Budgeting...

After establishing my need for a disposable income, I thought it would be appropriate to take a moment to talk about budgeting...

Budgeting is boring...budgeting sucks...and apparently budgeting is a necessary part of being in your twenties. At the beginning of each month, I take a look at my bank account and realize that I did not do a good job of watching my spending in the last month. This is a sad, and pathetic realization that happens to me 12 times a year. 

I get paid on the 1st and 15th of each month...

....and each month on the 1st, I feel poor,

....and each month on the 15th I feel a little richer,

....and then the 1st comes around again and I'm back to being poor.

Its a vicious cycle.

So on the first of each month I take a few minutes, and a piece of scrap paper and try to figure out my finances..

total in bank account

- rent (i hate rent)

- approx. $$ for groceries before next check

- credit card payment #1

+ 15th payment

- cable bill

- water bill 

- electric bill

- gas bill

- approx. $$ for groceries before next check

- credit card payment #2

= 

broke

Oh and did I mention that my boyfriend and I are trying to save money for a down payment on a condo/first home? Yeah...that's happening. So obviously I need to come up with a serious budget and stick to it. And the first thing I am cutting out is eating lunch in the cafeteria at work. If I ate lunch in the cafeteria everyday for a month, and spent an average of $5 each time, I would spend $25 a week = $100 a month = $1200 a year....are you f'ing kidding me?! So long cafeteria lunch...hello left overs...

If anyone has any good budgeting tips they have discovered and would like to share, I would love for you to email me or leave them in the comments. 

Disposable Income...

I need a disposable income....plain and simple....

I need a disposable income so I can stop pinning all of these amazing outfits on pinterest and start hanging them in my closet!

When I used to work at the Big Fancy I thought I needed to buy high quality, brand name, designer merchandise..and now that I don't get a discount, I have changed my way of thinking. Beautiful clothing doesn't always come with a name like Marc Jacobs, or Rag and Bone, or Helmet Lang....at least not when you're a twenty something with a "paycheck to paycheck" way of living.

Therefore, what money may fall into my disposable income will now only be spent on disposable clothing....at stores like Forever 21, H&M, and various other online retailers who offer a bargain. 

In fact, I would like to blame the Big Fancy and my irresponsible college years for my credit card debt, my lack of savings, and my paycheck to paycheck style of living....thanks a lot, ya assholes.

Oh and look at this little beauty I just snagged for an upcoming wedding 

$34.00 = steal-of-a-deal

Style Tip:

I'm going to wear this with a great statement necklace, add a few stacked bangles, and nude pumps...divine.

I need a vacation after vacation..

I need a vacation after returning from vacation....

I got back last Wednesday from a much needed getaway with my family. Most people look at a family vacation as quite a bore, but my family doesn't consist of "most people." I've got two amazing parents who just celebrated the 29th wedding anniversary this last Sunday {Congrats, Mom and Dad!}, an older brother (13 years older to be exact) who doesn't mind waking me up at 1:00am to watch It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (It was "The Nightman Cometh" episode...you can't say no to that!), another brother and sister-in-law who are always willing to enjoy a nice strong Captain and Diet with me, and who also have blessed me with the most amazing and adorable niece that an Auntie could ask for. So for me, family vacation is pretty awesome! And I had a wonderful time visiting with them.

Aside from being with my family, the best part about vacation was shopping before vacation. I discovered my new obsession with color and stripes. Here are a few of my favorites from the trip...

Dress:

 French Connection (and it was a steal from Marshalls)

All other items: 

Forever 21

**sorry this is a little out of date now...have had a lot going in the past few weeks...but don't worry there is more to come**

Outfit of the Day

Happy Monday, Everyone.....maybe it's not happy because..well..it's Monday...so perhaps..."Happy-one-day-closer-to-this-weekend-Day!" Yes, that's better.

Here is my first {Outfit of the Day} post as requested by my good friend Katie. Today's outfit isn't that exciting....because its Monday...and because I'm still recovering from the weekend..."damn you vodka tonics! damn you!"

I love scarves. All scarves...big ones, little ones, fat ones, thin ones.....if I think my outfit is boring I put on a scarf. In the middle of summer, I wear scarves. Scarf with my bathing suit...sure! wait.....no. I have a ton of scarves. An entire bin full actually....I even have Ed Hardy scarves.....that's embarrassing...I need to get rid of those. 

The Breakdown: Manic Monday

Ralph Lauren Polo Button down

Scarf

Citizens Denim

Frye Boots

blogger girl problems

So its been a while since my last post....that's when it hit me...I'm experiencing "blogger girl problems." You've all seen the others.."white girl problems," "fat girl problems," "sorority girl problems"....and now "blogger girl problems"....

"I've had the most boring week at work....so boring I can't turn any of what happened into a clever story.."

#bloggergirlproblems

"My phone died so I can't take an Instagram picture of whatever is in front of me..." 

#bloggergirlproblems

"Wake up, work, sleep, repeat...."

#bloggergirlproblems

"Pinterest has taken up all of my blogging time...." 

#bloggergirlproblems

Feel free to leave your #bloggergirlproblems in the commets

Jason "Wow"...I mean Wu.

Target has done it again. Target recently announced that it's next designer collaboration will be with 26 year old designer Jason Wu. This morning the Today show on NBC interviewed Jason Wu and got a sneek peek of his new collection. It's beautiful. And affordable. And ladylike. And I want it all! 

And while you're out...don't forget to pick up the necessities for evening. For those of you who may not follow sports, February 5th is also the day of the SuperBowl. So you go out in the morning and get amazing new clothes, and your man gets to watch football...seems like a win-win to me, right?

Back in the Big Apple

I was very much looking forward to my work trip to the Big Apple. I hadn't been back to the city since I graduated from FIT and I couldn't wait to hit up a few of my favorite restaurants and of course do a little shopping. I was told we would have some down time while we were there and I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to get all of my new clothes for my upcoming Florida vacation. Needless to say - I had no time for shopping. *sigh*

But shopping or no shopping, I had a wonderful time on the trip. We were to NYC to participate in the 101st NRF (National Retail Federation) Big Show 2012. Isn't it ironic that I am able to attend events like this only after I leave the fashion industry? We had a successful trade show and met with several retailers from across the industry. From big names like Nieman Marcus to small retailers whose names I can't remember. And I was fortunate enough to sit in on a discussion presented by David Wolfe of The Donegar Group that focused on "Fashion and the Future."

He presented up coming trends in silhouettes, color, patterns, and textiles. It was wonderful to hear that color is back. Forget all of your black on black ensembles. It's time to bring bright colors back into your wardrobe. I know we started to see some of this coming back when the colored denim was a big trend last spring and fall, but more and more designers are embracing the color movement. From 3.1 Philip Lim to Marc Jacobs to Chanel, designers across the board are showing optimism in their collections through the use of color. And retailers take note, The Donegar Group is predicting that shades of bright blues will be the first color to be embraced by the general public. So take your cobalts and put them in your A location, they are going to be the hot item. 

We also discussed how the fashion industry needs to redirect their focus from the ever popular market of 18-34, and refocus on those who are a little more mature, 55-75 market. It was inspiring listening to Mr. Wolfe talk about how clothing should no longer be classified as "age appropriate" but rather be classified as "ageless appropriate." Encouraging retailers and designers to provide fashionable pieces that are appropriate for all ages. Longer hem lines, and long sleeved blouses....concealing more, instead of covering less. He explained that designers need to refocus on the baby boomer generation...the generation that is still highly focused on fashion...and the generation that has the money to spend on luxury items. 

It was nice to be back in NYC and discussing fashion with industry professionals. And even though I wasn't able to go shopping, I was able to learn about the upcoming trends, so now I am even more prepared to stock my closet this spring. 

And for those of you who want to be on the cutting edge of fashion - 

"leopard is out...zebra is in." 

- David Wolfe.

compliments of Style.com

3.1 Philip Lim Spring RTW 2012

Check out the runway shows for Spring RTW 2012 on Style.com