My Monthly Purchases: October 2015 (2)

Every month, I break down my clothing expenses and share them. I used to have a monthly budget, but partway through 2014, I switched to a quarterly budget of $500. This can be rolled into the next quarter if it's not all spent. My goal is to keep my out of pocket expenses within $2000 a year. Gifts and gift cards don't count towards my budget.

My last post was some of my October purchases, with the rest being shared today. In case you missed it, I was in Scottsdale, AZ and did a bit of shopping while I was there!

T-Shirt: J Crew
Reg $42 on sale for $18
I'm a fan of sparkly things on shirts. 

Sweater: Banana Republic
Reg $80, on sale for $30
This was something I was eying in Canada, so when I saw it south of the border (and deeply discounted) I nabbed it! I'm glad I wandered in BR - I nearly by-passed it.

Pants: Anthropologie
Reg $128, on sale for $20
You know how you're shopping by yourself, and you really have to trust the opinion of the sales person? This is how came home with these pants. They are definately more of a summer item, but I might be able to squeeze a wear out of them before I put them away for the season. They have crazy-wide legs!

Dress: H&M
Reg $15
Cutest dress. Amazing price. Can't wait to wear it!

Shirt: Forever 21
Reg $16
The navy and orange in this shirt caught my eye, and it has a cute upper back cutout. 

Tunic: Forever 21
Reg $18
This is listed as a dress on the tag, but even on a shorty like me, it would be tres short. I'll be wearing this with leggings or pants!

Boots: Aldo
Reg $120, on sale for $54
I've had these boots for MONTHS. I really liked them, but I was hesitant if I'd actually get a lot of wear out of them. So I left them in the box to think about it. Aldo has a great return policy (unlimited with receipt and unworn) so I was able to give them a lot of thought. I finally caved and wore them last week - twice! I'm glad I didn't take them back.

Shoes: Aldo
Reg $80, on sale for $40
This sneaker/loafer hybrid is the best. So comfy, so cute, and they add a few inches! The only thing I worry about is the white part getting dirty. 

Sneakers: Converse
Reg $60 on sale for $23
If you've not been to a Nordstrom Rack, you need to find one next time you're in the US. I could have spent hours (and a ton of moola) in this place. Thanks to R's shopping threshold (45 min), I didn't even have time to try on any clothing. But I did find these gems.... last pair... in my size. 

I also purchased some accessories, but I'm not going to show them all. I bought a few pairs of earrings, a hat, a few necklaces, socks, and a few more things I'm probably forgetting. The total I paid for all of these was $60 (regular price was about $180)

Original cost of items: $739
Price I paid: $294
I saved 60%

My total spend for October was $468. That leaves me $263 left to spend of the rest of the year - including Black Friday and Boxing Day (gulp). Give me strength. 

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

My Monthly Purchases: October 2015 (1)

Every month, I break down my clothing expenses and share them. I used to have a monthly budget, but partway through 2014, I switched to a quarterly budget of $500. This can be rolled into the next quarter if it's not all spent. My goal is to keep my out of pocket expenses within $2000 a year. Gifts and gift cards don't count towards my budget.

You know those months when you buy so much, you can't possibly talk about it all at once?

October was one of those months, thanks to a lovely trip south (way south) of the border. Scottsdale was a lovely place to shop. We strategically planned to stay at a resort that was within walking distance to two outdoor shopping complexes. R was in training for a few days, so I needed something to do while he was gone.

Kierland Commons was literally across the street, then once you walked to the end of Kierland Commons, you crossed another street and there was Scottsdale Quarter. Both were great places to shop, and there were lots of snack stops and restaurants mixed in as well.

Keep in mind that for budget purposes, I don't convert to Canadian dollars. For this trip, I had US cash purchased when the dollars were close to equal and I paid cash for all my clothing.

I'll show you some of what I bought in this post, then do another post about the rest of it.

Shirt: Madewell
Reg $42 on sale for $30.
My obsession with army green attire continues. I kind of wish I bought more than one of these shirts - they are so soft and I love the sleeve length. Madewell does ship to Canada, but not for free, and you have to pay the shipping to return stuff. They are a sister company to J Crew.

Jeans: Madewell
Reg $128 on sale for $54
My old black Calvin Kleins needed replacing. These jeans are the perfect rise for me, which is so hard to find due to my long torso. Very soft and comfortable, I'd definitely buy another pair of Madewell jeans. The wash I bought isn't available (inky black) but the ones I linked above are the same style.

Dress: H&M
Reg $20.
I really liked the colors in this dress and the button detail at the collar. I haven't worn it yet, but I likely will soon with my brown riding boots.

Dress: H&M
Reg $18
A basic grey dress that is multi-seasonal and can be styled a ton of different ways. I've worn this already to a wedding with black tights, black blazer, and a statement necklace.

Shirt: H&M
Reg $20
I've always liked green and blue together. This shirt has buttons up the back, which is a different touch.

Shirt: H&M
Reg $25 on sale for $13
A nice basic silky shirt that can be dressed up or down.

Sweater: American Eagle Outfitters
Reg $50 on sale for $14
I upsized with this sweater to make sure it was a loose fit. I retired one of my white sweaters this year, so I needed a replacement. This was bought at home.

T-shirt: Gap

Reg $20 on sale for $5

No photo, but I picked up a basic medium grey crew neck. Gap has the best tees for layering. This is the fourth one I've bought this year!

Original value of items: $323

Price I paid: $174
I saved 46%

I'll continue with my October buys in my next post.

XOXO

Glitterary Girl

Restaurant on Repeat

R and I couldn't resist hitting up The Cheesecake Factory on our very first evening in Scottsdale. We hunt down these restaurants everywhere they exist and usually eat there more than once a trip! See below for why we always want to eat here. 

Does it get any better than Oreo cheesecake? No.

 Details

Top: Dynamite

Skirt: American Eagle Outfitters

Belt: H&M

Sandals: Aldo (RIP, these old sandals didn't make it home after expiring at the end of my shopping day)

Clutch: Coach

How pretty does this nighttime scene look? I want all of the palm trees for our yard.

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

Jacket Not Required

Scottsdale was a whirlwind of a trip. I love desert weather, but went traveling from the east coast, it takes a million years to get there and five million years to get over the jet lag! Still, it was a beautiful corner of the world and one we will be back to for sure.

I wore this out to dinner at Tommy Bahama's, where we sat outdoors under the pergola. It was warm enough to go without the jacket, but I wore it anyway. If you get a chance to visit a Tommy Bahama's restaurant (there aren't that many of them!) definitely do! I'm always on a hunt for a good fish taco, and the ones I had there were fantastic.

Details

Jacket: Guess (via Vicky Mina!)

Dress: American Eagle Outfitters

Shoes: DKNY

Clutch: Coach

XOXO
Glitterary Girl