2013 year budget: October

For 2013 I am budgeting my clothing allowance based on the entire year. Sound crazy? Read more about it {here}

Honestly, this is sort of an unnews-worthly budget round up as I really didn't set out to purchase anything this month. My main focus in October was to get the Christmas present shopping off to a solid start (check!), but along the way I of course stumbled upon some items that I couldn't resist. A new cold weather survival set of hat/snood/gloves from J.Crew Factory, a pair of bootcut jeans (signed by celebrities I might add!), pretty baubles that brightened up those gray autumn days, & a J.Crew blazer that was so outta my price range until J.Crew had one of their famous gotta-grab-it-fast super sales. Cha-ching!

This was also the first month that I attempted to supplement my clothing budget by selling pre-loved items on Poshmark. I would love to send the rest of my super gently worn items to happy new homes, so sign up for Poshmark (use code "HNDCJ" to get a $5 credit!) & shop my closet {here}

(psst... I'm in the mood to make some deals, give me your best offer!)

Purchased:

 1. Chip & Pepper bootcut jeans = $68.00 (signed by Chip and Pepper themselves, I couldn't help myself!)

2. J.Crew factory Scarf, hat, glittens = $49.50

3. DaisyGem neon & art deco necklaces = $44

(get $5 off art deco necklace with code "JESS5")
4. J.Crew colorblock blazer, marked down from $198 to $59.99 (now sold out, but you can peep it here)

Purchases = $221.49
- $68 made selling clothes on Poshmark this month
Net spent in October = $153.49

- January  $149.94

- February $241.71

- March $245.50

- April $187.37

- May $222.71

- June $405.46

- July $89.98

- August $264.15

- September $428.37

- October $153.49

Remaining = $606.64

Boy were my sponsors generous this month!!
Gifted in October: Kendra Scott earrings (Jewelers Wife) // InPink jade drop earrings & pave gold necklace // Gold & Gray tassel bracelet // Gigi New York “All in One” clutch // Denizen jeans // Dearfoams slippers

How did your budget hold up in October?

wrap it up

{ What I Wore: burgundy red Esprit fedora hat c/o Surfdome (similar here) // "Keeping it Cozy" sweater c/o Fringe & Lace // J.Crew tank // "Emerald City" necklace c/o Fringe & Lace // Denizen bootcut jeans c/o People Style Watch StyleHunters // "All in One" clutch c/o Gigi New York // Charlotte Russe wedge booties } 

stack 'em up, all bracelets Fringe & Lace.

Well what do you know, I haven't managed to fall off the "Take One, Pass It On" challenge wagon yet.

In fact I even took 2 items from yesterday's outfit & styled them up today. Boo-yeah! 

In news more exciting than how I may or may not be competent enough to dress myself, I have an exciting announcement to make! You are looking at the newest contributor over on Fringe & Lace, an online shop featuring everything you will want to add to your closet, all for under $100! I have talked about my darling friend Natalie's online boutique before & I'm beyond excited that she has invited me to be a member of her team. 

What do we have cooking? Well, to start with, a weekly feature where I will style up a Fringe & Lace item TWO ways. You just saw the first way I wore this fab open front sweater, but you will have to head on over to the Fringe & Lace blog to peep my other outfit (it involved liquid leather... go on, click it!)

Thank you for always being supportive of the new endeavors I take on, very excited about what the future holds!

Take One

{ What I Wore: burgundy red Esprit fedora hat c/o Surfdome (similar here) // J.Crew blouse // DaisyGem necklace // Citizens of Humanity "Dylan" boyfriend jeans (similar 1 // 2 // 3) // "All in One" clutch c/o Gigi New York // BCBG Generation heels via TJ Maxx }

Check out more great clothing & accessories from Surfdome {here} 

Well, I am on day 2 of the "Take One, Pass it On" challenge & already failing. But in my defense some pretty crazy things happened. For the challenge I am supposed to take one item from my previous outfit & transform it into a new look. But right after I took yesterday's pictures, I bent over to pick up Doug's poop, & the butt cheek of my pants ripped open. Not just a little bit, like a whole lotta bit. Nothing quite like running down your alley holding a bag of poop, tripod, pug & the butt of your pants closed. As if my neighbors already thought I was crazy... suspicions confirmed. 

So I took those pants & passed them onto the trash pile (let's be honest, my so called "mending pile" should just be the trash, because I haven't attempted to put a dent in it in months).

Never have I been so proud to own 2 pairs of near identical boyfriend jeans (yay for all the money I wasted saved while working for a boutique in college). So moving on, just imagine that these are the same jeans. To get over the other pair, I am personally pretending they are one in the same. We each mourn in our own ways really.

In happier news, my huge mug is currently gracing the home page of the fabulous jewelry shop DaisyGem & what that means for you is this:

Score $5 off my favorite necklace, featured in this outfit, with code "JESS5" or get 15% off your entire order using code "HERE15"

Have you mourned the loss of a favorite article of clothing recently?

P.S. Please take just a second to vote for me in the OnlineShoes competition {here}

It is oh so close & I am OH SO competitive ;) I just dare you to play me in Apples to Apples!

birks are back

{ What I Wore: J.Crew silk tank (exact, for less) & cashmere hoodie (exact, for less, what a steal!) // Citizens of Humanity boyfriend jeans // Birkenstock "Arizona" sandals // Michael Kors watch } 

Admittedly, there have been some trends that I was reluctant to adopt. But having to pull my Birks out from the depths of my closet... you mean the comfiest shoes I own, yea - I can get behind that.

Know what else is back?

The take one, pass it on challenge!

I took part earlier this year & am excited about stretching my outfits once again.

Won't you join us!?

P.S. Please take 2 seconds to vote for me here! This frugal grad student is itching for the grand prize gift card for new shoes!!

Sunday Shopping: All that Glitters

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9

I am loving the "bigger is better" necklace trend these days. The art deco designs, incorporation of pastels & tortoise accents... it all has this girl swooning! 

(Santa please take note!!)

These are some of my favorite Daisy Gem baubles, but you will have to head to their website to see my #1 pick! Score $5 off my favorite necklace with code "JESS5"

or get 15% off your entire order using code "HERE15"

Happy shopping & I hope you have a fabulous Sunday!

weekend reading: 10.26.13

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This weekend why don't you :: get foxy!
(psst... if you haven't checked out this "what does the fox say" video you are missing out my friends!)

{what you might have missed on Here&Now}

{1.} I'm in a fierce competition & quickly slipping behind. Please take a second to vote for me. thankyouthankyouthankyou!!!! {& a fun shoot I did to promote the competition here}

{2.} 10 things I've learned in 2 years of blogging.

{3.} A fun blogiversary photoshoot. 

{4.} Shop my closet.

{5.} How I stay stylish in the rain. (also good for dancing in the rain!) 

{posts I'm loving around the internets}

{1.} Oh how hard it is to say NO.

{2.} Does where you come from influence who you are?

{3.} Would you rock heels + socks... this look is kind of growing on me!

{4.} Giving me the urge to chop my locks into a bob. (I go through this every 6 months!)

{5.} Are you giving brands what they want? Tips from a PR pro, take notes.

{6.} How bloggers are changing the marketing scene. (go bloggers go!)

Blogger Spotlight: Here&Now

I never really thought about it when I typed out the first post on this corner of the Internet, but I have grown to truly cherish what has become my online diary. This is the history of me & that's pretty cool. And today I am super duper happy to add another chapter to that book of me, 2 years of blogging! Pop some bottles :)

In honor of this milestone, I am putting myself in the Blogger Spotlight! Feel free to ask any questions in the comments & I will come back to chat this weekend!

but seriously, if anyone celebrates the giving of blogiversary presents, I'll take that dreamy MK purse please!

One of the most common questions I get is, "what do you know now that you wished you knew at the beginning"... and because saying EVERYTHING doesn't really offer any useful information, I sat down & thought of 10 things. These are all blog lessons that have served me well over the past years (some learned regretfully later than others).

1. It's better to post nothing at all than something not up to your standards. 

2. Build relationships that are meaningful. Build a community with bloggers like yourself, interact on social media, real interaction, like have conversations on Twitter. It's pretty fun.

3. The worst thing that people can say is no. I am still working on this, but I haven't had anyone say no yet... what was I so scared of for so long!?

4. Don't suck at email. If you're a blogger of any degree, it's your job to email. Respond in a timely manner. Use proper grammar. Include a signature line at the bottom.

5. Splurge for that fancy blog design. Seriously do it. People go for the things with pretty packages, that's just human nature. When I finally decided to go for a blog redesign I picked the one that was $$$ & would last me for years, over the one that cost $ & would have only been a patch until I got what I really wanted. Create a beautiful place, create it early, define your brand.

6. Learn something new everyday. Unless you already know it all, and if that is the case come help me!

7. Don't let comparison steal your joy. This one is BEYOND hard. But this quote really put it into perspective for me:

"Wherever you are in life with whatever you're doing – you're going to be ahead of some & behind others. That's okay. Own where you are. Take time to embrace & celebrate that. Continue moving forward. And never compare your beginning to someone else's middle."

8. Take time to live offline. It's pretty cool out there. You don't have to blog about everything.

9. Google it. If you don't know something Google it (or Bing it if that's what you're into). You'd be surprised the things that other people have asked before you. Directly tied to #6.

10. Be nice. Really this one is all you need. Print this out & put it on your wall.

And now because I love you all, I am giving away the Philip Lim x Target mini yellow satchel (stuffed with some of my favorite goodies!)
Unlike most of my giveaways, I am not going to promote this one all over social media. This one is just for the regulars ;)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Here&Now turns 2!

Good morning y'all. This Thursday is exciting for more than just being the day before Friday. Today I have been blogging for 2 years! Before I start tearing up about where the past two years have hurried themselves off to... allow me to profusely thank you for following along with me & this crazy blogging journey that I am on.

I have to say that when I started blogging in 2011 I had ZERO clue what I was getting myself into. I underestimated the quality of friendships I would form. I failed to comprehend what I would learn about myself. I never dreamed that staying up until the wee hours of the morning teaching myself HTML code would be my idea of a good time.

Most of all, I could have never imagined the community that I would come to treasure here on Here&Now.

So for that I thank each & every one of you for showing up here every day & making me the happiest girl on the planet... literally, I'm floating!

While 26 years of life has taught me that I cannot predict what the future holds, I must tell you, I'm excited about it!

For this photoshoot I wanted to capture me - my favorite dress, the shoes you are most likely to see my wearing, the quirky armadillo belt that I paid way too much for from Kate Spade & love inordinately just as much. Prancing around at one of my favorite Nashville landmarks - the Parthenon.

Oh & I now can say that taking a giant golden balloon number to a tourist hot spot on a beautiful Fall Sunday evening is a social experiment in itself - the questions people ask!

Happy Birthday Here&Now!!!! (how many exclamation points before it gets out of hand?)

Tomorrow I am going to put myself into the Blogger Spotlight, so if you have any burning questions about life, pugs, blogging, fashion, etc. I would be more than happy to answer them! Give it to me!!

I also have to give my new friend Zipporah a gigantic internet smooch for these fabulous photos... this girl is gooooood! (Nashville ladies, bloggers, brides to be, take note of her beautiful blog & photography skilllllz!) 

Shop My Closet with PoshMark

No pressure, but I just thought that I would make a little announcement that I am having the urge to purge my closet & this might just be your lucky day. I have been having so much fun selling & browsing on PoshMark!

Haven't checked out PoshMark yet? It is a free iPhone app for shopping on the go, or you can shop on your computer!

Sign up with code "HNDCJ" for a $5 shopping credit (many items in my closet are just $5!)

I have listed 50 items so far & I'm not finished yet! Everything is in great if not like new condition - I take pride in giving all of my clothes a great life :)

Take a peek around my closet & feel free to shoot me any questions - I love striking a good deal!

P.S. Have you entered the Stella & Dot giveaway yet?

P.P.S. Could you please take two seconds to vote for me {here}?

dancing in the rain

{ What I Wore: H&M felt hat // dress c/o Gentle Fawn // Forever21 sweater (see similar ones below) // Hunter wellies // JewelMint necklace }

Sometimes when faced with lots of options I have a difficult time making a decision.

But choosing the classic green Hunter wellies, it was a no brainer. 

Thank you for all your votes in the OnlineShoes.com monthly blogger style face-off! Remember, you can vote every day until November 1st & it only takes 2 seconds! Help this competitive lady out ;) 

VOTE HERE!

Also, this month I won't be having a Blogger Spotlight because I am going to be putting myself into the hot seat to celebrate my 2 year blogiversary at the end of this week (where does the time go!?!?!)

If you have had any burning questions for me (life, blogging, fashion, pugs, whatevs), leave them in the comments or shoot me an email & I will try to incorporate the answers into Friday's post!

stomp around

At the end of the Summer OnlineShoes.com reached out to me about a shoe styling competition. The words shoes + styling in the same sentence give me the exiting type of chill bumps, so of course I said YES! And then these gorgeous boots from Merrell Shoes arrived, teasing me during the final weeks of 90+ degree weather, silently taunting me, waiting for me to take them out & stomp around in the woods.

{ What I Wore: Urban Outfitters button down // J.Crew stripe tee (love this) // Old Navy Rockstar denim // Merrell Autumn Haven c/o OnlineShoes.com }

Now that Fall has arrived, these are my go-to boots. Our first excursion together was to a local park with my new friend Zipporah. Thank goodness for Zipporah's fabulous photography skills & for taking these photos! (see her photography blog here).

So back to this little competition. I am going head-to-head with 3 other fabulous bloggers, to see who wore it best (cue Joan Rivers!)

I love this more tom-boyish look, perfect for stomping through those crispy Fall leaves. If you like it too, I would really appreciate it if you could take a second to vote for me in the competition, it is super easy & only takes 1 click! (& you can do it once per day... thanks!!)

You will also be entered to win a pair of your own boots & should definitely check out their fabulous selection of women's boots while you're there!

Recap: please go here to vote for me (once per day!!) & enter to win a pair of boots too!

thank you thank you thank you for all your support!

(the contest runs through November 1st!)