My Closet~ Weekend Wardrobe

My Saturday outfit...straight from my closet. 

Shirt- Target 

Sweater- Macy's

Jeans- Target

Scarf- Kohls

Shoes- DSW

Healthy Fish Tacos

I haven't done a recipe post in a while, so I thought I'd share a healthy, delicious and of course an affordable meal that I love to make.

I always wanted to try fish tacos, and when I finally did, I have to admit that I was a little disappointed. The fish was deep fried and greasy, I just wasn't impressed. I was still intrigued with fish taco's. I wanted to try them again, this time not fried. So, I looked around for a good recipe for fish tacos. I realized it wouldn't take much to make them myself. So I came up with my own little recipe.

So how do I make my taco's? It's really a simple recipe. I use a mild fish, like tilapia or flounder, season it, then bake it in the oven. I like to top my taco with shredded cheese and a mango avocado salsa. Yum!

So here is all you need for my fish tacos...

• 1 12oz bag of frozen Flounder
• 1 Tsp chili powder
•  1 Tsp cumin seed
• 1 Tsp garlic powder
• Shredded cheese
• Whole Wheat Tortilla shells

Salsa

• 1 avocado
• 1-2 tomatoes
• 1/2 of a red onion
• 1/2 of a mango
•  2 Tbsp cilantro
• 1Tsp lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp of pepper

* Just a little note: When I cook, I never use exact measurements, so the measurements I put are just guide lines. I suggest you season it to taste.

Directions

• Preheat oven to 400 degree
• Place flounder files on baking tray. 
• Cover fish with seasoning. 
• Bake for 14 minutes (Follow baking directions on the pack of package)
• In the mean time chop all salsa ingredients into a bowl.  
• Remove fish from oven and let cool.
• When ready, assemble your taco and enjoy :)

I love these tacos! They are perfect for a quick healthy meal, that won't break your grocery bill.

Hand-me-downs

One thing I have learned in my quest to save money on clothes... is to never underestimate a hand-me-down. Typically, hand-me-downs are known as old, worn out clothes that your older sister, cousin, neighbor or family friend passed down to you when they either grow out of them or just don't want them anymore. That's not always the case. Everyone can give away hand-me-downs. I like to go through my closet every so often. Usually, I will set aside clothes to give away. They are not always worn out or ugly clothes. They are just clothes that are either not my taste anymore, or maybe it's a cute shirt I bought, but it's just not my color and it's too late to return it. I always like to offer my clothes to people I know first, before I give them away to charity. It's a great way to recycle your clothing.

I get hand-me-downs all the time. Most of the time they are coming from my Mom. Luckily for me, my mom loves to shop and she has good taste. Whenever she goes through her closet, she always asks me if I want anything, before she gives it away. Sometimes I find things I like, and sometimes I don't. Hand-me-downs are just like a thrift store. Your not always going to find something you want to keep, but it's always fun to look. 

Over the past couple years my mom has given me quite a few items, and I like them! They are not always clothes that I would buy for myself and that's why I like them so much. I love finding new ways to wear clothes. Hand-me-downs allow you to be creative and make outfits that you may have never thought of wearing  before.

This is a dress my Mom gave me a while ago. I love it, because it's simple and classic. It reminds me of a dress from the 1960's. I found this fuchsia sweater in my closet, which also happens to be a hand-me-down, and put together a cute work outfit. They always sell these sweater at Old Navy every season, so it's a great item to keep in your closet.

This is an Ann Taylor skirt that my Mom gave me. It's very classic. It's a great skirt to have in your closet. I put this outfit together with a black blazer and red beads. It's a cute work or church outfit. 

This dress is another Ann Taylor dress. Like the other looks, it has a very classic style to it. I like to stick with that when it comes to collecting hand-me-downs.

I'm really loving button down blouses right now. I love layering button downs with sweaters and blazers. My Mom recently came over to my house with a bag of clothes, mostly filled with button downs. These are the 2 that I kept.

This is one of my favorite accessories that I've held on to through out the years. This is one of my Moms belts from the early 90's. I always liked it when I was a kid. It's a little dated, but I love accessorizing with it. I have actually gotten a lot of complements every time I wear it. 

Before you throw away or get rid of your clothes, ask a friend or family member if they would like to look through them first. You never know, one person's trash could be another person's treasure. I'm not saying to go steal your friend's clothes, but if anyone ever offers you some free clothes, take them up on it. The worst thing that can happen, is that you end  up give a big bag to the good will. 

10 ways your iPhone can save you money

I absolutely love my iPhone! I have to admit that before my iPhone, I had no idea what I was missing out on. I was never big on having the latest and greatest technology, I didn't even have texting on my phone until I was 25. My friends in college used to always make fun of my cell phones, probably because they were always cracked, broken or a $10 GoPhone I got at Walmart to replace my broken phone, because I didn't want to upgrade my plan. I remember when I saw the first iPhone commercial. They advertized the phone as an iPod, with a camera that was also a phone. I remember saying "why would I need a phone so fancy. I already have a phone, a camera and an iPod". Boy was I wrong! I got my first iPhone a little over 2 years ago. Now that I have one, I have no idea how I ever went without. What I'm most amazed with my smart phone is how much money I have saved since I've had my phone. 

Here are just a few of the ways that I have found to saved money by using my iPhone....

1.) Shopping- Of course I would say shopping, but honestly I use the coupons from my phone all the time! I love that I don't have to print them out or cut them out of a book. I just show the coupon on my phone at the store, they scan it and I save. Apps like Cartwheel by Target, RetailMeNot, and Shopular are just a few of my favorite shopping apps.They give me coupons and alert me when my favorite stores are having sales.

2.) Restaurants-  One thing my husband and I have always been good at when it comes to eating out, is to look for the best deals. Now that I have an iPhone, I use my apps to help me get coupons and reward points for different restaurants. Outback's Tablemates app offers some great discounts and freebies. Another app I love is idine. The app gives you locations of restaurants that participate. You can sign up and earn money back just from eating at those restaurants. 

3.) Working out- When I work out, my phone becomes my workout buddy. No need for a gym membership when you can download an app and have your own personal trainer. Workout Trainer by skimble is a great app to use if your looking for a quick work out at home. This app has lots of great exercises to chose from, you even get your own personal trainer. My favorite app that I use when I'm working out is MapMyRun. I love how the app tracks your run, or in my case walk, then tells you how many miles you've gone and how many calories you've burned. For other workouts, I use my fitness board on Pinterest. I pin workouts all the time. I love finding exercises that you can do in your bed room with very little or no equipment. 

4.) Music- I can't tell you the last time I spent money on music. I was never big on buying CD's, but I did spend a lot of money downloading songs on iTunes. I'd spend 99 cents here and there, but when I look at how many songs I downloaded in college, it really added up. Now I just use Pandora Radio. I love it! I use it for workout songs, for sleeping songs, even when I'm getting ready in the morning. I see no need to buy music when I can listen to a varity of music I like whenever I feel like it.

5.) Cooking- I will never buy a cook book again. There is no need to spend money on a cook book when you can download any recipe app you could ever think of. One of my favorites is Allrecipes Dinner Spinner. If your not sure what to make for dinner, you can just open this app, spin it, and see what delicious combinations it comes up with. It's not only recipes, I use my phone to look for grocery store sales and coupons. I never plan a meal without checking my Kroger app first. I try to plan my meals and grocery list around what's on sale and what I have coupons for.

6.) Banking- I have my bank account app right on my phone. I love that I can deposit a check just sitting in my living room. There is no need to drive to the bank to deposit anything. It saves so much time and most importantly gas money.

7.) Gas- I always know where to find the cheapest prices on gas thanks to my iPhone. I use the GasBuddy app, but there are also tons of other free apps out there for finding the best gas prices in your area. Try them out to see which one you like the best.

8.) Traveling- Every time we go on a trip it's so convenient to have accesses to travel booking websites. We have found the best deals on car rentals and hotels last minute by booking with apps like KAYAK and Travelocity.

9.) Camera- I have a camera, but just when I wanted to get a new digital camera, I got my iPhone that took better pictures then my current camera. I love being able to use photo editors to edit my pictures. My favorite one is Moldiv. I use it a lot with my pictures for my blog. I haven't tried it yet, but you could use your photo editors to make a Christmas card, an invitation, save the date, you could even take some amature baby or engagement pictures. It's something to think about.

10.) Office needs- When my husband and I were both applying for jobs, we used to spend a lot of money at Fedex Office. Faxing, scanning and printing out resumes can get expensive. Now, I really haven't had the need to print anything out, I can just send it in an e-mail. If something needs to be signed I have an app for that. I use SignNow whenever my signature is needed on a document. I also use DocScanner for anything that needs to be copied or scanned. These are apps I don't use all the time, but when I need them, they become extremely convenient.

All of these apps are free and can be very useful. There are so many apps out there and I'm still learning which ones are best for saving money. I defiantly will encourage you to try the apps I've suggested and look for some on your own. You'll be surprised with all the ways you can save! Good luck on your saving!

What I Wore This Week

I'm so happy it's Friday! I tried some new outfits this week. I'm sure some of my clothes are starting to look familiar, but I try to keep the looks new. Here are some of my favorite outfits from this week. 

Black blazer- Forever 21

Pink Blouse- Hand-me-down from my mom. 

White Pants- Target

Shoes- Target

Black dress- Target

Sweater- Target

Boots- Target

Leggings- Charlotte Russe

Blazer- Kohls

Pants- Kohls

Shirt- Target

Shoes- Old Navy

Kate's Shoes for less- Shopping finds

About a month ago I wrote a post on how I was on a hunt for some new shoes to add to my closet. I was looking for a pair of nude colored pumps, similar to the L.K Bennett shoes that Kate Middleton is always wearing. I have been doing a lot of research on these shoes. I wanted to fine a cute, stylish, comfortable shoe that were also in my price range. I looked everywhere that you might think to search for cheap shoes. Amazon, Target, Kohls, Payless, DSW, clearance rooms in department stores and even thrift stores. What I found was... it is extremely difficult to find any pair of shoes for under $30. I know that $30 is really not a lot of money for a pair of shoes, but still I wanted something for an even lower price. Either way, I ended up settling with $30 as my max price of what I was willing to spend for my shoes.

I ended up finding a few cute pairs of shoes that I was interested in at DSW. They had a pretty decent selection, but the only down side was that the cheapest pair of shoes I could find was $39.99. I ended up getting a $10 off coupon this past week in my e-mail, so I was pretty set on buying the shoes from DSW. Just when I thought I had made my decision, I checked my Target mobile coupons on my iPhone. I had a $5 off $30 shoe purchase at Target. I really couldn't pass up the price of $25.

 Here is my biggest dilemma when it comes to discount shopping. I like to shop at stores like DSW, TJ Maxx and Marshall's, because they sell all of the brands that you can buy at the department stores for less money. Target is it's own brand and when given the choice, I'd rather buy the more expensive brand for less, then the Target brand for the same price. I feel like I'm getting a better quality of a product. In this situation I ended up going with the Target shoes, and here is why... I think Target has great quality products. I spend a lot of money at Target, so I would know. Some of my favorite shoes are from Target. They seem to hold up very well over time and more importantly... they are extremely comfortable. I've bought the more expensive name brands in the past and they kill my feet, so why not go for the discount store like Target?

So what do you think? Do they look like Kate Middleton's  L.K. Bennett Shoes? I have to say that they're not a bad match for $25.

I love my new shoes! If your looking for new shoes, but don't want to spend a lot of money, I suggest you check out Target.