Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Budgeting Bloggers: August 2014

August was not a big shopping month for me in terms of clothes, mostly because I bought a new car (eep!) and a couple of DAR pins, so I didn't feel like spending a whole bunch of other money on stuff.  In fact, I am considering lowering my budget for next quarter, given the holidays and higher expenses.  I still bought a few things, though!


  1. Classic Toms in Olive (retail $48, paid $38 via Amazon):  My black Toms are getting up there in age and wear, so I knew I wanted a new pair.  I use them when I ride my bike, run around on weekends, etc.  I chose the Olive color because I knew it would be a good neutral that could go with either black or brown.  I might still consider the Ash grey, but these looked good for everyday wear.
  2. eShakti Sadie Dress in Radiant Orchid (originally $75, paid $33):  I added short sleeves to this dress to it would be even more retro.  I almost bought the dress in orange, then I decided the purple would be better to carry me through different seasons.  It's a bit dressy for work, but it's perfect for DAR luncheons and teas.
  3. eShakti Gingham Check Empire Waist Dress (originally $70, paid $18):  I love gingham, and I've been wanting a gingham dress for ages.  It may be August, but it's still 90-degree weather here in TN, so this girl dress will get plenty of wear, and I'd wear it into the fall with a jacket.
  4. Anjolee CZ Necklace (c/o Anjolee):  I received a CZ version of this necklace by Anjolee to review for the blog.  I love how sparkly it is.  Check out my review here.
Not Pictured:
  • Yellow Circle Skirt & Red Circle Skirt ($35 each, free shipping):  After seeing Jade's work on my friend's custom skirt, and learning of her reasonable prices (I've seen comparable ones for double the cost) and the quality looked great.  These were the quality I would expect from a site like ModCloth, so I was very happy with them!  I used a discount code for free ship.  I hope to have some pics of them in a future post.
  • eShakti Cat Print Dress ($13, via Poshmark):  It's hard to take on and off, but I got an adorable cat-print dress for a song.  I'm pretty much done buying any clothes via Poshmark.  I'd rather buy used clothes locally than online, because I haven't been having good luck with anything I buy. This dress I still hope will become something I can wear once I lose a couple of pounds based on the construction.
I know, I know, AGAIN with the eShakti dresses!  But the thing is, I get so many compliments on them!  They do require ironing (bof!) but with a huge sale plus $35 in gift coupon codes, I just had to jump in.  You'll probably see another one at least this fall, because they always throw in a $25 giftcard to use on top of their deals after you purchase something.

$172 spent - $57 earned = $115 total
$$$ savings (lots of freebies and savings!)

Quarterly Budget: $500 - $159 July - $115 August = $226 remaining

Check out the rest of this month's Budget Bloggers at the linkup at Franish!

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12 comments:

  1. I adore that purple dress! On an unrelated note, I just had a baby in May and named her Aubrey! Great name. :)

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  2. I love my name! Though when I was a little girl, most of the other Aubreys I met were boys, and it was not a popular name at all. This year, it's a Top 20 name! I kind of like finally being able to find things with my name on it, after all this time. :)


    I was named after the song by Bread.

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  3. So much Eshakti! But they are always so cute. I have still yet to try. I feel like every other blogger I know have given them a go. I need to do do it already. However, I have put myself on restriction from buying more dresses for at least a month. I have bought 2 that I haven't even worn yet. Maybe I will list some older ones on PM so I can rationalize buying more. I haven't had the greatest luck on their lately. Buyers are so fickle and weird and sellers are worse. I bought a bathing suit from a buyer and waited for 14 days before she said that she didn't have it or didn't wanna send it. So bizarre. And a buyer asked me 21 questions about an item I was selling and even brought be down in price about $5 before telling me "oops, it's a small. Nevermind!" Ugh. Doesn't this person know about filters?!??!

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  4. I love eShakti! I'm an addict, and they really do send a $25 "giftcard" that you can layer onto sales prices/deals, so I keep coming back.


    Poshmark lately blows. You're so right about it. I'm done buying from there, because only one of my purchases ever made me happy. I'm not sure if I will sell there much in the future either, because I have had stagnant sales lately. I'm going to try ThredUp to see if I can clear out some stuff for a quick buck. I'll let you know how it goes.

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  5. You got those eshakti dresses for such a great deal! Totally worth it as the fit is always amazing!

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  6. I'm actually doing that very thing this week. I have the thredup bag waiting by my closet.

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  7. I totally ordered it with the $13 return fee thing too because I'm sending them some NWT stuff that I want back if they don't take it.

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  8. I love them and get so many compliments on them at work. I'm sold.

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  9. I found out about the song by Bread after we had chosen her name. :) When we announced that we were naming her Aubrey my stepdad insisted that it was a boy's name only. You're right, suddenly the name is everywhere! And we thought we were picking an uncommon name. lol Oh, we'll, we still love it!

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  10. More than anything I find people call me Audrey by accident a lot. I actually know a couple that named their little girl Aubrey after the wife's grandfather... it's definitely for girls these days! :)


    I have always, always loved my name. I like your style!

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  11. There's the comments! I was having trouble getting them to load. -_- Every eShakti purchase I've made has been completely worth it. I don't mind seeing them! Plus your dress needs are different than mine, so I like seeing what you choose and how it works for you.
    I don't think I'm going to stop purchasing from poshmark, but if I'm not 100% sold on a piece, I think I'm going to skip it. Out of 5 posh purchases this month, 3 worked. The two that didn't, I wasn't completely sold on. I should've just skipped them.

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  12. I am 1 for 6 on Poshmark purchases. I think I just suck at picking, you know? I'm starting to browse thredUP, and I feel like I might have better luck with their quality, and the prices are fair. Shipping cheaper too.

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