March Budget

The good: Spin and staying active has gotten me away from the mall. Huzzah!
The bad: I've been so stressed/busy with work and HR test prep that I've been neglecting the blog.
The ugly: I broke my ban yesterday. Bah.

I had been doing so good you guys. No clothes after Ash Wednesday..resisting all the promos in emails. And then... 40% off in store at J Crew. And the lady added my mom's educator discount on top of it.

Hook, line, sinker.

Old navy dot top: 15

Old navy striped boatneck top: 10x2

Old navy sailboat sweater: 15

Old navy rockstar pants: 10

J Crew lattice popover: 27 in store

J Crew lovebirds baseball tee: 17

J Crew lattice sweatshirt: 29

J Crew striped sleeve sweater: 35 

J Crew striped collared tank: 30

J Crew minnie pants: 30

Not pictured: J crew baseball tee: 17

- 25 J Crew card... ugh. Not thrilled with what I've spent.. but I have needed some new options for work. 

Since I broke my ban I've decided to go fashion free for all of April. I may have to purchase a pair of shoes for spin because my cross trainers just aren't cutting it anymore.

How did you do?

Linking up with Fran!

Life Lately + J Crew sale picks

Studying for my upcoming exam and still learning a lot at work has kept me incredibly busy as of late. Weekends have been trying to spend some time in the sun and exploring hidden parts of our city. A few weekends ago we headed to the Conservatory of Flowers for their butterfly exhibit and I made a friend.

85 degrees plus 90% humidity in the butterfly room. Eep!

This past weekend DH and I decided to take a break and headed to wine country for a 24 hour escape. We read, drank wine, and caught some sun, ate cheese, slept late, and sat by the pool. If only all weekends could be like that... And I highly recommend the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa - I keep wishing I had another 2 days there!

Wine & reading in the sun

Since I gave up shopping for Lent I've been channeling my shopping urges into doing something more constructive - spin class. I signed up and have been going three times a week. I feel as though I'm sleeping better and leave class feeling good. I'm going to measure myself to see if I lose any inches off my waist, and have been trying to go all veggie for weekday lunches too. So far, so good..so hopefully I stick with it!

But in case you haven't heard J Crew is doing 40-50% off sale again, and here are my picks for those who can spend - are you grabbing anything during this latest promo?

My picks:
Linen embroidered bird tee
Painter tee - love the grey combo!
Embroidered floral tee - the ivory and navy is just lovely
Marled jeweled sweatshirt
French print popover
Lattice medallion popover

Nautical Thursdays

I think from here on out I shall dub Thursdays nautical Thursdays. Bring on the stripes, pearls, and anchors because I seriously cannot get enough.

The minute I saw this sweater at Old Navy I knew that it had to be a part of my wardrobe, and with last weekend's big sale I finally bit. It makes me want to go back to Boston and see Cape Cod and visit a lighthouse and have a clam bake (because that's what this west coast gal thinks of when I think New England...).

To stay warm I paired a blue blazer over it and kept it casual with beige loafers on the bottom.

Sweater: Old Navy, exact
Blouse: Old Navy, exact
Blazer: Banana Republic
Jeans: Banana Republic skinny straight

Are there any items that you absolutely adore and try to make a day a week out of wearing?

Linking up with All Things Thursday & What I Wore to Work!

February 2014 Spending Recap

Gap pullover cable sweater: 17.50

Lands End Canvas twill knit pants: 26.00 each x 2

J Crew Factory dress: 34.50

Not pictured:

Loft jeweled cardigan: 8.00

Loft tights: 2.00

Loft skinny jeans: 15

Total spent in February: 94.00.

By far one of my cheapest months yet. I think that I am fairly content with my wardrobe as it is now, and I'm not even sure that I will keep the above mentioned 8.00 cardigan (do I really need another cardigan? Probably not...).

I'm also hoping to make March and April low spend fashion months as well, and keep drawing inspiration from other blogs and remixing pieces in my current wardrobe.

How did you do in February?

Linking up with Fran!