December Budget

Every month I post about my clothing budget. My budget per month is $300, which to some may seem like a lot and to others a little, but feels just right for me. You can read my thoughts on my 2014 budget here. 

Yay for it almost being 2016! Are you up to anything fun tonight? We're having a few people over and I'm using the opportunity to bust out some new sequins. I'm back with another budget post, and weirdly, another way under budget post. I weirdly only bought one thing for myself over the Black Friday weeklong sales (these jeans, and they didn't actually arrive until the week of Christmas!) and the weather foiled my plans for a post Christmas shopping spree, leaving me under my $300/month limit again. I'll be back next week with my thoughts on the 2015 budget as a whole, but in the meantime, here's the damage for December:

J.Crew Factory Artist Tee - originally $29.50, on sale $13.33. I took advantage of big sales and free shipping on any order to snag another of my favorite tees (seen here and here). I used to buy mediums, but they tend to shrink so now I always go for the large.
Maia Sequined Shift Dress - $118. I wasn't going to buy a NYE dress. I have a bunch of sequined dresses (even though they might be mostly white at this point - thanks getting married!) and had my eye on a couple from Rent the Runway. But you know, this one is so gorgeous. And I basically only want to wear shift dresses when I dress up now. Somehow, someway it found its way into my closet.
Gap Distressed Denim - originally $79.95, on sale $47.97. I've been searching for distressed skinny jeans for over a year now, and finally found a winner in this pair. A lot of them were either too distressed, or the holes didn't line up right on my knees, or they were ankle length. These ones are perfectly soft and comfortable, they come in a tall, and they have just the right amount of distressing.
Madewell Necklace - originally $45, on sale $30.37. This was definitely an impulse buy. It was on sale, the shipping was free, and I just couldn't resist.

Total Spent: $209.67
Total Saved: $62.78

I don't think I'll be shopping for anything in particular next month, just looking for some great deals.

Did you have a budget for December? How did you do?

Linking up with Fran.

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Dealspotr Review

These bow heels are currently less than $60 - find more Ann Taylor deals here

I've mentioned it a couple of times before, but for the past several months I've been an ambassador for Dealspotr. Dealspotr is a social network for coupons and promo codes that allows you to follow stores or Dealspotr users who have similar tastes as you (ahem, my user name is kristinadoes) to get all of the coupon codes you need in one spot. What I think is particularly cool about the site is that people not only post site-wide coupon codes, but will also share when particular items go on sale (helpful if you've been stalking some OTK boots and praying that the price goes down - not that I would ever do that ;). Oh, another bonus? As a user of Dealspotr, you get points for every deal you post, comment on, or like, and points are redeemable for Amazon gift cards. The only tricky thing about the site is that deals are sorted by popularity on the store pages, meaning the ones at the top of the page might not be the most recent.

Want to stay up to date on all the latest deals and post your own? You can join Dealspotr here. Feeling a bit lazier? Just bookmark my profile page to stay up to date on my favorite sales.

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Dealspotr, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

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Favorite Reads of 2015

This year I read a lot. I think the 3 hour daily commute I was doing helped a bit (since we moved it's dropped to 30 or 40 minutes each way!). I went into my Kindle history and pulled about 30 books for this post before I realized that may have been, you know, too many. I narrowed it down to 12 and separated them into categories to help with your perusing. Sadly, unlike last year, there wasn't much in the way of summer camp stories ;)

Deep Reads

Purity Jonathan Franzen A twisted web of a story that unfolds as you go, it follows Pip and the journey she takes as she tries to find her father.	Fates and Furies Lauren Groff A story that follows a relationship through its ups and downs and makes you question whether you can ever really know someone.	The Precious One Marisa de los Santos A daughter goes on an extended visit to her ailing father's house and get's to know his second family and discovers the power of a second chance.

Lighter Reads

Me Before You Jojo Moyes A story about a newly disabled man and a woman surprised to find herself as his caretaker.	What Alice Forgot Liane Moriarty The story of a woman who loses her memory of the last 15 years and has to discover what her life has become.	Orphan Train Christina Baker Kline The juxtaposition of two orphans - one in foster care in present day Maine, the other forced onto an orphan train in the 1920s.

Historical Fiction / Nonfiction

All the Light We Cannot See Anthony Doerr Set in WWII, this is the story of a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths cross.	Unbroken Laura Hillenbrand I'm sure you've heard of the movie, but this is one of those cases where the book is better.	The Nightingale Kristin Hannah Because you need more WWII, another story of occupied France and two sisters who do all they can to survive.

Young Adult / Beach Reads

Denton Little's Death Date Lance Rubin The first of a trilogy, this novel takes place in a dystopian world where everyone knows the exact date they will die.	Everybody Rise Stephanie Clifford The story of a social climber in New York, it's a fun look into the lives of the super rich.	The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing Melissa Bank A story of a young woman trying to find herself in the dating and working world.

Want to see more of my favorite books? Check out my 2014 Favorite Reads post.

What were some of your favorite reads this year? I'd love to hear!

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Best Looks of 2015

It's that time of year again! Here are some of my favorite looks from 2015 (click each image to see the original post):

Scarf - Target

Jeans - Old Navy

Bag - Sole Society

Sandals - Sole Society / Watch - Wristology / Necklace - Stella & Dot 

Sandals - Sole Society / Necklace - Stella & Dot

Sandals - Sole Society / Watch -Wristology

Jeans - Old Navy / Flats - Tory Burch / Watch - Wristology

Scarf - Target / Watch -Wristology

Tee and Vest - JCrew Factory / Watch - Wristology / Bag - Kate Spade

Leggings - Zella / Boots - Bandolino / Watch - Wristology

Dress - Jessica Simpson / Heels - Ann Taylor

Which style was your favorite?

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House Updates - The Living Room

Our house still needs a lot of work (ahem - and stuff. Don't worry, the coffee table is coming in a couple weeks), but I wanted to share a couple of photos now that there's actually furniture (!) in the house. And then "a couple" turned into "all of the pictures" so bear with me. Most of the furniture from the living room came from our old house which is why it's a bit more together than the other rooms, but the rug and end tables are new (along with the bar stools you can see a hint of).

The TV stand was part of the media set we bought in our last place - it came with two bookshelf towers that we no longer have room for. I was actually hoping to buy a third tower to make a kind of makeshift display piece for the dining room, but of course Crate & Barrel changed the finish for them so I can't buy a third matching piece. I've been scouring Craigslist but haven't had any luck, so they might get relegated to my office/guest room.

Rug - Pottery Barn / Couch - Arhaus

We still have to get someone in to sweep out the fireplace, but once we do I'm super excited/terrified to use it. I used to try to light fires in Girl Scouts but I'm not sure I was ever successful ;) 

Tray (similar) - Target / Coasters - a DIY by my sister! 

My tinsel ornaments were a DIY!

(Our recliner is currently sitting on a blanket until we add some felt strips to the legs so we don't scratch up the floor!)

End tables - West Elm

Buffet - IKEA / Odds and Ends tray and Bow corkscrew - Kate Spade

Mr & Mrs Glasses

We also just got a table and little shoe tray for the entryway. I'm still looking to add a rug here (maybe this one), and Jeff wants to buy a little air plant terrarium that he saw in a shop in our neighborhood. You know, so we can be super hip. The print I actually won in a giveaway a super long time ago from Rachel - thanks girl! 

Table - West Elm / Shoe Tray - Crate & Barrel

So that's it for now! I'm hoping to finish off a few more things and then share another quick video tour now that there's, you know, stuff (per a few requests ;). 

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The Christmas Outfit

Shirt (similar) and Necklace (similar) - J.Crew Factory / Skirt (similar) - J.Crew / Booties (similar and so cute - how many pairs of black suede heeled booties does one need?) - Adrienne Vittadini / Bag - Kate Spade / Bracelet - BaubleBar / Belt - Target

I said earlier this year that I really wanted to go for it with a Christmas outfit this year. Well, mission accomplished. I wore this to a Christmas party last week, and while Jeff's dad gave me a little surprised side eye (because, men) I got a lot of compliments. Plus my besties showed up in a red dress and a green dress, so we accidentally had perfect coordination (we may have done some posing around the venue for "our Christmas card" haha). If everything goes according to plan, I'll wear this again on Thursday for Christmas Eve with Jeff's family. And then change into my Christmas pjs as soon as possible because pajamas are one of the best parts about Christmas, amiright?

Shop the post:

Previously on KDTI - the green shirttail skirt:

 

Linking up with Mix It Monday, Style Sessions, Confident Twosday.

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