Style Budget Month 10: October

October 

1. $79 at J. Crew: pj pants (not shown), painter tee, embroidered top

2. $38 J. Crew v neck cardigan (not shown) 

3. $54 J. Crew necklace and silk tick tock shirt

4. $ 57 J. Crew marled rib stitch cardigan

5. $25 Maritime dress from Anne on IG ( not shown) 

6. $17 Zara inspired blanket scarf from Mandy on IG (not shown) 

7. $30 J. Crew Schoolboy chambray blazer on eBay 

Spent $300

Made

$146 on Poshmark 

Total Spent = $154 

I have only worn the bright orange top once so far and am a but unsure of the cut on my figure, but I feel like I will wear it more in the spring/summer next month and will be happy to save it for then. I bought the bottom chambray schoolboy blazer specifically with next spring in mind and look forward to wearing it then, even though I must note the strange fact that the fact that (it came from ebay) it smells a bit like patchouli or sandalwood oils.

I have worn the marled rib stitch cardigan three times already and as soon as my J.Crew rewards card shows up I plan to buy the black version provided it doesn't sell out.

I love the tick tock silk blouse SO much, but as it is a tunic length do find it a bit of a challenge to style. I also love how dainty the gold necklace is and it was only $15!   I didn't sell that much on Poshmark this month and I haven't blogged at all.  I can completely attribute both of these facts to work. Teaching all AP/IB classes all day long is exhausting and there are SO many essays to grade. Add an almost three year old to the mix and I am amazed that I can even type this, much less comprehend a complete sentence.

Happy Halloween all! I plan to dress as a leopard (with all my leopard accessories on at once), and Liv is going to be either Queen Elsa, Princess Anna, or Super Girl.

Linking up with Fran as always! 

Style Budget Month 9: September

September

Spent

1. $51 at J. Crew: Tippi in brown & jeweled painter tee in gray. 

2. $33 J. Crew Factory Cap Toe Satin Pumps NEW on Poshmark 

3. $22 J. Crew Factory dot/ dash sweater

4. $75 to Anne for capris, shirt, and skirt (not shown) 

5. $11 groopdealz tassel necklace 

6. $50 Sam Eldman Blake ballet flats (not shown) 

7. $53 at Target leopard belt, bracelet, and Oxford color block Altuzarra blouse (not shown) 

8. $19 J. Crew stone necklace 

9. $50 J. Crew Factory: sweatshirt in Kiss and jeweled ballet flats in black

10. $12 leopard cafe capris from eBay 

11. $13 on groopdealz for replacement tortoise necklace (not shown) 

Spent= $389

Made on Poshmark = $301

$389- $301=

Total Spent= $88

Linking up with Fran as usual. 

Style Budget Month 8: August

Spent 

1. $43 on eBay for two pairs of Café Capris (not shown) 

2. $22 J. Crew Crystal Fiesta Necklace 

3. $14 NWOT Stripe Tippi on eBay 

4. $15 Kendra Scott Inspired Rayne tassel necklace from Purple Peridot (not shown) 

5. $12 Merona Leopard pony hair heels on Poshmark (not shown)

6. $19 Patent leopard J. Crew Martina's on Poshmark 

7. $25 on Poshmark for a nwot J. Crew Tilda blouse 

8. $20 beaded rose necklace and sunflower necklace from J. Crew via Instagram 

9. Fabeltics $15 for a three piece outfit (not shown) 

10. $54 at J. Crew for Modernism necklace and painter button stripe tee. 

11.$26 on eBay  J. Crew wool black cafe capris (not shown)

Spent= $264

Total  Made= $ 632 (on Poshmark only, no eBay sales this month) 

$632 made - $264 spent = total made $368

Linking up with Franish of budgeting bloggers as usual. 

Reflection: Out of the things I bought this month, I've been wearing the pendant necklaces the most. Meghan at Hayes Days (see link below) told me that they elongate the torso and I think that has been making me reach for them more than some of my other statement necklaces. What necklace did I not need? The Kendra Scott inspired Rayne necklace in hot pink that I have only worn once and briefly at that. What item do I need more of? Cafe Capris, of course. ;) I'm also glad to have made money this month as my family really needed it. Being a teacher and having summer off is fantastic, but it hurts to not get paid for almost three months. 

How did you all do with budgeting this month? 

Style Budget Month 7: July

July Budget

1. $11 Groopdealz pendant necklace (not shown)

2. $39 Banana Republic  Ivonne heels (not shown) 

3. Clearance Store $45: Jackie cardigan and two belts 

4. Clearance Store $42: Perfect gingham shirt $21 (retails for $72), Factory Necklace $21. 

5. Clearance Store $22.50: Linen baseball tee $15 and swim bottoms $7.50 (retails for $50)

6. J. Crew: Gauze Maxi skirt $15 and pendant necklace $17

7. J. Crew $42: photo floral sweatshirt $15, mixed lace shell $25

8. J. Crew $70: $17.50bateau stripe tee, $25 gemstone silk tee, and $27.50 maxi skirt in stripe

9. J. Crew $26, gold tassel flower bud necklace & $22 rash guard in sailor stripe navy 

10. $17 J. Crew factory pendant necklace 

11. $44 Cole Haan metallic Lanie pumps via amazon 

Spent $413

Made $257 on Posh and $105 on eBay = $362 total made 

Made $362- 413 Spent = Total spent $51 

Linking up with Fran of Budgeting bloggers as usual. 

Style Budget Month 6: June

June Style Budget aka the month where I only shop at J. Crew (and do way too much of it!) all during a #noshopsummer IG challenge.

Here are the details:

1. $13 on Groopdealz for 2 necklaces from Ivory Bleu (not pictured)

2. $24 Lands End Order: Canvas Tote large with monogram (not pictured)

3 & 4. $38 at J. Crew: $17 J. Crew Ebony Weekdays Cotton Tee & $21 J. Crew  linen diamond ikat top

5. $37 at J. Crew Factory: 2 Clare cardigans (not pictured)

6. $44 for the J. Crew photo floral patio skirt 

7 & 8. $39 at J. Crew: $15 linen baseball top & $24 Embroidered lace top 

9. $30 at J. Crew: $30 Amie maxi dress

10. $65 for the J. Crew Downing Tote 

11 -13. $53 at J. Crew: Chambray Popover $15, Tippi $18 (not shown), Honeypie Perfect Shirt $20

Spent $343

Made $126 on Posh + $154 on eBay

Total=$ 280

Total Spent$ 63 for the month 

I've worn three of the top four black shirts at least twice each, so I know they were good purchases for my closet. I also have tons of navy and very little black, so these were good choices in that respect as well. A surprise love for me is the Downing Tote, while the skirt is an item that has been on my wish list for MONTHS so it feels good to finally own it. I'm planning to wear the Chambray popover as I travel to NC tomorrow where I am sure I will do some shopping with the lovely Asheville retail J. Crew store and the Clearance Center in Arden near where I will be staying. 

Happy Summer all! 

Linking up with Fran for another month of budgeting bloggers here.

Style Budget Month 5: May

Wow! It has been almost a month since I posted here. Sorry! When you see the items below you will think I spent the entire month shopping. Instead, I spent the entire month grading AP essays, senior portfolios, final exams, and now finishing up my semester grades. Sheesh!

On to the budget...

Is bad that I started May's budget on April 26th? I hope not. That combined with my Birthday ended up being a bad month. In fact, this may have been my worst month budget wise yet. Oddly, all my shopping was either the end of April or on my birthday weekend too. I basically went crazy with shopping on a few days this month and now my summer budget is at $0! At least I got some fun pieces that should keep me busy for a bit.

Here they are.

May Shopping

1 &2.  $16 for 2 necklaces on Groopdealz mint & white

3-5. $45 for three (used once) Tippi's on eBay for $45 for all, normally $80 each 

6. $19 for a NWT  J. Crew lace merino sweater via eBay instead of $98 retail 

7. $20 Ameernoor on Jane.com for necklace, Flower Lattice necklace retail $228

8-10. $72 at J. Crew Factory: $12 earrings, $12  hat,  $48 shoes 

11. $25 for NWT J. Crew navy tuxedo stripe cafe capris on eBay normally $89. 

12-15. $41 at Old Navy: 1 pair of jean shorts $16, a heather blue boat neck $4, boat neck navy tee $12, and a linen split neck tee $9

16. $13 at GAP for a fitted boyfriend Swiss dot top originally $55

[17-24 were Birthday gifts from myself & or husband. ]

17-19. $52 at J. Crew: $20Vintage cotton silk tee from $50, jeweled oxford Peter Pan boy shirt$40 instead of $110, side panel merino sweater $18 from $90 (paid some with rewards card) 

20. Out of print tee for $19.60 vs $28 (and for a good cause!) 

21 & 22. $28 for 2 Edith Marie necklaces, Trish and Goldie 

23.  $116 at the Kate Spade outlet: for Neda and Sophie

24.  $40 at J. Crew Factory for the Anya flats in blue suede

Total Spent = $486

Made:  $80 eBay + $260 Posh  =$340

Spent= $146

Wow! My total spent is really embarrassing! 

Here is a quick summary of the items. I have not yet worn the mint leaf necklace yet (#2), nor have I worn any of the new Tippi sweaters (3-6). I also haven't worn 17 from J.Crew yet either, but I love the soft grey color in person. Also, it is close to 100 degrees each day here in FL, so I can't even think about wearing wool.

I have gotten tons of wear out of the Anya suede flats (both pairs 10 &24). Those of you looking for shoes like the Cece flats, these are just as nice and maybe a bit wider. I've also worn the black vintage cotton silk back tee from J.Crew a ton, it is versatile enough to go from work to weekend for me.

I have worn both Edith Marie necklaces (21 & 22) a bunch since I got them and the prices and quality continue to please me. This was my second order and I will likely order again when I can.

I've worn all the ON items quite a bit, particularly the jean shorts and the split neck linen top and if you are looking for cooler weight summer items I would recommend them. I may buy more in the top as I just saw they are on sale for $11 today. I also got a crepe midi skirt when shopping with my mom that is not shown above that I adore. Check it out if you need something more conservative and cool for summer/work.

Linking up with Fran for Budgeting Bloggers.

Style Budget Month 4: April

Hello All, it is time for my monthly Budgeting Blogger post again. 

Here are the items I bought this month.

1-4. $63  all from J. Crew, scroll work necklace from $75, tuxedo tank from $88, Tippi in Turquoise from $79.50 (used a gift card for some of order), $18 for the merino tipped side panel v neck sweater from $89.50

5. $47 Green Cece's on eBay from $128 normally 

6.$25 tipped silk tee in windowpane J. Crew from $118

7. $25 tipped silk tee in diamond print from J. Crew from $118

8- 13.$114 on J. Crew Factory: stripe boat neck at $15 instead of $42, two Clare cardigans at $15 each instead of $55 each, camp shirt for $18 instead of $65, printed cotton button down for $22 instead of $65, polka dot popover for $22 instead of $70

14. $16 (including shipping cost) Edith Marie Necklace, The Amy

15. $31 Pre- Owned Gentle Souls Fortune Stella via eBay from $238 retail

I Spent $321 for the month of April.

However, I made money too. 

+328 on Poshmark +50 on eBay = Total Made $378

$378 Made- $321 spent =$57 Made for the month of April

If I paid retail prices for the items I would have spent a whopping $1198! By not paying retail prices for anything and shopping sales I managed to save $877. 

I am really happy with items 1-4 for this post. Of course, I'm a J. Crew addict, but these pieces are timeless, versatile, and all around amazing prices. Yes, I may have purchased a Tippi (Item 1) sweater (or two) every month this year. I just can't help myself. They are literally the best sweaters ever. I mean why wear anything else? Item 3, the tipped side panel merino sweater in poolside navy, was a surprise love for me. It is a baggy fit, but I felt comfortable with it and a pair of skinny jeans. I haven't worn the scroll-work necklace or the tuxedo tank, so that tells me they may get resold in the future. 

My main shoe purchase (item 5) for the month of April is a pair of green suede Cece flats from eBay, NIB. I paid $47 for them while they retail for $128 new. I also went up half a size in them to a 9.5. I don't own anything quite this color green, but I think the color will look nice with navy, which I seem to wear almost every day.  I have worn them twice already and am a fan of the fit and style.

Items 6 and 7 were not needed, but again a sale got me for 7 and then by chance an amazing J. Crew VPS was able to locate the windowpane tee when I thought for sure it was gone, and so I ended up with two of these. Yep. I have since worn both silk tops and I am complety enamored of them. I wil wear them year round and they are well worth the money. 

Then J. Crew Factory had a sale and Giltcity.com offered 25% off on top of that and I went a bit crazy shopping. Items 8-13 are all Factory items and the crazy part is I got them all for only $114!

Next, I heard about Edith Marie jewelry on Ginny's blog and again of Intsagram, so naturally I couldn't resist placing an order. I got one item to start but it is as fabulous as I imagine I will be back for more soon. I already have my eye on the tassel necklace after seeing both Ginny and Tara style it in amazing ways. 

The last item was a bid I wasn't sure if I'd get on eBay and with shipping I managed to score these Gentle Souls black pumps for $31! They retail for $238, so this felt like a good buy.  They have yet to arrive so I can't attest to the fit and style at this time, but I have tried the brand before and they have been incredibly comfy and well made.

Alright, well this month was not really an improvement over last month. If anything I spent just as much and made less. I feel bad that I was not able to keep more of a profit this month and I really need to work hard to make money for our family as the summer is quickly approaching. As a teacher that means almost three whole months without getting paid! Also, next month is my birthday month and that seems like a good month to take it easy on the spending.

I'm linking up with Franish of Budgeting Bloggers as usual here.