July 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 2018 budget here.

Bye July! I'm especially sad this month is over, because it means I just have one more month of maternity leave! Wah, where did those months go?! Mia started daycare this week (she had to start early to hold her spot - stupid competitive city daycares!) so it's been an emotional rollercoaster, and it's making the end feel all the more real.

For all of the shopping I thought I did in July, there are actually surprisingly few items on this list - so I'm slightly worried I'm missing something and actually dropped a ton more cash somewhere that I'm forgetting. Not that that's ever happened ;) But really what happened is, I still am confused about what size I am and am still feeling big from the pregnancy so I placed a couple of orders where everything was two sizes too big. Whoops! A lot of fail on my part.

Four of these items are from the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale which ends on Sunday (!!!) so if you're thinking of making a purchase remember to snag stuff now before the prices go up on Monday. My full try-on post is here. (Psst I'm still deciding whether or not to keep the pants so they may appear in August's budget, and I don't count sleepwear or winter coats towards my total).

Here's the damage for July:

Halogen Pleated Shift Dress - originally $99.00, on sale $65.90. So excited to wear this once we hit fall, it's that perfect dress that can work for basically any occasion!
J.Crew Factory Eyelet Peplum Tee - originally $45.00, on sale $22.50. I literally bought this because I wanted more items to wear with this bag 😂but it's been great to have in my closet! It's really just a tee but feels more fun than your basic crewneck.
BP Miniskirt - originally $49.00, on sale $31.90. I used to have a bunch of skirts like this in my closet but somehow they all disappeared. These little miniskirts are weirdly the most flattering skirt shape on me, and I love how versatile they are!
BlankNYC Moto Jacket - originally $88.00, on sale $58.90. This was my biggest impulse buy of the sale, but I remembered that this spring I was always trying to figure out a little jacket to wear during weird Chicago temperatures and I kept wishing for a leather jacket. This one is vegan leather so it's really light and stretchy, and the draped front is oh so flattering.
Caslon V-Neck Hi-Low Sweater - originally $59.00, on sale $38.90. This is a great basic for basically year-round in Chicago haha. I love the rounded hem, it's perfect for wearing with leggings!
J.Crew Knit Dress - originally $128.00 on sale $76.80. I wasn't really sure of this and almost didn't order it, but I'm really glad I did, I've gotten a ton of wear out of it so far! It's a slip dress covered by an open crochet knit. It's breezy and fun, but can easily be dressed up too. I've worn it here and here.

Total Spent: $294.90
Total Saved: $173.10

I've been feeling better about my spending lately - I feel like I'm finally starting to figure out this whole budgeting thing! Only been writing these posts since 2014 hahaha. But really, I haven't had a "go crazy" month in a while. I say that because I was looking at my July budget post from last year and I bought about four thousand things. I finally have a handle of what's in my closet and what I need.

I'm not really looking for anything specific at the moment besides maybe some new booties. And I've also been trying to convince myself that I definitely don't need this bag ;)

Follow along with everything Kristina does via Bloglovin!