August 2016 Month in Review

SEX
Now that I have your attention, come to the next meeting of Water Bottles Anonymous

We still bought quite a few things for the home this month, but it looks like we are all set up now, thanks to Croissant's mom's willingness to take us to Ikea! (I love Ikea. I just love going in the little model homes they have set up, even if I don't buy anything. In fact, it's better if I don't have much of a shopping list, since I can just poke around and enjoy the "showrooms" instead of trying to find something specific in that maze!)

On the personal front, I'm back to buying random things for myself here and there, with a few items of "gear up for fall" clothing. I expect to buy more "gear up for fall" clothing in September; not because I particularly need anything (I could almost certainly get by on what I have now), but because it's so hard to resist!

Household

Rugs - $300

We needed some rugs to soften our footsteps for our downstairs neighbors. This includes 3 small rugs and some rug pads. We may get another rug for the front entryway.

Household Finishing Touches - $200

Folding deck chairs & table, TV tray, lamp, picture frames, hangers, power strips, night lights, and a boot tray (not really needed now, but in the winter, we'll be glad we have this.)

11 plates from Ikea - $27

We have four plates in continuous circulation, but we wanted to have some backup plates for company. We don't like plastic picnic plates, but we'd considered some bamboo-based ones and metal camping ones until we discovered that Ikea had stoneware for $2.49 a plate, which beat everything else.

TOTAL: $527

Personal

Hot Pink S'well bottle - $26

I lusted after it through the end of July, and promptly bought it on August 1 when my budget reset. (The guy at the store told me with was the last one!!) Water bottles are officially my weakness. This makes my fourth. Why does one human need four water bottles??

I keep buying smaller and smaller, too - this one is only nine ounces! But when a bottle is at all clunky or heavy, I end up not carrying it, and then I'm dehydrated all the time. I have succeeded in carrying this one nearly every day, because it's so small--just like one of those mini-bottles of Poland Spring you sometimes get for free at a catered meeting or something. It's very convenient. It's perfect for incidental sips as you walk around (commuting, errands, washing down lunch, etc.) I did find it to be too small when I took it on a weekend trip to New York City on one of the hottest weekends of the year - I should have brought a larger one for that.

So, you see, all my water bottles have a specific purpose and a point! Right? Rigggghttt???

Goodwill clothes - $12

This consisted of a magenta silk shell for work (100% silk because my Goodwill ROCKS), and a wool turquoise V-neck sweater. I think I have a wool turquoise V-neck sweater, but now I have ANOTHER ONE, DAMMIT. Because when you find a 100% wool sweater in Goodwill that is your color and fits you and looks great, you buy it! As fall approaches, I'll need to do a "sweater audit" to determine what I actually have.

Flannel - $16

Pre-owned from Poshmark. Includes shipping. I googled "teal flannel" in order to show a friend an example of a True Summer flannel that he could wear, and this popped up. I fell in love, so I bought it. While I haven't had much chance to wear flannel yet as it's still been warm, this is absolutely my new favorite flannel and I expect to wear it a lot in the fall.

Scarf - $12

From ThredUp. I've really been working those used clothing sources. I've been enjoying infinity scarves for work because they're such an easy way to accessorize.

Underwear - $68

About three years ago when I started having skin problems, I replaced my brightly-colored assortment of cotton/poly/nylon/modal/spandex underwear with 12 pairs of plain white 100% cotton. (It did help a little.) Now I know the shelf life of this underwear is about three years! They are all getting worn, stretched, and dingy.at about the same rate. This accounts for 12 new pairs, also 100% cotton, but including such wild and wacky colors as beige and cream!

Nightgowns - $65

From a fashion perspective, I've always preferred more masculine sleep/loungewear (boxers, pajamas), but because of my skin issues, I have to admit that the looseness of a nightgown is more comfortable for me. I bought a bamboo viscose nightshirt back in May, primarily for travel, but I ended up wearing it all the time around the house, and it got to the point where I didn't know what to do with myself when it was in the wash. So I decided it was worthwhile buying more.

It can be kind of hard to find sleep shirts that aren't matronly floral gowns but also aren't teensy Victoria's Secret teddies, so when I found a treasure trove of preppy nightshirts on sale from Ralph Lauren, I bought two. one in a super lightweight cotton which I definitely appreciated on hotter days, and one in a medium-weight cotton more similar to my existing bamboo one.

So now I have a three-piece "nightgowndrobe," and it's been a lot better than wearing the same one all the time! I think I have room for one more, a seasonal cold-weather one, but it will all come down to weather I can find a flannel nightshirt that doesn't make look like an Alaskan grandma.

Work Cube Stuff - $56

I got some quick beautifying things (mirror, nail stuff) and gardening things (2 plants, 2 plant pots, and a liquid measuring cup, which I'm using as a small watering can).

Work Pants - $59

I haven't gotten these yet, so can't evaluate yet (and might still return). But I got a 40% off coupon, so I'm trying another $98 pair of pants from Banana Republic (should be similar to the the pair I got in March, which I love). This is part of my "gear up for fall."

Kindle Books - $6

It's going to be sad when I run out of $2 books to read. That said, most of my reading has been from the library. I've read 12 books this month, of which I only bought three. (Before you get too impressed, six of those 12 books had a reading level of fifth grade or below.)

TOTAL: $320

Not my tightest month, but not my worst either. I have a few things I want going into next month (fall clothes, a bass amp), so I'll have to prioritize if I don't want to run over my personal budget. I have no reason to believe it'll be anything other than a light household month, however, as the house is extremely geared up at this point.