January SYB/SYC - YouLookFab Forum

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January SYB/SYC

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

If you are doing SYC or SYB, how's it going? Me, not so great. It's only halfway through January and I'm already through my monthly budget. :/ Over budget, actually, if you count the items I have ordered but haven't yet received, some of which I will likely return. Which leads me to ask, how do you deal with possible returns and orders in process, if you keep a budget? Or do you just total everything up at the end of the month and see where you're at?

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27 replies

Latest reply was from Carla

Sarah A

Veteran

Oh i am already over budget. I am trying to get over buying stuff everyweek (even if just $10) but maybe not doing so well. Perhaps i can get my resale stuff together to offset and balance the budget (i dont really want to return what i bought but.... )

Mo

(website)

Veteran

I'm over budget too - oops. As to how I keep track: I have decided to underline those items paid for and on order that I do not have yet or have not decided on, and to boldface and italicize the items I'm keeping.

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Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

Mo, a spreadsheet is a great idea. Right now I've just got everything in a text file, with a 'hand typed' running total at the top.

I should have said before, this is my first month using the budget, so I'm not too surprised I'm over. I need to learn to rachet down, which is the whole reason I decided to have a budget this year.

Mo

(website)

Veteran

Progress, not perfection Good job on even starting to keep track!

Oh, and if/when I return something I just erase it and add the postal costs in the proper row

lyn*

(website)

Veteran

On budget, slightly under because of the cobbler fixing things for a lot cheaper than I thought they would be.

I may end up being over budget because I need to buy a blender. Mine broke.

Anonymous

I have bought one pair of black dress pants (still undecided if K/R)- but they are replacing a pair I have not been happy with. Otherwise I have actually donated/consigned several things, so I am now net negative. I have looked at a number of things but then think: do I already have something similar, will this really get worn/do I need it, etc.
All in all I think it's going well. Kind of like a closet diet! I will eventually fall off the wagon, just not yet!

fern

Veteran

I go by quarters - monthly was too finicky, especially with online orders and returns. I use a spreadsheet.
So I'm totally on budget (for Jan-March). Yes, I'm usually "out of money" by the 3rd month, but that works too - as a little pause, and the next quarter is coming soon enough.

DonnaF

Veteran

Ummmm. Well, I am a month ahead of myself. And I will be more than two months ahead of myself if Zappos shows that the booties I want are down to the last two or three; I'm checking every day. In my defense, a number of items on my Wish List went on sale, and I didn't want to miss out. But the sandal boots were not on my radar at all. I dreamt about them two nights in a row, and since my right foot has grown unbelievably picky, I thought I should at least give them a try because they could be the 1 in 1,000 that works.

I was hoping to make purchases on Nordstrom's Triple Points days in March, but it looks like I won't make it that far. . .

In truth, I think I will be able to slow down this year because I bought so much last year. (Or was last year just a warm up, lol.)

anne

Veteran

I am doing pretty well. The whole point of my SYB was that I had already spent most of the rest of the budget for the year (calculated Jul- Jun) - I spent about 5 months worth on a new pair of shoes that I'll probably keep (my budget is $43 a month, BTW) All I have spent so far this year is $10 for sports socks and I really did need those as mine had holes in uncomfortable places.

I do need to get around to getting a voucher from my reward program so I can buy a new bra, some workout gear and I hope, a casual sweatshirt for the far off winter. I'd love to get a reflective backpack for cycling.

anne

Veteran

Oh, and I'll credit back returns once the amount is back in my account. Although the money goes in monthly, I think of clothing as an annual expense

Sarah A

Veteran

Interesting Anne , that although the money moves monthly you think of the expense annually. After just identifying some new things (kibbe type, wardrobe holes) for my 2014 goals i am in a hurry to now fix these things....

As far a budgeting tracking, i have a running amount on my phone. My current available amount, start amount (annual) any additions (sale of unused items proceeds) and reductions (purchases). I am keeping seperate lusts for clothes and gear. I also have my style goals and wardrobe holes lists in the same place (since the paper copies were never where i could find them to take shopping last year.)

Eta: lusts was supposed to be lists but... Hahaha it is more true that way

viva

Veteran

I was doing alright, not great, but just realized that I probably need to try to grab a pair of bad weather boots or booties while there are still some around. I had forgotten that the weather is really the worst now, with mud and snow and sleet mixing for the next several months, and the booties I have been living in are just not suited to weather. So this purchase will eat up quite a bit of what is left for first quarter. Not what I was hoping for.

Glory

Veteran

I am doing really well on SYC, however it is only Jan 17. There are loads of tempting items taunting me. I have filled and emptied a couple of shopping carts. My downfall is buying out of season due to sales. I am really working hard to stop doing that.
So far I have bought 2 work out tshirts and a pair of winter boots (recommended by Una).
As for the budget, I include it once I order it or purchase it. If I return it then I subtract it.

Alassë

Veteran

So far I'm doing excellently, but it's only halfway through the month.

For budget tracking I have a document that I list each item + what it cost. I add that to my running total. If I have to return, I subtract the amount after shipping/refund. The total fluctuates a lot (returns), but that's what it's there for - giving me a to-the-penny account of what I've spent/kept.

Mo

(website)

Veteran

I should amend that I'm not necessarily over budget, dollar wise, I am over number of clothing items per month, which is how I'm trying to keep things under control. I do the budget yearly, with projected costs of items, which I adjust as I go with actual purchase amounts.

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

Sarah, that's a great idea to keep it on your phone - I think I have the ability to keep a text file on my computer that will sync to my phone, I should check with that. That way I can track the numbers on my computer but still have the totals and my wishlist when I'm out shopping.

Maybe I should just put everything down as a debit when I buy it, and then another entry for the credit if I return - I'd be totally in the red for January but once my returns get processed February would get some of it back, etc.

kkards

Veteran

i had a bummer of a day last Saturday, and i shopped on Sunday...yup, i'm am emotional shopper. but this morning, i decided that i did not need the black flats that i got a great price at Marshalls', nor did i need another pair of navy pants that i got on sale at nordies, so at least those will be going back.

shedev

Veteran

I've only bought a pair of jeans so far. I'm doing a 24 for 12 this year. My budget is pretty generous because I am trying to embrace less better stuff and don't want to settle on the cheapest thing to satisfy the budget. Next year I will tighten down the dollar amounts, but this year I just want to focus on finding really good stuff. The items in my watch list are still over budget so I will most likely wait until Feb and splurge on one of them if they don't go on sale. I think this might be the year of the splurge for me.

Susie

Veteran

I haven't established a specific dollar amount but I do know that I want to try to add considerably less in terms of number of pieces, compared to last year. My initial thought was approximately 4-5 pieces per month. Halfway through the month, I've already exceeded that number...oops!

Here is an interesting post regarding budgeting techniques from Anuschka at Into Mind:

http://into-mind.com/2014/01/1.....-curators/

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

That's a really interesting article, Susie. I can imagine the 80/20 approach might work for me - 80% being prepplanned and 20% being more impulsive buys. As it stands now, getting a bargain tends to drive my purchases more than anything,else - I even wait to replace needed basics, unless they are totally worn out, until I get a deal.

Gigi

Veteran

I will admit that I don't budget but do what feels "right." (OK, that can get me into trouble!) But as to your question about dealing with returns, I don't know that I would consider the not-yet-rec'd items as part of the budget. You really don't know how many of them you will keep. And you have the option of returning as many of them as you need to to stay on budget. But you might run into a much-needed wardrobe item while you are waiting for this other order to arrive, and it doesn't make sense not to buy the much-needed wardrobe item to stay within your budget when you don't know if you'll even be keeping what you've just ordered. You can always take a month or two off from shopping to get back on budget if you overspend yourself. (Although that may be easier said than done.)

Jacky

Veteran

I'm doing pretty well - I haven't bought any clothing this month yet. However, I was more than twice over my budget last month, so I'm really just trying to catch back up!

For tracking my spending, I use mint.com - you can connect your credit cards to it, and it logs your purchases in the categories you set up. You can also tell it to roll over your budget, so if you under or overspend in a month, it credit/debits your budget for the next month.

Anonymous

Something about a new year prompts the shopping impulse for me I guess! Used up the January budget already too. You are not alone.

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

I just finished up deciding what of my online orders is going back, which leaves me at approximately 130% of budget for January. Whoops! Guess February will be a little austere.

Disha

I am doin OK so far. I set a budget of $200 every month. I sort of ran into some sales in very early Jan, and used up my allotment.

So, now till February, I am not even looking at store emails or visiting stores. I like the it's done and gone, nothing left, mentality. The key is that I truly don't need anything. Fun wants can be had at any given point, so why push it this month.

Gracie

Veteran

I don't have a specific amount to spend every month, my goal is to spend less than last year. I already had a big purchase in January having found my flat black point toe booties after three months of trying different ones (Belle by Siegerson Morrison Campbell). I also received birthday money and bought a dress and a light weight fluid sweater top.

I wonder if I'm the only one who counts items purchased with gift money towards the budget or set goal. I find it keeps me more aware of my real clothing expenses – after all, I could have used the money for a massage, or books or something else.

Carla

Veteran

SYC going very well. I got to exercise my shopping mojo 'cause my bathrobe fell apart at the seams, and rather than go conventional (replace pale blue with pale blue)! I got a vibrant purple in comfy terry cloth! Ended up being 30% off. Then a $10 night gown marked down from $40 (had a mark on it I was able to get out with stain erase!).

I don't really count these kind of purchases, or u-wear....and I don't think lyn* should count a blender!

Had to dress for warmth early in the month, and recently I've been duplicating favourite combos.