After last week, I had $45 left of my $125 to spend.   This week was my birthday, so I did a little bit of shopping

3/4 Sleeve Cotton/Cashmere blend Tee, J Crew, $15 on Ebay

Gap filled:  3/4 sleeve work blouses

I don’t know how to begin to express how much I love this blouse.  It’s soft, it’s light enough to take me from Spring to Summer, it has lovely, on trend Breton stripes.  And the price!  I keep seeing this blouse being listed on Ebay, and it usually ends up selling for at least $35, so I surprised even myself when I managed to get it for such a low price.  This is certainly going to become a staple for me, both at work and on the weekends.

I mentioned that I went thrifting on my birthday.  I was substituting in Brandon that day, which is about 20 minutes east of Tampa, and one of my readers had recently told me about a new thrift store in that area, so I decided to check it out.  I went to Lighthouse Ministries Family Store, and came home with some excellent loot.  I ended up having a lot of luck with blouses, but didn’t find any trousers, jeans or skirts to try on.  The store was very clean, the prices excellent, the items in good condition, and the staff friendly.  They had a lot of vintage and brand name items.  Here’s what I bought there for a total of $26!

Red Tee: Old Navy
Blue Tee: White Stag
Grey Tee: George

Gap filled: Casual 3/4 sleeve tees

Casual tees weren’t expressly on my gaps list, but these were dirt cheap and decent quality, and it’s always nice to have some comfy tees for wearing around the house.  The red one can probably be dressed up for work too.

Raspberry button-down: Gap
Yellow button-down: Alexandra Bartlett
Green Button-down: St Johns Bay
Green kimono blouse: Voice
Turquoise button-down: Westbound

Gap filled: Work blouses, summer casuals

I’ve mentioned before that I only have one button-down, which I hate.  These, however, I love.  The 3/4 sleeve ones will be fantastic for work, and I adore the colors.  The sleeveless ones will help me to stay polished once it gets ridiculously hot in the summer, and they’ll work for casual weekends too.  The kimono blouse is just awesome and unique.

Vintage 80′s “Leather” Clutch

Gap filled: “Leather” clutch

I’ve been looking for a good leather clutch for awhile.  I wanted something that would be just large enough to hold my wallet, keys, cell phone, and lip gloss.  Something that would be dressy enough to wear to dinner or special events, but that would also work with casual outfits for hanging out with friends.  This one fits the bill perfectly.  I don’t think it’s real leather, but it’s not really bad quality either.  Plus, the strap can be tucked in, so I can carry it in my hands, or as a shoulder bag.

So after all that, I ended up with $4 left, which will roll over into next month.  I managed to stick to my budget!  Of course, there was $50 of early birthday money that I spent at Anthro, which helped a lot.  And I’ll be getting a little bit more this weekend, which will help make March less difficult.  I’m really happy with how my shopping habits are transforming.  I feel like I have become much more discriminating, focusing only on items that I really love.  I’m so tired of buying “okay” items just to toss them at the next closet purging.  I’m really starting to get a good grasp of what I love, which makes it much easier to eliminate items while shopping.  And I’m starting to have a wardrobe that really makes me happy, full of pieces that fit well and look great.  I’m lovin’ it.