2011 budget & spending

2011 spending:
starting in january of this year, i thought it would be good practice to track my spending each month.  i felt new to the thrill of finding good deals & donated target stock at the goodwill but i never knew exactly how much i spent on clothes each month.  i also wanted to try to average out my monthly spending and give myself a budget.  i have been pretty surprised at what has come out to be the average in terms of how much money i spend on clothes & accessories each month.  here's a breakdown:

month	spent	# items bought	# thrifted
january	80.49	22	14
february	18.15	7	6
march	51.84	15	6
april	67.57	16	12
may	40.85	10	5
june	46.40	10	8
july	58.42	10	6
august	51.01	12	6
september	64.95	14	6
october	49.68	9	2
november	61.44	7	1
december	92.07	17	9
	682.87	149	81

i think it's interesting to note that i naturally hovered around the $50/month range--after january, of course, when i told myself i'd just spend as "normal."  i think many people probably spend close to $50 on one item, but that is how much i spend each month!  for me, this is a budget that i'm comfortable with and i'm  proud to say that the majority of it comes through thrifting and that i get a lot out of that $50.

a few statistics:

-the least expensive item i bought was a 49c donated target stock skirt from the goodwill and the most expensive item i bought were gray old navy riding boots for $32.39

-the most items i bought in one month was 22 items, the fewest 7

-the total number of new clothing, shoes, or accessories i bought this year was 149.  that almost doesn't seem possible!  how have i really brought 150 pieces of clothing, shoes, or accessories into my apartment?  next year, i think one of my goals will be to donate more than i already do to even it out.  finally, 81 of the 149 items i purchased were thrifted, so my wardrobe really is over half thrifted (which i think is awesome!)

looking forward:

i'm going to continue tracking my spending and the items that i purchase each month in 2012.  i don't anticipate that i will change my shopping habits or spending drastically, but i hope to purchase even more wisely and stick closer to $50/month.  i've been thinking about the idea of cash envelopes so that i really abide by it.  that way, once my clothing money is gone each month, it's gone.  have you had any major thoughts or revelations about your shopping & spending habits in 2011?