may.

I feel like this is where a lot of the shopping comes in. It was getting close to the wedding and summer was starting. Here goes:

zappos-- $30
marshalls-- $100
nordstrom-- $23
target-- $46


Oh wait, I just realized I was adding up June instead of May. I'm gonna stop here, but let's just say that's a preview of what's to come in June. There was a bit more though. So, let's try again, this time May:

target-- $78
etsy-- $108 (this was my reception dress. does this count?)
target-- $69
saks-- $55

grand total of $310. Can't wait for my birthday presents! Sangeeta already sent me a couple dresses that are adorable. Thank goodness.

glimpse.

Ugh. Today I ran into Target after work to grab some cards and other school stuff (that dollar area is AWESOME for treasure chest crap stuff). Anyways, of course right next to is was all the clothes. Alllllllll the clothes I've been avoiding for so long. Man. They have some super cute stuff. My mind was capturing it all in the 30 seconds I saw it. Cute bathing suits, adorable tank dress with frillies on the bottom, floral dress with a bow thing in the front. Man, oh man.

Is it June 9th yet?

desperate.

I am getting so incredibly bored with my clothes. Apparently I must be wearing the same stuff over and over b/c I wore one of Erin's dresses this week to work (and actually a diff. one last week) and several people asked "Kara, did you go shopping?!" Everyone knows my wardrobe by heart now. So. lame. Brandon must be tired of seeing the same outfits, but he's probably NOT tired of seeing a little more money in the bank. He can deal. I pulling things out of my closet that I would normally never wear. I suppose that's what all this about. Thank goodness my birthday is coming up in about a month. I'm already planning what I'm going to buy. Nothing terribly specific (mainly b/c I have no idea what's out there), but general ideas. I almost checked out a couple websites to pick some for my birthday, but I'm afraid if I start looking I wont be able to stop. And speaking of what I want, I love bathing suits. Like I get at least one new one every year. However, I think I'm going to forgo this year since I really don't get much use out of them. That and I may or may not have bought 3 last summer, but that's beside the point. I was going to Costa Rica for my honeymoon. I needed bathing suits to choose from. I'm getting a little bit of a shopping bug, but I can definitely make it another month.

april.

This has sort of turned into just documenting how little much I'm saving as opposed to my experiences as a non-shopoholic. I suppose I've just been too busy at the moment to update, but also I haven't really had many experiences. I avoid all malls and targets as if I'll catch the swine flu if I even think about going near one. That strategy seems to be working for me b/c I really feel no pain at all not going shopping. In fact, not only has it been a money saver (at least I think it will be), but also a time saver. I was one of those girls that would go to the mall when there was nothing better to do, wasting my money on things I didn't really need but felt I couldn't pass up or even better things I would someday need. You know, like in case I had some black tie affair to go to, or a random ski trip I needed to be prepared for. You know I don't like to be unprepared. So it's that time again where I hold my breath, pray for outrageous spending in '09 and confess my previous spending sins:

$38-- Target
$36-- Sephora (not counting this since make up is not on the banned list)
$36-- Marshalls (oh Marshalls, how do I love thee)
$96-- Forever 21 (don't judge, stuff is cheap there. I probably bought the entire first floor for this)
$77- Target

That's a grand total of $247. In other bank news this is also the month last year that I bought Brandon's wedding band :) and got my tax refund. So there were 2 awesome account happenings as well.

march.

March. Was. Insane. and thank goodness because I did not even notice that I wasn't shopping. Yes, I remember that I did in fact do a little shopping in Singapore, but this is the time that girls like to shop the most. Stores are coming out with spring dresses, flouncy skirts, and super cute tanks. I? Cannot even bare to look at magazines for fear that there will be an amazing Target ad or something. Luckily in March I had no time to even think about flouncy skirts. I was too busy thinking about surviving the last couple months of school and packing up all our crap for the "big" move. Anyways, I've counted up March of '09 (pretty easy this time) and here it is:

$68-- Banana Republic

Huh. Seems like I actually SPENT more this March than last March, but hey, last March I didn't go anywhere cool. I'm not letting it get me down, I just keep looking at last February and it encourages me. If nothing else I'm learning self control which, come to think of it, I kind of already feel like I have. So if nothing else I'm EXCERCISING my self control. Yea, that sounds good. and maybe realizing my shopping problem wasn't as bad as I thought. Eh, it'll make a good story.

$110.

I had an internal struggle before leaving for Singapore. Everytime I mentioned going there people would say "Oh, they have GREAT shopping!" I'd just smile and think to myself "Why do they insist on teasing me so?" Several people asked if I was going to let myself shop and I'd hesitate and say probably not. I mean, I took on this challenge so I needed to stick with it. A few people (and these are my favorites) thought that was ridiculous and I definitely needed to let myself have fun. I decided to listen to them. I mean going half way around the world is kind of a once in a lifetime thing and I surely wanted to make the most of it. And let me tell you, when they say Singapore has great shopping, that is an understatement. Sure they have all the fancy pants stores, but then they have all these awesome small stores. Like tons of them. So I made a decision to let myself spend no more than $150. I think that's a fair amount. And I didn't shop at any stores we have here in the US. Although MOST of the stores in the malls over there aren't stores we have in the US so that was easy. I feel a little guilty for going shopping, but I'm trying to let that go.

Here is what I bought for a grand total of $110:

  

Yea, that's right-- about $18 per item. Ha.

february.

Who knew I'd be so glad that I had a frivolous February in 09?! This is slightly more rewarding than January was. Here is why:

$61-- Target
$35-- Nine West
$80-- Target
$75-- Macy's
$96-- Nordstrom *ouch*

That makes a grand total of $347. Yowza! I feel like I should put in a disclaimer that I was indeed getting married last year so I tended to use that as an excuse for just about everything I bought. I can't say that EVERYTHING from Target was clothes/shoes, but I know myself and my Target obsession so I'd have to admit that most of it is probably clothes and shoes. I also have had a tendency to buy clothes at Target, go home, try them on and talk myself out of some of the things I bought. We knew this was going to be a very rough estimate, and I'm actually strangely happy to see that number. *Insert sigh of relief with a hint of embarassment for how much I spent last February.*