You might recall that I was all bummed out after last month's budget post because I was not at all disciplined in my spending and went over by budget by, oh, $205. WELL! I am very happy to report that I did much better this month, yay! I don't know if I've suddenly developed more self-control, or if I benefited from several Zappos orders not working out (or both?), but I am quite pleased with how June's spending went. I would also like to give Cassie of The Minuteglass a shout-out, because her very thoughtful comment on my May budget post helped me to calm down and put things into perspective!
Some new ways of managing my money definitely helped in June. I had discovered that the only time I could really force myself to stop spending was at the end of the month, when I had no money thanks to bills and previous ridiculous spending. So DUH! I created that situation in a more responsible way by paying bills early and transferring a big chunk of my paycheck into my savings accounts.
Clothes-wise, I stayed well under-budget by cashing in on some awesome sales. I won't lie though--I did exceed $170 (my monthly clothes/accessories/fancy makeup budget) by taking advantage of a Chloe and Isabel sale. (My awesome friend Jess is a merchandiser for them, so how could I resist?) My plan with that, though, is to allot the remaining money in this month's budget to that purchase and then cover the rest with a chunk of next month's budget.
So onto to the purchases, many of which have already appeared on this blog because I love them so! :)
June spending:
- Floral Khaki Summer Shorts (Gap): $45 on sale for $22
- Pleated Romper (Old Navy): $15 on sale for $11 (seen here!)
- Striped Dress (Old Navy): $24 on sale for $18 (seen here!)
- High-Rise Belted Soft Shorts (Old Navy): $17 on sale for $13 (seen here!)
- Etude House CC Cream (Amazon): $14
Not pictured:
- Avene Cold Cream lip balm (Beans but available at Amazon): $14
- The Boyfriend Cuffed Denim Shorts (Old Navy): $25 on sale for $15
- White Mountain Engine Wedge Sandals (DSW): $50 on sale for $35 (seen here and here!)
Total: $142
That's $28 under my budget! ...sort of. Like I said, that "extra" $28 is going towards my Chloe and Isabel purchase, which totaled $104. So next month, I start out with a budget of $94, not $170 ($170 - $76, the remainder of the C&I spending). I think that's sort of cheating, but I'm also sort of ok with it? Because that's the rules I just made up, as Eddie Izzard would say :) I'll include my gorge C&I purchases in my July budget post.
As for my June purchases... Holy florals Batman! I'm not great at pattern mixing, so give me one patterned piece, and I'm sure I can find a solid something to go with it! Also, Old Navy had a million sales this month and I love everything I got from them. As I've been raving all month, it's like my new favorite store!
Favorite item: Probably the sandals because I'm always looking for cute summer shoes that can accommodate the decent amount of walking that is part of my commute, and these are GREAT! Budget-friendly, super comfy, and not totally grandma-looking! Win-win-win. Not to mention that they have a tiny, very walkable wedge so I feel like a fancy grown up. :)
Least favorite (well, not exactly): The CC cream is definitely the weirdest thing I've bought in awhile, as it's from Korea! Evidence that you can truly find anything on Amazon, haha. It had really good reviews (including one that began "WHAT IS THIS SORCERY?!"), so I decided to give it a shot, since most BB/CC creams don't blend into my super fair skin very well. Etude House has been great! I've been using it to mask some ongoing redness issues around my nose/on my chin, and I'm quite pleased! That reminds me, I do feel like the Paula's Choice products I ordered last month, plus Boots Anti-Redness Serum from Target, have really been calming down my skin. Huzzah!
Linking up with Franish's Budgeting Bloggers!