shop online (hence delay in CC charge and receiving items), and I also return a lot. But I like your idea of taking pics of things to visually remind myself of recent expenditures!
I'm impressed! It's funny, but for the past two years, my budget per month has also been $300. But that includes everything (food, gas, AND personal shopping). It's tough!! But you gotta do what you gotta do to save, right? 🙂
And isn't F21 a lifesaver for us thrifty fashionistas?! It's the only reason I can still get away with buying clothes and accessories on such a tight budget. Lol. You got some really cute jewelry from there!! xo
Great post!! I need to start doing this to myself, so far my wardrobe wishlist are almost fulfill so I'm kinda in a boat that I dont really need anything for upcoming spring, but hey you are right, you will never know what come to the store next spring and summer..sigh we will see, I'm going to start doing an excel spreadsheet for my expenses
<3
http://reserveradefashion.blogspot.com
Yes keep this up! I want to keep track of this for myself!
Violet
http://calendars-and-pens.blogspot.com/
Love this post! It's nice to keep to a budget and to revisit the items purchased too. I often find myself forgetting what I bought before I even receive them in the mail. So bad! Anyway, I think it's a great idea and I should really do it too. I was so bad this month though. But so proud of myself too – I returned $500 worth of stuff yesterday so yay! More for February. 🙂
petitemom.blogspot.com
Good job Kileen! Not a boring post at all, I actually really liked seeing how it broke down and gives me further inspiration to keep to my own resolutions 🙂
I really enjoyed this post….I think you need to get into the budget groove…good for you for challenging yourself:)
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I love that you keep track of your expenses. That was one of my new year's vows as well. So far it's going great. Let's see if I'm singing the same tune 6 months from now!
I think when you have to post it up for the rest of the blogworld to see, it keeps you in check! Great job! 🙂
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Great post! I don't think this was boring at all. I really should make a budget for myself to stick to each month. I'm normally ok with clothes (well kind of lol) but makeup and beauty products is my weakness. I think it's because not only do I love makeup but it's also generally a lot cheaper than buying a clothing item and then whenever I'm at say Sephora or Mac, I tend to buy whatever I want and then the total ends up being a whole lot:( I definitely need to get better about that.
Great buys, especially those F21 necklaces!