February 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.

I'm basically always shocked when it comes time to write these posts. February is over, what?!

This month I was clearly excited about the trip we took to Charleston over the weekend, and my shopping was in full spring break mode. Despite repeatedly telling myself that I didn't need anything for the trip. The struggle is real.

That being said, I freaking love both of the dresses I got. They are so gorgeous in person. The yellow is so fun and I anticipate getting so much wear out of it this spring and summer. But I'm really psyched about this blue floral dress. It's not often I find a dress that feels like it was made for my body type, so when I find one I have to scoop it up. I wasn't sure where I would wear this to when I pulled it out of the box, but somehow in that week and a half I've gotten a baby shower invite, started planning a baby sprinkle, and have a potential spring wedding on the horizon. So yeah, I'm keeping it ;)

Here's everything I bought this month:

Eliza J Floral High Low Dress - $168. I mean, hello gorgeous. 

J.Crew Velvet Hair Bow (this is sold out, but here's a similar and less obnoxious version) - $16.50. I love how this dresses up a simple pony tail, but it isn't too crazy to not wear to work. Worn here.

J.Crew Polartec Pullover - originally $118, on sale $37.99. I love this little fleece - it is so freaking warm!! Just a note that it is a little cropped, so if you have a longer torso it probably won't work for you. Worn here.
Target Sandals - $12.99. These are super comfy and so inexpensive - considering getting them in brown too. Definitely going to be a go-to once it warms up here in Chicago.
Old Navy Graphic Tee - originally $14.99, on sale $11.24, used giftcard $0. This is super similar to a couple of graphic tees I loved a few years ago, and I just had to have another.
BaubleBar Earrings - $38. I've wanted a pair of white statement earrings since last spring, so I was psyched to come across this pair. They're super lightweight and not too big.
Maggie London Gingham Dress - $128. Love love love love love. Love. I want to wear this every day of my life.

Total Spent: $401.48
Total Saved: $80.01

Whoops. $50 over. Not mad about it, because I love everything.

Next month someone better hold me back from all of the spring arrivals though.

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Winter Date Night

Tank - Abercrombie (I also love this one for transitioning into spring!) / Sweater (super similar) and Earrings (similar) - LOFT / Jeans - Gap / Boots - Kaitlyn Pan / Bag - Tory Burch 

Is it just me, or is it super hard to pick out date night outfits in the winter? In the summer I can just throw on a cute dress or a fun off the shoulder top and be good to go, but in winter my everyday clothes just don't cut it. I love me some oversized sweaters, but they don't always feel special enough for dates. 

That's where cute camis come in. You can layer them under those chunky cardigans for a hint of sexy, or pair them with blazers or jackets for a more sophisticated look. I never know what the temperature is going to be like in restaurants in the winter either - if you're seated near a door those cold winds can make it freezing, but if you're tucked in the back near the kitchen it can be amazingly warm. That's where those layers are key - just slip off your cardigan and you're good to go!

Fun story - mine and Jeff's first date was in the early spring and fell into that second, sweltering category. I peeled off all of my layers and was perfectly comfortable, just looking over at Jeff in a button down and sweater and wondering how he wasn't dying. Umm, turns out he WAS dying and downed about eight glasses of ice water trying to cool down. So, you know, layers people. They're important. 

Tank - Abercrombie (I also love this one for transitioning into spring!) / Sweater (super similar) and Earrings (similar) - LOFT / Jeans - Gap / Boots - Kaitlyn Pan / Bag - Tory Burch 

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Hello from Charleston!!

Photo by Kim Graham Photo

Oh hey there!! This weekend Jeff and I skipped away for a long weekend in Charleston to celebrate my birthday (which was yesterday - more cake please!!). I've never been before but was dying to see all of the pretty houses, eat some amazing food, and experience the history. Oh, okay, and the warmer temperatures didn't hurt either.

We'll be back tomorrow night, but in the meantime you can follow along with us on Instagram!

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Friday Finds

one / two / three / four / five

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Winter Cozies

Pullover - J. Crew / Tee (similar) - Bobeau / Jeans (super similar here) - Madewell / Sneakers - New Balance / Bag (similar here, here, and here) - Sole Society / Necklace - Stella & Dot

I grabbed the camera when we were walking out the door while wearing this outfit, and Jeff said, "Wait, we're shooting that?"

Umm, yes Jeffrey, because athleisure is the best thing ever. I mean, basically the twenty-teen's gift to womankind. What are we calling this decade again?

I've been working from home a little more lately, and have basically been rotating between my favorite pullovers - the one I have here, the incredibly popular one from Abercrombie, my quilted sweatshirt from L.L.Bean (the exact one I have is sold out but this one is similar), and of course my better sweater. Which one is the best? I could never decide.

But this particular fleece is pink, so I basically wore it all weekend ;)

The pink is sadly sold out, but the fleece is still available in white. It's amazingly warm - like, my upper body wasn't cold at all while we were taking these pictures despite the wind. It is definitely cropped though, which I still like just because it's different from my other pullovers, but if you have a long torso it may not work for you.

I also got these sneakers in the mail over the weekend. I initially thought they were too big, but duh, I wasn't wearing socks. With socks they fit great ;) I actually ended up showing them to everyone I talked to on this particular day because they're made out of a super stretchy material unlike any other sneaker I've owned before, and they don't have a tongue - super easy for slipping on and off and super comfy! I'm thinking these are going to make the cut for our trip to Charleston over the weekend, because the navy is so cute it'll pair well with all of my spring clothes. Eek I'm so excited, let me know if you have any Charleston recommendations!

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This Weekend...

This weekend I...

...somehow managed to spend the whole long weekend without going out to eat - what?! I made a big batch of this pasta sauce from the archives (minus the extra veggies - whoops!) so we were still indulging ;)
...had a friend over for a little bit of playing board games and a lot of bit of wine! We only managed to get through one game of Catan but I consider the night a success since I won ;)
...got this dress in the mail, and it is amazing!!! I'm definitely bringing it with on our trip to Charleston (on Friday - eeeek!!!) and can't wait for Chicago to warm up so I can wear it here too. I also got this dress which is freaking gorgeous in person but more formal than I thought - would be great for a spring wedding!
...held a volunteer training for Destination Imagination - it's volunteer season again!! I've worked with the program for years (and used to compete) and I still get excited when it's competition time.
...went on one of those Target runs where you accidentally buy everything - whoops! My favorite purchases were these leather sneakers for Jeff (in stores they had a navy blue with brown accents), this candle (smells so good!), and these minimalist sandals.
...obviously watched tons and tons of Olympics - is anyone else totally obsessed with Adam Rippon now?!? Loooooooove!! Oh and obviously if you aren't following along with Tara and Johnny (and combined) then I don't even know what you're doing.
...oh and then to continue on with my weird obsessions, somehow got really into the new Queer Eye show on Netflix. I don't know how I even ended up clicking on it, and was pretty negative on the first episode at first, and then ended up crying by the end!! And then watched six more episodes. At least I'm not alone.

I hope you had a good one!

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Friday Finds

BRB, trying to convince myself that I definitely don't need those pink bow heels. I mean, they aren't even on sale. I definitely can't buy them.

...

Please send help.

one / two / three / four / five

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Blushing

Sweater - J. Crew / Coat - One Madison / Jeans (almost identical) - Madewell / Boots - Kaitlyn Pan / Bag (similar here, here, and here) - Sole Society / Earrings - BaubleBar

Another day, another inappropriate pair of shoes for the weather. 

Jeff and I went out for a little afternoon date over the weekend, and I honestly couldn't handle planning another outfit around snowboots. I actually hadn't been outside all day and was remembering that the sidewalks had been nicely shoveled the night before when I selected this particular pair of boots. Ummmm, mistake! I did, however, discover (while not trying to fall down) that I don't need to be quite so freaked out about wearing these boots in the snow or rain. They're actually made out of microsuede, not actual suede. I have no idea what that is, but apparently it still looks amazing despite how many slushy puddles you've carefully tiptoed through. Plus they're less than $100! 

I also decided to pop on my new favorite sweater again, but this time I wore it backwards. Err, forwards? Anyway, it looks just as cute with the deep v in the back as in the front, and it's fun to see how different it looks - two looks in one!

Something I didn't worry too much about? My hair! I made it amazingly crazy/curly/messy for my Shaun White costume on Friday night (which by the way, did anyone else see his big win??), slept on it, sprayed in a little dry shampoo and it wound up like this. Say what?! Do I always need to just have really weird day one hair to have great day two (and even day three) hair? I mean, I'm willing to give it a try ;) 

Anyway, between watching an incredible amount of sports and and The Bachelor, I'm very busy and can't spend any more time rambling. Here's hoping you have a great (Valentine's) day!!

 Sweater - J. Crew / Coat - One Madison / Jeans (almost identical) - Madewell / Boots - Kaitlyn Pan / Bag (similar here, here, and here) - Sole Society / Earrings - BaubleBar

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This Weekend...

This weekend I...

...was in full Olympics mode. We went to a party on Friday night to watch the opening ceremony (and I dressed up as the Flying Tomato of course ;) where we ate our weight in bagel bites and pigs in a blanket and sliders, because is there any better way to celebrate the USA than that??
...spent all day Saturday watching more sports (SPORTS!) at home, and then when we finally managed to get our acts together and get out of the house, after grabbing a pizza at Corridor we headed to a bar to watch even more Olympics.
...and then, can you guess it, we spent all day Sunday with the Olympics on too. Do we have a problem? Just chanting USA over here ;)
...oh, and also did a little online shopping of course! The dress I ordered last weekend did NOT fit (way too narrow in the shoulders - so sad!) so I ordered this dress... and these sandals... and this dress... Once again, someone please remind me that I don't need a spring break wardrobe for our trip to Charleston.

I'm so excited for more Olympics AND The Bachelor AND Bachelor Winter Games this week, plus we have a little date planned for Valentine's Day!! Somehow, despite our lack of plans this weekend, I did NOT manage to create much blog content for this week (and I'm obviously too busy with the aforementioned television watching opportunities), so it's looking like there will just be a post on Wednesday and of course on Friday - see you then!

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