February was another good month for my clothing budget (not so much for my overall wallet, but more on that later). I came in way under, but it wasn't due to self control or willpower. I was simply too busy to shop this month. In fact, I've been pretty much MIA on the blog in general. At the beginning of this month, I had good intentions about getting on a regular blogging schedule, but then life happened and ruined my grand plans. On Valentine's Day, my fiancé Engineer W and I ended up adopting an 8 month old cat that we named Catniss. We had been discussing it for some time and felt that it would be nice to add another member to our family. Anyway, I'll be writing a post soon about our adoption experience and adjusting to life with a cat (I've never had a pet before), so stay tuned!
Because we were so wrapped up in the cat (quite literally at times), the only purchase I made this month was a pair of grey Kendra Scott earrings. I've always loved her jewelry, because you can choose from a wide variety of fun shapes, colors, and materials. In particular, I was very interested in the 'Elle' earrings, because the size seemed perfect - dramatic without being over the top. However, the full price of $52 always scared me off. It seemed like a lot of money to shell out for a piece of costume jewelry, so I watched and waited.
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| Here she is! Who could say no to that face? |
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| These are more of a medium grey in person. |
Recently Nordstrom had a 40% off clearance sale that included a number of Kendra Scott pieces. I wanted the turquoise Elles, but that wasn't included in the markdown so I snagged this grey pair instead for $31.20 - 6% off ebates = $29.33. I know they're still a little expensive, but I really like them and have already worn them twice! Surprisingly they're not heavy at all. There is currently an emerald pair that is on sale for the same price.
Earlier this week I placed another Nordstrom order for this pair of white jeans that Jean mentioned in a recent post and two cashmere sweaters that were on sale (I bought the v-neck in chocolate and the crewneck in celery). I'm excited to try on the white jeans, and I wear sweaters all year round so I'm sure I can still get my money's worth after winter ends. Since I haven't received them yet, I will include them in next month's budget post.
So this month's total comes to:
RETAIL: $52
SPENT: $29.33 (56.4% of MSRP)
My goal for the year is to spend less than $3000, which translates roughly to $250 per month. Right now I'm at $3000 - $52.89 for January - $29.33 for February, which leaves me with $2917.78 for the next 10 months, an average of $291.78 per month.
While I didn't spend much on clothing this month, I did have to buy a number of things for Catniss. In addition to her adoption fee, I spent between $150-$200 on her initial supplies, including a carrier, scratching post, litter box, food bowl, grooming supplies, cat toys, food, and litter. Also, we took her to her first vet appointment last week, which came out to be another $150 (exam, anal gland expression - sorry TMI, and some tests). Who knew having a cat could be so expensive?
Anyway, how did you do on your budget this month?
As always, I'm linking up with Franish and the other Budgeting Bloggers!
Earlier this week I placed another Nordstrom order for this pair of white jeans that Jean mentioned in a recent post and two cashmere sweaters that were on sale (I bought the v-neck in chocolate and the crewneck in celery). I'm excited to try on the white jeans, and I wear sweaters all year round so I'm sure I can still get my money's worth after winter ends. Since I haven't received them yet, I will include them in next month's budget post.
So this month's total comes to:
RETAIL: $52
SPENT: $29.33 (56.4% of MSRP)
My goal for the year is to spend less than $3000, which translates roughly to $250 per month. Right now I'm at $3000 - $52.89 for January - $29.33 for February, which leaves me with $2917.78 for the next 10 months, an average of $291.78 per month.
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Anyway, how did you do on your budget this month?
As always, I'm linking up with Franish and the other Budgeting Bloggers!
Congratulations on adopting Catniss!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much!
DeleteCatniss looks like a real sweetie :)
ReplyDeleteThose Kendra Scott earrings must be really popular, the emerald ones are already sold out! Too bad, they would have worked well with my wedding dress. Nicely done on snagging a pair.
Also, well done on being so far under budget! Do you think you'll keep trying to keep it under budget and then do a big splurge? Or is it just ebbing and flowing?
Try to check Nordstrom for popbacks. I know they sold out not long after I bought them, but some more appeared on the site yesterday.
DeleteI haven't really been trying to stay under budget these past two months. It's more that I've been extremely busy recently. I think I used to shop when I was bored or stressed, but now there isn't time to be bored and I turn to exercise for stress relief (much healthier this way). It's possible that I'll make a big splurge later, but we'll see what happens.
Aw, kitty!!! I love her name! :) Oh, and cats can get REAL expensive...haha. My cat, Rosie, has (had?) a heart murmur and my vet wanted it checked out, so she had to get an x-ray done. That didn't tell them anything more, so she had to be put under anesthesia (expensive!) for an echocardiogram (which involves the cardiologist)...it was around $500 after all of that. Recently, my cat Sybil got a urinary infection and that has been about $250 in total care so far (and she needs to go back for another urinalysis soon). Sigh! They're worth it, though. :)
ReplyDeleteThose earrings are SO pretty. I really wanted the emerald ones, but when I stopped in Nordstrom to look at them, they seemed kind of large to me. Do you find them to be overwhelming? Also, super jealous at your ability to stay so far under budget!
xo Kimi
Wow, those procedures are really expensive! Do you have pet insurance by any chance? I wasn't sure if I should get it or not.
DeleteAbout the earrings, are you sure you were looking at the Elle? Kendra Scott also has a larger version called the Danielle. Anyway, if you think the Elles are too big, you might like the Dani, which is much smaller. Personally I still like the Elles best. When I have some spare time, I'll try to take a picture of them.
I don't have pet insurance (my parents never got it for our pets growing up so I didn't even think of it as an option until recently), but I'm not sure if it would be worth it at this point...plus, I wouldn't be surprised if the "pre-existing condition" thing was a problem.
DeleteI'm pretty sure it was the Elle because they seemed like they matched the online size (and the price matched). Good to know about the Dani, though! I should have tried on a pair or two while I was there but the SAs scared me off; I don't like it when they are so attentive! Haha.
Also, I totally forgot to say that I hope you review the white denim! They caught my eye while I was perusing the Nordstrom site, and then I got more interested when Jean featured them. It seems incredibly difficult to find a pair that isn't sheer (or that isn't sheer enough that you can see the pockets through).
Hmm I think I'll put off getting pet insurance until I read more about it then.
DeleteI've been on the hunt for white jeans too, so I totally hear you on the sheerness issue. Why can't retailers make pants that are opaque? Anyway I'll report back when I get the jeans. I might be a little slow in writing my reviews, because I have a bunch of research deadlines coming up.
Catniss is adorable. I alway love a good literary pet name. :)
ReplyDeleteMe too! We came up with a number of other literary (and punny) names, but this one was the best. :)
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