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Every month I share how much money I had allotted to clothing, how much of it I spent, and what I found! I do this to stay transparent with you all about how I’m fighting frumpy within a budget. It IS doable!
This month I had a whopping $90 to spend, thanks to purposefully under-spending last month. The craziness of life with a newborn had me in survival mode. And ain’t no one going shopping in that mode. Unless it’s for FOOD. Gimme, gimme. (I’m a nursing mom… HEAR ME ROAR!)
Anywho…. back to clothes.
I’m doing the Winter Wardrobe Plan that I published on the blog a couple weeks ago so I had fun planning out what I still needed after shopping my own closet first. Here’s my checklist after I filled it out:
You can download yours for free here!
I found several of the pieces I needed, two in-store and the rest online. “Needed” is a relative word… I could definitely have gone without a few of the pieces in the wardrobe plan. But since I want to lead with some outfit inspiration I decided to get several of the “exact” items. The awesome thing is these are all basics that I will be re-using for seasons to come!
If you are doing the wardrobe plan, just work within your budget. You don’t have to get everything. Get the items you can. Check out your local thrift or consignment stores. Put items on your Christmas list. For the rest, simply use similar items in your wardrobe.
Here are the deets from my purchases.
BUDGET REPORT
My budget: $90.09 ($60 + $30.09 under budget last month)
What I spent: $90.09
ITEMS PURCHASED
Click the links to see availability online.
#1 Stripe/Floral Top, Jane.com
#2 Charcoal Boyfriend Cardigan, Jane.com
#3 Plaid Blanket Scarf, Amazon.com
#4 Wool Socks, Costco (not available online)
#5 Burgundy Pants, Amazon (not available anymore)
#6 Wool Sweater, consignment store find
COST BREAKDOWN
(tax included)
Stripe/Floral Top: $25.98
I’m using this piece for the “Color shirt” category in the wardrobe plan. Isn’t it perty?! I love the unique and feminine pieces Jane.com
has to offer. I’m very pleased with the quality too. The sleeves are made with a warm sweater material. So cozy.
Charcoal Boyfriend Cardigan: $17.48 Another Jane.com find. Wore this one today for the first time and love it too! (I’m going to be saying “love” a lot… everything was a big score. The perk of a “boyfriend” style cardigan is its length… can be worn with longer tunic-length shirts without looking funny. This is definitely a trend I’ve grown to REALLY like. 
Plaid Blanket Scarf: $14.99
Every time I’ve worn this scarf I feel super feminine. The Amazon picture doesn’t show the bright pink lines on the one I actually got. At first I didn’t like the bright pink, but its grown on me and really does make the scarf pop. This checks “plaid scarf” off the list!
Wool Socks: $14.12 Spotted these while picking up groceries at Costco. They were a perfect fit for the burgundy color palette of the winter wardrobe plan. And I really liked the combination of stripe/floral patterns as well as solid colors! As a stay-at-home-mom, I want to feel cute even when I’m not wearing chic boots or ballet flats. In come cozy, feminine socks. I will be living in these this winter.
Did you know the winter wardrobe plan includes “cute socks” and “moccasin slippers” within the 35 pieces? Check out my philosophy on stay-at-home-mom wardrobes on the Winter Wardrobe post!
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- Wool Sweater: $7.60 – $7.60 (credit at consignment store) = $0
When I started this blog, my wonderful mom bought me a gift certificate to my favorite consignment store in town. I also consign all my clothes there (any that they’ll take!), so when I went shopping there the other day, I had more than enough funds to cover the wonderful wool sweater I found. This checks “slouchy sweater” off the list for me! 
“At home” look transitioned to “party” look Burgundy Pants: $28.99 – $12 (Gift money) = $16.99 And my final purchase were these gorgeous skinny pants by “Royalty.” I already owned a pair of their pants in gray and love how they fit so I decided to simplify my quest for the perfect burgundy pants by looking the brand up on Amazon. Lo and behold this wine-colored pair stared back at me. I usually don’t pay this much for pants (yes, I’m a cheapskate) but I knew they would fit me well and they would last like my other pair. I pulled out some of my gift money stash and went for it. (They are pictured with the boyfriend cardigan above.) This month I was more spendy than usual. I paid $25 for a top—something I haven’t done in AGES. I think in part it was due to the funds being available—you tend to spend more. (That’s why challenging yourself with a smaller budget is a good idea!)
But also I’m a tired mom of a two-year-old and two-month-old and don’t have the energy to search high and low for pieces l really like. Rather than wait for Jane.com to throw me a cheaper blouse option (and they have plenty) I went for it because it fit the bill perfectly and I LOVED it.
You just have that gut feeling, you know? The feeling that you will wear something over and over again. It hits you the moment you set your eyes on a piece. And it keeps popping back into your head after you walk away… “what a gorgeous top that was…” I’ve never been disappointed by the pieces I’ve bought under this “influence.”
Go with your gut, girl 😉
GOALS FOR DECEMBER
- I have just the “fitted sweater” and “slip-on sneakers” left on my list to have all the pieces for the Winter Wardrobe. I’ll keep an eye out for those. But at this point I have lots to work with already.
Join me in sharing your outfits with #frumpyfighter on Instagram!
What did you score this month? Share with us in the comments!
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This week I’m linked up with Mix It Mondays, Simply Every, Classy Monday, Grace + Lace, Hello Monday, Start the Week Stylish, Classy Mondays, On Trend, Get Your Pretty On, Trendy Wednesday, Thursday Fashion Files, Blogger Spotlight Link Party, High Five for Friday, Friday Favorites, Five on Friday, Anna Nuttall Bloggers’ Link-up
