Christian and I don't usually go crazy for Valentine's Day, especially on the actual day. Normally I just make one of our favorite dinners and a fun dessert and then we might go out for a fancier than normal dinner on the weekend. Since Valentine's Day was on Saturday this year we went out for a lunch date in Mystic.
Before we get to the activities of the day, let's talk about my outfit! I decided to pile on some of my favorite jewelry from Aurate. They have everything from dainty diamond necklaces and gold rings to pearls, gemstones and more! There's something in every price range and style. My favorites are their earrings. 90% of the time I'm wearing a pair of Aurate earrings, I wear them in the shower, to sleep, everything!
For those of you that are new to Aurate, here's a quick intro. Their mission is to offer sustainable, ethical handmade jewelry at affordable prices. They use recycled gold, ethically-sourced diamonds, and sustainably harvested pearls. The pieces are handmade by artisans, not a machine churning out hundreds a day. I've been a fan since 2018 so I have amassed quite the collection and gifted pieces to family members as well!
It's still very cold around here so my coat was the major part of my outfit, ha ha. I wore my Burberry coat since it is bright red, perfect for Valentine's Day (and Christmas.) Normally I'll wear some form of red as part of my outfit to be festive but this year I just wore a comfy sweater, jeans and loafers since my coat took care of the red. I got these shoes for Christmas and haven't really had a chance to wear them because of all the snow and slush.
On our day date we headed to Mystic, one of the cutest towns in Connecticut. We decided to try a new restaurant this time and headed to The Port of Call. But before lunch we took a stroll around Old Mistick Village, there are so many cute shops we love to stop in - especially the olive oil & honey store, Sticky Situations. We made it out without spending any money in that store but we did walk away with donuts from Deviant Donuts.
Sweater: Rachel Zoe (Marshalls)
Jeans: FRAME 'Le Skinny de Jeanne' (Shopbop)
Bag: Chanel Classic 2.55 Double Flap (Madison Avenue Couture)
Shoes: Sam Edelman Kyana Loafer in Plum Wine Suede (DSW)
Coat: Burberry Brit Wool Minstead Duffle Coat In Military Red via Marijane Boutique
Jewelry c/o Aurate: Crossover Ring, Pearl & Gold Bar Stud Earring, Pearl Stud Earring, Simple Pearl Bracelet, Medium Paperclip Chain Bracelet, Toi et Moi Gemstone Mini Heirloom Ring with Citrine & Amethyst, and Pearl Lariat Necklace (no longer available)
Shop the outfit:
A look at the rest of our day:
*This post was made in partnership with Responsival.*
Happy end of December and end of 2025. Let us hope that 2026 is a better year.
In the meantime, I got a couple new items of clothing for Christmas! A purple cardigan top and some purple loafers!
THE (modified) RULES
- Be mindful of purchases
- Quality over quantity
- Basics are best
MY PROGRESS
Clothes:
- Purple Polo Ralph Lauren Cashmere Sweater ($0 with credit, $18 at Marijane Boutique, retail $?)
- Joie Cardigan with Floral Embroidered Detail via Marshalls ($24.99)
- *NEW!* Rachel Zoe purple cardigan (Christmas gift)
Basics:
- Old Navy Sleeveless Open Stitch Sweater in Gingerspice ($17.49, retail $34.99)
- Old Navy Luxe Crew Neck T-shirt in Wild Currant ($8.49, retail $16.99)
- Old Navy First-Layer Ribbed Scoop-Neck Tank Top in Alpine Tundra ($4.99, retail $9.99)
- Old Navy First-Layer Ribbed Scoop-Neck Tank Top in In the Navy ($4.99, retail $9.99)
- C&C California purple linen short via Marshalls ($16.99)
- Elie by Elie Tahari Sleeveless Knit Tank via Marshalls ($16.99)
- Marled brown cardigan via Marshalls - similar option ($29.99)
Shoes:
- Ancient Greek Sandals Chania Sandal in Black ($110 via eBay, $270 retail)
- Ancient Greek Sandals Thais Sandal in "Mure" Burgundy Velvet ($15 via Poshmark, retail $275)
- *NEW!* Sam Edelman Kyana Loafer/Kyana Bit Loafer in Plum Wine Suede (Christmas gift, retail $150)
Handbags:
- Loewe Mini Puzzle Bag in Pomodoro red soft grained calfskin ($895 in Japan, retail $2650)
- Chloé Alphabet Mini Saddle Bag in Red and Brown leather ($515 via Ebay, retail $1050, used blog money)
Accessories:
- None
Activewear/Swimwear:
- None
Gifted from Brands:
- Nood No Show nipple covers - use code MEGANB for 15% off!
Spent in December: $0
Spent in 2025: $1,144.92
Spent in 2025 - counting ad money: $1,659.94
The past two weekends I've had some good quality time with Layla! 2 weekends ago a friend came over and wanted to see her so I stole her from my cousin for a sleepover. Then this past weekend my cousin was going to a wedding so I took her overnight again. She also got to hang out at my parents' house for a bit. All the field trips!
She always enjoys coming down the road to our house because she can run around our backyard smelling all the new smells. On the way to my parents' house for a labor day get together we made a pit stop for outfit photos and a quick sniff for Layla. She was dragging me all over the place hunting for who knows what. Dogs are so funny.
I rarely wear this kimono for outfit photos because it just doesn't photograph that well, but I think these came out pretty good. Whenever I wear this, which sadly isn't very often, I'm reminded of the infamous Extreme Cheapskates episode I filmed with Lydia in 2014. It still amazes me how people think shows like that are real. Spoiler: they are not. 90% is fabricated. They approached Lydia to highlight her "thriftiness" and then made up pretty much every segment of the show to make her look like a crazy person.
Kimono: Sonnetts Design - Rhode Island (Goodwill Outlet)
Bodysuit: Who What Wear x Target
Jeans: Current/Elliott skinny jean in Love Destroyed
Espadrilles: Sam Edelman 'Lars' (Net-a-Porter)
Sunglasses: Chanel
UPDATE: I should never pre-write these a week before the month is over. I made a couple purchases in last few days. One hasn't arrived yet so I'll include it next month.
I made a DSW purchase with a bunch of store credits and coupons. I bought a pair of purple suede Sam Edelman sandals which will hopefully replace my current pair that is slowly disintegrating (they're SUPER old.) Sadly they don't make the exact same style anymore but this one is similar. I also bough a cute pair of black flats to take advantage of a 25% off 2 pairs deal and wound up essentially getting those free after my $10 and 2 $5 credits. My purchase also got me a free backpack so I think I did pretty well.
UPDATE 2: I decided to add this to October since it arrived on November 1st! As I was preparing a blog post for a wedding look I wore, I came across a dress I've been wanting since 2012 (the blog proof) for $32 on eBay. I followed it and the next day the seller sent an offer of $25 for it, so I HAD to get it after texting a couple friends for the nudge I needed - aka confirmation that it was a good purchase. I can't remember the retail price from 2012 but I would say it was at least $500. Unfortunately I found out that Edun went out of business last year, which is such a shame because it was a sustainable brand and promoted artists in Africa. Now I'll cherish my 3 pieces more (and maybe buy some more secondhand if I see anything good)
Original Copy:
I made it through October without shopping! It helps that I had 3 super busy weekends at the beginning of the month so I couldn't really shop in store. I also had less extra money this month thanks to taking half of September off for my honeymoon. (the perils of freelancing and not having paid vacation!) I've been pretty good at resisting online shopping too. I just fill up carts and then abandon them to get the shopping bug out. Anyone else do that or is it just me?
I'm hoping to keep this up through the end of the year, but we'll see if any of the Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales get me! Or Net-a-Porter's Winter sale...always dangerous when that pops up! I will have some Shopbop money coming in soon thanks to my temporary partnership with them but am not sure if I'll wait until the few months is over to buy something big, or just a few things here and there.
THE (modified) RULES
- Be mindful of purchases
- Quality over quantity
- Basics are best
Clothes:
- Autumn Cashmere Landscape Cashmere Crew ($240, retail $440, Christmas + ad money)
- Sandro burgundy double breasted blazer ($36 via Roundabout Resale, retail ~$500)
- Massimo Dutti white wool blazer ($19 via Roundabout Resale, retail $130-$250)
- Rag & Bone 'Jackie' purple leather trimmed wool jacket ($32 via Roundabout, retail $495)
- eight sixty floral camisole dress ($7 via eBay, used ad money)
- Joie 'Johnesha' black polka dot tiered dress ($39.99 via Marshalls, $398 retail)
- *NEW!* Edun red printed silk dress ($25 via eBay, $500+ retail)
- J.Crew Tissue Turtleneck ($5, retail $30, used gift card)
- J.Crew Ribbed flare-sleeve turtleneck ($8, retail $45, used gift card)
- J.Crew Midrise skinny jean in velvet ($10, retail $80, used gift card)
- AG Jeans 'The Evan' pleated linen pant, Sulfur Harvest Olive ($39 @ Marshalls, $178 retail)
- Splendid Arabesque Cargo Short in Antique Military Olive ($29.99 via Marshalls, $108 retail)
- Lanvin Studded Suede 'City' Sandals ($60 via The RealReal, $790 retail, used ad money)
- Lanvin Studded Leather 'City' Sandals ($60 via The RealReal, $790 retail, used ad money)
- Ancient Greek Sandals 'Apteros' in Crosta Wine ($158 in Athens, used ad money)
- Ancient Greek Sandals X Gas Bijoux 'Stephanie Charms' in Natural/Red Charms ($254 in Santorini, used ad money)
- *NEW!* Sam Edelman 'Gigi' ($12.49 via DSW)
- *NEW!* Restricted Memo Flat ($12.49 via DSW)
- Mini Leather Bag (25€ in Italy, used ad money)
- Olive Leaf + Branch + Pearl Necklace ($50 in Santorini, used ad money)
- *NEW!* DSW Backpack (free with purchase)
- Simple Pearl Necklace c/o AUrate
Total spent in 2019: $245.46
It's something I throw on when it's hot and I don't know what to wear. A nice plus is I don't have to wear a bra with it. Always a plus in Summer! AND it has pockets, can't beat that! I guess I never think to take photos in it because it's so old. It's definitely faded over the years but still looks pretty darn good.
Dress: American Eagle (similar), Espadrilles: Sam Edelman 'Lars' (Net-a-Porter), Bag:: Marc by Marc Jacobs 'Perfect Purse ostrich-effect PVC' (Net-a-Porter), Necklace: BubuRuby, Sunglasses: Gucci
After shopping it was time for flower crowns which I declined to make because mine would have been horrible in comparison with everyone else's, haha. Following that it was time for some really good barbecue! The pulled pork was delicious and my favorite item was a bacon covered meatball. I made sure to take a BUNCH home in a to go box for Christian (I still ate more of them, ha ha.) I was a horrible blogger and barely took any pictures at the event. I'll add a link to photos if/when the CT Blogger Babes post them!
On to the outfit! I took the bohemian theme as an opportunity to wear my newly altered jumpsuit! After 2 years of not wearing this jumpsuit I finally had my mom remove the sleeves for me! SOOOO much better. I only wore it once, for a few hours, in Positano. I found it for $30 on clearance at Anthropologie and bought it with that Italy trip in mind. Sadly it just felt too over the top for me because of the sleeves so I never wore it again. Now it has a new life as a beautiful sleeveless jumpsuit!
Rosewood Jumpsuit: Twelfth Street by Cynthia Vincent (Anthropologie), Sandals: Sam Edelman 'Ginnie' c/o ThredUp, Bag: Marc by Marc Jacobs 'Ozzie Square Baby Aiden' (Shopbop), Sunglasses: Chanel
