july budget

1. Target dress [seen here]: $20
2. Hudson jeans via Nordstrom Rack [seen here]: originally $180, on sale for $35
3. Project Social tee: $35
4. J.Crew dress [seen here]: originally $158, on sale for $55
5. J.Crew pants: originally $98, on sale for $35
6. Banana Republic Factory sweater [seen here]: $25
7. Uniqlo Jeans [seen here]: $40

Total July spent: $245

Quarterly Budget: $110 in May + $120 in June + 245 in July = $475

So I knew that July would be a bigger shopping month for me because of the trips to Seattle and NYC. Both of those trips were more about seeing friends and going exploring, and less about shopping, so I only purchased a few things in each place. While almost fall under my "rules", I felt like I tried to at least step a little out of my normal items. The striped pants (which are still on sale + 40% off) are a fun addition to my normal school pants collection, while the Hudson jeans (which I still can't believe I got for one sixth of the original price) are so comfortable that they'll be perfect for long weekends at the library.

I did order these shoes at the end of last month, but have decided I'm going to return them. While they are cute and very inexpensive, I don't have a need for another pair of sandals right before school starts. I also didn't really like the black part of the sandal as it looked a little too plasticy.

As for as c/o items this month, BaubleBar sent me these beautiful pieces of jewelry. I've been a long-time fan of the brand, and all of my pieces from them have held up very well! My favorite is this necklace, which I've worn at least five times since I received it a few weeks ago. It's something I would never have thought of purchasing, but it's my go-to item right now.

one | two | three [seen here] | four

So what are my plans for next quarter? Well, I have to wait until we get our student loan checks, so for the first three-ish weeks shopping is a little on hold. I did order this vest as it is backordered for another three weeks, so it won't ship/charge until after we get money. Once that comes in, I'm hoping to add a few of the items mentioned here so round out my closet....although this dress just came out, and I'm trying to figure out if there's a way I can make it work for school - thoughts?

Did you stick to your July budget? I would love to hear more about it - please add your link below, and be sure to link back to this post so your readers can read and discover other budgeting bloggers!

best internet friends

Lindsay, Bri, and Katrina

Last year when I went to Seattle, one of my most favorite memories was going to dinner with some of the bloggers I admire most. Bri, Lindsay, Katrina, and Kimmie were all so welcoming and fun and energetic - I was so bummed that they all got to live together in Seattle while I was moving even further away! Bri made sure to organize another get together this year, this time with the very patient men in our lives in attendance as well. The boys spent time bonding over making fun of blogging and taking pictures of us, while the girls discussed blogging, shoes, careers, and med school. These girls all lead such interesting lives, and it was just so inspiring to hear about their jobs and lives. I am even more jealous now that they all get to hang out and do blogger events and go eat pie whenever their hearts' desire. It's that much more of a push to move here in three years ;)

So what does one wear when meeting up with a bunch of girls who blog about clothes? I received this stunner of a necklace a few weeks ago for the upcoming BaubleBar x Nordstrom collaboration, so I decided that there was no better time to debut it than a dinner with girls who really appreciate jewelry! When you first look at it, you may wonder how exactly to wear this giant necklace...and I'm here to tell you to wear it with everything - as a finishing piece for a striped dress, stacked with another jeweled necklace, or as the center piece with a simple jeans and blazer outfit. I love that blogging not only brings amazing women into my life, but it also sometimes makes me step outside of my comfort zone to discover pieces that will become staples in my closet. If this necklace is slightly too large for you, this smaller (slightly more discrete version) would be a good way to obtain a similar look!

my outfit:

Dress: Target [similar]

Necklace: c/o BaubleBar [exact]

Shoes: Banana Republic [exact]

Belt: Gap [exact on sale - finally a gold-clasped one!]

Lindsay's outfit here, Bri's here (2 people stopped her on the streets that day to ask her about her outfit), and Katrina's here. Thank you again for a wonderful evening ladies (and thank you to Lindsay for bringing along a real camera and letting us steal her photos!)

target does it rarely

I have never been big on buying clothes at Target. I would LOVE to though since their clothes are cute and the price point is right, but I'm slightly too tall that everything looks like it went through the dryer a littttttle too hot. Lord knows that hasn't stopped me from trying though - I'm constantly hoping that their v-neck cardigans would sit right on me or that I can get their fun patterned button-ups to work on me, but they never do. 

I was so pumped when I found this dress earlier in the summer (seen here), and I immediately purchased it in two patterns. At the time, I also tried on a light weight white with black stripes tee shirt dress that I thought would be perfect for the summer - cotton, my favorite pattern, long enough short sleeves - the summer trifecta. I HATED it on me. HATED IT. The fabric was too clingy, you could see my belly button through the material, and no amount of nude underwear was going to prevent people from seeing my butt cheeks. Since I was used to the Target disappointment I didn't think too much of it....until today when I found the same dress in a different pattern. Still has all the things I want, but without all the things I didn't want.

The perfect summer dress....no longer online but probably in stores, so run, don't walk. 

Dress: Target [options below]

Bag: Madewell [cool reversible inexpensive version | exact]

Sandals: Gap Factory [want this red version so bad]

Necklace: c/o 9th and Elm

Watch: Michael Kors [exact]

Ring: BaubleBar [exact]

Nails: Essie [exact]

Belt: H&M

 

 and because my version is no longer available, here are four budget friendly (plus one budget buster) versions below:

one | two | three | four | five