April Budget

Recent Purchases

 

1. Floral One Should Top in Fuschia - Questhaven Fashions $10.00 – $3.50 in promo codes + $3.25 S&H = $9.75 I had an additional promo code I got on Facebook for liking their fan page, so when I saw this top, I had to make it mine. I love the color and flower details, plus with the right blazer or cardigan I can also wear it to work and easily transition into a cute date night, happy hour or going out look!

2. Steve Madden Trench CoatShopGoodWill  Won Bid at $16.00 + $11.53 S&H = $27.53 The PRICE TAGS from T.J.Maxx were still on this item at a cost of $59.99, so I still paid half of the cost for the trench (even at a discount store) with S&H, so I feel okay even though I wouldn’t normally pay $11.53 for S&H

3. Midi Strap Dress in Orange Red Asos $21.91 On Sale + Free S&H = $21.91

4. Schutz Gilberta Black HeelsShopGoodWill Won Bid at $9.00 + $11.50 S&H = $21.50 I paid a little more for S&H, but I don’t mind because when I saw these on ShopGoodwill, I knew I had to have them! They were the perfect basic pair of black pumps and when I looked up the cost of Schutz Gilberta heels, they normally run for $160 a pair. So I’d say I got another great deal! See how I wore them recently here.

5. Copacabana HeelsJustFab $39.95 + Free S&H = $39.95 I have been dying to get a pair of strappy sandals like this, but resisted for awhile. Then I saw these in mint, and had to make them mine.

6. Whitney Floral Heels - ShoeDazzle $22.57 – $9.95 for VIP members + Free S&H = $15.82 These babies were on my Spring Wishlist. So I am pretty pumped about finally having a pair of fun, colorful floral heels!

7. Leaf Floral Print BlazerLulu’s $3.00! I won the Word Wednesday daily contest on Lulu’s Facebook (they have really easy daily contests, like their page to enter these contests) and was credited $50 to my account. $46 + $7 S&H = $53 – $50 in Account Credit = $3.00

TOTAL: $139.46

So I was $39.46 over my budget. Not the best, but not bad either. I got two of my closet needs, a trench coat and black heels, so I am feeling good about that. I have also been wanting to add more colorful/patterned blazers to my collection, so I was so excited when I won $50 in store credit to Lulu’s and found this beautiful floral blazer for under $46. Also, I wanted to challenge myself to spend less than $100 a month. It’s not that it doesn’t fit into my overall budget, I just have so much already, it just doesn’t make sense to keep adding and adding things I want. So for the new dress, one shouldered top and two pairs of heels, I am excited to have these things but they weren’t needed. I guess I don’t feel bad about my overspending in clothing this month just because I’m still meeting my other budgeting goals. But again, next month I’m challenging myself to $100. I have a lot of weddings coming up and those are going to get expensive, so the less I spend on clothes/shoes, the better!

***I got two new pairs of jeans, a blouse and blazer from the Easter Bunny (aka my Mom) at the end of March. I don’t normally include gifted items from friends, family, boyfriend in these posts. Do you? Should I? I just everyone to know that I am being completely honest with my budget and include ALL of my purchases in this monthly roundup!

Linking up with Budgeting Bloggers over at Franish!

Little Red Dress

Vegas 17

After wearing this dress on New Year’s and this past weekend in Vegas, it truly is my little red dress. I think red is a great color on everyone, so I figure get your little black dress, little white dress and little red dress, and you are good to go! (sorry about the blurry photos, the camera was really off and on … just wanted to party like us instead of work I guess!)

Vegas 16

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I Really Love My… Strappy Sandals

1. Paired with cobalt jeans and coral blazer, more here

2. Paired with vintage coral dress and head scarf, more here

3. Paired with yellow dress, pink blouse and orange cardigan, more here

 

1. Guess Shoes, available here

2. Steven by Steve Madden Shoes, available here

3. Dune Floyd D Shoes, available here

Fiesta Fiesta!

I love party dresses and a Friday night is definitely a time to party, party! Or a Saturday night :) This weekend I have amazing plans to meet Heather from Pearls & Paws! It will be so great to finally meet her after finding out a few weeks ago that she lives in the Minneapolis area! I love her blog and look forward to hanging out with her tonight.

I am also excited that my friend has now officially moved into her new apartment and we will celebrate her and her boyfriend moving up to the Cities! I have quite a few printed dresses and skirts I think are fun and festive for this celebration, but this dress encompasses the colors, the print and the festiveness that encompasses the beginning of summer for me and a celebration of close friends moving here!  It is definitely going to be a great summer and I look forward to an amazing weekend!  And what about this gorgeous red clutch?! I won this in an extremely generous giveaway from Laura, blogger of Fashion Hypnotised.  She has such a keen eye for style, always looks beautiful and is such a sweetheart! I love this clutch SO much and can’t wait to add a pop of red to my outfits all summer long!

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Lady in Coral

So I must admit something: I am a liar.  The lying wasn’t on purpose, but it seems that my memories are getting confused these days.  My memories of great travels and wonderful shopping experiences, that is.  If you read my post about Napa Valley and some of the amazing vintage boutiques there, I told you that the vintage dress I am wearing in these photos was a beautiful piece purchased from Betty’s Boutique in California.  Well I am sorry to say it’s not… I only own two dresses from Betty’s Boutique.  A polka dot one (seen here) and a floral Hawaiian print one I’m sure I’ll be posting sometime this summer.

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Blue & Coral

So I FINALLY have some colored denim and when I was first deciding what to wear with my cobalt pair from Calvin Klein, I thought I would probably start out with something neutral, but when I found this striped blazer at Charlotte Russe on Saturday, I knew that I would immediately want to pair the two together! I wore this outfit yesterday to run some errands and go out to dinner with friends.  It is just one of those color combinations that makes you feel confident and vibrant  and well you simply can’t go wrong with a strappy pair of heels!

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Snakeskin: The Beginning

There was a time where I had no interest in animal prints.  When I studied abroad in England and Wales, I saw animal print in whole new light and decided to embrace it!  This snakeskin clutch from H&M was actually my first snakeskin purchase when I was studying abroad in London.  With all the hype surrounding packing the appropriate clothes and things to study aborad, I completely forgot to bring a going out purse! From there my love grew and grew…. and this pair of Steve Madden snakeskin heels was my second snakeskin investment.  I have worn them out so much that they are starting to show a lot of wear, but they are still my favorite snakeskin piece!!!!!!!

P.S. DON’T FORGET to send me your photos for tomorrow’s inspirational snakeskin post.  Please send your snakeskin outfits or accessory photos with your blog or name if you do not have a blog and I will be doing a post tomorrow with all of the photos!  You can e-mail me at rachelslookbook@gmail.com!

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Animal Print & Color Combinations

Animal Print & Color

These are a few of my favorite things… well my favorite animal print and color combinations!  I love adding pops of color to outfits as well as pops of animal prints, so when I mix the two together, these are my go-tos! I made a few outfits showing how I incorporate leopard & red, zebra & yellow and snakeskin & blue.  You can see  one of my leopard & red pairings here and my favorite pair of snakeskin heels and snakeskin faux leather pants to wear with blue here. What are your favorite colors to wear with animal prints?

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Neon Details: Part 1

So today I wanted to share three outfits incorporating neon yellow… neon yellow is by far my favorite of the neons as you will be able to tell in these photos… I have a few other neons in my closet, but these yellow pieces (and a neon yellow scarf I have) are my favorites. I am calling this post Neon Details: Part 1 because this is my take on more winterized outfits as far as the colors and the layering/tights. Neon Details: Part 2 will be coming sometime this spring when I can step outside with bare legs and smile, rather than run back inside as soon as possible because of the chilly weather.

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Inspired Style: Tweed Jacket – Whitney Port

 

So I am really excited to start a new section on my blog that will also be featured under “Outfits” called the Inspiration Board.  I gather inspiration from many sources, whether it’s from a magazine spread, advertisement, celebrities, celebrity events, looks on the street or other bloggers, I will make sure to explain what it is I love about the style and how I make it my own through specific outfit details!  You can also see more of my fashion inspiration on Pinterest… follow me at Rachel’s Lookbook!

Tweed Jacket, Vintage; Bow-tie Blouse, Macy’s; Pleather Leggings, Express; Bracelet, Kohls; Chain-Link Ankle Strap Pumps, Steve Madden Luxe

  

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