January has been a rough month. Continued anxiety attacks, drug interactions causing depression, exhaustion and general unease.... UGH. So it's no surprise that my retail therapy got way out of hand this month. I did not necessarily make the smartest or best choices when I ordered things (often impulsively), but I wound up liking most of what I ordered, so that's good, I guess. Shopping to feel better, on the other hand, is not.
So my "capsule collection" (which I mentioned here and have in fact decided to do!) comes at a great time, as it drastically reduces the clothing I can buy (leaving only things on my wishlist) and wear for the next two months. My goal is not to wear only, say, 30 pieces, but rather to limit myself to what I already have in my closet, and to mix and match those pieces creatively (which I rarely do now!). Here's hoping that the limitations of the capsule help me to get away from being a material (a material... a material...) girl! I'm a bit behind, so I'm not entirely sure when I'm starting this (besides "in February"), and exactly how I'm going document it, so stay tuned!
I'm also going to try out some manner of the envelope system next month, to see if that gets me back on track with saving and (rational, thought-out) spending. Yeah, we'll see how that goes :)
Without any further adieu, here are my January keepers:
Top row:
- Waterfall Merona cardigan (Target): $25 on sale for $12
- Chunky-knit turtleneck (Mossimo, Target): $25 (?) on sale for $20 (can't find the original price anywhere and it appears to be sold out online womp)
- Set of 3 pairs of studs (Francesca's): $16
Middle row:
- The Outsiders tee (aka BEST PURCHASE EVER) (Redbubble): $26
- Watch (Francesca's): $24
- Hollister puffer coat (seen here!): $160 on sale for $59 (although I think my former roommate got it even cheaper, dang! Go Deena!)
Bottom row:
- Mossimo tunic sweatshirt (Target): $23 on sale for $16
- Topo Designs convertible backpack/tote (via eBay, for half the retail price! SCORE!): $70
- Ostrich faux leather crossbody (Francesca's): $44 on sale for $18
Not pictured:
- White and gold Mossimo tee (Target): $9 on sale for $6
- Blue patterned Mossimo tee (Target): $9 on sale for $6
- Maroon and black Divided baseball tee (H&M): $13
- Mossimo cable-knit open sweater (Target): $25 on sale for $17
- Gilligan and O'Malley sleep sweatshirt (Target): $20
In a bizarre turn of events, I also got these Sorel boots for FREE after two botched orders from Zappos. (Their customer service is srsly the best.) I wouldn't have kept these boots had I paid $210 (!!) for them, but for free? Sure, I'll give them a whirl ;)
TOTAL: $323 (yikes!!)
Amount saved due to sales etc.: $349
Remaining in quarterly budget: $357
Oh! Through eBay and consignment, I made around $80 selling stuff I don't wear, so that's a plus!
Favorite purchase: It's a toss-up between the purple (!!) t-shirt commemorating my favorite book since fourth grade and the Topo Designs bag. The bag is exciting just because I'd been eyeing it (and looking for a convertible backpack in general) and then found this one in excellent condition on eBay for half the price. Sold! The Outsiders tee, though, is so heart-warming for me. Growing up, I wanted to be like S.E. Hinton and have a book published at 16. That didn't quite happen BUT I did get to write about The Outsiders for my MA thesis, so that's something. I also wanted a brother like Sodapop, and even named my golden chocobo after him in Final Fantasy VII #nerdalert.
Least favorite purchase: ummm..... nothing? haha
In other super important news, I finally upgraded from my (surprisingly awesome) 3-year-old texting gloves from Five Below (well, as much as $4 gloves from Forever 21 can be considered an upgrade), and then my friend Laura gifted me THE GREATEST GLOVES IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD:
Totes necessary when it is freezing in the office!