Tuesday, April 16, 2013

groundbreaking

DSC04706 So this is the first time I've worn these pants "in real life". They've been in my take-to-the-tailor pile since I purchased them because they need to be taken in at the waist, but I wanted to wear them for Bri's upcoming Third Thursday Threads (floral, duh) so I decided to do the old pull-up-and-cinch. Boy was that a mistake. I was pulling up my pants all day and it just created all this unnecessary bunching. I need to stop being lazy and just take them in to be fixed. Please tell me I'm not the only one who does this. 

To quote my friend Lizzi....looking for a friend here.
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Pants: Target [save | splurge]
Blazer: Thrifted
Tee: J.Crew Factory [exact]
Necklace: Forever 21 [exact]
Watch: Fossil [similar]
Earrings: Tiffany & Co. [exact]
Shoes: Tory Burch [exact]
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linking up with wiww.


Friday, February 22, 2013

wash | wear

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I read somewhere once that only poor people wear the clothes they just bought right away. So rich people must either have a lot of clothes, or a lot of restraint because when I buy something new, I want to wear it right away, like my new shirt I just bought. I don't even wash most things (besides underwear and tank tops) before I wear them

...that's kind of gross actually.

So spill. Do you wash everything you buy right away, or do you wear it first? Do you have a closet full of clothes with the tags attached? Am I the only one who wants to wear a new purchase the next day?










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Shirt: J. Crew  {$20 in stores!}
Blouse: H&M
Necklace: Forever 21  {exact}
Jeans: Gap  {exact}
Boots: Nicole  {exact | splurge}
Watch: Fossil  {similar}
Bracelet: Tiffany & Co.  {save | exact}



















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P.S. Next weekend I get to spend 36 hours with one of my favorite ladies Sam. We're meeting in Chicago for day-drinking, tipsy shopping, and deep dish eating. If you are in the Chicago area and want to meet up for dinner with us, LET US KNOW! Let's hang out. We're fun, I promise.










Linking up with Plane Pretty!







jeans





Saturday, January 26, 2013

january budget

1. Gap Pants (seen here): on sale for $18
2. Thrifted Cardigan: $2
3. J. Crew Belt (seen here): on sale for $12
4. Thrifted Black Blazer: $4
5. Thrifted Ralph Lauren Sweater: $4
6. J.Crew Factory Popover(seen here): on sale for $32
7. Old Navy Dress: on sale + rewards for $9
8. Gap Belt (seen here): on sale for $7
9. Target Scarf (seen here): on sale for $5
10. Thrifted Gap Sweater: $4
11. Target Scarf (seen here): $10
12. Forever 21 Necklace (seen here): $9
13. Forever 21 Scarf: $9


= $125






So am I cheap, or just a smart consumer? I felt like I bought so much this month, but I ended up $25 under budget and still bought quite a bit. I think thrifting and good sales this month made quite a difference. I don't have any regrets about the purchases I made - I didn't buy any of it just because it was on sale so we'll just decide that I'm a smart buyer ;)

I filled a few holes with the black blazer and red sweater, which I'm very excited about. The black blazer I purchased is very similar to the one in the picture above - it's a bit more casual which works well for my current lifestyle but I know that in the future I'll need a more structured black blazer as well. The grey Target scarf is something I've wanted for a while - it was originally $15, then on sale for $10 but I still didn't buy it until it was on super clearance for $4.50. Before I started a budget, I would have purchased the scarf at full price because come on, it's only $15, who cares! But thinking about what percentage of my budget is used up with just a simple scarf made me reconsider if it's something I needed/liked enough to spend that much money on. Budgetting has definitely made me less of a impulse shopper which means I'm buying clothes I know I'll actually wear.

Next month's plan is to find a replacement pair of black skinny jeans since my favorite black jeans are now forever out of commission (they finally completely ripped). I also hope to find a nice pair of dark brown boots - I think February should be a good month for boot sales! I think these pairs (1, 2, and especially 3) are some great contenders!

How did you do this month? Link up with other budgeting bloggers below! Please make sure you link back so other bloggers can participate and so your readers can be inspired by everyone.

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

ignorance is not bliss

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These past few days we've had somewhat of a heat wave here in Wisconsin - it was 40 degrees, which is unheard of for January! So when I was getting dressed this morning, I assumed it would still be as unseasonably warm as it had been.

WRONG.

Turns out it's actually the coldest it's been all winter. How inconveniant for me since I didn't know that until I was already driving to work in my little lace shirt, thin cardigan, and open neck. Newsflash Fran: Wisconsin winters are freaking cold and completely unpredictable. Maybe put more clothes on next time....




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Shirt: Pitaya (old and altered)  {save / splurge}
Cardigan: Old Navy  {similar}
Jeans: American Eagle  {exact}
Necklace: Forever 21  {exact}
Watch: c/o Daniel Wellington  {exact}
Shoes: Tory Burch  {exact}




















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Congrats to Michelle Tucker for winning the Posh'mina Giveaway by following Franish on Facebook. Be on the lookout for an email from me!




























via instagram.