I know it feels like summer just started however Fall is right around the corner which means it is time to start filling up our closets with some fall pieces.  I am always one to take on the challenge of finding things on sale so when I was asked to find a classic navy pencil skirt I said why not find a classic pencil skirt that is on sale and under $100.  I of course have been personally obsessed with the color navy and just recently found a great navy j crew blazer for the fall. However we were talking about skirts so here is what I found. 

Believe it or not I made it through March without spending a dime. I had to make up for it in April though. I really went to town purchasing 5 pairs of shoes among  a bunch of other things. The best part is that I stayed within my budget of $296 ($100 from April and the rest has been rolled over from March and February).  I also didn't buy anything in May which is making for a healthy budget for June.  The good news is that I found some amazing deals including two pairs of pants for $6 bucks and a bathing suit (both top and bottom) for $6 bucks. Here is what I got.

Clothes

White Blazer from Loft. Retail Price: $109.99. I paid $9.99. A savings of 91%

I have a rule about wearing dresses and skirts out to bars and clubs so I wanted to find some fancy pants that I could wear this spring. I found two pairs of skinnies at H & M for $3 dollars each. Retail Price is $12.95 which is still a good deal but the money I saved can go towards a glass of wine.

I am in desperate need of some work out gear. I am that girl that wears old sweats and t-shirts to the gym. Needing to up my game I found two pairs of Avis Yoga Pants. Retail price for each was $34.00. I paid $10.20 for each which is a savings of 70%.

I first discovered Uniqlo on a trip to Tokyo back in 2006 and I have been addicted ever since. When they came to the states soon thereafter I was beyond excited. So of course I cannot walk by a Uniqlo without going in. This time around a found a great deal on two cotton dresses that are great for the summer. Retail price was 29.90. I paid 12.90 for each for a savings of 57%. I have already wore them both  several times which means I have definitely gotten my money’s worth.  During that trip I also scored a pair of off white skinny cords. Now I know it is way to hot to wear cords right now however at $5.90 which is 85% off the retail price of $39.90 I could not leave them  in the store. Also they are going to be great come the fall.

Finally I scored a bikini top and two bikini bottoms which set me back only $9.00. Total retail for all pieces would have been 27.85 which is still great but I will take the 67% savings and put it towards my next vacation.

Shoes

So I bought 5 pairs of shoes in April. I know it sounds a bit extreme but I got some really great deals. The first pair I found were coach sandals. I found them on consignment for 19.99.

Brown Coach Sandals. Retail price $128.99. I paid $19.99. Savings of 84%

I bought three pairs of sandals at Aldos in Nude, Black and Brown. Retail price for each was $60.00. I paid between $9.99 and $14.99 for each pair. This is a savings of 75% to 83%.

I think I own about 4 pairs of flats and I know realize why. I picked up a pair of Aldo Brown Pointy Flats. Retail Price $50.00. I paid $12.49. Savings of 75% Great deal but sadly after wearing them a few hours I have deemed them uncomfortable. I just cannot do flats.

Other

Some other items that I bought in April was a black cross body bag and a few scarves.

I have been on the hunt for a black cross body bag and I finally found one that I have been wearing non stop since I have bought it (Going on about two months). The bag from coach retails for $168.00 but I paid 59.32 which is a savings of 65%.

I also picked up three scarves at a local discount store which set me back 6.97. With scarves (on the low end) costing around $10 I see this as a savings of 77%

21 Number of items purchased.
$899.44 How much others have paid.
$217.82 How much I paid.
Average Savings: 76%
$178.62 Money left over to add to June’s Budget (This includes the $100 allowance for May)


Living in NYC you can quickly become a bag lady if you are not careful. Between my laptop, my gym clothes, a change of shoes, lunch and all the other things that I have to have with me at all times I end up traveling with about 2-3 bags. I am giving up and on the hunt for a tote that I can throw everything into. Here are some options I have come across. 

I made it through the month of February under budget and with just 1 pair of shoes purchased. I almost made it through without any shoes however I stumbled upon a great deal on a pair of silver strappy sandals for the spring/summer so I couldn't pass up the deal. 

Apparently the month of February is a great time a of year to buy pajamas and unmentionables. That is where most of my budget went this month.  Because I am not interested in sharing about my undergarments I am just going to share how much I spent and leave it at that.  I debated whether undergarments should even be included as  part of my sartorial budget but because I am trying to spend less overall I decided to include it.

I started the month with 303.17 which is a combination of leftover from last month and my monthly $100 sartorial allowance.  I ended up spending 206.73. Here is how I spent my money. 

I said I wouldn't go into specifics about what kind of undies I bought however I can tell you about my fave pj's ever from Soma Intimates. I went to their outlet at the Jersey Shore a few weeks back and was able to find some gems for about 70% off retail . I ended up getting 5 sets of pjs plus some other stuff for a grand total of 102.04. I didn't crunch the numbers to figure out how much everything would have cost but I am average a savings of 70% so you do the math. 

My favorite score of the month is these Strappy Louboutins. (The actual pair I bought are in a lighter silver). 

Image via Yoogis Closet

I found them at a consignment shop in barely worn condition for $99. CAN YOU BELIEVE IT. They are a style from several years back however they are exactly what I was looking for in a summer sandal.  You can find a similar pair here at yoogis closet in a darker silver.  

So here are the numbers for this month: 

10 undies
4 bras
4 sets of pj's
1 pair of shoes
$206.73 total spent
$96.44 What I will have to roll over to the month of March

I have a ton of goals this year that I am very excited about but in order to reach them I have decided that I need to downsize and simplify my life a bit. I am known for being a shopaholic and although I never buy retail and find great deals things add up. The other day I had a Carrie (a la SATC) moment when I looked in my closet and realized that I could probably put a down payment on a house with the amount of money I have spent on clothes and shoes over the last few years.  I decided to hold myself accountable for my shopping by (1) putting myself on a budget; (2) following a 1 in 2 out rule and (3) keeping track of my purchases.  I started out with a budget of 382 bucks this months. That sounds like a lot however most of it was Christmas gifts and credits that I had from returns I made on purchases in December. Here is what I ended up spending my money on this month.  

Of course I could not go a month without buying shoes. I bought 2 1/2.  That is not bad considering. 

I also purchased a ring not pictured here.  The ring retails at 65.99. I paid 35.31. That is a 46% savings. 

So here are my numbers for the month:


5 dresses
3 pairs of shoes (or 2 1/2)
1 ring
732.31 How much others have spent (Retail prices)
179.25 How much I spent
76% How much I saved over retail
203.17 What I will have to roll over for the month of February

Today I am linking up with:

I know it is freezing cold here in NYC and the northeast however I cannot avoid wanting to look forward to spring and summer. Now with the winter sales in full swing it is a great time to score some goodies that can be worn when the temperatures start to warm up. My biggest summer go to is the little white dress. This year I am actually looking for a white maxi dress  (does that count?). Here are some dresses I found that are on sale now but would be great for the spring/summer. Best thing is they are all under $50. 

I have been fighting the monochromatic trend for a while. It just seems like something that I am going to regret in the future. I ended up succumbing to the trend by accident. It was a very early and dark morning and I could not find my trusty black work blazer for the life of me so I grabbed the first thing I could find and this is what I ended up with. Guess what? I kinda like it. Let's talk about the pieces. The sweater is actually from Forever 21. I used to hate Forever 21 and swore against it. It is still not my fave store to shop but sometimes I am surprised by what they have to offer so it has made it to my approved list. The pants are Theory and can I tell you how I got these pants for $20 bucks. Yup.. They were on clearance for $39 at Lord & Taylor plus an extra 50% off.  You will be surprised what you can find in the clearance rack with a bit of patience. I am pretty sure this outfit cost me about $50 head to toe not including the jewelry. You know I love me a deal. 

Shop the Look:
Sweater: Forever 21. Similar here or here
Top: No Brand. Sorta Kinda Similar here or here
Pants: Theory. Similar here or here
Shoes: Guess. Similar here or here

Today i am linking up with Style Elixir. 

We are almost half way through January and I am already getting further and further away from my new years' resolution of buying less shoes. (I have already purchases three pairs.. eekk). For almost a year now I have been looking for a pair of silver pumps and although I had my eye on the ones above from Jimmy Choo I could not reach deep enough in my pocket to spend $600  on a pair of shoes that in my opinion are a bit trendy. I finally found them at the Jimmy Choo outlet in Woodbury and even at half price after trying them on I still could not bring myself to buy them. I decided to try to find an option under $50 that were still a decent quality but were not going to break my budget. Here are a few options that I found. Which ones are your favorite? 

It's one of my favorite times of year. It is sale time. I love after holiday sales. It is a great time to stock up on all the stuff that you have been lusting after but didn't get over the holidays. I posted this about a year ago and because I really love the winter after holiday sales and can lose my mind buying stuff I felt it was appropriate to re-post especially since I could use the reminders. 

(1) Shop often but buy sparingly.I will go on shopping binges where I buy buy buy only to discover that I have (a) overpaid (b) already have the item or (c) don't even really like the item. By shopping often you become familiar with trends, how they work with your body, and what things are worth.  Just because something has a 50% off sign on it doesn't mean it is a good value. Also just because something is "trendy" doesn't mean it is going to work with your body type and/or lifestyle


(2) Shop your closet first. Trends are tricky. You see everyone wearing colored jeans and you run out and buy the first pair that fit. Meanwhile in the back of your closet are a pair of awesome purple jeans you bought on a whim a few years ago but  have only worn once (true story). This happened to me. Luckily because I did not obey my first rule I was able to uncover a lot of awesome gems in my closet. Purple jeans and yellow corduroys just to name a few. I was happy and so was my bank account. 

(3) Make a list and stick to it. During my shopping diet I kept a list of all the things I wanted. During the first week I spent most of my day adding items to the list. By the last week of lent I realized that half the items on the list were things I was no longer interested in or things I already owned (refer to rule 2). That being said armed with list in hand I have been able to focus my shopping on things that I REALLY REALLY want instead of just buying random things that spark my interest. Not only is my account looking good for it but it is helping me stay more organized which is in turn making it easier to put together new outfits. 

(4) Know how much to spend. We all want to be seen walking down the street in our red soles but it is really necessary to spend that much money on a pair of shoes?  (If you ask me I will say yes but I am a bit unrealistic at times). The key is to know an item's worth. A pair of black Louboutin pumps that you will wear every single day may be totally worth it. A pair of feather and studded  7 inch heels that you will NEVER wear probably not so much.Even if they were on clearance for 99% off they still would not be worth it.  Do the math. If you spend 600 bucks on a pair of shoes that you are going to wear at least 3 times a week for a year you just paid $3.85 a wear for those shoes. Even if you spend $10 on the aforementioned 7 inch heel and only wear them once you will have paid $10 a wear which is almost 250% more than the $600 pair. I say put the $10 towards something you will actually enjoy. 

(5) Shop alone. I kinda hate this rule but I do best when shopping alone. It is fun to have brunch with the girls (or guys) and then go shopping afterwards. It is fun to try on things that you will never wear and laugh until you are in tears because of how ridiculous you look or try on those extremely expensive shoes that you will never buy just cause. But what happens when your friends "ooohing" and "aaahing" result in you reaching into your purse to purchase those extremely expensive  (and unreasonably high) shoes that are (1) way over your budget and (b) unlikely to ever be worn comfortably in public. When you shop alone you tend to be more focused and realistic. There is no pressure to "impress". If you like something and it works and fulfills all of the above requirements then you buy it and move on. Yeah it doesn't sound like fun but neither does having your credit card denied. 

(6) Follow these rules within reason. If you really really want that $4,000 Chanel bag (and you can afford it) then get it. If you have a pair of red jeans but REALLY want another pair then get them. If you fall in love with a gorgeous ring that is not on your list but you know you can put to good use then buy it. Rules were made to be broken and these rules are meant to be a guide for making better shopping decisions.Using these rules as a guide I am  on my way to being able to afford that $4,000 Chanel bag. 

Having grown up in NYC and not to far from Chinatown I have witnessed the evolution of the counterfeit designer handbag market. When I was in high school me and my friends would head down to Chinatown with about $20 bucks and come back home with the latest Louis Vuitton that we would use to carry our school books on Monday morning. We thought we were sooo cool. Fast forward a few years later (wink) and boy do I know a lot better.  

Recently 20/20 featured a segment on what they called Super Fakes which are fake handbags that can go for upwards of $1200 and look so real that even the experts could be tricked. Now before you rush to Chinatown to score a super fake something everyone should know is that regardless of how good a fake is the purchase of counterfeit goods have been known to support organized crime and other illegal activity. This is the number 1 reason why you will not catch me purchasing a counterfeit handbag EVER. I may be poor in a private plane but I refuse to support illegal activity.   Outside of waiting for Saks semi-annual sale I have found a way to get that real designer bag at a not so designer price. 

Tip 1: Shop Consignment
Consignment stores are gaining more and more popularity and are a great place to find designer goods at not so designer prices.  Grant it you will still pay for the quality but not nearly as much as you would if you went to Saks.  Before buying at a consignment store do your research. Find out about the authentication process as well as any authenticity guarantees they may offer. You can usually find new or gently used pieces anywhere from 20-70% retail.  Some of my favorites in New York City are Second Time Around and Roundabout Resale .

Tip 2: Shop Online
But be very very careful. I am deathly afraid of shopping for designer goods on ebay however there are some reputable sellers out there. Just do your research so you don't end up paying good money for a fake.  My favorite online consignment shop is Yoogi's Closet. 

Tip 3: Shop your friend of a friend of a friend's closet. 
You will be surprise what you may find if you ask around. If you have your eye on a comment handbag such as a LV Speedy for example do not be afraid to ask around. You may find a friend of a friend that has one that she doesn't use anymore and can use the extra cash. 

Tip 4: Hit up Grandma's Closet
Grandma was once young and hip (or might very well still be) so you will be surprised what kind of gems are hidden in her closet. One of my friends came home with some vintage chanel last time she was home. SCORE. You never know.