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Thursday, January 9, 2014

2013 Year Budget: In Review

Well, I've gone & done it - a clothing budget based on the WHOLE dang year… & I just know y'all have been waiting on pins & needles for my recap… riiiightOk fine, here she blows!

If you want to see each post from January - December, in it's nitty gritty glory, start {here} & then work you way back through the year {here}.

As a refresher - I used my typical monthly clothing budget (see {here} for how I decided upon my number) & multiplied it X12 to get a year budget of $3,000. Then got my shop on! There were ups, there were downs, & in the end, I was $400 under budget (I'm shocked too!)

It was like picking my favorite pug… but here are my top 13 purchases in 2013 (clever, huh?)
{1} felt fedora - this year I learned, I'm a hat person! This was a Fall favorite.
{2} {faux} leather jacket - goes. with. everything. Sundresses - check. Jeans & a tee - check. Tulle skirt + heels - check.
{3} bright pencil skirt - this is becoming one of my favorite ways to add color & personality to my outfits… maybe something to keep in my mind when building my teacher wardrobe.
{4} basic booties - I'm going back to buy another pair #deadserious. Under $35, & the most flattering bootie I found all year.
{5} ankle strap heels - When I was 13 a girl told me I had cankles, enter 10+ years of hating my ankles (thanks 7th grade bully!), but these shoes made me love my ankles again… that just got deep.
{6} baseball tee -  all other tees are dead to me.
{7} Rebecca Minkoff purse - a birthday present to myself, a true grown up lady purse that was to me, from me. I will have it for always.
{8} polka dot blouse (similar) - This top says, "I'm a grown up, but I don't take myself too seriously"
{9} Panama hat - the year of hats really started strong at the beginning of the summer with this adorable number. I love it so much it has started to loose its shape, so this will be a repeat purchase in 2014.
{10} colorful pointed pumps - my favorite shoe shape, in a fun, updated color.
{11} leopard skimmers - I waffled about this decision for months, but am happy that I thought it through & decided to purchase these. Awesome quality, make any outfit.
{12} black tank - and then I got it in every other color. Such a perfect base piece, everything you want, nothing you don't.
{13} leather tote - I use this bag every day. No question. 

And now to break it down with some official stats:
Average amount spent per month - $216.45 
Most Spent - September ($428.37)
Least Spent - July ($89.98)

Biggest month for savings:
January - got $577.48 of retail product for $149.94
Runner up: July - got $293 of stuff for $89.98

Worst month for sales: April


And for some reader questions:
- Any items you regret passing up on?
I regret buying quantity instead of quality, and while I don't really have 1 particular piece that comes to mind, when looking back I would have rather had 1 nice accessory (still wanting some leather driving gloves) over a truck load of polyester cheap stuff.

- What season was the hardest to control your spending?
The Fall, as I had expected - Summer sales, new Autumn inventory. I blame H&M for staring online sales in the US during Sepember too… it's a love/hate thing. I really expected to spend less during the Summer but I have no clue how June happened!

- Goals for the new year?
Not be afraid to spend my WHOLE MONTH'S budget on 1 or 2 pieces. It's not like I need more clothes, so I would like to start replacing some of my wardrobe items with more FOREVER pieces… we shall see. Quality, quality, quality.

Because my life and income situation are a little shaky right now as I transition from a grad student to unemployment to teaching next school year, my shopping is on a hiatus. I haven't decided how I will be sharing my budgeting this year, but you can always see my closet additions here on Pinterest.  

And of course, if you have any other questions, let me know in the comments & I will update this post as necessary :) 

15 comments:

  1. I am so impressed! I'm going to join the budgeting bloggers this year, and you were probably a big part of convincing me (even though you didn't mean to). I'm excited to see how your build a teacher wardrobe! You will no doubt be the best dressed teacher at your school!

    ~Sarah of Sarah's Real Life

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  2. I'm beginning to learn quality is way more important. I went on a Club Monaco binge for a good 6 months and its funny how the cheaper stores are now copying the pieces but i already own them. Which is cool to see that spending a little more means better quality and a longer lasting item (usually) when it comes to trends.


    xo Jessica
    My Style Vita

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  3. that's my goal - buy more quality over quantity!! xo

    http://allthingsprettyandlittle.blogspot.com

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  4. I have become a hat person too. You add some great piece to your closet.

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  5. Interesting to see this - I really think that quality over quantity is important. I've spent the year trying to invest in more quality, and have shied away from buying much from stores like ASOS or Topshop, unless I'm sure it will be worth the money. It's easy enough to make mistake purchases when spending a lot - trust me, I know!

    http://mademois-elle.com

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  6. Congrats! Looks like you scored some great things and achieved your goal - next year it will be even better!

    xo, Nina

    afterthe40barfinish

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  7. Jess! I love this post. I'm so obessed with what other people buy! FYI: I saw crazy deals on leather gloves at BR in store. Like $110 marked down to $15. Bright pink leather or leopard calfhair and leather.


    www.glitterarygirl.blogspot.com

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  8. Quality is such a huge thing for me when it comes to clothes. I've been trying to be really good about that the past few years. Keep up the good work!

    Sarah

    aroseinthecity0.blogspot.com

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  9. yay yay yay! And yes, I totally meant to ;)
    xx

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  10. Oh my god, I love that! Fashion forward and in better quality, what's not to love!?
    xx

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  11. I know, I love seeing other people's purchases too! And thank for the tips about the gloves!!
    xx

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  12. How did you make that chart? With Excel? I like the visual of the whole year.

    -AJ

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  13. Yup, just little old Excel. I get a little obsessive with all my Charts and Spreadsheets.
    xx

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  14. Yeah, September usually kills any budget I have too. It's hard to accept that it's okay to spend $200 on one item when you could have multiple pieces, but I'm finding that it's completely worth it. I'm so much happier with my closet after starting the French Wardrobe thing. I screw up sometimes (like this morning when I ordered a dress from LOFT), but I'm pickier about choosing items and even more so when they arrive. If it's not perfect, back it goes.

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Thank you for your comments, they make my day!!
xx