all i wanna do is

A few weeks ago the Midwest Prep wrote a post about what she's learned about layering, and she mentioned that she finds it easiest to wear a silky/thin shirt under a thicker sweater - you may not even have to wear a tank in between! I wanted to try this (obviously) but it wasn't until I saw Bri's post about layering her thin metallic polka dot shirt under a sweater that I kind of remembered that I wanted to try it.

So here I am...trying it. It works pretty well so if you aren't too keen on the tank in between trick, try a thin button up under a thicker sweater.

Also, I apologize for the ish quality of these pictures. This was moments before it started to basically hail, so good lighting was not on my side. Spring, feel free to join us at any time!

Sweater: Gap, thrifted  {save / splurge}
Button-up: Forever 21  {exact}
Jeans: American Eagle  {exact on sale}
Shoes: Tory Burch  {exact}
Necklace: H&M  {similar}
Watch: c/o Daniel Wellington  {exact}

via instagram.




also, all the cool kids are on vine so so am I. find me under fhasselhof. expect lots of videos of my dogs. 

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.