How I Saved: Wedding edition

SSBF's best friend is getting married this coming weekend in Michigan. Since the last couple weddings I've been to, I was actually in the wedding party I haven't had to give much thought about what I was going to wear.  This however has been an agonizing decision. Considering my most recent post about how much I've spent on clothes I wasn't to0 excited about the thought of blowing a bunch of money on an outfit, but on the other hand I wasn't  in love with anything I already owned.

I decided to compromise, I bought a few pieces (dress, bangles, and a ring) and I'm going to pair them with shoes, a sweater, and clutch I already own.

Dress: Express $39.99 (marked down from $69.00)

Bangles: F21 $5.80

Ring: F21 $4.80



I'm thinking of pairing it with a pair of open-toe purple stacked heels. and pearl colored clutch, and possibly just a cardigan (because I always seem to get cold)

SSBF is going to kill me...

I was curious to see how badly I had fallen off the horse the last couple months of the summer (July-September) so I logged onto Mint.com and.....



$1226 on shopping! (clothes + target). SSBF is going to kill me when he sees this! Ok, maybe not actually kill me, but possibly.

I need a plan of action... something that will help me put that thousand dollars to my debt instead of new clothes.

This is what I've come up with so far..

1. I added $100 to my monthly payment on my pffcu loan, in an attempt to pay it off sooner by moving the money I was contributing to my savings account each month to that account. From my calculations I should be able to pay it off within 9 months if I pay $225/month instead of $125

2. I unsubscribed from all the alerts I get from stores to limit the temptation.

3. I started keeping track of all my spending again, and planning for upcoming events ( like an oil change for subbie, dr.'s appointments etc. )

4. I have given myself a $20/ pay period allowance on random things, like snacks and drinks while I'm working. So at least I won't feel guilty if I do spend a little bit on those things.

5. I'm taking a shopping sabbatical. Starting October 1, clothes, shoes, and accessories will be off limits for 30 days.

need shoes?

Piperlime.com is offering 20% off with the promo code: TREAT, now through the 23rd!

Credit Card Re-Cap

Since I am back in the mode of tackling my debt, instead of stringing it along at a leisurely pace I thought I would address just how much I still owe. I previously kept a spreadsheet and track my payments and interest accrued each month, but after I paid off my store cards I slightly derailed from that method.

However, per my to-do list, I have  couple finacial burdens to over come. Including paying off at least one thing this year, setting up a automatic debit to Sallie Mae, and giving up shopping for 1 full month (we'll come back to that later).

So here is my list of debts and balances:

Bloomingdale's Visa: $8720 --- by far the worst offender

BB&T Visa: $3228--- not pretty, but i'm not getting killed with interest either.

J.Crew: $0

Victoria's Secret: $0

Gap:$0

Best Buy: $1300--- this was from a TV SSBF and I bought for the new house, its sitting on my card accruing 0% interest, while our money sits in the ING accruing a meager amount.

PFFCU Loan: $2315--- this is the one I most want to check off the to-do list.

Just seeing it all there in front of me makes me cringe. If only I had this constant reminder everytime I saw something I absolutely "needed".  However I am determind to make this all go away a lot faster then it has been. So I can actually do the fun stuff on my list, like trips to Denver and Atlantic City.

My Must Have--- updated.

I have been wearing "wife beaters" for as long as I remember. I layer them under everything. In fact, its gotten to the point where I feel uncomfortable without one. However, since I just turned 25 I thought maybe I should give my go to tank an upgrade.

In steps the new love of my life-- The J.Crew "Perfect Tank" * 18.00.

While it is a little pricier then my former 5 for $10 pick, I have decided its worth the money. I can layer it under my work clothes without looking and feeling juvenile. Luckily they have been on promotion for the last couple weeks so I've been able to stock up for less.

Also, speaking of J.Crew they offer a student and teacher discount. So if you are a student (like myself) or a teacher ( like SSBF) you get a 15% discount!

However, if you can't justify spending $18.00 for a tank I did spot some look-a-likes at Old Navy recently for just $10.00. From what I saw, they are dead ringer, and good lower cost option.

Starting Over

Well, its been quite awhile since the last time I posted . I am going to try and be better with this blog. I've created a to-do list, and one of my items is to blog more frequently (here's the full list if you are interested).

Now, to get right down to it.

I must admit I have really let myself go as far as my budget, the last month or so. I blame it on the changing of the season and the loads of amazing fall clothes. ( I'm a september baby, so fall is by far my favorite season.) I found myself drooling over so many things, the relaxed knee-high boots, harem pants and flannel! I personally love anything relaxed and casual so I am obsessed with all of the above and not to mention the just baggy enough boyfriend fit.

I've decided to create a top 5 of my things for fall (that I have, or just realllllly want)

1. Juicy Couture "Raquel Loafers"

* on sale at Nordstrom.com for 96.90 (50% off)



I haven't bought these yet. I've come very close a few times, I mean very close, just shy of submit payment. But I just can't justify them. I've been trying to look for a comparable pair, but nothing seems as good.



2. LL Bean 3-in-1 Coat







* $199 at LLbean.com



While it is not really on trend by any means this made my top 5 because it is waterproof and is basically 2 coats in 1, it has a shell inside that can be removed and either of them can be worn separate. I'm not a big fan of the price, but I need a coat like this for work since my job involves me going outside in any kind of weather.



3. Steve Madden "Cybul" boots





* $99 at Piperlime.com



Love, love, love the relaxed, flat, knee high boots. I love the silhouette of these boots, paired with skinny or boyfriend jeans and a loose fitted cardigan or wrap sweater or even a flannel shirt. That combo just screams fall to me. I'm holding out on buying them mostly because since this is the mid-atlantic, it probably wouldn't get cool enough for them until the middle of October.



4. The boyfriend jean





* $59.50 at Gap.com



These are the exact ones I bought, I wanted to try them considering my frame was ideal for them, and I thought $59 was a pretty reasonable price for an on-trend pair. I love them so much though that its hard to get me out of them on the weekend.



5. Plaid Shirts





* $39 at urbanoutfitters.com



To go along with my comfortable theme, I have always loved flannel, maybe not so much kurt cobain, oversized flannel of the early 90's, but regular fitted flannel.