Thrifty Wife Happy Life

Helping women love what they wear on a budget

Exciting News!!

by Katie Haller

I know it’s been a while since I’ve made a blog post.  I’m sorry about that.  I kind of disappeared without warning, but I’m back with some exciting news.  My husband and I are expecting our first baby this February!  We are very excited to be parents! 
Baby at 9 weeks
It’s been kind of a difficult summer for me.  I’ve had some pretty horrible morning sickness.  It’s taken all my energy to just get to work on most days.  Anything else, I’ve just had to put on hold, including this blog.  Now that I’m starting my second trimester, I’m finally starting to feel more like myself.  I hope to get back into doing some of the things that I love. 
I’m looking forward to this next year and all the exciting things to come.  I’m sure I’ll have plenty of things to blog about!

Colorful Statement Necklaces

by Katie Haller

When it comes to jewelry, some girls like to wear big rings, some like big earrings, others like to accessorize with watches and bracelets…for me, it’s all about colorful necklaces.  In case you can’t tell from my recent outfit post and pins on Pinterest, I’m currently obsessed with big, colorful, chunky statement necklaces.  I love putting together outfits and accessorizing them with a pop of color.  A statement necklace is a perfect way to take a simple outfit and add a little flair to it.

Today I wanted to share 5 of my favorite statement necklaces from my closet.  I picked out 5 different types of tops that are perfect for accessorizing with a statement necklace.

My first necklace is this 3 strand beaded green necklace.  This one is my favorite necklace right now.  I just love the color!  I bought this necklace about 2 years ago from Target.  I had my eye on it for a while, but I didn’t want to spend the $20 on it.  Every time I was at Target, I’d check to see if it was still there.  I waited for a few months and one day it was on clearance for 50% off, so I decided to buy it.

I paired this necklace with a solid black shirt.  I absolutely love how the green looks against the black.  Black is the perfect color to accessorize with a colorful necklace.  
(Similar necklace here here here)
I’ve had this red bead necklace in my closet since college.  I like to hold on to certain items throughout the years and find new ways to wear them.  I have to say that I’ve gotten a lot of use out of this necklace over the years.  It’s the perfect accessory whenever I need a touch of red in my outfit.  I can’t remember how much I spent on this necklace, but I know it wasn’t much.  I bought it at Aldo.

I wore my red necklace with a striped shirt.  I love stripes because it’s such a basic pattern.  Adding a colorful statement necklace to the outfit really spouses up the top.  
 (Similar necklace here here here)
This is my bubble necklace.  I love this necklace!  I had been looking for an inexpensive bubble necklace for the longest time when I found this one.  I bought it last year at Charming Charlie. Charming Charlie is a great store to find inexpensive trendy jewelry.  Most of their necklaces start around $15 or $20, but the best is that they always have a great clearance section.  That’s where I found this necklace for $9.99.  (If you look closely, you will see that the bottom circle is missing 2 beads.  It was actually missing 1 bead when I bought it, but I thought that it looked silly with 2 beads, so I took the other one-off and left the middle bead.  Sometimes when you have to get creative when your discount shopping and make do with a great deal.)

 I really love how a bubble necklace looks with polka dots.  That’s why I decided to pair my necklace with this polka dot blouse. 
 (Similar necklace here here here)
This is another necklace that I’ve had since college and I still love it.  I found this turquoise bead necklace on clearance at Kohl’s years ago.  This necklace is one of my favorites accessories to bring on vacation when I go someplace warm and tropical.
 
This summer, I’ve been wearing this necklace a lot with other bright colors, like this hot pink shirt.  I love how bright and colorful it looks together.  
(Similar necklace here here here)
This is my newest statement necklace.  I bought this coral necklace in January, right before I moved to Las Vegas.  I found it on clearance at Charming Charlie for $7.99.  I love the color and the shape of it.  It is different than my other necklaces. 
 I wore it with a black sleeveless button-down blouse.  I like to add a cute necklace when I wear a button-down shirt.  (Similar necklace here here here)
Those are just a few ways that you can accessorize a simple outfit with a fun colorful necklace.   Hopefully, you already have some statement necklaces in your closet, but if you don’t you can find one for a great price if you just keep your eyes open.  My favorite stores to shop for statement necklaces are Charming Charlie, Kohls and Target.  I suggest looking in the clearance sections for the best deals!  Good luck and have fun accessorizing your wardrobe!
 

Shopping Finds~ $9 Outfit

by Katie Haller

One of my favorite ways to spend a Saturday morning is to head out for a little thrift store shopping.  This weekend I decided to check out The Goodwill.   When I go to a thrift store, I like to go with a clear mind and plenty of time to look through the racks. That’s why a Saturday morning is the perfect time of the week to go.  

On this particular shopping trip, I really enjoyed searching through the clothes racks.  Thrift store shopping can be so much fun hunting out those great bargain prices.  The best part is, on top of the already low prices, there is always a sale.  Today it was 50% off green and purple tags.

I’ve set a budget for myself when it comes to thrift store shopping.  $10 is my max, so I try to stretch it out as much as I can.  I ended up finding an entire outfit for $9!! 

Striped Top- $2
Denim Shorts- $4
Wedge Sandals- $3
(The necklace was a recent Target clearance purchase, so it doesn’t count for the outfit)

 

My Closet~ Weekend Wardrobe

by Katie Haller

 I hope that everyone had a nice relaxing weekend!  I know I did!  One thing I love about the weekend is having the time to explore my closet and test out some new looks.  That’s just what I did this weekend. 
It’s getting pretty hot here in Vegas, so I felt it was time to bust out some of my shorts.  We did a little beer tasting on Saturday at one of the local brewery’s that we just discovered recently.  This was the outfit I wore.  I’m really loving my green necklace right now.  It really helps add the pop of color I need in my mostly black and neutral colored wardrobe.
Denim Jacket- Meijer (similar)
Black Shorts- Forever 21 (exact)
Polka Dot Blouse- Kohl’s (similar)
Wedge Shoes- Kohl’s (similar)
Green Necklace- Target (similar)
On Sundays, I usually like to dress up cute for church in the morning.  I tried to avoid wearing my jean jacket again, but I just couldn’t help it, I thought the denim looked better than a cardigan.

Pink Striped Dress- Old Navy (exact)

Turquoise Necklace- Kohl’s (similar)
Brown Wedge Shoes- Macy’s (similar)

 For Sunday afternoons, I just like to be comfortable.  This maxi dress is perfect for lounging around the house or running errands.  Again, I wore my jean jacket, because I always need something to put on in the air-conditioned stores.

Maxi Dress- Ross (similar)

Have a wonderful week!

10 Summer Essentials for Under $10

by Katie Haller

Summer is here!  It’s what we’ve all been waiting for.  Long sunny days, the smell of suntan lotion, relaxing by the water…. these are just a few of my favorite things about summer.  In honor of it being the first official month of summer, I thought that I’d share some of my must-haves for summer.  The best thing about these items is that you can find them all for $10 or less!

1.) Sun Hat
I’m not really a hat person, but ever since I moved to Nevada, I’ve realized how important it is to keep my head covered.  Your head is always exposed to the sun, so if your planning to spend a decent amount of time outside, be sure to bring a sun hat.  I ended up finding a cute straw fedora, similar to the one above, in the dollar section at Target for $3.  It’s cute and perfect for the pool.

2.) Moisturizer with SPF
The sun can damage your skin so easily and cause wrinkles, sunspots or skin cancer.  Since your face is always exposed to the sun, you have to always be sure that you always have at least an SPF 15 on your face.  I use the Target up & up brand of daily moisturizer sunscreen lotion.  It’s compared to Cetaphil.  (I’m never afraid of the knock off store brand, especially when it’s cheaper than the name brand.)

3.) ChapStick
Just like your head and face, your lips need to be protected in the summer sun too.  My favorite brand of chapstick is Burts Bees.  I’ve been using this brand for years and I can’t find a better chapstick in that price range.  Something I’ve learned from living in a sunny place is that you don’t want to wear lip gloss in the sun.  According to an article on doctoroz.com, wearing lip gloss is the equivalent of sunbathing after putting on baby oil.  Using baby oil only concentrates the rays of the sun, making it much more likely to get burned skin.  It’s best to stick with a chapstick with SPF in it.

4.) SunGlasses
I feel like this one is kind of obvious, but I cannot survive without my sunglasses.  I literally start to sneeze the second I walk into the brightness of the sun if I don’t have my sunglasses.  I refuse to buy expensive sunglasses.  I have a $5 max on these for three major reasons…. I break them, lose them and scratch them up in my purse.  I have found great sunglasses at TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Ross, Five Below and most recently I was loving The Dollar Tree’s selection.

5.) Flip Flops
My mom used to call these thongs when I was a kid, that was until the “Thong Song” came out, now we just refer to them as flip flops.  I’m sure most of you have more than one pair of these.  Every summer I wait for the Old Navy flip flop sale and stock up, because what would summer be without flip flops at the pool or beach? 

6.) Bright pink nail polish
I always have polish on my nails.  In the summer I love bright pink colors. As you may or may not know, I’m a big fan of Sinful Colors nail polish. They have a great selection of colors and only coast around $2.  My favorite color right now is called Bikini.

7.) Beach Bag
You have to have a beach bag in the summer.  Something to tote around when you’re at the beach, pool, lake, park… where ever your summer takes you.  A beach bag doesn’t have to be fancy.  Target’s dollar section has some cute ones and so does the Dollar Tree.  You can also use a reusable shopping bag.  Stores like TJ Maxx sell some really cute reusable shopping bags that are much cheaper than buying an actual beach bag.

8.) Reusable drink cup
I love my reusable cups!  I use mine for water, ice tea, ice coffee, smoothies, even beer.  What is summer without an ice cold beverage.  You can find some cute cups in the dollar section at Target right now.

9.) Make up remover wipes
I use make up remover wipes all year round, but they are a must in the summer.  They will quickly remove your eye makeup if your planning on swimming.  I also will use them for a quick touch up by wiping them under my eyes if my make up starts to run in the heat.  To get more use out of them, I cut them in half.  That way I don’t run out as fast. Some of my favorite brands are Target up & up or Kroger brand.  They have the best prices!

10.) Oil free sunscreen lotion
You have to use sunscreen in the summer, but sunscreen is expensive.  You go through it so fast, that it seems silly to spend a lot of money on it.  I always buy the store brand of sunscreen in at least a SPF of 30.  I still get a nice tan with 30.  It has to be an oil free sunscreen though.  I have pretty oily skin, so I can’t handle the greasy feel on my skin.

Those are my 10 summer essentials for under $10.  What are your must have items for the summer months?

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