A couple of months ago I made the mistake of looking at my credit card statement and totting up the amount I’d spent on clothes since the start of the year and I was slightly hideously shocked at the amount I’d spent. I really had no idea that such a big proportion of my pay goes on clothes, oops! If I think about it it’s not that surprising as on an average day I’m probably wearing three items (clothes, shoes or jewelery) that I’ve purchased in the last six months – the perils of shedding weight I suppose. Since looking at that credit card statement I’ve started to think about what I’m buying as my spending has clearly been getting out of control. This has being going quite well, but I do find that sometimes that impulse to buy anything and everything that fits rears its ugly head again, so I figure I need another incentive to ensure that I don’t spend stupid amounts on clothes each months. The solution? Budgeting Bloggers, where the idea is to stick to a budget each week and other bloggers will help to hold you accountable to this amount. Lau has already been doing it for a month (check out her recent post here) and I think it’ll definitely help me make better shopping choices and stick to a budget, as let’s be honest if I have a budget I’m less likely to spend £50 quid on stuff I don’t need in Primark. So I’m now in my first month of budget blogging – eek what a scary thought.

So first off I need to come up with a budget amount. The general rule is to do between 5 and 8 % of your wage, so I’ve settled on £130 for all clothes, shoes, accessories and beauty products – nail varnish, make up, etc. that I buy a month. Before I get started on the first month, I thought it might be interesting to look back to the last month and see how much I’ve spent and what I’ve got for that money. This could be eye-opening….

May’s shopping in pictures

Sunkissed Pullover, Gap (£17.99) – This is the comfiest jumper I’ve ever owned and I love the colour. It’s perfect for the summer thanks to its pastel shade and goes perfectly with my silver starred skinnies – although I feel like a walking talking Gap advert in both items!

Aztec Pump and Navy Pumps, Primark (£8.00 each) – Also known as the comfiest pumps in existence, hence why I ended up buying these in two colours. Sometimes you just know you’ll be wearing a pair of shoes all the time so it makes sense to buy multiple pairs. Three of my friends also have these shoes in various colours. I think that’s 100% proof that these shoes are awesome.

Pink v Neck t shirt, Gap (£4.99) – I needed another plain t-shirt, so when I saw that this one was in the sale, I was all over it. Thankfully it’s perfect with everything I could want to wear it with and at less than a fiver it’s not exactly expensive!

Black Heels, H&M (£25.00) – I am totally in love with these, I bought them on a whim the day or so before the big 60th birthday bash earlier in the month and I was mildly surprised that they were so comfy as they were only £25. They’ve already had two outings in the last month so they’ve definitely paid for themselves already.

Studded Belt, Gap (£5) – Basically an essential item for my wardrobe as my current belt has seen better days.

Mint Jumper, H&M (£12.99) – Yes this is the second jumper I’ve bought in May, further proof that Summer is yet to arrive, but I’m not complainging that a new jumper was needed. As it’s mint (a fave colour of mine) and super soft. The only bad thing about this is that I can’t get it in any other colours, which perhaps is a good thing for the budget, yes?

Cream and Navy Bowling Bag, Primark (£9.00) – I didn’t need another bag as I have about 25 in my wardrobe, however seeing as I don’t have a cream or blue bowling bag and at only £9 it was sort of a no-brainer!

Navy Cardigan, Primark (£4.20) – An essential in any wardrobe and a total steal at only £4.20 (who knew Primark had special offers?!)

Floral Skater Dress, ASOS (£22.00), Chambray Skater Dress, Oasis (£36.00) and Bright Pink Dress, Dorothy Perkins (£20.00) – I’ve discussed all three of these lovely dresses here and I think these three will get me through the Summer and Winter as they are all versatile and season proof (my new word).

So the grand total of all these lovely items? £168. Yes I fear this budget malarkey might be trickier than I think….