For a few months now, I have been grappling with a couple of issues when it comes to shopping and writing a personal style blog:
First of all, there's no doubt about it, I love to shop! However, I am a teacher and am therefore working with a relatively small budget. In order to not spend too much money, I tried a few tactics that actually made my shopping habits less healthy. I would attempt spending freezes where I spent absolutely no money on clothing for a specific period of time. However this led to binge shopping when the freeze was over. I don't feel good about this. And ultimately I don't feel good about constantly wanting more and more clothing when I truly am happy with all of the clothes in my closet. I know that there are healthy ways out there to enjoy shopping for new pieces while not going overboard with the spending.
Also, I know that I sometimes feel jealous and frustrated when I read blogs and I see these lovely ladies constantly wearing new Tory Burch boots or carrying the latest Kate Spade bag. I just wish I knew how they could afford these luxurious items! For this reason, I want to be completely authentic and transparent when it comes to my purchases.
So, I've decided to develop a clothing budget (duh, right?) and I've decided to tell you about it once a month to hold myself accountable.
I looked to the blog J's Everyday Fashion for guidance as to how to set a clothing budget. J's suggestion is to spend 2%-8% of your income on clothing. Since I'm on a tight budget when it comes to living expenses, I shot for a budget of approximately 2% of my annual salary. This means that I have $1,000 to spend on clothing each year. Now, $1,000 felt like an overwhelming amount to keep track of so I decided to track my spending quarterly. That means for each three month period, I can spend $250. Although I do plan to rollover money to the next quarter if I don't spend it all.
Alright, now that I've explained to you my reasoning and budget, let's get down to what I purchased this month!
Blouse: c/o Stitch Fix- $68
Shorts: Old Navy- originally $26.94 but with Gap Card points, $0
Denim Jacket: Old Navy- originally $34.94 but with Gap Card points, $0
Total Spent in March = $68
Remaining Quarterly Budget = $182
The blouse is definitely on the expensive side and I'm not entirely comfortable with how much I spent on it. However, as I explained here, I've told Stitch Fix to send me less expensive items from here on out so hopefully I won't be spending so much money on one piece in the future. I had a bunch of Gap Card points saved-up so I decided to use them on some basics. These shorts are super comfy while still looking nice and I can't wait to wear them when the D.C. temperatures become sweltering. I mentioned before that I was looking for another denim jacket in a darker wash. This jacket fit the bill and I've already worn it once! I can tell that it will be a favorite piece to remix. I also ordered a few pairs of pants but I'm not yet sure if I'm going to keep them. If I do, I will include them in my May budget post.
Alright, thanks for letting me get my feelings about shopping and money off of my chest. Stay tuned for how I continue to use my established clothing budget!
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