Budget Update--End of 2012

Well, I have just spent the last few hours looking through my closet and jewelry to make a list of everything I have purchased since my last splurge at the outlets in August. As mentioned in that post, I ended up spending through the rest of my October budget and well into my allotted November spending leaving me with a mere $44.32 left for that month and the $70 for December.

So how did I do with my remaining $114.32 for August through December? In two words? Not good. But also not too terribly bad considering that the majority of the purchases I made were less than $15 (rule #3), I did not pay full price for anything I purchased, and I would have been on budget if I got rid of two purchases*.

I am also listing the wonderfully fashionable Christmas presents I received from my wonderful mom and picked out by my stylish sister (second to the last paragraph from my first post).

Here's what I bought!

Old Navy
Dark wash trouser jeans $8.47
Mustard yellow cardigan $18.71
Blue and white polka dot cardigan $19.94
SF 49ers T-shirt $14.63 (this purchase was more for my husband than me...maybe I won't count it in my budget...)

Goodwill
Merona super long sleeve glue gingham collared shirt $3.98
J Crew stretch red paisley collared shirt $3.98

Banana Republic Factory Store
Khaki shorts (for my friends awesome wedding in Mexico!) $6.43

TJ Maxx
Royal purple skinny jeans $14.99

Gap Outlet
Light purple and yellow tissue shirt $6.49
Grey and red floral tissue shirt $6.49

Ebay
White Mountain dark brown riding boots $43.24 with shipping
*These cursed boots!! I knew months ago that I couldn't afford to buy boots and I did it anyway. Yes, apparently I have no willpower. This is one of the two purchases that if I had some self-control I'd have been on budget.

Joanne's Fabric (Post on this DIY project in the coming weeks!)
Pencil skirt pattern, fabric for two skirts (Project Runway Fabric no less!), two zippers $38.37
*Second purchase that if eliminated would have kept me on budget. I do think of this as an investment for the future because now that the pattern has been purchased, I can continue to keep mom in the sweatshop making skirts for next to nothing. Did I mention I have the world's best and most talented mother?

Jewelry (Who am I kidding? They're all necklaces...not a ring, earring or bracelet in sight!)
Gold Leaves and Beads (Old Navy) $9.95
Pink and Yellow Bubble Necklaces (Poke A Dot Shop Facebook Special) $36.98 total
Gold Paddle, Brown Beaded, Purple/Blue/Silver Beaded (Cost Plus) $11.69 for all three as they were buy one get one free and I purchased some for Christmas presents

Christmas Gifts
Camel v-neck sweater, camel ribbon tank, tan pants (The Limited)
Emerald cross-neck long sleeve shirt, Black tissue long sleeve shirt (Ann Taylor)
Gold and brown tiered beaded necklace (Pier One)
Chunky neutral and pink necklace and matching bracelet (The Limited)

DIY: Wedding Dress Pendant

I am attempting to become more crafty and thanks to my devotion to Pinterest I spent some quality time during my break from school creating home-made gifts for my coworkers, family, and a very special present for my husband.

I had seen this beautiful pendant on Etsy and was instantly in love. You send a small piece of your wedding dress to this jewelry maker and she creates a necklace charm for you and puts it on a beautiful sterling silver chain. The price was a little out of my budget so I decided that I would try to recreate this look myself.

A quick trip to Michael's was all it took to find the perfect locket-style pendant and a matching chain. Both items were $5.99 at full price but were on sale for 30%. I also had a coupon for an additional 40% off one item. In total the cost to make my necklace was less than $8 as I already had the findings (jump rings, lobster clasps, and jewelry pliers).

Pendant from Michael's $5.99 full price

It took awhile to find a place on my dress where I could cut a piece of lace without it showing...you know, I'm totally planning on wearing that thing again and/or I'm sure should I ever have daughter she will definitely want to wear it so it really can't have a giant missing square of lace. I eventually found an inside seam that had just enough lace peeking through that I could cut a swatch large enough to fill the pendant. I decided that since this charm is clear on both sides, I also wanted a piece of the beautiful tie my husband wore at our wedding. I cut off the extra piece of fabric on the back of the tie that is used to hold the little end. Below is the finished product! 

lace from my wedding dress

fabric from groom's tie

My husband absolutely loved this gift and said it is his favorite thing he has ever received! I love you honey!

Beautiful Photo from our wedding photographer Courtney Aaron

Returning to the Web-waves in 2013

During the month of December I had a few coworkers and friends ask me about my blog and what had happened to it, would it be returning, their lives were empty and pointless without it...well, maybe not that last part. So while I won't be making a New Year's resolution committing to some set amount of posts per week, I feel that I'm established enough in my flipped classroom routine that I will be able to make some time to post more regularly.

Coming Soon:
Update on all my purchases for the remainder of the year (hope the husband isn't reading)
Update on progress in my classroom
Exciting new opportunity for advancement in my career
A new, drastic, still-very-much-adjusting-to-it hair cut

Thank you to my wonderful friends and family for continuing to be interested in my little web-endeavor. I am so blessed by the amazing people in my life!