This fall I’ve been pretty careful with my clothing purchases in order to stay on track with our savings goals.

Thanks to awesome sales, store gift cards, and a handful of J.Crew Factory coupons, I’ve been able to get six new pieces that are fun to mix into my regular wardrobe while staying on budget.

The first update is a fall classic: the cozy cream sweater. I got this waffle version at J.Crew Factory and will wear it into the winter as well.

These next two items are my new fall favorites. I’ve seen the sparkle necklace (similar) and button-down shirt look for a while and wanted to try it out. I love how the crystals make the masculine plaid a little more girly.

To be honest, I wasn’t crazy about the embellished sweatshirt trend at first. But when I spotted this simple and less expensive version at Loft on sale, I decided to give it a try.

Though I styled the sweatshirt here with the black skinnies, I think it will be even cuter paired with a skirt, black tights, and booties.

As for the black skinnies, they are my new go-to pant. They instantly make any outfit look just a bit more polished.

And then of course, there are the super comfortable black booties. Clean, simple, low heel, and great leather.

As I mentioned on Monday, I am currently traveling around Boston and New Hampshire for a little belated birthday trip for Mr. Lively. If you’re wondering what I packed for the long weekend, just take a look above!

Though I don’t have many purses, I do like to match my purse to my outfit. Due to this daily bag rotation, I have tried over the years to create an essentials bag that could corral the smaller items I use in one place.

In theory, my essentials bags were always helpful. But I either stopped swapping them from bag to bag after about a week, or I would never even open the essentials bag to begin with, which rendered the whole concept useless.

However, this past month I’ve finally successfully created an essentials bag that I actually use and continue to grab before I head out the door.

For me, I found the following guidelines helpful:

Back in the day, I used to include everything under the sun – Tide sticks, sewing kits, bug spray, the kitchen sink, you name it. But really, I don’t ever use those things, and they just made the bag bulkier and less likely to fit in all of my purses.

So if you consider making an essentials bag and use a Tide stick religiously, be sure to include one! But I don’t suggest adding a mini flashlight unless you find yourself stuck in the dark on a regular basis.

By literally paring back to these five essentials, I have exactly what I need and use daily.

As far as the essentials bag itself, I am now using this little J.Crew pouch. In its past life it was a super-duper sized business card holder for Alt Summit. But really, I don’t need a huge business card caddy day-to-day. Instead, a smaller one from college works better and fits within the pouch.

Now, when I need to head out the door, I just toss my sunglasses, keys, wallet, and essentials pouch into a purse and leave.

Does anyone else have an essentials pouch? If so, did you have trouble finding the right mix of products and bag selection, too?

Four years ago, I invested in a great fall coat. It was a wool-cashmere splurge that I got on sale at J.Crew.

Over the years I faithfully wore it into the ground. So much so, that by this fall the lining looked like spaghetti squash.

Rather than purchase a new coat of a similar quality that could have run close to $300+, I decided to buy some new lining and bring this guy back to life for $120.

I picked a bright fuchsia lining at the fabric store and brought it to my trusty dry cleaner/tailor extraordinaire for re-lining, dry cleaning, and pocket repair.

Goodbye boring, whisper-thin beige lining. Hello, sturdier (and warmer) bright pink.

It’s kinda like a mullet coat – in a good way. Business on the outside, margarita night on the inside.

After completing this project, I highly recommend re-lining an old, high-quality coat. But be sure to give the project to someone you trust to do a good job with the repairs.

And remember, you can always have a little fun with the color!

When I think of the summer to fall transition, my mind naturally goes to the most important decision of all: when to switch from drinking iced tea to coffee?

This is an important decision because once I switch, I don’t go back. And if the temps hop around too much, I might end up wishing I’d stuck with my iced tea habit just a little bit longer.

Oh, and then there is the clothing transition. Thankfully, that transition is much easier than the caffeine swap.

When it comes to clothing, I get most excited to wear my jeans and boots once the weather drops. This year, I decided to try the little brown bootie trend.

This is a style that I know is here to stay — at least this season and probably next fall. So I figured I’d test the waters with these reasonably priced guys.

I like that they are the perfect shade of cognac brown and are basically the bootie version of the riding boot. Since I’m new to this trend, I want to keep things as simple as possible to start.

Oh, and you might notice that I cut my hair, too.

My hair stylist suggested that I go for the Alexa Chung look. Though I do like the shorter length, I’m still getting used to styling it properly.

Yesterday I tried the Curly Girl method, straightened it immediately after, and then used a curling iron to get more movement… it is definitely still a work in progress.

On the clothing front, as the temperatures keep jumping up and down, I have been pulling clothing from my summer wardrobe into the fall.

During the transition into the fall, I love how the booties pair with white jeans. I think the combo would also look awesome with an oversized gray or navy sweater, too.

And hey, when things start to get chilly, scarves add color and pattern to even the simplest of outfits.

Here’s to the fall! What is your most important “fall transition decision?”

This post is sponsored by Pickwick & Weller (c/o the cozy peach shirt and white slouchy tee) – and they are giving 25% off to JessLively readers! Click here to get the discount on their (really well made) tees. 

Today, I want to share a branding concept that I have applied to clothing purchases, in order to know when to spend more money.

Also, please don’t be frightened by the really intense straight hair. I got a keratin treatment for my frizzy hair and I have to wear it stick-straight for three days. (During these three days every season Mr. Lively likes to joke that he gets to see his ‘other’ wife, Jessica.)

Thanks, Rachel, for the inspiration!