July was kind of a blur and, to be honest, I’m still a little bit in denial about the fact that it’s already August. It was a busy month (as usual), not least because my little guy turned 4 (where did that time go?) and I proceeded to freak out a little bit more about my 35th birthday, which followed shortly. I tried to rationalize my (irrational?) reaction for what seemed like an eternity but, in the end, I just accepted that this birthday was going to hit me in the feels no matter what, and just went with it. I am now officially closer to my 40s than my 20s, y’all. Watch out for falling skies.

Any-navelgazing-way.

For some reason, I only have 18 outfits to show you for July, but they’re not a bad bunch. See?

Outfit-wise, it was a good month, yeah? I liked most of these a lot, though my favourites were probably #1, #7, #8, #16 and #17. Least favourites were #3 (blah) and #10 (too buttoned up for summer). I got a bunch of new pieces this month that I adore, including the white linen blazer and print pants from J. Crew Factory (outfit #17) and the Tibi dress (outfit #14). Other recent pieces that made their appearance this month are the floral J. Crew skirt and blouse, and the Liberty print blazer. As you can see, the blush Topshop blazer is still going strong as well.

I know we’re getting to that time of year when a lot of bloggers are squealing over all things OMGFall but I, for one, am super pumped for another month of summer (and, hopefully, a really warm September too). First and foremost because #WinterIsComing (and don’t you forget it), but also because I want another few opportunities to wear some of my fave summer pieces. Who’s with me?

First of all, yes, I know: I’m a month late to this game, if we’re going to take the post title literally. And, yes, I know that I’ve slacked on the monthly shopping recap front as well. The truth is that neither shopping, nor the recapping of it, has been at the forefront of my priorities in the last couple of months. Don’t get me wrong; I’ve still shopped – a lot, if we consider July as a case in point. I just haven’t felt inclined to write about it. Reading other people’s budget posts last month did, however, give me the urge to do a quick tally of my year-to-date numbers, and after doing the math, I figured I’d might as well share it with you.

So, here we are: numbers coming at ya!

Let’s start with the big ones. Between January and July of 2014, I spent $2,462 on clothes and accessories. The estimated retail value of my purchases added up to a whopping $10,223, which means I paid, on average, about 24% of the original “on paper” value. This number tracks very close to last year’s figure, although I’ve spent considerably less overall (and bought fewer things) this year. My bargain hunting mojo is going strong.

The total amount spent in 7 months breaks down to an average of $351/month, which seems a tad high, but adjusted for 2 expensive purchases (more on that in a minute), it’s actually pretty modest ($188/month). I don’t have a predetermined budget anymore, but I try to keep my clothes spending under the “5% of net income” threshold, and (even on the high end), I’m comfortably within that limit.

I had two expensive purchases this year, which skew my numbers significantly. Both were purses, in case you couldn’t guess. Alone, they account for almost half of my year to date spending. The other half was spent on 40 items, to give you a sense of proportion – these cost, on average, about $33 each.

So, this year, I bought:

10 tops
5 skirts
9 bottoms
11 dresses
8 jackets
2 pairs of shoes
2 bags
3 accessories (jewelry)

Not bad, I think, considering it was a year in which I lost over 25 lbs and changed 2-3 dress sizes. Needless to say, I’ve also “purged” a lot of clothes from my closet this year, although I haven’t kept very good track of the numbers. I would say that, while it probably wasn’t a “one in, one out” situation, it was close. And I put “purged” in quotation marks because I finally learned my lesson, and am no longer getting rid of everything that doesn’t currently fit. I did that last year with pre-pregnancy clothes, and then had to re-buy a lot of things after my body changed, again (a year and a half later than I expected). So, things that are good quality and were good bargains (primarily work clothes) are staying put in my overflow closet for the time being. I am taking a few things to the tailor (primarily pencil skirts) to be altered, but I’m calling the rest “insurance”.

And there you have it – all the numbers and then some.

A reader recently commented that I am the queen of separates that look like dresses, and dresses that look like separates. Guilty as charged! This is an example of the latter. I bought this dress earlier in the year, but haven’t worn it very much – despite loving the print mixing – because it was a little too loose and shapeless on me. After a trip to the tailor, it fits much better. It’s still a looser silhouette, but it no longer looks like a nightgown. I’m cheap, so I hate taking clothes in to be altered (now that my grandmother is, sadly, no longer able to do my alterations), but I have to admit that it’s worth it if it means re-discovering a loved piece.

I wore this to the office with a navy blazer, which I didn’t bother photographing because, let’s face it, it’s the dress that’s the star here. I think that yellow pumps would be its perfect side-kick, but since I don’t have any (yet! note to self!), blue ones had to fill in. And then, of course, a big bag because it’s how I roll.