Frugalista: October

Month two of budgeting was, again, not successful. But, it was far more successful than September - it's all relative, isn't it!?

At first, I was doing great - amazing if you will. I managed to buy this red dress from Jacob at 50% off - thanks to a couple of gift cards I'd received after my last shopping spree. The skirt I'd been coveting on ASOS was on sale, AND I was able to find these Aldo booties on ASOS for $12 cheaper than had I bought them in store. I also picked up an oatmeal v-neck sweater - a basic, closet staple.

Like I said, at first I was doing fabulous. Then, one night, in a moment of weakness, I decided that laundry wasn't on the agenda, so I ventured up to Zellers and bought socks and tights instead of walking to the basement.

Until that point, I was $0.53 under budget; damn my small feet and need to be cozy.

Even though I was technically over budget in October, I don't consider it an all out failure. I was able to get pieces that I was in love with, had been thinking about for some time, and they all followed my goal of buying colours, patterns and items that I don't already own something similar. 

So bring on the November budget, it's time I start evening the score!

Goal for November: Shop my closet! Don't buy clothes, only accessories to enhance what I already own.

editor's note: Any items purchased for my Hallowe'en costumes were not considered part of the clothing budget for October; however, they will most likely be worn again at some point in time - I can't help it if I like to be cute even on Hallowe'en.

Frugalista: September

One of my goals for 2011 was to be more financially responsible. This was easier said than done.

It wasn't until the end of August, or the beginning of what I like to think of as The Season of Kate, that I finally started walking the talk. After reading a wide variety of books (everything from Smart Women Finish Rich and The Smart Cookies' Guide to Earning More Dough to Spend, Earn, Save and The Money Book for the Young, Fabulous & Broke) I sat down with my bank and credit card statements and took a long, hard look at where my money was going.


This was not an afternoon of sunshine and lollipops.

I quickly realized that there is nothing more depressing than realizing how much money you spend on clothes and, in my case, at Shoppers. So, I set myself a budget.

My goal wasn't so much to halt my spending, but to keep track of where my money went, and maybe limit how much of it was going to Shoppers each month. I picked an amount to spend on clothing that I thought was reasonable - in the vain of Goldilocks - nothing too big, nothing too small; but, enough that I figured I could get myself something new each month.

Not only did I NOT have beginners luck in my first month of being a frugalista, but I failed miserably. I blame this on the news that I was getting a raise and retro-pay - it only seemed right that I treat myself and spend the money I didn't yet have on pretty things.

Here's what I came home with:

Although I love everything that I got, I hope that October is far more successful at sticking to the budget! Only time will tell...