one in, one out: december 2014

for each clothing, shoe, and accessory purchase i make this year, i am donating/selling/recycling a comparable item in an effort to better manage my closet.  check out my "one in, one out" tag for more of these monthly posts!

{what came in} 

item purchased	$ paid	original
j crew factory lace-stripe blouse	23.60	78
j crew factory embroidered-front top - pink	21.59	59.50
toms metallic desert wedges	66.75	89
merona doubleweave straight leg pants - gray	16.74	27.99
merona crepe ss blouse - floral	13.09	22.99
merona embellished crew neck sweater	14.36	27.99
old navy cableknit sweater - emerald	7.60	34.94
old navy swing coat - gray	11.68	49.94
old navy sleeveless fleece dress	5.97	34.94
old navy boat-neck top - raisin	0.75	12.50
j crew factory heathered tights	ppal	16.50
j crew factory tipped peter pan collar tee	ppal	74.20
*merona boot-cut jeans (gw)	2.62
target sleeveless navy/green blouse (new-gw)	3.74	19.99
*loft floral pencil skirt (gw)	3.74
*loft navy/yellow striped SS blouse (gw)	4.49
mossimo fleece sweatpants - black	gift	19.99
handmade gray cowl (see below)	gift
charming charlie gray/pink houndstooth scarf	gift	14
	$196.72

* not pictured

there wasn't much reason behind what i purchased this month, just stuff i liked!  i was happy to get a few new j crew factory blouses (i don't have much willpower at that store, so thankfully their 30% off clearance codes come around pretty frequently) and some good deals at old navy with a percentage off code and gift card.  i'm glad i found a few deals when i went out thrifting with my mom last week too, including a nice dark-wash pair of jeans i can wear to work on fridays.  i also always include any clothing/accessory gifts i receive in my spreadsheet; here's the cowl that my sister knit for me for christmas:

(i know, awesome huh?)

{what went out}

 

looking ahead:  in 2015, i definitely plan to continue with this "one in, one out" philosophy and i am going to challenge myself to stick to a budget (no more spending sprees of $200 a month, gah!).  i'm sure closet organization will be an ongoing project in 2015 as well, which may include some sort of inventory.  i always feel a bit embarrassed when i have friends or family over and we take them on a tour that inevitably includes my small walk-in closet that is packed with clothes.  everyone has something to say, and i'm starting to feel a bit embarrassed and gluttonous by the shear amount of clothes i have.  i've always had this mindset that if i have the space, i might as well fill it, but if the space i have isn't filled with clothes i love and wear all the time, what's the point?  if you're curious (i know i always am), here's a quick look at my closet:

left: folded up sweaters & cardigans on a bookshelf / boxes of tights & folded up pants sitting on top
middle: blazers (unseen, on far left) / sleeveless blouses / button downs / dresses (unseen, on far right)
right: 3/4 sleeve blouses / short sleeve blouses / skirts hanging underneath