Here we are again, another month gone and here we are examining our pockets and figuring out where our coins went.
If you’re new to my blog, I am a millennial female lawyer based in Toronto. I started this blog mainly to document my career and student debt repayment journey. This staple monthly post coupled with my debt diary series is something that I truly enjoy doing on a regular basis.
Here is what I purchased this month:
1. Gifts – I spent quite a bit of money on gifts this month. If there is one thing I have minimal buyers’ remorse about, it is certainly gifts. It was my husband’s birthday this month so I got him a Theragun. My assistant also got a new job so I spent some money on her last day and going away gift which I was happy to do. Speaking of local gifts, I have really been in to looking for local food providers for edible gifts and I plan on preparing a list my top choices shortly – stay tuned.
2. Clothing – I placed an order at Aritzia for socks and masks. I was initially within my low-buy rules but I ended up also ordering a sweatsuit, a pair or tights and a sweater (see my post: 5 tips and tricks for buying lounge wear).
Full disclosure, I kind of went off the rails this month and also purchased a sweatsuit from Dynamite which I returned, not because it wasn’t good quality but just because it was an impulsive purchase that I did not truthfully need (no shame in returning things ladies!).
I ended up returning an item to Lululemon (the seam unravelled and I purchased the item last year). As a result, I received a healthy credit which I used to purchase the Pace Revival Mid Rise Skirt and the Power Stride Tab Socks (not to be mistaken for the DAILY stride low ankle sock). These are by far one of my favourite purchases this month. The tennis skirt is great because it has pockets (super convenient) and the socks are amazing. I have pretty small feet and I am so picky about everyday socks (I like them to be thin and small without stretching out easily).
3. Balcony Revamp – I also made the random decision to re-do our balcony. This is just another symptom of working from home – the urge to switch things up and re-do your space.
It was very difficult to find patio furniture this late in the season (Ikea for whatever reason was also sold out of seemingly everything). I was able to find a really cute condo-friendly patio love seat from Home Depot.
If you follow me on instagram you’ve seen my balcony inspo/mood board:
Unfortunately most of these items are now sold out but if you are in the market and want to know the latest deals and finds then follow me on instagram.
This month I also purchased an outdoor rug from Home Depot.
I also purchased the photographed-above expandable trellis from Canadian Tire which I am LOVING. If you live in a public facing unit and want some privacy this is a great solution!
4. Home – I have also purchased a mini ice cube tray (perfect for those that love crushed ice but don’t have an ice crusher) and an egg cooker which I have surprisingly gotten tons of use of so far.
And thats all!
For anyone that is interested in doing this exercise themselves a great way to start (especially if you are an avid online shopper) is to go into your emails and search “order” or “receipt” at the end of the month. This way you can comb through these emails and see where your money went for the month. You can also look at your credit card statement and transaction history on your bank’s app however this will not give you the details of what exactly you purchased.
Let me know your best budget tips below!
