September Budget

I share my clothing budget here every month. My budget per month is $350, which may seem like a lot to some people or a little to others, but for me feels just right. I include all of my clothes, coats, shoes, and accessories in that budget, but not athletic gear, pajamas, or intimates.

What did I even buy this month?!? After sharing my budget posts for years (eep 2014!) somehow my organization system went off the rails. So I think this is all I bought in September, but really, who knows.

I keep going through phases of only wanting to wear loungewear (because I'm late to the quarantine party) and wanting to really get dressed, if that tells you anything about my purchases for the month. Usually I end up doing loungewear for getting up with Mia and getting her to preschool, and then get dressed "for work" when I get home. It's like a mullet day. 

I did however go a little crazy on the shoes this month. Usually what happens is, I order a bunch of shoes online (because I can't usually find my shoe size, eleven, in stores!) and I try them on and hate all of them for not being comfortable enough. But this time, I got three pairs in the mail on the same day and I LIKED EVERY SINGLE ONE. So now I have three new pairs of fall shoes to wear in my clofficeroom (closet/office/bedroom). You're welcome, Zoom calls. 

Anyway, here's what I bought in September... maybe.

Madewell Striped Sweater - originally $79.50, on sale $55.65. One of those things I saw and *HAD* to have. The stripes are navy and tan so it looks really cute with darker wash jeans. I wore it here. 

Abercrombie Black Bodysuit - $39.00. I bought a BODYSUIT and let me tell you, they're a little weird to wear! I thought I'd beat the system by just tucking it in and not actually doing the crotch snaps, but then you just have a little tail hanging down 😂 I mean sometimes it's nice to wear with skirts but overall a bizarre experience. This one is nice though because the material is like a light sweater and soft, versus feeling like you're wearing a leotard.

J.Crew Leopard Dress - originally $128.00, on sale $83.20.  EDIT: RETURNED I'm still a little on the fence about whether to keep this dress. On the one side, obviously it's leopard and I like the structure of the top. But, it's also really big throughout the body, which I like during the summer but am not so sure about it with tights and boots for winter. Plus we're in a pandemic so like, when am I wearing this? On the other side, if I'm inside all winter I don't necessarily have to wear tights with it, and I'm all about a good comfy house dress these days. 

UGG Tan Booties - $139.95. Lol yes these are UGG brand, ha! But no fleece inside sadly. I ordered these because they dip low in the front of the ankle and I haaaaaate when booties rub my ankles (see my rant with the other pair of booties haha) so I thought I'd give these a try. So cute, comfortable, and they fill a hole in my closet! Just a note that I thought they'd be closer to a nude from the pictures, but they're definitely brown.

J.Crew Loafers - originally $158.00, on sale $102.70. I am always a sucker for a good smoking slipper, even though they don't actually feel anything like slippers. Really cute with skinny jeans or leggings.

Abercrombie Colorblock Sweatshirt - $49.00. Oh my gosh I just realized I spent $49.00 on this. Why did I not try to get it on sale?!?! It is definitely not fifty dollars worth of sweatshirt, but it is amazingly soft and super cute with leggings for lazy mom day. 

Botkier Black Booties - originally $187.95, on sale $109.90. I had never heard of this brand before, and ended up ordering these right at the tail end of the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale when everything else I ordered didn't work out. I love that these are a little bit dressier of a boot, and the shaft is slightly above the ankle so I don't have to worry about ankle rubbing (why 99% of the booties I order get returned). Some of the reviews complain about the ankle being too wide, and I really don't know what they're talking about because I have amazingly narrow ankles and these fit fine. My feet are the weirdest things - extra long, slightly wide, with tiny ankles. I wear any shoes with an ankle strap on the tightest setting. No wonder I can never find shoes. Foot rant over.

Abercrombie Striped Pullover - $45.00. Okay so this hoodie is the reason I ordered those other two Abercrombie items at full price. I decided I HAD to have this and it was about to sell out in my size, so I just went for it. So so so cute and cozy in person. They only have a few random sizes in different colors left, but I highly recommend it. 

Total Spent: $628.40

EDIT: Total Spent: $545.20

Yiiiiiikes. I mean, I knew I had gone over budget what with all of the shoes, but still! The only good news is that I've been mostly way under budget for the rest of the year, so it should all balance out in the end. 

I'm on a real cozy kick at the moment what with the temperatures dropping in Chicago (I woke up to temps in the '40s this week!!) so I'm assuming October will be filled with more lounge wear :) 

Are you still shopping? Or are you on a quarantine freeze? Let me know! 

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