ab nach kiel und stade

After leaving Munich on Monday, I stayed in Göttingen with my aunt and uncle until Wednesday morning. We used this time really just to hang out, give my sister a little hair cut, and play fetch with the dog. I lived with my aunt and uncle in eighth grade when my parents wanted me to go to school in Germany for a year, so I always love being back in their house. We didn't go into the city at all because Tuesday is when the jet lag finally hit, which is why I somehow ended up staying up until almost three in the morning.

On Wednesday I took the train up to Stade where my grandma lives. My dad and I drove up to Kiel, which is my mom's hometown. My parents met there when they were both in medical school, and it's also where my sister and I were born. My grandfather was a German Navy Admiral, so the sea has always been something close to our family. Kiel is a huge port city with a history rich in naval activity and ship building and each year they have a huge city fest known as Kieler Woche, which is the largest sailing event in the world. We stayed with my father's frat brother (we stayed with him last time too!) and met up with a ton of his other frat brothers, many whom he hadn't seen in decades. The weather unfortunately wasn't that great, and therefore there weren't that many sail boats out, but the rowing competition was going on (which my dad used to take part in in the 80's).

Jacket: Hof in Germany [adorable save | splurge]

Blouse: Gap [exact]

Scarf: Forever 21

Jeans: Urban Outfitters [exact]

During the 1972 Olympics (which is unfortunately known for the Munich massacre), Kiel was the site for the sailing competitions. 

Today we are celebrating my grandma's 83rd birthday. My grandparents share the same birthday, except they were born one year apart. My grandpa unfortunately died my freshman year of college, so he hasn't been with us know for more than half a decade, which is felt by everyone. Their wedding anniversary was also right around this time, and my grandpa used to get my grandma a bouquet of roses for the number of years they were married. My dad and uncle have now taken over that role.

^^my dad made all of these from scratch when he was a super cool teenager ;)

I wanted to wear my blue polka dot dress, but it's way too cold so black jeans it is...

Blazer: thrifted

Tee: Everlane

Jeans: Urban Outfitters...still [exact]

Necklace: c/o Apple of My Eye - win here!

Shoes: Tory Burch [exact]

Nails: Essie Park Avenue 

groundbreaking

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.

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]

linking up with wiww.

mind changer

I don't really plan my outfits in advance (I really should though, as I keep telling myself) so the great thing about blog challenges is that it gives me a direction when getting dressed. Marion's monthly trend this month is lace, so I knew I wanted to wear my Forever 21 lace tee...as it's one of the only lace items I own (so that makes the decision for me!). Bri's link up for Third Thursday Threads was winterizing a warmer weather item, so what's better than...a tee! 

So to winterize it I decided to wear a button down underneath it like I have in the past. I wore my leopard button up, that I generally shy away from, in hopes that I could find a new way to wear it. Although I liked the outfit just fine when I left my house, I quickly grew to hating it when I started to take pictures. It felt unnatural - the colors didn't go together, the leopard always scares me, and I dont know - I just didn't like it!

So I hopped into my car, took the shirt off, and felt much better. 

Tee: Forever 21  [exact]
Blazer: thrifted
Jeans: American Eagle [exact]
Necklace: Ann Taylor Outlet  [save | splurge]
Watch: Target
Shoes: Tory Burch  [exact]

via Instagram

also linking up with wiww.






Have you entered the above the knuckle ring giveaway yet?

black blazed

A black blazer is something I've wanted in my closet for a really long time, but never really made an effort to look for because I knew finding something that fits me exactly how I want it to wasn't going to be that easy, especially with a limited budget. I got really lucky during a Saturday color tag sale at Goodwill where I got this blazer for $4. The sizing is strange since my other favorite blazer is a 10 Tall, whereas this blazer is a 12 Petite but somehow it works since it fits my shoulders well. The only down side is that the arms are too short which isn't really a problem for me since I insist that all my sleeves be pushed/cuffed up - I hate full length sleeves. It is a bit more casual but I think it'll serve my closet well for now. I'll still be on the look out for a more formal black blazer but I'll probably wait to buy that as part of a suit - something I don't really need at this moment.

Blazer: Thrifted  {save | splurge}
Tee: Gap
Jeans: American Eagle  {exact on sale}
Scarf: H&M  {similar}
Belt: Gap
Shoes: Tory Burch  {exact}
Watch: Boccia
Earrings: Tiffany & Co. {exact}

Linking up with wiww

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.