Hey Hello blogging world 🙂 I know it’s been a bit since my last post. After a lot of thought, I decided to take most of the summer off writing to focus on just living life AND thinking about what my goals are with When & Wear. More to come on all of that soon, but for now let’s talk about life after summer.
September is the best – you’re glowing and tan with lots of pictures and memories to share from your summer adventures. But, If you’re anything like me, summertime may have drained away all that hard earned $$$ with it’s endless weekend getaways, happy hours, and bottomless brunches. I think my bank account might actually be screaming at me… So it’s clearly time to get back on track and start sticking to a budget again.
I’ve put together some of the ways I’ll be taking back control of my spending below! But, before you dive in, let me know – would you want to do a monthly budgeting check in? Spending habits & budgeting has been on my mind a lot lately and I’d love to know if it’s something y’all are interested in reading more about!
The obvious – get back on the meal prep game
Are you sick of people telling you to meal prep yet? I know it’s redundant, but this is the easiest way to save some money on a weekly basis. In NYC the average work day lunch out costs me ~$13, but with meal prepping I can easily halve that cost if not cut it in thirds. With the little bit of calm September brings, take back your Sunday “school nights”, and start going to the grocery store and meal prepping.
If you’re thinking Sunday meal prep is too much work, just remember that it doesn’t need to be this big thing. For me, the easiest method is stopping by the grocery store and then making salads for the first couple days of the week – no real cooking required. Then I revert to leftovers from at home dinners as the week goes on!
Take advantage of the weather and skip happy hour for a walk
Ok, this is one is not only good for your bank account but for your health. As September weather sets in and we get some of those glorious early fall days, get together with friends for a walk in the park and skip the high price for cocktails. If ya really want to treat yourselves stop for a Mister Softee cone while the trucks are still out (only $3 for a cone!). A long walk is the perfect way to catch up on all your summer adventures as well!
Clean out your closet before buying fall clothes
Am I the only one who is guilty of forgetting about clothing I’ve bought in years past? Since I tuck all my cold weather clothing away for the summer months I honestly never remember what I have. This summer I accidentally bought two pairs of jeans that are essentially the same because I’d forgotten I bought the first pair (insert me rolling my eyes at myself).
Instead of immediately buying all.the.things. for fall and blowing all your money, start by going through your closet to see what you already have for jeans, sweaters, jackets, etc. Then evaluate what you actually need to purchase to round out your wardrobe for the season. Plus, if there are items from years past that didn’t get worn as much as intended sign up for Poshmark and try to make a little extra cash to spend on new pieces instead of letting pieces you’ll never wear take up space in your closet.
Finish your summer bucket list with free events
Summer may be over, but that doesn’t mean all the fun screenings and outdoor events end immediately. This month instead of scheduling brunch after brunch each weekend I’ll be making plans to go to farmers markets, stop by the Manhattan Lighthouse Festival (Yes this exists!), and maybe even go to an outdoor screening! It’s the perfect way to check off all those bucket list items you forgot about in August.
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Zara Romper (similar)
Urban Outfitters Hat (similar)
Soludos Espadrilles (similar)
Straw Bag via Etsy (similar)
