What's in my bag

So I thought this would be a fun little post... what's in my bag!

J Crew lockwood hobo in masala chai, 2011 Sarah Pinto planner, Amazon kindle, house keys, Moleskine notebook, Harrods cosmetic pouch, Louis Vuitton french purse wallet. I just have to say that I'm loving this jcrew bag. The leather on it is amazing. Buttery soft and the perfect neutral! Its nice to have something other than a black bag again.

Inside the pouch: Hello kitty bandaids, safety pin, vanilla mint lip gloss, burts bees chapstick, St Anthony medal, sharpies (i love office supplies), tin of altoid smalls, trident gum, nail file, hello kitty mirror, hair scrunchies, MAC lipglass in pink grapefruit, and suave cocoa butter hand lotion.

If you couldn't tell, I like hello kitty. Not as much as I used to, but the Hello Kitty for MAC collection rocked my socks.

I hope everyone's week is going well so far - only 3 more days until its the weekend again!

So what's in your bag - what are your must-haves?

On saving money

Money. Green. Dough. Benjamins. Whichever way you decide to call it you just can't function without it. For the past several years I've personally struggled with money. When I got my first job I lived at home for almost a year. I didn't have to pay rent - I only took care of my cell phone, car insurance, and whatever else I deemed necessary. Enter spending hundreds on handbags, accessories, shoes, clothes. You name it, I bought it.

Upon moving out I was in for a huge surprise. Saving money - and living on a new budget was not as easy as I'd thought. After hours being cut at my fulltime job in late 2008 and draining my savings fund to stay afloat in 2009 I decided that 2010 would be the year of reform. Between the start of 2010 with a pathetic savings account and the start of 2011 I had managed to save 10,000. Of course - selling off a lot of unused expensive designer bags and items helped, but I'd like to think that I've started to get myself into the right direction.

Credit cards have always been my worst enemy. With our recent trip to Europe and engagement, I've kinda gone a little overboard with eating out. But, I'm back on track vowing to chop them up for good (only use them to get more travel rewards) and be done with them forever.

As a result... I've been crunching the numbers on a slower day here at the office and I'll be able to meet my personal goal this year of saving. I'm a little nervous about seeing my new paychecks in May since I'll be contributing to my 401K fund and dental insurance will be taken out. I may have to rework things, but the difference shouldn't be that huge. Plus, I can always up the 401K amount once I've hit my savings goals. And I'd really like to give myself a clothing/spending allowance. I did buy about 49.00 worth of stuff from H&M this past weekend, but I had budgeted that into my biweekly paycheck (look for a reveal later on this week!)

Additionally, I've decided to start putting aside money to a wedding fund. I figure that if there's something I'd really like to have for the wedding (I'm thinking a photobooth....) that I can save for it and buy it myself. It'll give me something to look forward to, and feel proud about on my big day.

Anyway. So I apologize for the off topic blog post, but I just thought I'd throw this out there. Anyone can save - even if its 5, 10, 25 a month. Financial security and freedom is fantastic.

Lust list - April 2011

Dear checkbook, I am so so sorry for the following list. Of course, if it was up to me, all of these items (and then some)  would be coming home with me. Alas, I don't currently have the budget for it, so pouring over these pretty pictures shall do instead.

Skirts:
In case you haven't noticed, I'm kinda obsessed with Anthropologie. Their ruffles and soft colors make the little girl in me squeal.
Anthro's convergence skirt with its stripes and little pleats just make me smile. Plus the colors are a great neutral to go with a variety of tops and shoes, too!

Next up in Anthro's sugar work skirt. What's better for spring than a sunshiney yellow skrit with white ribbons swirling around it?

Anthro's drawing parallels skirt is something that I think would be fantastic for Easter, if not the rest of spring and summer and even fall. I adore the color on this, and I think it would be a fantastic addition to my wardrobe.

Shoes:

There is one pair that I've seen similar styles pop up over several blogs. Alas, my local Urban Outfitters is outo of these and I would have to order them online. I really like the nude color because it's a fantastic neutral, and honestly I don't have any shoes that already look like this. And the price point isn't that bad, either!

Bag:

I haven't lusted after a bag in awhile, quite frankly, probably more than 6 months. The last one I bought got sent back because it wasn't the right size. But this one has me drooling, especially in the chai color. JCrew's lockwood hobo is spot on with everything that I want in a bag - plus there's 4 colors to choose from. And if you order by the end of today, you can get an additional 20% off orders of 150.00 or more.

Well friends that's about it for now - at least on my end. What's currently on your spring wishlist?

engagement dresses

So I have to admit that while the pure bliss of finally being engaged still hasn't worn off I'm starting to turn my attention to inevitably what will be the hard part - wedding planning. But before we dive into all that I just had to turn the spotlight onto this perfect little dress that I picked up at jcrew last weekend with a friend. I thought it would be so cute for an engagement party or dinner with our families.

Enter the JCrew tea stained dobby dress. There's something so sweet and girly about the color and the little red polkadots. Plus with a belt and a cardigan its the perfect thing to wear to a happy party.

I also really adore Anthropologie's pezza dress. The blue is just so upbeat and fantastic for spring and summer. I think I would really get a lot of wear out of it.

I don't have much else to add right now - but I thought I'd share these two really cute dresses.

Thank goodness the weekend is almost here - I'm looking forward to dinner at a nice restaurant and massages, followed up by a fun hair fashion show with a friend.

Have a great one!

A big piece of love.

in its pretty tacori box

I am so excited to announce that after 8 years 5 months and 6 days of dating my boyfriend is now my fiance. On Thursday  morning he got down on one knee and proposed with my dream tacori ring. I'm thrilled beyond belief. Both of our familes are really happy and excited, and I'm still in a bit of an OMGWHAT moment. But that's okay. I'll somehow survive. ;)

pardon the notebook...

LOVE the detailing!

I'm definitely thinking next year. We haven't set a date yet but I have a few in mind. I've already found my bridesmaids - my sister is my MOH, fiance's sister, and my best friend since grade school. I'm way excited to start dress shopping. My dream dress is an enzoani number, but I'm not sure I'll be able to bring myself to spend that much money on a dress.

I have to admit in all of this happiness there is a very bittersweet element. I'm so extremely sad that my grandpa can't be here to see this. I want to pick up the phone and call him so so badly. I'm also coming to the realization that my grandma will probably not be able to see the wedding as its just not feasible for her to do so. I would hate to confuse her even more. As a result, my mom has offered me my grandma's pearls on her wedding day for me to wear. I'm also going to carry my grandpa's wedding band on me so I can have both of them with me on my big day.

I do have a reveal of my holy grail item coming up in the next few days. Until then, champagne really doesn't get old!