January Budget

Every month I post about my clothing budget. My budget per month is $350, which may seem like a lot to some and a little to others, but feels just right for me. You can read my thoughts on my 2017 budget here.

We're here, the first budget post of the year! Are you excited? Let's dive in.

I approached this month as a low-spend month in an effort to build back up my bank account after holiday spending and our trip to Paris. I haven't bought any beauty products and am instead trying to use what I have stocked up, and have tried to be really thoughtful about any other (non-clothing) purchases. I thought I was taking the same approach to clothes, but apparently I still managed to go over-budget. What?! Part of the problem was me longing for spring break, part of it was all of the post-Christmas sales, and part of it was me being sick and spending a lot of time at home, bored, and on my computer. That being said, I'm pretty psyched about all of the new additions to my wardrobe. Here's what I snagged this month:

Old Navy Striped Sweater - originally $34.99, on sale $27.99. I love, love, love this sweater. It is so freaking cute and cozy. I just wish I had cooled my boots a little - I was really worried it would sell out, and so I bought a regular large. I really could have used that tall! So that's something to keep in mind for the future, although I love it so much I don't really care. Seen here.
Lilly Pulitzer Ophelia Swing Dress - originally $178.00, on sale $69.00. I snagged this during the Lilly Pulitzer After Party sale after New Year's, and I have to say, I like it, but not nearly as much as the LWD I scored last year. This one just doesn't seem quite worth the price tag, even on sale. It is cute, but I think I'm going to be more careful shopping their sale from now on.
Panacea Ball Drop Earrings - $28. These are so cute in person, but a word of warning, they're actually more neon than I thought. I used to be the neon queen though, so I'm not mad about it. I can't wait until it's seasonally appropriate to wear these!
Madewell Jeans - originally $128.00, on sale $48.99. When I was putting together my recap for 2016 post, I discovered my favorite jeans were back in stock in my size and on major sale, so I had to snag them. Very happy to have a pair of dark wash jeans with zero distressing / hem detailing for those days when I truly need a dressier jean.
Halogen Bow Back Sweater - $79.00. I saw this sweater and I had to have it, and I did not care that it was not on sale nor that it's more expensive than I would usually spend on a sweater. It's really flattering, it's surprisingly soft, and I love, I love, I love it. Seen here.
Steve Madden Clutch - $75. Something else I saw and had to have. Apparently I have a problem with self control. Anyway, it's somehow even more gorgeous in person, and I can't wait to bust it out on spring break.
Clare V Petite Alice Bag - $175, used giftcard $0. I talked about this bag versus it's larger size here, and I'm happy I went small. Plus, Jeff said "a bigger size would look weird." Thanks husband!
J. Crew V Back Sweater - originally $59.50, on sale $35.70. I had to snag this when it was on sale, and again, it's so good in person. The material is amazingly soft, almost like a fleece or sweatshirt, and it's really flattering. The v is a little deep, but nothing a little fashion tape can't fix.

Total Spent: $363.68
Total Saved: $218.81

So just a tinge over budget for the month, but not too bad. I do have to remind myself next month that the trip that we're taking to Charleston is only four days long and it probably won't even be warm, so I absolutely don't need to shop for new warm-weather stuff for the trip. Not that it's really going to stop me ;)

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Pink on Pink on Pink

Sweater - Old Navy / Jeans - Gap / Coat - J. Crew / Bag (similar) - Kate Spade / Shoes - BP / Earrings - BaubleBar / Watch - Wristology

Remember how I said I get super into pink every year around this time? Yeah, I added another pink sweater to my rotation last week. All pink, all the time. 

Usually I'd pick black or blue jeans since we're still in the thick of winter, but with the white stripes on this cute sweater (which, by the way, is only $32!!) I had to bring out my white jeans. Paired with my lighter wool coat, it feels appropriately winter-y. I love the look with my bow mules here (it was actually almost 50 degrees when we took these photos), but would love to add a pair of gray or taupe OTK boots to my closet to wear with white jeans in the winter. Being warm is basically the most important thing to me. I do not believe in suffering for fashion. 

Sweater - Old Navy / Jeans - Gap / Coat - J. Crew / Bag (similar) - Kate Spade / Shoes - BP / Earrings - BaubleBar / Watch - Wristology

Linking up with Style Sessions.

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This Weekend...

This weekend I...

...went out for date night at HaiSous, a contemporary Vietnamese restaurant down in Pilsen. We've been wanting to go for a while (basically since we got back from Vietnam!) and finally managed to make a reservation during restaurant week. We went with the coursed restaurant week menu, and oh my goodness you guys, it was all so good - especially the papaya salad and chicken wings!! We  ended up wandering down to Lo Rez Brewing afterwards for a couple beers, and let me tell you, this is a brewery after my heart. Most places these days are all hops and IPAs, but they had tons of wheats and ales on the menu, which makes for a happy Kristina.
...got the Clare V bag I was talking about on Friday in the mail, and you guys, it's so good. I was unsure if the smaller size would be too small and whether it would feel wide open since it doesn't have a closure, but it fits everything I would want to carry around on a vacation day including my blog camera, and the top pieces actually come together when you wear it crossbody style. Definitely a keeper!
...went out for one of those four hour long, bottomless brunches (that I'm probably too old for ;) to celebrate a friend's birthday. I was kind of unsure what we were walking into because all I was told was that it was a buffet, but it ended up being surprisingly good. We were at Brickhouse Tavern in the Park at Wrigley, and they had everything, including a huge donut and desserts table. Of course, me being me, my favorite was the mac and cheese ;) It would definitely be a fun place to hang before a baseball game!
...had my sister's family over for dinner (ahem, we ordered in from I Monelli) and then cooked everything when we had friends over the next night for the Royal Rumble. It's a wrestling thing, don't ask. But, but, if you're looking for a Superbowl recipe for next weekend, I made this homemade french onion dip and it was amazing - you just have to start the recipe 7+ hours in advance. I'm actually not a fan of cream cheese dips so I swapped the cream cheese and yogurt for sour cream - so, so good.

I hope you had a good one!

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Friday Finds

Oh hey there, happy Friday!! I can't believe it's the weekend already again, the weeks have just been flying by. As of yesterday we're already one month out from Christmas, and one month out from my birthday!! This year I wasn't really thinking I would plan anything for my birthday (although if I were, my amazing Winter Olympics theme party would definitely be back on the table), but then ended up deciding to use the floating holiday I get for my birthday to take a long weekend trip to Charleston! We actually just booked the tickets this week. I've never been before and am super excited about it. Definitely let me know if you have any recommendations!

Anyway, onto my finds of the week. I freaking love the Clare V circle bag and was excited to see it back in stock for spring. It's definitely a splurge, but I realized I had some giftcards from Christmas and that they're, you know, meant to buy yourself a gift (duh) so I ended up ordering the smaller version of the bag. It's actually supposed to be delivered today! I'm still undecided if the smaller or bigger size would be better for me, so I'm excited to see this little guy in person and am hoping it will help me make up my mind :) I also ended up ordering the pink fleece while putting this together (despite my vow to stop buying fleeces) because the pink color happens to be on sale for almost seventy percent off (with code SAVENOW)!! I basically couldn't believe it and had to place the order. So, looks like I'll be rich in sweatshirts, poor in real life for the rest of winter ;)

one / two / three / four / five

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More Bows

Sweater - Halogen / Jeans - Gap / Flats - Sam Edelman / Coat - J. Crew / Scarf (similar here, here, and here) - Forever 21 / Earrings (similar metallic earrings, or budget option) - Charming Charlie / Bag - Tory Burch / Necklace - Stella & Dot

I'm starting to think that everything I own has a bow on the back. And I'm not one bit mad about it.

This sweater is a little more than I'd normally spend, but I saw the bows and I couldn't not have have it. I mean, hello?! Could it get any cuter?

The sweater itself is oh so soft, apparently a little static-y judging by these photos, and comes in a bunch of cute colors - I'm definitely eying the gray in case some room opens up in my clothing budget for next month!!

Just a note. If you have any toddlers in your life, never let anyone encourage them to pull on the bows. I wore this to a baby's birthday party last weekend, and was scared for the sweater's life. On a sidenote, if toddlers happen to pull on the bows on your sweater, it turns out they're surprisingly durable. No bows were (permanently) harmed.

I paired it with black jeans and booties here, partially for anti-stain safety precautions at said birthday party (the last kid's party I went to, I came home covered in raspberries!), but can't wait to wear it with white jeans and my favorite bow mules this spring! Or, like, this weekend. I hear it's going to hit 50 degrees again. Cue all of the high fives. And then the nervous nail biting because global warming is real, despite what our president might tell you.

Am I getting off track? Let's pull this back in. Bows, bows, bows.

Sweater - Halogen / Jeans - Gap / Flats - Sam Edelman / Coat - J. Crew / Scarf (similar here, here, and here) - Forever 21 / Earrings (similar metallic earrings, or budget option) - Charming Charlie / Bag - Tory Burch / Necklace - Stella & Dot

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Think Pink!

Every year around this time, I start gravitating toward an all-pink wardrobe. Seriously, back in 2014 I had a hard time sharing an outfit here that wasn't pink (See here, here, and here. Also, how terrible are those photos?! Were they seriously that blurry when I posted them??)

Anyway, I'm clearly back on the pink train, and I'm raring for more! Here are a few of my picks:

one / two / three / four / five / six / seven / eight / nine / ten / eleven / twelve

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Off the Shoulder for Winter

Coat (similar and on sale, a hooded version, or a black version) - Marc New York / Sweater (just a few sizes left! A similar sweater is here) and Earrings (similar here and here) - J. Crew / Leggings (also available here) - Spanx / Booties - TOMS / Bag (similar splurge and save) - Old Navy

It's kind of funny, but every time I wear this sweater, I think it gets bigger. Back in Paris it fit like a normal sweater, and now I can't keep it on my shoulders! Not that I'm mad about it, since bare shoulders are like, totally in this winter ;)

I wore this downtown to see Beautiful with Jeff's family on Sunday. It's a little weird to be in the Loop on a weekend in winter - it's so empty - and was made even weirder by some incredibly thick fog. Can you see the buildings disappearing behind me?

I always try to dress up a little for the theater, and this was the sneaky perfect outfit for it. Looks dressy, but is as comfortable as can be! As a tall person, the theater is not always the most comfortable experience. Faux leather leggings for the win.

Speaking of these leggings, I actually thought before I bought them that they wouldn't be comfortable because the brand is Spanx. Definitely not the case! They're supportive and super flattering, but still really comfortable too. The price tag is definitely higher than I'd like to spend on leggings, but they're actually my favorite pair and I wear them all the time. So they may be more expensive, but that cost per wear is actually really low since they get so much use. As long as you can keep that cost per wear, you can justify those more expensive purchases.

Coat (similar and on sale, a hooded version, or a black version) - Marc New York / Sweater (just a few sizes left! A similar sweater is here) and Earrings (similar here and here) - J. Crew / Leggings (also available here) - Spanx / Booties - TOMS / Bag (similar splurge and save) - Old Navy

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This Weekend...

This weekend I...

...was not sick! Oh my gosh for the first time in two weeks, and it felt great. I've been off of booze thanks to recovering from illness / recovering from NYE / taking antibiotics. It was a nice break, but I broke the fast with blood orange tequila fizzes. Not mad about it ;)
...drove out to the burbs for a kid's bday party at Wagner Farm in Glenview, and honestly, it was an amazing place for amusing kids. There were animals outside, but the building we were in was a mini farming museum - I had a hard time dragging Jeff away from the exhibits ;) The party was for my cousin's son, so it was also nice to see all of my family, even if it was to the songs of a children's performer. We ended up at my parents' house for dinner afterwards, which meant lots of carbs to consume and I got to open a couple of late-arrival Christmas presents. I'm now the proud owner of a beautiful casserole dish, so who needs me to bring over a casserole??
...took advantage of a sale at J.Crew to snag this reversible sweater - it can either be a v in the back or in the front! It's so freaking cute online. Not that I need another pink sweater ;)
...celebrated Jeff's mom and stepdad's 29th wedding anniversary with tickets to Beautiful, the Carol King musical. I wouldn't say it was the best show I've ever seen, but I'm a huge Carol King fan (it was one of the records my mom played when she cleaned when I was a little girl - anyone else have favorite music like that??) so I still loved the show. Afterwards we went to First Draft to watch some football and grab some food - we used to love this spot when we lived in the South Loop, they have an amazing beer list!

I hope you had a good one!

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