Blogging on a Budget: January

This being the last day of January, it's time to open my checkbook for all to see.

Here is the first installment of 2012's Blogging on a Budget!

This month, I spent:

$21.82 on jewelry

$57.65 on clothing

$0 on hair

$0 on makeup

Happy (almost) February!

January, Say What??

 Sweater: H&M / Dress (worn as a skirt): local boutique / Boots: Thrifted / Necklace: local farmer's market

 

 Los Angeles really threw me for a loop this weekend. It's January, so I wake up bundled in blankets and dreaming of cozy sweaters and warm socks. Surprise: it's 80 degrees outside. I wore this outfit to go to the nearby farmer's market this weekend, and was instantly overheating.

But there is no WAY I'm going to complain. I'll just bust out my flip flops and apologize profusely to anyone not currently in Southern California. :)

Hope you all had a lovely weekend!

Sweater Dress Cravings

Clockwise, from top left:

Lucca Couture sweater dress, $40

Modcloth A New Angle dress, $50 (I have this one!)

Black Queen v neck sweater dress, $32

Old Navy sweater dress, $30 

Modcloth Because You Can Bag, $65

One Pocket Sweater Dress, $30

Mink Pink sweater dress, $80

Ecote boyfriend sweater dress, $30
Lucca Couture sweater dress, $40 

ASOS sweater dress, $47

I've really been wanting a sweater dress recently. I want to wear a big, comfy, pajama-like sweater, feel put together because it comes with the word "dress" at the end, pair it with warm tights and tall boots, and pretend like I spent forever putting together my outfit that morning. But really I just want to feel like I'm wearing pajamas. Oh, and I want that red bag. :)

Does anyone have sweater dress recommendations?

49ers!!!!

Today, there will be football. So, so, so much football. I'm going to a San Fransisco themed bar here in LA and will be watching the playoff games with many, many rabid fans. Wish us luck!! :)

Go 49ers!

Red Jacket & Striped Tee

 Top: Gap ($24.95, buy here) / Jacket: Forever 21 (old) / Jeans: Gap 1969 skinnies sz 0 / Boots: Urban Outfitters / Necklace: homemade

I found these photos on my camera (that had been left at the Boyfriend's house for a few weeks...) from way back at Christmastime. Christmas with my Unitarian side of the family is awesome. For the past few years we've gathered in a restaurant my cousin manages in Santa Barbara, cooked up a lovely feast for dinner, watched the Lakers game on TV, and played tons of board games together. This year my 8 year-old cousin got a Kinect, and I had more fun playing kid's videogames than I ever thought possible.

Oh, and I wore these clothes. :)

Motorcycle Jacket & Black Boots

 Top: Gap / Cardigan: Forever 21 / Jacket: Urban Outfitters / Skirt: UO / Shoes: UO / Necklace: Gift / Bracelets: bought in England

 Today, I was forced to momentarily overcome my fear of people watching me take photos of myself in an effort to not lose the fading light. (But only momentarily. It's still awkward.)

A few more things that fell victim to my light-losing-induced hastiness: my absurdly messy hair, the paint that is still on my hands from a day of painting the walls of a middle school for MLK day, the fact that there is a metric ton of pug hair on my black jacket.

Happy Monday!

Completely Coveting

Thanks to Kelly at Alterations Needed, who was on the hunt for a "shirt collar" necklace, I've found the exact one I was coveting from i am Khatu a few days back:

Photo from i am khatu. I love this look!

I know I said I'd save it for a March/April celebration, but maybe I should just get it now? :)

Asos Metal Collar Necklace, $21.82 (free shipping)

Massachusets Dreaming

 Top: Gap / Sweater: Target sz s / Jeans: Paige / Shoes: Rocket Dog / Bag: Fossil / Bracelets: bought in England

 

I think one of the keys to saving money on clothes is to keep things foreverrrrrrrrrrrrrr. I have had these black flats for years, have put multiple pairs of drugstore-bought insoles in them to extend their life, have worn them into the ground, and (much to the Boyfriend's chagrin) am still wearing them.

That, my friends, is how you save money! :)

In other news, I spent all of Saturday sitting in a coffee shop and editing the heck out of my grad school applications, which are due in a few days (!!!). I thought I'd give myself a leg up by channeling my inner east coast grad school student through my outfit. I was hoping for a collared shirt/sweater effect a bit more like this one from i am Khatu, but it turns out I actually have zero necklaces of that length/weight (which really makes her outfit). Maybe I'll be able to buy one in April to congratulate myself on getting into grad school? Goodness, one can hope!

Full Disclosure

In the interest of full disclosure (and keeping myself accountable), this year I'm going to be blogging how much I spend on clothes/makeup/hair stuff each month, for all of The Internets to read. This is a bit of a scary task, as I do think that I have the tendency to make little white lies to myself about what I am buying and where my money is going. However, as I am on an immensely small budget, and because I really want to show that you do NOT need to spend a ton (or even a moderate amount) of money to feel good about yourself, here goes nothing!

When I started my job at City Year, I began keeping an Excel record of how I spent my money, breaking it down by week/month and type of purchase. Thanks to that, I have the past 5 months on record, and they are as follows:

August

Clothing: $0

Makeup: $21.72

Hair: $0

September

Clothing: $18.00

Makeup: $15.96

Hair: ~$10.00

October

Clothing: $98.77

Makeup: $15.00

Hair: $0.00

November

Clothing: $0

Makeup: $0

Hair: ~$10.00

December

Clothing: $67.23

Makeup: $0

Hair: $0

So, for the last 5 months of this year, I spent an average of $36.80/month on clothing, $10.53/month on makeup, and $4/month on hair products. Overall, pretty good, I'd say! Here's to keeping it up (or, down, as the case may be) through 2012.

2011: Looks in Review

Oh my goodness, it has been too long! I'm back! Winter break was lovely; full of friends and family and vacations up the coast of California and across the country to chilly NY. I'm glad, however, to be back in Southern California, back at my job, and back in my own bed!

I started this blog with the intentions of breaking my jeans-and-tshirt rut, finding some fun and creativity in how I presented myself, and helping out other petites (and non-petites!) who wanted to feel good about how they dressed without spending a bazillion dollars.

I hope I've kept to those goals throughout this past calendar year, and that I'll continue sticking with them into 2012 and beyond (please use a Buzz Lightyear voice to read the previous phrase). To celebrate the first year in which I started this little project, a recap of my 10 favorite outfits (or, the times in which I was most proud of myself for getting dressed in the morning), of 2011.

Full layout inspiration credit to the lovely and stylish Megan of Feathers and Freckles who daily proves that a little Picnik goes a long way.

 1. Warm and Cozy 2. Crisp Oxford 3. Can you really dye my shirt to match my wall?

 4. PFC #11 5. PFC # 10 6. Casual Fridays 7. Party Dress

8. Pattern Mixing 101 9. It's Summer, and I'm Confused 10. Is it Fall Yet?

Things I have learned from these 10 looks: I love cardigans, I really love black and purple, I like high belts way more than the Boyfriend wishes I did, I'm proud of myself when I wear skirts, and I'm extra proud of myself when I wear heels. :) Happy New Year, everyone! And thank you so, so much for reading.

Happy New Year!

I'm in New York on a mini-vacation and having a lovely time in the absurdly perfect 50 degree weather. However, I am doing very little picture-taking and (obviously) hardly any blogging. Lo siento muchisimo!

I'll be back in a few days with more posts and updates. Hope everyone is having a great start to 2012.

Happy New Year!!