Ballin’ on a Budget!

 (this is my fall/winter work & leisure collection, the coat closet in my entry way houses my boots, the rest of spring/summer is at mom and dads-dad calls it a sickness, I call it a collection!)

Happy Friday all! So chances are if you have been following me for any length of time, you know that I do relate-able fashion, that is fashion styling that won’t break the bank, because this is real, real life (thank you Campbell’s commercials for that one). Why won’t you ever see me rocking the designer duds that tons of other digital influencer's do? Well for one, it’s boring and over-saturated. Two, I work in a law office (aka not exactly a hotspot of creative inspo) and three it’s ridiculously overpriced. This girl’s got student loans y’all! (and an apartment to pay for, and just living in general which mostly means feeding my face and buying cute shoes).

In all reality however, the main reason I don’t pay for high fashion is because fashion trends come and go. I don’t spend a lot of money on trends or the “look of the moment” because it’s just that, a moment. I also enjoy being an individual with my own style, so I don’t want that Tommy sweatshirt that everyone is wearing. Since I don’t splurge on clothes, I am able to budget my wardrobe spending on the items that make me the giddiest: SHOES (side note, definitely have that “OMG, shoes” song stuck in my head right now). You know I love me some shoes! So here goes my ode to footwear and why I don’t mind spending money on it: Shoes in my opinion are the anchor of your look. They can make or break your outfit. Often times, if I don’t know what to wear that day, I start with my footwear and build an outfit based on what favorite shoe I’m rocking that day. I think they are so fun because shoes alone can really showcase your individual style and personality. Today there are so many options in colors and styles, there’s no way I can’t become a collector! Quality is another huge reason I don’t mind paying for footwear. In my daily adventures, I don’t want to suffer walking while trying to be cute. Now there are exceptions, I have bought some designer shoes in the past and they felt like torture chambers for my feet after about an hour. In some instances, you are paying for the name. Basically, I don’t mind paying for my shoes because I know I will love them and when I take care of them, they will last me. Trends are also prevalent in shoes today and while I do make some trendy buys (those darn marc fisher wedges that are just so cute) I love to buy the classic styles in all kinds of colors and prints. These include sneakers, flats, sandals and heels.

So how do I budget for my splurges? Naturally, the money I don’t spend on fancy trendy clothes and accessories I use for shoes. Another great tool that you can reference is this easy to use personal finance app from Personal Capital which is a free tool that you can get in the app store (find it here) that helps you keep track of all your accounts in one place which helps you budget and see the money available to splurge. This means that you can spend without the guilt, which when you’re a girl on a budget, that definitely happens!

I’d love to know, what are the items/item that you personally splurge on in your life? We all need one thing to make us smile at the end of the day!

Xo