February Budget

I'm linking up with the Budgeting Bloggers on Fran's blog Franish. Go check out Fran & the other girls to see what they bought this month!

My purchases this month:

1. H&M Basic Tank Top, (2 of them, black & white): $5.95 each
2. H&M Pink Blazer/Jacket: $41.97 (Was 59.95 but I used a 30% off coupon)
3. H&M Tote: $27.97 (Was 39.95 but I used a 30% off coupon)
4. Forever 21 Rose Studs: $2.80
5. Forever 21 Jewel Necklace: $8.80
6. Forever 21 Lace Skirt: $17.80
7. Forever 21 Pleated Skirt: $19.80
8. Forever 21 Dotted Shirt: $13.80
9. Forever 21 Peplum Skirt: $17.80

Total: $162.64

My budget this month was $150, and yes I did go over, but when you find stuff at Forever 21 that actually looks good, you just buy it. I must spend an hour or more in Forever 21 every time I go to the mall, and rarely do I walk out with ANYTHING other than jewelry. The clothes are just usually ill-fitting, of disposable material or just don't fit my woman-sized body. I know it's more of a teenager store so that makes sense, but whatever. I like skirts for less than $20, okay? I'm going to squeeze my butt into Forever 21 for as long as I can.

I also haven't even worn that Forever 21 pleated skirt yet and I'm contemplating returning it. It was my first time trying on a skirt in that style, and I was completely shocked that it looked good on my thicker thighs. Also, the material is a very nice, thin but rugged cotton-like material, which is a good sign that it'll last longer than the average F21 piece, so I bought it. But now that I'm looking at the pattern, I'm kind of confused as to what I'll wear with it other than a black or white fitted tee (there is a minuscule lime green stripe running between all the cream colored stripes, so yeah... what the heck?). How would you style that skirt?

A few things on my list for this upcoming month are:

• A pair of boyfriend jeans - I had a gloriously amazing pair that I somehow scored (and fit into) at Forever 21 a couple years back, but after losing 25 pounds, the already-loose-fitting jeans looked awful, so I donated them. Every pair I try on now, I seem to have a problem with. Probably because I refuse to try on any pair that costs more than $30, but for a piece of clothing I could see myself wearing all spring and summer (and is a good staple piece), I think I just need to be willing to spend a little more.

• A military jacket that fits - I'm not sure if I really want this, because I'm not sure how much wear I'd be able to get out of it, but if I found one that actually fit, I think I'd go for it. I always like my jackets really fitted because I have broader shoulders & anything un-fitted makes me look huge. But every military jacket I've come across has been huge, even ones in an XS, so I think I'm just not going to like the fit of any that I find. But if I do, I may buy it!

• A fitted striped tee - I have a striped long sleeved shirt that I really love, and I keep thinking of ways I could wear it in the summer but ew, long sleeves in summer will not work. I avoided tight, striped shirts for a long time because I thought they just made me look wide, but whatever. I just like them now.

• OPI nail polishes - I have an affinity toward cheap nail polishes just because I feel like every time I paint my nails, I want a new polish. Well, maybe not every time. But usually every 3rd or 4th time, and I paint my nails 1-2 times a week. I think what's happening is that cheap polishes usually offer sub-par color selections, so I feel like all my options at home are colors I'm not crazy about. I'm crazy about OPI colors (& formulation), and whenever I've tried one, I'm obsessed with it. So I just want a few better colors! Let's see if this happens. It sucks walking away with just 4 polishes but knowing you've eaten away over $30 of your monthly budget (OPI polishes are $8 each!).

• More high heels  - I have to just accept that all I wear is heels and that's okay. I own about 8-9 pair total probably but only about 4-5 that I feel I can wear on a regular basis. Two of which are black, two of which are nude/taupe and one of which is raspberry colored. I want more selection, and maybe more prints, maybe some wedges? I'm not sure. But I honestly wear flats basically once a week: on Sunday afternoons, when I go to the grocery store. So I think three colors of heels to choose from is not cutting it anymore.

Oh, and a few things I do NOT need to be purchasing:

• Sheer, flowy tops. I must have at least 6 and I only wear a few of them. That dotted one I bought this month is lovely and I see myself wearing it a lot, but in general, I'm kind of shying away from wanting to wear tops like this. I'm very pulled to them in stores though, so I'm reminding myself to resist this month!
• Jewelry, especially from Forever 21. If I find a piece I find to be especially unique, then I'll consider it. But I am racking up so many little crappy pieces of F21 jewelry that I either lose or destroy within a few weeks of owning them, and I have SO much more jewelry than I ever wear, so I just don't want this taking little chunks out of my budget this month.
• Tote-styled purses - The last four purses I've purchased (minus one) has been a tote-styled purse. Including the one I bought this month. I do not need anymore right now! In fact, I am probably good on purses period right now. It's so easy for them to take a huge chunk out of my budget!