Oh dear. It was a wacky budget month around here. I spent 2/3 of my budget on Cyber Monday, then wound up returning almost everything (including the faux squeaky boots!), then got caught up in holiday madness and stopped budget tracking as closely as I should have, AND THEN I realized that I'd hadn't transferred my original December Budget List from my old planner. Gah! The type-A overachiever Virgo in me is weeping over this, and the fact that I've blown my streak of three-consecutive-months-on-budget.
(On the plus side, I got a big consignment check in December, which went directly into savings!)
- Tulip-Back Sweater (Old Navy): $23 on sale for $13
- Ralph Lauren studs (Nordstrom Rack): $17
- Nordstrom Rack studs: $12
- Skinfood Egg White Pore Foam (Amazon): $9
- Missha Pore Correcting Toner (Soko Glam): $14 on sale for $10
- Relaxed Scoop-Neck Tee (Old Navy): $6 on sale for $4
- Convertible Northern Mist Pendant (Chloe+Isabel): $78 on sale for $46
Not pictured:
- Loft tunic tee (Plato's Closet): $7
- Delia's polka-dot sweater (Plato's Closet): $6
- J. Crew tee (Plato's Closet): $9
- Chambray Button-Down Shirt (Target): $22 on sale for $16
- OPI Ce-less-tial Is More (Ulta): $10 on sale for $5
- Blowfish Bilocate wedge booties (Modcloth): $70 sale on sale for $27
- C20 Vitamin C Serum (Wishtrend): $22 on sale for $15
- COSRX Pore Brush (Wishtrend): $11
- Etude House Moistfull Collagen Emulsion (Amazon): $15
- Etude House Collagen Eye Patch (eBay): $3
- Missha Time Revolution Night Repair Ampoule samples (eBay): $4
- Missha Time Revolution White Cure Toner and Lotion samples (eBay): $4
TOTAL: $233
Favorite purchase:
When I get obsessive about something, look out! As you can see, I'm all-in on this 8,000 step Korean skincare process, haha! (And I've actually been sticking to it, which is miraculous because I'm traditionally pretty lazy when it comes to skincare!) I've been using the Skinfood Egg White Pore in the morning and it makes my face feel so clean. I've followed that with the Missha toner and First Treatment Essence, both of which soak in instantaneously and make my skin feel amazing. Not surprisingly, Missha is the Korean skincare line I like the most so far. I will eventually do a review of the Korean products I've tried, I swear! :)
Least favorite:
Ok, so matte glitter nail polishes, like OPI Liquid Sand and Zoya Pixie Dust, are my holiday go-tos because they seem to last longer before chipping, at least on me. I was psyched to find a pretty rose gold version in Ce-less-tial Is More, but when I actually put it on, it chipped in HOURS. And not tiny chips but like half-the-nail-polish-comes-off-at-once chips. SO ANNOYING. I don't know if I just got a bad bottle or what, but I'm not pleased with it!
NOW. Here's the part where I total up how much I've spent on clothes, shoes, accessories, make-up, skincare, etc. each month in 2015 and have a heart attack.
$2,768
Welp, there's the down-payment on a car that I've been trying futilely to save. Or a security deposit for an apartment, or an emergency fund. I never feel like I have any money, and this might be why! (I can't believe I'm posting this btw. Like, I'm pretty embarrassed to see how much I've spent in the past year. However, I've also been quite apathetic about changing my spending habits, so maybe feeling this way will help impel me toward change.)
Then I started playing with the numbers. If I'd stuck to my budget of $170/month every month in 2015, I'd have spent $724 less.
If I lowered my budget to $150 and stuck to that, my yearly spending would be $1800. ALMOST $1,000 LESS.
Wow. Just wow. Mattie gave me the idea to total up my spending, and while I hate how horrified I feel right now, maybe it will finally get me to change. I'm never going to be a spartan spender, but I certainly don't need to be spending this much money on things that won't dramatically improve my life, in the way that a car, or therapy, or my own place, or vacations would. I'm somebody who balks at shelling out, say, more than $50 at once but can easily drop $5 here, $20 there, and be oblivious to how quickly that all adds up. (Case in point: This month's budget.)
Well, my eyes have been opened. I certainly have a lot to consider heading into a new year and a fresh start.
Linking up with Franish's Budgeting Bloggers!