Katie Haller, Author at Thrifty Wife Happy Life

Fall Nail Polish

September 22, 2016 by Katie Haller

I love nail polish and you will rarely find me without color on my nails. I like to pick polish colors to match the season. Right now, I’m all about fall colors. For fall, I like to switch from my bright pinks and pastilles of the spring and summer months and go a bit darker with a mix of jewel tones, neutrals, and metallic colors. I have 3 favorite brands of nail polish and they are Sinful Colors. NYC In a New York Color Minute Quick Dry Nail Polish. and Sally Hansen Insta-Dri. I like these 3 brands because the nail polish always goes on nice and smooth, they dry quickly, the polish lasts and best of all they are all under $5!

Here are some of the colors that I’m feeling this fall.

One// Chinatown

I bought this color last year. I love that it’s dark, but it’s not quite black. I wore it a lot in October around Halloween.

Two// Fashion Ave Fuchsia

This fuchsia color is fun for fall. Instead of the bright pinks, I lean towards the darker pinks like this. They transition perfectly to the winter season as well.

Three// Lincoln Center

I found this brown bronzy color while I was searching for new fall colors and I can’t wait to try it. I like a nice brown at times to match the autumn season.

Four// Mauve It
If I go with a light pink during the fall, I will often keep it more neutral pink. This color is a nice soft pink for the fall.

Five// In a Flash

I’m a big fan of this pearly beige color. It’s a very neutral color that goes well with all my fall outfits.

Six// Sand Stone

I love the name of this color because it describes it perfectly. I love to have a grey metallic color and this one almost has a hint of purple in it.

Seven// Aubergine

I love a dark burgundy on my nails in the fall. It reminds me of the color of red wine, which I also love to have in the fall months.

Eight// Dream On

Purple is another fun color for when the weather cools down. I like to mix it up with a dark amethyst color.

Nine// Endless Blue

I’ve yet to take a risk with the blue polish, but I came across this blue and I love it for fall. I’m born in September and this color reminds me of my birthstone, the sapphire. I will have to pick this color up next time I’m out and take the risk.

Those are some of the colors that I’m feeling this fall from my favorite brands. What are your favorite nail colors for fall?

Shopping Finds- Target

September 20, 2016 by Katie Haller

There is nothing that makes me more excited than saving money on new clothes. I love to stretch my dollar as far as I possibly can. That’s what I did this weekend at Target.

Sometimes shopping the clearance section can be so hit or miss. Target usually has a great clearance section, but you have to go at the right time to get really good deals. I find that the end of the summer and early fall are perfect for finding clearance deals. It’s easy to take summer clothes and style them into the fall and winter.

I had some Target coupons sent to me in the mail last week, so I was excited to use them. I had a coupon for $5 off $25, so I knew I was going to try to get as much as I could for $25. I was still on the hunt for a few more pieces from my fall wish list. I ended up buying 5 new pieces of clothes and only spending $18.86 after tax! I actually surprised myself, because I didn’t realize that I could use my Cartwheel app, with a coupon, on top of the clearance price.

I ended up buying 3 new tops; one striped tank top (here) and 2 t-shirts; one striped and one green (here). I also bought a simple grey dress (here) and a scarf (similar here and here). Here are my dressing room pictures of the tops I bought. (Don’t mind my little shopping buddy in the background. He was busy trying to get the hangers.)

I can’t wait to style my new clearance pieces for the fall months!
Happy shopping everyone!

What I Wore- Casual Work Week

September 17, 2016 by Katie Haller

I hope everyone had a great workweek. I’m so happy that the weekend is here. The last couple of weeks have been so busy, I’m looking forward to spending a quiet weekend at home with my boys.

As promised, I’ve been trying to step up my work week wardrobe a bit. The weather is finally cooling down, so I can actually wear more of the clothes in my closet. This week I kept it simple for work, as always. I feel like these days a lot of people have a casual work dress code like mine. My outfits are good ideas if you have a relaxed work dress code. Because I work with kids and I’m also a mom, my work looks are also great if you’re a stay at home mom or work as a nanny. Just because you’re around kids all day doesn’t mean that you can’t dress cute. Right?

Here are my work outfits from this week.

Monday

Top- Kohl’s

Leggings- Forever 21

Necklace- Nordstrom Rack

Shoes- Target

Tuesday

Top- Nordstrom Rack

Jeggings- Old Navy

Necklace- Nordstrom Rack

Shoes- Old Navy

Wednesday

Top- Target

Cardigan- H&M

Jeggings- Old Navy

Shoes- Target

Thursday

Tank Top- Old Navy

Cardigan- H&M

Jeans- Meijer

Shoes- Target

Friday

Top- Nordstrom Rack
Sweater- Old Navy
Jeans- Target
Shoes- Target
Necklace- Nordstrom Rack

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Shopping Find From my Fall Wish List

September 5, 2016 by Katie Haller

This past week, I posted my fall wish list. This weekend I was able to knock a few items off my list. I love Labor Day weekend because there are great sales everywhere, plus I start to get really excited about all the fall clothes. I was able to put together a cute fall look for under $70.

On my fall wish list, I had said I wanted a t-shirt dress and an olive green t-shirt. I ended up combining the two and buying this olive green t-shirt dress (similar) at H&M for $12.99. H&M has such great everyday prices on their basic clothing items and accessories. It’s currently one of my favorite stores to shop at. I also found a new cardigan while I was there (exact) for $12.99. The cardigan wasn’t on my list, but I can’t resist a new cardigan for fall. This one is great because it’s nice and lightweight. I bought a similar one like it last fall, so I knew I would be happy with my purchase.

After I left the mall, I was on a hunt for ankle boots. I’ve been wanting a pair for a long time. I had a $30 budget for my boots. I looked at DSW and Nordstrom Rack and even though they had some awesome sales, I just couldn’t find boots under $50. Then I remembered that I had never been to Burlington Coat Factory. I had always heard that they have great prices, so I decided to check it out. I was in luck because they had a great selection of ankle boots all under $30. I found these suede ankle boots (similar) for $27.99. They are exactly what I was looking for, plus they are super comfortable!

I also found a new pendant necklace that I had on my fall list. This one below was on clearance for $3.99 and it caught my eye. I don’t have any like it in my jewelry collection and I thought that it would complete my new fall outfit.

Here is my new outfit for fall altogether.

Now I can’t wait for the cooler temperatures. I know it’s right around the corner. Look for more fall looks coming soon!

Baby Update- 6 Months

August 24, 2016 by Katie Haller

It’s hard to believe that my little Jack is 6 months old. I had hoped to have this post up closer to his actual half birthday, but of course, it’s taken me a few weeks. He’s now 6 months and 2 weeks old. I can’t believe how fast time has gone. It seems like I was just pregnant yesterday. It just goes to show that you need to cherish every day during the first year because they change daily.

Currently, my little guy is trying very hard to crawl. He’s very busy rolling everywhere. He loves to play with his toys and I love watching him discover how to use them and play independently. He is very curious about the world around him. I love that about him!

6 months is such a fun age, but I’m also finding it to be challenging at times. Right now, Jack is cutting his first teeth. I’m not sure when they are going to show up, but I can tell that they must be getting closer by his discomfort. Along with the teething, our nights are long. Lately, he’s been up 3-4 times a night. He has never actually slept through the night since he was born. The doctor suggested that I sleep train him, but it’s not as easy as he made it sound. I tried it but failed. I might try again soon, but part of me is hoping that he will just magically surprise me and sleep a full 6 hours in a row one night.

I have also slowed up on breastfeeding. Breastfeeding was such a challenge for me in the beginning and I hated it and couldn’t wait until I could be done. But then after a while, I grew to love it. Now I wish that I could breastfeed longer, but it’s hard when you’re working and pumping. I knew that I wanted to start weening him around 6 months, but I wasn’t expecting him to ween himself. I was really sad at first when I started to lose my milk supply, but now I’m just trying to slowly be done with nursing. We are down to just comfort nursing at night, but it’s sometimes more for my comfort than his. I just need a little more time before we are 100% strickly bottles.

There have been lots of changes in the last 6 months, but I’m trying to enjoy every minute that I can. I’m loving being a mom and having this little addition to our lives.