I didn’t think that January could be topped for sheer busy-ness, but I was wrong. Oh-so-wrong. February, I don’t even know where to begin with you, but the gist of it is this: you sucked. In every which way imaginable. The kids were sick almost continuously, work kicked my ass every day (and twice on Sundays), and I barely had any time to sleep (and then there was that time I got the stomach flu), much less celebrate any special moments (ahem, 7 year dating anniversary) with my husband. Honestly, I can barely muster the energy to write this post. But … habits, you know. So let’s get to it before I pass out entirely.

I bought 5 4 things and received one gift (from my husband), bringing the total to 6 5 items for an out-of-pocket cost of $201 $174. That’s a high-ish total, but the 3 things I paid for were all retail purchases bought out of necessity – so, while I did buy them on sale, I didn’t wait for a clearance sale. Anyway, I’m not really sweating it because all of the things I got this month are great pieces for my work wardrobe; considering how much time I spend at work, it’s money well spent.

First, let’s talk about this:

You already know the story of my never-thought-it-was-gonna-happen dress, but let’s revisit the financial details for the sake of this budgety post. It cost $157 (down from the never-gonna-happen $815), and I spent $0 out of pocket thanks to a gift card. This is the kind of budget math I could get used to. All that aside, I adore this dress, and I’m not the only one – it’s a compliment magnet. The colour IRL is closer to the second photo, a beautiful rich navy (see it here and here). A minor quibble: the dress is not lined, and the silk fabric is quite prone to static. Considering the original retail price, tsk tsk.

February was also the month of my Pants Situation. As in, I suddenly, desperately needed new pants.

I ended up buying three pairs, because once I took the plunge and paid retail for a pair of BR Sloan ankle crop pants, well … there was no turning back, apparently. I got them in black, grey, and a black-and-white check print. I also finally figured out that my preferred Sloan inseam length is Short; despite the fact that I’m 5’7, I must have extra short legs, because I always seem to prefer the way petite cut pants look on me. BR only stocks Short (petite?) sizes online, so this was also my first experience with ordering through their website. So far, so good. I appreciate that they offer free shipping for purchases over $50 (I’m looking at you, J. Crew and LOFT!).

I also ended up buying the Sloan pencil skirt when it was an extra 40% off. Can you believe this: I haven’t had a black pencil skirt in my closet in nearly 2 years. Talk about missing a closet staple!

[Edited to add: I’ve decided to return the skirt. When I got it and tried it on, I didn’t like the fit or the material. I really want something more similar to my old Tahari pencil skirt: soft ponte fabric, with a good sturdy lining. Black pencil skirts are not that hard to find at places like Winners, so I decided it would be better to keep looking than keep a piece I wasn’t crazy about. I’ve survived without a black pencil skirt for a while, I can make it a few more weeks or months.] 

This was an impulse buy at Winners, paid for by my husband, just because. (He’s a keeper, for sure. For anyone interested, it was on sale for $38 and there were lots of 10s and 12s still available.) It’s not exactly the same as in the stock photo, but close; I think the slit in my dress is not as high, and the red is more vibrant/prominent. (The stock photo is of a NY & Co. dress, and I find it odd that two companies would put out such similar dresses.) I was drawn to the abstract print, and the asymmetrical slit; the dress looks work-appropriate, but with a twist. The material is that thick scuba-esque fabric that was all the rage last year, which … is interesting. I mean, I’m interested to see how it holds up to wear, and how it looks with my office wardrobe staples. And, in case you’re wondering, this brings my total dress tally to approximately one bazillion.

Linking up with Franish and the other budgeting bloggers, so get clicking you guys! Then come back and tell me how you did this month.

January was an … interesting month. I worked a ton during the first 2.5 weeks (enough to basically hit my entire, increased monthly billable target), then high-tailed it to Mexico for the last week and a half. Somewhere in there, I also dealt with the flu (which hit all of us, thankfully in a mild form, right before our holiday). So, you could say that it was all a whirlwind of activity. [Doing nothing on a beach counts as an activity, right?] As a result, I didn’t do much shopping.

Well, “much” by my standards anyway. I went thrifting a couple of times over the tail-end of the holidays, and then hit the retail stores once before the trip to stock up on beach essentials. And I bought exactly one thing on eBay, kinda sorta by accident. All told, I bought 10 items, which … sounds like a lot, I know. In my defence, 6 of those items were things I “needed”  for my vacation, because my closet features a distinctive lack of beach-appropriate wear. [Go figure. The last time I hit a beach was nearly 5 years ago.] Anyway, the whole lot cost me $156, which is really not that bad.

On to the details.

This was my eBay impulse buy. I thought it could make a nice work dress (under a blazer), with the bonus of (a) not being a floral pattern, and (b) featuring the black/white/blue colour scheme I seem to favour these days.

As I mentioned, I hit up the outlet mall before my vacation to pick up a few extra “essentials” (a pair of 5-inch printed shorts and 2 lightweight, cotton tees); altogether, they cost $31. I also got a one-piece swimsuit from Winners for a very reasonable $26.

The rest of the stuff was all secondhand (either consignment or thrifted), and I can’t find photos online of any of it. Sorry! Some of these pieces you’ve already seen, some you’re going to see very soon.

• Zara chunky cardigan (seen here and here) – I love this thing, and it’s definitely turning into one of my casual wardrobe staples. Well, well worth the $7 I paid for it at Goodwill.
• Lida Baday black-and-white print dress –  Lida Baday is a Canadian designer brand that retails for thousands of dollars in some cases. I don’t know how much my dress cost originally, but it’s made in Canada, and that is surely worth $7. It has a square neckline that makes me a little bit nervous, but I’m planning to try it for work anyway. If I end up hating it, I won’t feel too bad about donating it again.
• Tie dye maxi dress – I can’t decipher the brand, but it’s supposedly made in the USA. For $7, a bargain. It’s made out of super soft and comfortable modal, and I wore the heck out of it in Mexico.
• Desigual dress – another $7 Goodwill find. I know Desigual is a popular brand with some people, but the stuff I’ve seen always struck me as a little on the, hmm, kooky side. This dress does look a little bit dated to me, but I liked the colours of the print and figured the style would be appropriate in Mexico. While I enjoyed wearing it on my vacation, I may end up giving it away because I can’t imagine when I’ll wear it again.
• RACHEL Rachel Roy striped top – I actually don’t have many striped tops, and have been missing them in my wardobe. This is a heavier t-shirt material (almost sweatshirt-like), which will be perfect for work. I paid $23 at consignment.

Linking up with Franish and the budgeting bloggers.

It honestly didn’t feel like I did much shopping in December … though you wouldn’t be able to tell from this post. Let’s get right down to the details (like pulling a band-aid, y’all): 8 items for a total of $256 (original retail $1,345).

I bought this darling pendant at Young Janes in Ottawa on Black Friday. It was $8, and totally worth it.

Quasi-impulse buy time. I was eyeing this blouse on eBay for a few months, and you guys don’t need three guesses to figure out why. I love the print. Unfortunately, by the time it came in the mail, I was in the midst of my style crisis, and this blouse is a good example of something that doesn’t fit in with the look I’m moving toward. I’m sure I’ll still get some wear out of it next summer, but I won’t lie: I do wish I’d held off on buying it.

I adore this necklace (worn here and here). I have the burgundy colorway, and it’s fantastic.

That’s is a terrible photo of this cardigan, but you get the general idea. It’s a slightly more sophisticated take on my Joe Fresh cream cardigan, which I love but which is not wearing that well. So this was a proactive measure, because a cream, open cardigan has become a staple of my wardrobe (go figure). This version was on mega sale at Winners which, considering the price, is ridiculous. It better not disintegrate on me in 6 months.

I know, I know: kooky animal print. But! It’s black and white, and sort of abstract, which can be sophisticated. Right? Right.

Again, not a great stock photo. This looks less “mall-bought business attire” in person. It’s a relaxed fit, not quite boyfriend but close. It’s got side vents and a leather collar, which give it just a little bit of edge without (hopefully!) going too far. Winners has had a ton of great mid-range designer pieces (think Theory, Elie Tahari, Joie, See by Chloe, etc.) on sale recently, so stop by if you’re in the market for something of that nature. My favourite Winners in Edmonton is the one on Gateway Boulevard.

This is definitely not a work blazer, but it’s so soft and cute, and for $6 I just couldn’t pass it up. I actually ended up buying this at Value Village during the BCRL brunch ‘n shop, which was a blast. (Thanks again to the lovely ladies who came, and made it such a fun afternoon. I’m thinking we might need to start a new tradition.) The same trip also yielded a Theory shift dress for $18 at Red Pony, for which I can’t find a photo online but trust that it’s super cute (and it will turn up on the blog in no time, I’m sure).

All I can say is: dreams do come true. I’ve been lusting after Frye boots (the Jenna moto boot, but also the Melissa) all year, but couldn’t bring myself to pay the retail price. When I saw these distressed Melissas at Winners, I couldn’t believe my luck. You’re going to get very sick of them come January, because I’ve been wearing them non-stop.

Linking up with Franish and the other budgeting bloggers as always. Tell me, how was your December shopping?