Shopping Finds~ LC Lauren Conrad

I always get excited when I find a great deal, so I have to share my findings. I usually like to try to hold off until after Christmas to do most of my shopping for myself, but sometimes there are such great deals you can't pass them up. 

Lately, I have really been liking LC Lauren Conrad's line at Kohl's. First of all, I have always loved Lauren Conrad's style. I used to watch the Hills when I was in college. My favorite part of that show was seeing what LC was wearing. When I saw that she came out with a line at Kohl's I was very excited, because Kohl's is a great place to shop if your on a budget. The store is very affordable. They always have sales along with great coupons.

http://www.thegloss.com/2010/02/15/fashion/kohls-spring-2010-lauren-conrad-line/

Before Christmas, I got a ton of store coupons in the mail. Most of them were Kohl's coupons, so naturally I had to just stop in and see if they had anything I liked. I was thrilled when I found a blazer that I had tried on months before, when it was on sale for $50, now on sale for $24.99. I had a coupon for $10 off and a Friends and Family coupon for 20% off. I was so excited when they told me I could use both coupons at the same time. I ended up getting the blazer for $12.71. It was originally $70. I can justify this purchase, because I know it's something I will get good use out of it. I'm kind of obsessed with blazers lately.

Jeans are also from Kohls LC collection. Clearance find from September

A few days later I went back to Kohls, with another coupon, and found another LC Lauren Conrad find. I was looking in the clearance racks for something to wear to work. I ended up finding a blouse for $13.20, originally $44. I used a 20% off coupon and paid $11.19. 

I would for sure check out LC Lauren Conrad at Kohls! I really love her clothes and accessories, plus it's affordable! Now that Christmas is over I'm sure there will be some great sales. The next couple months are a great time to stock up on all those winter clothes. 

My Closet~ What I Wore Wednesday

I haven't posted anything for "What I Wore Wednesday" in a while. This has been for 2 reasons. First of all, I've been really busy and second of all, I haven't really loved what I've been wearing. I guess I really haven't felt that I've worn anything that special to work lately. I tend to repeat the outfits I like and I just don't feel that there always worth sharing.

Well, I'm excited to say that I just got a promotion at work and I'm now the assistant director. This is something I've wanted for a long time. I really love working with children and I want to advance as much as I can in my career. This is just another step in accomplishing my career goals. There is a lot to learn in the position, but one thing that I feel is helpful in keeping my confidence up, is to look the part. I like to wear something that I feel good in. Like I've said before, looking good and feeling good go hand and hand. When I'm at work I like to feel professional and cute at the same time.

Here's what I wore this week.

Black long sweater- Macy's

Black and white stripe shirt- Target

Black Jeggings- TJ Maxx

Brown boots- DSW

Red Bead necklace- Aldo 

Hopefully, I'll have more outfits to share in the future. Babies won't be spitting up on my clothes as much anymore, so it should be easier to find cute outfits for work now.

Vacationing on a budget

One thing that my husband and I have always had in common is that we love going on vacations. Who doesn't? We love going to new places, especially when it's a warm tropical place. In the past 5 years we have been together, we have gone on a lot of really nice vacations together. We really value that time away, so we plan and save for trips. Our goal is to go on a big trip twice a year. Since we are always looking for ways to save money, we of course plan our vacations around a budget.

For example, we just got back from a 4 night cruise in the Caribbean to Key West and Cozumel. It was relaxing and fun, everything a vacation should be. We had a budget of $1,000, which is not an easy number to stick to. We had a lot of unexpected expense pop up on the trip, but we still ended up staying within our budget when everything was all said and done. Here's how we did it...

Cruise- Cruises are the best vacation for the money in my opinion. Personally, I like to know that all my meals are already paid for when I go on a vacation. I don't like that feeling of not knowing how much I will be spending on food when I'm on vacation. Cruise ships are great because your food is included. I also love how there is entertainment every night and through out the day. The best part of a cruise ship is that you get to go to a new place everyday. I want to be able to go to as many places in my life as I can, so for me a cruise is perfect for that. The price you pay for a cruise vacation is well worth it. Like I said, we had a $1,000 budget to stick to, so we had to chose to go on a sorter cruise this time to save on money. We paid $139 per person. After taxes and gratuity it came out to be somewhere around $518 for the both of us. You really can't beat that price!

Cruise ship from one of our Bahama cruises

Flights- I can't really help out that much in this category, because we fly for free :) This helps out tremendously, because flying is such a huge expense when you go on vacations. I can, however, say that one of our extra expenses on this trip was due to flying. We fly standby, so we had to leave 2 days before our cruise, because the flight loads were so high all weekend. It forced us to have to pay for 2 nights in a hotel. We weren't thinking when we were planning our vacation week that we would be traveling the weekend after Thanksgiving. We were only looking at the cruise prices. Plane tickets are higher and also, as we found out, hotel prices are higher too. We both agreed that flying anytime around a holiday is not a good idea. If your looking to save money on a vacation, do not go during a holiday! I wish I could offer more help with finding deals on flying, but at the same time I know that there are lots of great ways that you can find airline deals. Everyone is looking to save money when it comes to flying. My best advise is just to shop around and look for the best times, be flexible with your schedule and plan ahead.

Alcohol- One thing I enjoy on vacation is sitting in the sun with a cold beer in my hand, just like the Corona commercials. The problem on a cruise ship is that alcohol is not included, but this has never been a problem for us. We always plan and set a limit for how many drinks we can have on the entire trip. This works well for us. You can spread them out however you want. On the ship, I would advise staying away from the Pina Caladas or fancy mixed drinks. Stick to beer and wine on the boat and you can stay around $5 per drink. When your off the ship at port, there are always local places you can try that offer specials. We always like to try a local beer from the area we are in.

Port Activities- One of my favorite parts of a cruise is stopping at new ports. I love getting off the boat and seeing a new place. The cruise lines will try to sell you all sorts of excursions. They all look great, but they are usually very pricy. Our favorite thing to do when we are at a new port is to get a cheap taxi ride to the nearest beach. Not all ports have this available, so it doesn't hurt to do some research before you book a cruise to find out what cheap options the ports have to offer. One of our favorite stops so far on our cruise vacations has been Nassau, Bahamas. You can take a taxi or boat over to Paradise Island for only a few bucks and the beach is beautiful! We found a little beach bar there that sells Kalik beer, The Bahamas beer, and conch fritters. 

The view from Beach Bar on Paradise Island, Nassau, Bahamas

The one thing that you have to remember is that, just because you set a budget, doesn't mean that you have to sacrifice anything. You can still have a very fun and relaxing vacation without breaking your wallet. Pick a vacation that is affordable for you and set a realistic budget that you can stick to. Remember to do your research for the best deals and plan ahead. Have a great trip!

Baby it's Cold Outside❄️

It was the perfect Friday night after a long week at work. Nothing sounded better to me then a night at home in my pajamas. The weather forecast for this weekend says snow and temperatures in the low 20's. This time of the year I love to be inside my warm little apartment, cuddled up with my husband. That is where I spent my evening. It was supposed to be our night out, but it turned into a night in. My husband ordered a dominos pizza online for 1/2 off, that I picked up on my way home from work. (Dominos website has great deals for ordering online.) I also stopped for a 6 pack of beer. I ended up finding a good 6 pack at Kroger for $6.99. Our night activities coasted us about $14.00. It was well worth it. We didn't have to leave a tip and we have left over beer and pizza for lunch tomorrow. 

Winterizing your Wardrob

 I think that it's safe to say that the cold weather is officially here and it's not going away anytime soon. I have to admit that I am not a fan of the cold weather, but I do like season changes. The thing that I appreciate most about the season changes are the wardrobe changes. I love switching up my clothes. I get excited for the first cold day when I can pull out my favorite coats and boots, the same way I get excited to feel that first warm day after a long cold winter, when I can take my coat off and put my sandals on. It's nice to switch up your wardrobe every few months.  

This is the time of year when everyone is buying all their winter clothes. I sometimes look for sales before Christmas, but I like to try to wait until January to do my major winter shopping. There are always great deals after Christmas, you just need to hold out until then. One thing I like to do, that helps me wait for the sales and get my full use out of my clothes, is to winterize what I already have from the warm weather.

Here are a few examples

This black and white dress is one of my favorite summer dresses. It was my go to summer dress this past summer. I didn't want to stop wearing it just because it got cold out. So, I put some black tights on, black boots, black long sweater and a teal scarf with the dress to make it into a winter outfit. 

 

I love this little pink skirt. I got it from Express a few years ago. I've always thought of it as only a spring or summer skirt because of the color. Well I decided to try it on with some black tight, black blazer, white sparkly tank top and black ankle boots. I think it's a cute outfit for a Christmas party.

This green polka-a-dot blouse is from target. I found it at the end of the summer in the clearance rack. I thought it was really cute, but very summery. I wasn't sure how much use I would get out of it this year, but I have. I decided to wear it with black. I paired it here with my black jeggings, black blazer and black flats.

I also bought a pair of white pants at the end of the summer this year on clearance. I have always been afraid of white pants, because 1.) I spill a lot of coffee and 2.) They are very summery. After looking around on Pinterest, I have found some ways to wear them with my winter clothes. I really like wearing them with my brown boots.

Winterizing your summer clothes is really easy. It is basically just accessorizing your summer clothes with winter accessories. Boots, tights, jackets, sweaters and scarves are really all you need to have. Before you head out to the store this holiday season, look through some of your summer clothes and you might just find something that you can winterize!

Cheap vs. Thrifty

The other day I was watching the show Extreme Cheapskate on TLC.  The show is about people who are extremely cheap and how they have found ways to save money.  One lady bought expired food and made her own reusable toilet paper.  Another lady looked for food in the garbage cans outside of upscale grocery stores and washed her clothes while she showered.  There were people peeing in jars, using yogurt cups as glasses to drink from, taking condiments from restaurants and digging through dumpsters for furniture.  I was sitting there watching this thinking, "that's beyond cheap, that's just weird".  These people think that they're saving so much money, but they're going about it all wrong.  I might be tight with money, but I'm not going to stop buying toilet paper to save a few bucks.

Lately, my husband and I have fallen under some criticism for the way we save money.  It recently happened because of our decision to get rid of our cable.  I never realized how much of a touchy subject this would be.  Personally, I am fine without cable.  It's been over a week and we are doing just fine.  We have an antenna for all the local channels and we are testing out Netflix and some other services to see which one we will go with.  Besides watching the latest episodes of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, I don't miss it at all.  I feel like our family and friends are treating us like we are "extreme cheapskate" or something like that, because of our financial decisions.

Here is the thing, people keep telling us, "you have to enjoy life and have fun".  Our responds to this is, we do.  I mean, this is why I created this blog.  I want to share with readers that you can live a fulfilling life and still save money.  My husband and I do all the things that other couples our age do to have fun.  We go out to eat, we buy clothes, we go to the movies, we go on vacation and yes, believe it or not, we still watch TV, even with out cable.  We are not going to be flushing our toilet once a week or taking ketchup packets from a restaurant to refill our bottle at home, to save a few bucks.

 So here are just a few examples of how we save on everyday activities.

Eating out- We go out to eat once or twice a week.  When we do, we look for local bars and restaurants with good specials.  We have one restaurant near us with a Wednesday night pizza special.  $5 Pizza and half off premium beer.  Our bill is usually around $10.  That's not a bad price for 2 people.  We also use coupons and reward programs at other restaurants.  And since we are thrifty, not cheap, we always still tip 20% on the original price of the food. 

Movies- I've never been that big on going to the movies, but my Kevin likes to go.  So, when there is something good out that we want to see, we make it a date and go.  What we do is go to a matinee and skip the popcorn.  There is no reason to spend money on concessions at the movies.  They are over priced and besides that, who needs to consume that many calories while watching a movie?  

Shopping- I think I touch on this topic enough in this blog, but basically, I try not to pay full price for anything.  I also try to limit my shopping.  I used to shop a lot more.  Having a full time job helps keep me out of stores.  I really don't have time to shop, but I still get it in when I can, because what girl doesn't love to shop?

Vacations- We try to go on 2 big vacations every year.  Yes, being married to an airline pilot is helpful with saving money on vacations.  The free airline travel is definitely a wonderful benefit, but even if my husband didn't work for an airline, we would still budget out a big vacation, because they are important to us.  We are planning a cruise to the Caribbean soon.  Cruises are nice, because you get to see a lot, there is great entertainment and your food is included.  We usually try to do all inclusive trips, because they help you plan out your expenses ahead of time.  Also, we have found that it's best to go during the off seasons.  Don't try to book a trip anywhere during Christmas, Easter or most of the summer.
  
 Having fun, should not mean spending tons of money and saving money, should not mean you can't enjoy life. You need to be thrifty with your money, not cheap!

The Quick at Home Manicure

I am always getting asked by people, where I get my nails done? I always have to tell them, I do them myself and they never believe me. I can't tell you the last time I had a manicure professionally done. If you are trying to live your life on a budget, one of the first things to go should be the mani/pedi's! Honestly, there is no reason to pay for something like that, when you can do it at home yourself for free!

  

I always try to keep my nail looking nice at all times. My nails and hands take quite a beating throughout the week, especially with the cold weather. Once a week, usually on Thursday night or Friday, I like to redo my nails, put on a fresh color and give my hands a quick renewal. It's easy and doesn't take very much time.

These are the products I use. 

I start of by removing the old polish with regular nail polish remover. Then, I like to touch up and shape my nails with a nail file and clippers. I like to keep my nails on the shorter side, because of my job. After, I put some cuticul oil on my nail beds and let it sit for a minute, then just wipe it off with a cotton ball. Then, I move on to a sugar scrub. I've been using the True Blue Just a Minute 60 second manicure scrub. I've had it for a while and I'm probably due for some more but, I really like how it leaves my hands so soft after. I've also used some homemade sugar scrubs as well, but I don't have any on hand right now. I will have to do some additional research to find some recipes to use in the future. Anyway, I rub that all over my hands for a minute, making sure I rub around my nail beds and knuckles really well, before I wash it off in warm water. Then, I use some lotion on my hands. My favorite brand is Lubruderm. That seems to work best when my hands are at their driest.  After, I start the polish. Sometimes, I spend more time with this step and use a top and bottom coat, but most of times I get lazy and just do the colored polish. Here is a little tip for putting polish on your nails... Paint your nails at night and let them dry. The next morning take a hot shower. This will help remove any of the polish that you might have got on your skin. After your shower your nails will look complete. 

A manicure at a salon is great, but I say, save it for a very special occasions. Try an at home manicure and save your money!

Kate Middleton

I want to talk about Kate Middleton, because she is my fashion roll model. I look up to her and love her style. My obsession with Kate Middleton started the year I got married.  I remember seeing a picture of her on the cover of a People magazine. I just thought that she was so pretty and natural looking. She didn't look like she was trying too hard to look perfect, but she still did. I followed all of the royal wedding coverage. At the same time I was planning my own wedding. After their wedding, I watched as her style matured when she became the Dutchess of Cambridge. 

I just love how she repeats outfits and wears affordable off the rack clothes. It just shows that even though she is a royal, she is still practical. 

Lets talk about how she rewears her clothes. They call her the "Royal Recycler". I love that! I've always thought that it was so wasteful how celebrities never want to be caught in the same outfit twice. I mean, they spend thousands of dollars on their clothes and they wear it once and never again. If the Duchess of Cambridge can rewear a dress and be photographed in it more then once, then anyone should be able to wear the same outfit twice.

Here are some examples of some of my favorite looks. I love what she wears when she's dressed up and when she's casual.

Now, I don't live in England and I'm not a royal, so of course I'm not going to copy her outfits exactly. I have to wear things that fit into my lifestyle that I can afford. So, I modify a lot when I'm putting a look together.

Here is me recreating the look she wore home from the hospital after they announced she was pregnant with Prince George. It's so simple, yet so polished. I wore a black trench coat over a grey sweater dress. black flat boots, black tights and a silver scarf.

Here are a few more inspired looks with clothes from my own closet. 

Grey sweater dress, black tights and black patten leather pumps. I put my beige trench coat over it to give it that Kate look. 

This jacket is a hand me down from my mom. It's a Banana Republic wool jacket. I haven't worn it yet, but I thought it looked like something Kate might wear. I tried it out with my skinny jeans, a brown belt and a stripe white and navy shirt. I tried the look with brown boots and wedges.

Same jacket as above. This time, I wore black jeggings, brown belt, a green polka-dot blouse and black sling back pumps. 

Black tank top, black blazer, white pants, brown belt, pink and grey scarf, with black sling back pumps. 

I feel like as I go through life, Kate Middleton and I will always be at similar stages. I will always be able to look to her, to guild me in my style. Kate Middleton inspires me to look my best and stay natural.

Plan Before you Buy

Like I have said before, it is not always easy to go shopping on a small budget. It takes a lot of discipline. One thing that I find helpful, is to plan ahead before I buy. I like to do my research first and find items that I will actually get good use out of. I try to keep an ongoing list of items that I want to buy eventually. Sometimes my list changes, but I usually keep it on hand with me at all times. This way I know what I'm looking for. I try not to buy things I don't need. Having a list helps me avoid buyers remorse. 

I start my research by looking on Pinterest. Pinterest is a great way to keep up with the latest fashion trends. I pin looks that I think are cute and I would actually wear, but a lot of times the clothes I pin are too expensive for my budget. What I like to do is keep an eye out for cheaper options. I usually look around on the internet first to price things out. I don't usually buy online, because I prefer to see it in person. I like to try things on and touch it before I buy it, but that's just me. After I have an idea of how much I want to pay for something, then I can look in the stores. Sometimes I can find something right away, other times it takes me months. It took me all summer to finally find a maxi skirt that I liked.

Here is an example of how I used a Pinterest idea and found an affordable option...

I am obsessed with Tory Burch flats. They're so cute for everyday shoes. Well, I can't spend $200 on a pair of flats. So, I had to keep my eyes opened for something similar, that was also affordable. I got lucky. At DSW, I found a pair of Audrey Brooke flats. They look very similar to the Tory Burch flats I wanted. They were originally sold for $100 at the department store, but at DSW they were marked at $59.95. Well, I found them on the clearance rack for 40% off. I also used a coupon and ended up paying $32.83 with tax. I wear them all the time and love them! No buyers remorse here!

My Closet~ What I Wore Wednesday

I thought it would be fun to start a "what I wore" weekly blog post. Wednesday, as we all know, is the middle of the week. It's the day that makes us believe the weekend is right around the corner. You need to keep the week going strong and what better way to do that than putting a cute outfit together. 

I think that looking good and feeling good go hand and hand. I've had those mornings, like everyone else, where I just don't care. I just want to make it through the day, so I throw my barely dry hair up in a ponytail, put on whatever I pull from my drawer and do the bare minimum makeup. In the past, when I have done this my day ends up going the same way it started. I end up not caring and not doing the best job I can do at work. I spend 40+ hours a week at my job. That's a lot of time and I want to feel good when I'm there. I want to feel confident and professional. Honestly, I think the way you present yourself reflects on the kind of person you are. Especially in the work place, no matter where you work. Would you not care about your appearance when you go to a job interview? 

 Trust me, I don't have a very glamorous job. I am an infant teacher at a child care center, so finding something to wear to work involves, finding something that's appropriate, cute, comfortable and something I don't mind getting the occasional spit up on. That's not going to stop me from putting together something cute.

So here is my Wednesday outfit. The dress code at my work is no jeans except for Fridays.

 

Grey khaki- Old Navy

Black long sleeve shirt- Old Navy

Pink and grey infinity scarf- Five Below

 Black flats- Target 

  It's casual, comfortable and of course affordable. I make sure to designated my work clothes as "work only" clothes. This means I can wear them around babies, without being afraid to get paint, baby food or anything else that might come out of my little friends. 

I hope to keep up with this post and continue to find cute work outfits to share.

Happy Wednesday! Friday is almost here!

Cheap Beauty Products

In all the ways that I try to save money, I have to say beauty products are the most important thing to save on. I'm a girl, so I have a lot of beauty products. Everything from hair products, to makeup, to skin care. Girls need a lot to look as good as we do. My husband can hop out of the shower, brush his teeth , through on some clothes and look great. For me, even when just heading to the grocery store or going to work out, it's a process to get ready. I'm sure many women have this feeling. Having beauty products is very important. Now, because of my need of all these things products, I try to keep the price down. I mostly stick to brands that can be found at any drug store. There are actually a lot of great affordable products out there to try. Some are even better then you might think.

Here are a few of my favorite products that I picked up on a trip to one of my favorite store, where else, but Target.
  

NYC- In a New York Color Minute Nail Polish- I've tried all types of nail polish and I have to say this polish is one of my favorites. It's great because it dries quickly and the polish last a decent amount of time before chipping. Quick dry nail polish is my favorite, because it leaves you with less time to mess up your nails while drying. This polish is also a great buy! I usually spend about $1.75 at Target for this. Since I don't spend money on manicures, this polish really helps me keep my nails looking great.

Elf Eyelid Primer- About a month ago I realized that I was missing something in my makeup collection. I needed eye primer. I really had never thought of it before. It wasn't until I was looking at makeup tutorials on Pinterest that I realized I needed some eye primer. This is a product that I knew I didn't want to spend a lot of money on. I mean, it's eye primer, it goes under the pretty eye shadow. Luckily Elf  Makeup has an eye primer. It's only $1 at Target. I have found that I really like using this product. I use it everyday under my eye shadow and I have noticed that my eye makeup is lasting longer. It definitely gets the  job done and is extremely affordable!

Up&Up Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes-  I love these towelettes for removing my makeup at the end of the day. They leave my face feeling refreshed. I've tried other brands and don't like them as much as the target brand. I've also found that it is way cheaper to buy the travel packs. It coast $.99 for a 10 pack. When you buy a 30 pack you will pay closer to $4 for the pack. Buying them in the 10 packs is also better because they stay fresh longer. Once the pack is opened, it might be harder to seal back up the longer you use the pack. Sometimes the towelettes can get dried out and not work as well. I recommend going with the travel size.

If your looking to save money on your usual beauty products I urge you to try these out. You will be able to put more money into your pocket and you'll still have a bathroom full of beauty products you love.

Contentment

This blog is not only about shopping and clothes. The real reason why I started to write this blog was because I was struggling with contentment in my life. I think that it's safe for me to say that I'm not alone on this. Life can get frustrating sometimes. I think most people get that feeling that they want more than what they have.

 I feel that contentment really is the first step to saving money. So many people feel that buying things will make them happy. Yes, I agree. I am happy when I get something new, but it's not true happiness. The happy feeling wears off and then you feel that you need to go buy more. I think many people struggle with this, including myself. One thing that I have learned in the past few years is that I don't need to spend money to be happy. You don't need a big house or new car or most expensive shoes or dress to make you happy. You first need to step back and look at what you do have and work with that. 

One of my favorite shows of all time is Sex and the City. I always remembered this quote of Carrie's...

"maybe the best any of us can do is not quit, play the hand we've been dealt, and accessorize the outfit we've got." 

 Maybe you haven't found the love of your life yet, the perfect job or your not the size you want to be. Buying things is not going to fix that. Take a step back and look at what you do have, what your good at. Set some goals for yourself and see where it can take you.

Stretching your dollar$$

I have to admit that I've been on a bit of a shopping kick lately. I always get like this at the beginning of a new season. The problem for me, as always, is that I don't have very much money to be spending on new clothes. I have to make due with the small amount of money I can spend. This means, I can't just walk into a store and buy whatever I want. I have to be smart about it to stretch my money or else I'm going to have an empty closet.
 

Right now, my husband and I have absolutely no dept. We don't have a car payment, a mortgage, student loans or any credit cards with balances on them. We still use credit cards and put everything we spend on them. This is a great way of tracking how much we spend each month, plus we get cash back rewards, which who doesn't love getting free money every few months? We have a $1,500 budget each month for the both of us. That includes our phone bills, energy bill, cable/internet bill, grocery's, gas and anything else we spend. For two people this is not a lot of money. This is why I try to do my best to spend as little money as I can on the extras.

How do I still go shopping on this low of a budget? Well here are some tips on how to still be able to shop and buy new clothes, but spend as little as possible...

1.)   Always check out the clearance racks! This is my favorite place in any store. I have found some of the best deals here. I feel like sometimes people have such a negative view of clearance clothes. I know they're last seasons clothes, they're the ugly colors no one wants or worse they have nothing cute in your size. Yes, all these things can be true, but it's just like the thrift store thing, you have to be selective. Keep your eyes open and look through every item. Usually the end of the season is a great time to look for clearance clothes. There is a great selection and the deals get better and better the closer you get to the new season!

2.) Use coupons and store loyalty programs! I love getting those e-mails with coupons in them! I get e-mails from all kinds of stores. 20% off here, $5 off there. They really add up and help you save. Most of the time you can use those coupons on top of clearance and sale items.

3.) Look for Apps on your smart phone! I use my iPhone for everything. There are so many great store apps that offer rewards or coupons. One app that I am a huge fan of is Old Navy's Snap App. It's so easy to use. All you do is take a picture of the Old Navy store logo and you have a chance to get a coupon to save anywhere between $5 to $15. My favorite is the Snap Five, because it gives you $5 off anything in the store, as long as it is at least $5. 

 4.) Make it into a game! For me, it's fun to find the deals. Set a budget before you go shopping and stick to it! Sometimes you will lose at this game and sometimes you will win. Have fun with it!

Here is my latest outfit. All these items came from clearance racks and I used coupons.
(Oh yes, don't judge the white pants after Labor Day. I did my research and most people say white pants are fine to wear all the way through the winter.)
Shirt- Target-$5.98
Pants- Target-$6.88
Shoes- DSW-$32.83
Necklace-$4.20
Total price of outfit- 49.88

Honestly my best advice to stretch your dollar is to never pay full price! I challenge everyone to try to stretch their money! You will feel great knowing how much you saved!  

Shopping Finds~ Finding a Great Deal!

In my last post about thrift stores, I mentioned that your not always going to have luck. Well, today I went for the big Labor Day half off sale at the Salvation Army. I spent about an hour looking around the store. I picked out about 10 items and I ended up walking out empty-handed. It's hard when you really don't have the extra money to spend, to buy something you don't love. I mean, I always look for deals when I shop, but sometimes I have to ask myself "do I really need this?" So, I was a little disappointed, but it's okay. You never know when you will find something that's a steal. 

For example, this dress below. I found this randomly at Target last weekend. My husband and I had to stop at Target for a couple of house hold items. I never make it through Target without taking a quick peak at all the clearance items. I've been keeping my eyes open for stripes lately, so this blue and white striped dress caught my eye. I looked it over and it was in my size. Best of all the price tag read $2.06. There was no doubt in my mind that I was going to buy it. I mean, I spend more than that on a cup of coffee at Starbucks.

I wore the dress with some brown wedges and a white sweater. I just love it when I find a great deal!

Thrift stores

I used to be afraid of the thrift store. There was nothing about it that appealed to me. They always smelled like an old ladies basement and had knick-knacks from that basement all over. I would look through the racks and find elastic waistline jeans and shirts with bird houses all over them. I also never liked the idea of wearing someones old unwanted clothes.

Well my fear of thrift stores has gone away. I decided one day to check out the Salvation Army near my house for some work pants. (I work with babies and feel like paying more then 5 bucks for a pair of khakis that I don't even want to wear in the first place is a waste of money.) So in my search for work pants I started looking around and in the past couple years I have found some pretty good deals. I've learned how to navigate the store and stay away from the ugly clothes and find the cute ones.

Things I have learned while shopping in thrift stores is..

1.) Stick to the basics. Don't go to a thrift store hoping to find the latest trends. Remember these are hand-me-downs. In stead stick to items like jeans, jackets, skirts and dresses. Look for items that don't go out of style.  

2.) Don't be afraid of the search. It is very time consuming to find cute clothes at a thrift store. Many of them are organized by color, not size, so it might take a long time to find something you like that is also in your size. Don't give up and give yourself plenty of time.

3.) Don't buy shoes. It's just gross. The only time I feel it is acceptable is if the shoes look never worn. I would rather buy clearance shoes that are brand new than used shoes. 

4.) Look for name brands. I always look for brands that I know. Even better, I look for brands that I can't afford at the normal store.

5.) You're not always going to have luck. I can't tell you how many times I've stopped at a thrift store to look around and walked out empty handed. It never hurts to just look because you never know what your going to find.

Here are some things I've found at my local Salvation Army store...

This is a dress I found for $2.00. It's just a simple black dress. Nothing special, but the best thing about black is that you can accessorize. I found these red beads from Aldo that I must of bought in college and put them with the dress. I plan on wearing this to a friends wedding this fall.

This is a jade green skirt. I have not had a place yet to wear it, but it would be cute if you had to dress up for work. I usually pair it with black and I think it just adds a pop of color in an outfit. Oh yes, this one was 50% off of $0.99. Yeah that's right, thrift stores are always having sales. Skirts are usually really cheap too, even the name brands.

I love black skirts! I am always buying black skirts at the Salvation Army. They are so cheap and never really go out of style, so you can keep them forever. For these 3 skirts I spent a total of $4.00. The one on the left is Bebe and the top right is Gap. Not sure the brand on the bottom right, but it's one of my favorite skirts in the fall. I wore it to a rehearsal dinner last year and recreated an outfit I had pinned on Pinterest. 

Here are a couple outfits with the black skirt. I love to dress it up with some heals, but sometimes I like to be comfortable when I'm dressed up. Heals are not always practical for my lifestyle, even though I love them, so I put some leopard print flats on and added a black sweater. 

 It's Labor Day weekend and many thrifts stores run big sales on the national holidays. I know that the Goodwill and Salvation Army have 50% off all clothes. I know what I will be doing on my day off tomorrow!

My first post... Living life on a budget

My inspiration for this blog comes from my love of fashion and my life of living on a budget. I live on a budget in every aspect of my life and I want to share how I have found ways to live a decent life with spending little money. From clothes shopping to grocery shopping to entertainment to vacations, I've found ways to save money.

I have always been a girly girl. I love makeup and doing my hair. I love to put together outfits. But I'm not one to over do it. I'll admit it right now that I'm no expert when it comes to fashion and beauty, but I do know how to put myself together. I'm always looking at new looks and finding ways that I can recreate it with my low budget.

I just mentioned that I'm no fashion expert, so why should you read my blog? Well here is my story... I really can't take full credit for this thrifty life I live without talking about my husband. He is amazing with finances and has taught me so much about the importance of saving and staying debt free.

When I graduated college I had about $68,000 in student loan debt. I still to this day have no idea how I racked up all that debt. I started dating my husband towards the end of college. He asked me how I was paying for school and I told him I had "some loans" out. He didn't realize at the time just how much money I had actually taken out. Later down the road we knew we wanted to get married and he learned just how much money I owed. We made a plan that we would have the student loans paid off before our 30th birthdays. Here is the tricky part, we are both in low paying job fields. I am a preschool teacher at a child care center and he is a first officer at a regional airline. Well, it didn't come easy. We lived very cheaply off one income for a little over a year and half . We put all the money from our wedding towards the loans and were able to sell the condo my husband had bought before we were married for a profit. We paid off the loans at age 28 a year in a half before we had planned. So now we have started from scratch in our savings and have done quite well in the past 5 months. I can't take that much credit in the loans getting paid off so quickly. The only thing I did was try my best not spend money. It is a difficult task for someone who loves to shop. I've always been a smart shopper, but this has definitely been a challenge. Even though the loans are gone, we are still on a budget. I want to share with all of you that saving money is not as hard as you think it might be. It takes some disapline, but you can still live a very happy life on a small budget.