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Thrifty Wife Happy Life

Helping women love what they wear on a budget

3 Ways to Accessorize a Simple Little Black Dress

October 19, 2017 by Katie Haller

Thrifty Wife, Happy Life | Making the Most of your Wardrobe | 3 ways to accessorize a simple black dress for a special occasion

October seems to be flying by.  I can’t believe that it’s already time for another Year of Color linkup post.  In case you just started following along, every 3rd Friday of the month I team up with some of my fellow blogger friends to host a link party called A Year of Color.  Each month there is a color theme and you can share ANYTHING you like on that color.  I always like to share an outfit post, because that’s what I feel I do best.  This month’s color is black!

*This post contains affiliate links, which means by clicking on and/or making a purchase through a link, I will receive a small commission with no extra cost to you.  Thank you for your support!

I can’t lie, I was so excited about this color.  Black is always my favorite color to wear.  It’s easy to accessorize, you can wear it with anything, plus everyone looks good in black.  With that said, I had a difficult time narrowing in on what kind of outfit posts I would do for today.  I ended up deciding on one of my favorite wardrobe pieces in my closet…..a Little Black Dress a.k.a. LBD.

  In my mid to late ’20s my weekends were filled with going to weddings.  All my friends were getting married, and to be honest I couldn’t afford to go buy a new dress for every wedding I attended.  I bought this simple empire waist black dress for my rehearsal dinner (similar).  Instead of going with a traditional bride rehearsal dinner dress, I played it safe and went with a black dress.  I’m so happy I did because I’ve worn this dress on a number of other occasions since then.

Today I am going to show you how easy it is to accessorize an LBD like this.

The first way is a very classic traditional look.  I wore black patent leather pumps, rhinestone jewelry and a satin clutch with rhinestones.  This is perfect for a more formal wedding.  I wore this exact look at my husband’s cousin’s wedding in Chicago a few years ago.

Thrifty Wife, Happy Life- Accessories for a formal occassion

Thrifty Wife, Happy Life | Simple black dress accessorized with rhinstones

Thrifty Wife, Happy Life | Simple black dress accessorized with rhinstones

Thrifty Wife, Happy Life | Simple black dress accessorized with rhinstones

Shoes- Ivanka Trump- Von Maur (similar) || Necklace- Target (similar) || Clutch- Jessica McClintock (similar)

For my second look, I chose leopard accessories.  I wore my gold sandals, with my leopard clutch and gold jewelry.

Thrifty Wife, Happy Life | Gold and Leopard accessories

Thrifty Wife, Happy Life | LBD accessorized with gold and leopard

Thrifty Wife, Happy Life | LBD accessorized with gold and leopard

Thrifty Wife, Happy Life | LBD accessorized with gold and leopard

Shoes- DSW (similar) || Necklace- LC Lauren Conrad- Kohl’s (similar) || Clutch- H&M- ThredUp (similar)


For my final look, I accessorized with some color.  I always love how turquoise looks with black, so I wore turquoise jewelry with my turquoise clutch.  For shoes I went with my nude pumps.  I think that this look would be great for a destination wedding.

Thrifty Wife, Happy Life | Turquoise accessories
Thrifty Wife, Happy Life | LBD accessorized with turquoise

Thrifty Wife, Happy Life | LBD accessorized with turquoise

Thrifty Wife, Happy Life | LBD accessorized with turquoise

Shoes- Target (similar) || Necklace- Kohl’s (similar) || Clutch- Hand-me-down (similar)

Hopefully this will give you some ideas on how to accessorize your black dresses and maybe help you out next time your stumped on what to wear to a wedding or special occasion.

I hope to see everyone back here next month for the color Orange. Don’t forget to leave your link below!

An InLinkz Link-up

Filed in: Affordable Fashion, Making the Most of your Wardrobe, outfits, Year of Color • by Katie Haller • 19 Comments

4 Ways to Wear Black Slip-On Sneakers

September 19, 2017 by Katie Haller

Thrifty Wife, Happy Life || 4 ways to wear black slip on shoes for fall
If you follow me on Instagram, you may have noticed these black slip-on shoes that I’ve been wearing lately.  They were my first purchase from my fall wish list, and I’m just loving how practical they are for fall.  I was originally eyeing the Steve Madden pair of black slip-on shoes (here), but they were almost $60 and I knew I wasn’t going to spend that much.  Luckily, Target does a great job of making knock off styles.  I found these almost identical slip-on shoes (here) at Target for only $25, less than haft the price of the Steve Madden shoes.

Today, I want to share 4 fall looks wearing my new black slip-on sneakers.  They can be worn with almost anything, but for today’s looks I styled them all with 4 different pairs of pants; white jeans, black jeggings, jeans, and leggings.  All four of these looks are perfect for me to wear to work, or wear on the weekends.  They are very casual and very mom-friendly!

*This post contains affiliate links, which means by clicking on and/or making a purchase through a link, I will receive a small commission with no extra cost to you.  Thank you for your support!

Thrifty Wife, Happy Life || White jeans, stripe shirt and slip on shoes
Thrifty Wife, Happy Life || White jeans, stripe shirt and slip on shoes
Top- Old Navy (exact) || Pants- Target (similar) || Necklace- Charming Charlie (similar) || Purse- Last Call Neiman Marcus (similar)
Thrifty Wife, Happy Life || Black jeggings, grey t-shirt and black slip on's

Thrifty Wife, Happy Life || Black jeggings, grey t-shirt and black slip on's
Top- Zappos (similar) || Pants- TJ Maxx (similar) || Necklace- Kohl’s (similar) || Purse- Last Call (same as above)
Thrifty Wife, Happy Life || Jeans, Stripe t-shirt and black slip on's

Thrifty Wife, Happy Life || Jeans, Stripe t-shirt and black slip on's
Top- H&M thrifted from Goodwill (similar) || Jeans- Thrifted from Goodwill (similar) 
Thrifty Wife, Happy Life || Leggings, tunic and leapord scarf

Thrifty Wife, Happy Life || Leggings, tunic and leapord scarf

Leggings- Last Call Neiman Marcus (similar)  || Tunic- Nordstrom Rack (similar) || Scarf- Charming Charlie (similar) || Purse- Last Call (similar)

Filed in: Affordable Fashion, Making the Most of your Wardrobe, outfits • by Katie Haller • 12 Comments

Making the Most of Your Wardrobe- Year of Color

August 18, 2017 by Katie Haller

Thrifty Wife, Happy Life || Making the most of your wardrobe- 3 ways to wear a bright pink shirt
I’ve been dreading writing this Year of Color post for a while.  I always like to do some kind of outfit post with the color of the month, but this month’s color theme is neon. 
When I started to brainstorm outfits with neon colors all I could think about was an 80’s theme party outfit.  I felt completely stumped on how I could incorporate neon colors into my wardrobe.  But then I remembered that I do wear neon colors.  I typically stick to neutral colors when putting together outfits, but when I do dress in color, it seems that I always gravitate to bright neon pink.  I have a cute hot pink cold shoulder top that I’ve been wanting to share in an outfit post for a while, so I thought that this would be the perfect opportunity.  Today I have 3 looks for you to show how you can easily incorporate a bright color into your wardrobe.

*This post contains affiliate links which means by clicking on and/or making a purchase through a link I will receive a small commission.  Thank you for your support.
For my first look, I wore my bright pink top with white pants, then I accessorized it with some gold and turquoise accessories.  I really love how the turquoise looks with the bright pink.  The two bright colors go well together.  I also love how the white pants help keep the whole outfit bright.  It’s a great look for summer.
Thrifty Wife, Happy Life || Bright pink shirt with white pants and gold and turquoise accessories
Pants- Target (similar) || Clutch- hand-me-down (similar) || Shoes- Kohl’s (similar)
I’ve always liked pink and black together, that’s why for this next look I wore black shorts, black wedge sandals and a black satchel purse.  I accessorized with a turquoise necklace.  I figured that this would be a cute look for a summer date night out.  
Thrifty Wife, Happy Life || Bright pink shirt with black and turquoise accessories
Shorts- Forever 21 (similar) || Purse- Last Call (exact) || Shoes- Target (similar)
The last way that I wore my pink top was with my distress jeans and I accessorized it with a cognac bag and sandals.  This is a more casual everyday look for me.  I like keeping the accessories simple, because the bright pink is a big enough statement.  
Thrifty Wife, Happy Life || Bright pink shirt with distressed jeans and congac accessories
Jeans- Target (similar) || Purse- Last Call (similar) || Shoes- Target (similar)
Shop my closet
Here are some similar pink tops I found that you can style in similar ways.
One | Two | Three
Four | Five | Six
Do you incorporate neon colors into your wardrobe ever?  If so, how do you wear it?
Don’t forget to leave your link below with your neon post.  Next month our color theme will be blue! I hope to see you there!  

An InLinkz Link-up

Filed in: Affordable Fashion, Making the Most of your Wardrobe, outfits, Year of Color • by Katie Haller • 1 Comment

How to Wear a Little Black Sundress

July 25, 2017 by Katie Haller

Thrifty Wife, Happy Life- Making the Most of Your Wardrobe
I feel like out of all my closet staple pieces, nothing compares to a little black dress.  You just can never go wrong with it.  I have a ton of LBD’s in my closet.  Some are dressier and some are more casual.  I am more likely to hang on to a black dress for years if I like it.  The main reason I like black is that I can wear it over and over again in new ways each time.  It’s hard to get sick of a black dress.
For today’s posts, I picked out an older black sundress that I’ve had in my closet for a while. (similar here)  It’s from Target and I’ve always liked the style of this dress.  It’s fitted at the waist and has ruffles at the top.

 Here are 3 easy ways to style this LBD.

*This post contains affiliate links which means by clicking on and/or making a purchase through a link I will receive a small commission.  Thank you for your support.

For the first look, I dressed it up with my grey blazer and black wedge sandals.  To accessorize I wore my blush purse and blush necklace.
Thrifty Wife, Happy Life- Black ruffled dress with grey blazer, black strapy wedge sandals and blush purse
Thrifty Wife, Happy Life- Blush accessories with black strapy wedge sandals
 Blazer-LC Lauren Conrad Kohl’s (exact) || Shoes- Target (similar) || Purse- Ross (similar)

This next look is a perfect summer work look for me.  I wore my tan sweater and blush flats, then accessorized with the same blush purse as above and a pink bead necklace.
Thrifty Wife, Happy Life- Black ruffle dress with blush accessories
Thrifty Wife, Happy Life- Black ruffle dress with blush accessories
Sweater- Old Navy (similar) || Purse- same as above || Shoes- Burlington Coat Factory (similar) || Necklace- Target (similar)

This last look is my go-to weekend look.  It’s perfect to wear anywhere we go on the weekends.  I wore my denim jacket with my cognac braided sandals then accessorized with my favorite turquoise pendant necklace and cognac purse.
Thrifty Wife, Happy Life- Black dress with denim jacket
Thrifty Wife, Happy Life- Black dress with denim jacket, accessoried with turquoise and cognac
Denim Jacket- Meijer (similar) || Purse- Last Call Neiman Marcus (exact) || Shoes- Target (exact) || Necklace- Nordstrom Rack (similar)

Below I picked out 8 black sundresses that I am loving right now.  They are all under $25!  You can’t go wrong with that!

Filed in: Affordable Fashion, Making the Most of your Wardrobe, My Closet, Summer Style • by Katie Haller • Leave a Comment

Making the Most of your Wardrobe- Grey Tee

April 27, 2017 by Katie Haller

Lately, I feel like I’ve been dressing extremely casual.  It just fits my life at the moment.  My favorite piece of clothing in my closet right now are my t-shirts.  I love how simple and casual they are.  I feel like I can get a lot of use out of them and wear them again and again just by styling them a little differently each time. 

Today I wanted to share this simple grey t-shirt from Zappos, that I got a few months back.  Because I’m such a bargain shopper, almost all my clothes have a story behind them.  The story behind this one is that I paid $0 for this top.  No Zappos did not sponsor this post.  It’s actually thanks to my cell phone company.  I have T-Mobile, and if you are a T-Mobile customer you can get the app T-Mobile Tuesdays.  Every Tuesday they have free stuff that you can redeem.  Back in December, they had $25 to use on any Zappos purchases.  I ended up going with this Hurley Staple Perfect v neck Tee.  I picked it out because it was simple, casual, versatile and under the $25 price range.  
Here are 3 ways I’m styling my grey tee this spring…
The easiest way to wear a t-shirt is with jeans and right now it’s all about distress jeans!  This look is so casual, but when you add a statement necklace to it, it turns into a whole new look.

Jeans- Nordstom Rack (similar) || Shoes- Target (exact) || Necklace- Savers (similar) || Purse- Coach Outlet (similar)
I’ve been really loving my white jeans lately.  They are so springy.  I love the way they look with the grey.  It’s such a neutral look.  That’s why I like to add a pop of color with a necklace.
Pants- Target (similar) || Shoes- Macy’s (similar) || Belt- Old Navy (exact) Purse- Ross (similar) || Necklace- Nordstrom Rack (similar) 
As the weather heats up, I’ve been wearing shorts more and more.  Tee’s are perfect to pair with shorts.  I am absolutely loving the way my converse chunks look with shorts.  I think it keeps the look youthful and fun.  I accessorized with a long pendant necklace to add some bling to the casual look. 
Shorts- Abercrombie- Thrifted (similar) || Shoes- Nordstrom (exact) || Purse- Savers Thrifted (similar) || Necklace- Old Navy (similar)
 

How will you style your T-shirts this spring?

Filed in: Affordable Fashion, Making the Most of your Wardrobe, Mom Style, My Closet, outfits • by Katie Haller • 4 Comments

9 Ways to Wear a Cardimom

March 6, 2017 by Katie Haller

If you haven’t already read my review on the CardimomⓇ by Multiwear.co, I suggest you go back and read my last post on this great little piece of clothing for moms.  The one thing that I really love about the CardimomⓇ is how versatile it is with my wardrobe.  I’m all about making the most out of my wardrobe.  I love to find new ways to wear my clothes so that I don’t have to repeat my outfits all the time.  The CardimomⓇ is perfect for that!  Honestly, I had a hard time finding clothes in my closet that it doesn’t go with.
Today, I wanted to share 9 outfits that I put together wearing my CardimomⓇ.  The great part about these looks is that they would all double as maternity looks, as well as look for nursing moms.

This is my go-to running errands look, with my converse sneakers, distress jeans, and stripe tunic. 
This is another running errands look.  It fits perfectly into my life with a blush tank, distressed jeans, and flats. 
The CardimomⓇ works great for layering over button-downs.  I’m a huge fan of gingham, and I love how the green cardigan looks with it. 
I also like to wear my CardimomⓇ as a poncho.  For this look, I belted it up with a pair of jeans, nude pumps and a colorful statement necklace.  This would look cute for an evening out for dinner or a casual church look.
I love to layer a cardigan over a sundress.  For this look, I took a simple black sundress and layered my CardimomⓇ over it.  I accessorized the look with my ankle booties, perfect for a transitional look for spring. 
It doesn’t matter if you’re pregnant or not.  We all like to have a big oversized cozy top on sometimes.  This look is completed with leggings, boots and a gold pendant necklace. 
If you’re not in the mood for the poncho look, you can always flip it up and make it a cardigan look.  This is the same look as above, just worn as a cardigan, instead of the poncho.
For this look here, I wore a long-sleeve stripe dress with some black strappy wedge sandals and a statement necklace.  This is another great transitional spring look.

Last but not least, I love wearing my CardimomⓇ with my yoga or workout clothes.  It’s the perfect way to accessorize your workout look. 

  Those are my 9 looks with my CardimomⓇ.  Don’t forget to check out Multiwear.co to see what other great mom accessories they have!

Filed in: Making the Most of your Wardrobe, Mom Life, Mom Style, Motherhood, outfits • by Katie Haller • Leave a Comment

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Hi I'm Katie! Welcome to my blog! I am on a mission to help women build a wardrobe that they love without spending a lot of money doing it. I believe that everyone has the right to feel good in their outfit, no matter what your budget is! I am excited to have you here!
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Love what you wear, wear what you love!
Thrifted fashion + Affordable retailers (5'1)
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Katie || Affordable Fashion
If you love online thrift shopping I highly recomm If you love online thrift shopping I highly recommend checking out @goodwillfinds_! In today’s blog post I am sharing everything you need to know about online thrifting at GoodwillFinds.com! I’m also sharing my amazing thrift treasures  and how I styled them! 

Head over to thriftywifehappylife.com for all the details! (Link in bio) 

#goodwillfinds #looksforless #onlinethrifting #thriftfinds #thriftythursday #thriftinghaul #thriftyfashion #thriftyshopper #affordablefashion #thriftystyle #secondhandfashion
I love this colorful short sleeve button-down shir I love this colorful short sleeve button-down shirt from @walmartfashion! It’s only $15 and it makes a great piece to bring some color to your wardrobe this summer! 

🛍How to shop my posts🛍
✨Click on the link in my bio and go to the button that says “shop my LTK page”. 
✨Download the free @shop.ltk app and follow @thriftywifehappylife for all my outfit details! 
✨ Links shared in stories for 24!
✨ Comment or DM me if you have any questions or need any help finding a link! 😊

#walmart #walmartfinds #walmartwednesday #walmartstyle #summerstyle #momstyle #affordablefashion #howtowearit #whattowear #momootd #momfashion #momiform #momstyleblogger #ltkstyletip #ltkblogger
Happy Memorial Day! ❤️🤍💙 I hope everyon Happy Memorial Day! ❤️🤍💙

I hope everyone is enjoying the long weekend! Here is my weekly outfit round up of what I wore as a SAHM last week! 

I am loving the warmer weather! It always gets me excited to get dressed in the mornings! 

🛍How to shop my outfits🛍
✨Download the free @shop.ltk app and follow @thriftywifehappylife for all my outfit details! 
✨ Click on the link in my bio for my shopping page on my blog!
✨ Message me if you have any questions or need any help finding a link! 😊
✨ Go to my SAHM Outfit highlight for all the links to my everyday outfits! 

#sahmoutfit #realmomoutfits #momootd #wiw #momstyle #momoutfits #momoutfitinspo #realmoms #momstyleblogger #momfashion #casualoutfits #summerstyle #aummerootd #momiform
If you buy one piece from my summer wardrobe capsu If you buy one piece from my summer wardrobe capsule I recommend these pull-on shorts from @loft! They are so comfortable and perfect to wear all summer long! 

These shorts are currently on sale this weekend for $25!! They run slightly big. I’m wearing an xsmall. 

🛍How to shop my posts🛍
✨Click on the link in my bio and go to the button that says “shop my LTK page”. 
✨Download the free @shop.ltk app and follow @thriftywifehappylife for all my outfit details! 
✨ Links shared in stories for 24!
✨ Comment or DM me if you have any questions or need any help finding a link! 😊

#loft #loftstyle #howtowear #summerstyle #summeroutfits #momoutfit #momootd #momstyle #momstyleblogger #styleover35 #michiganblogger #whattowear #greenshorts #shortsforsummer #easyoutfits
I’m loving this summer dress from @somaintimates I’m loving this summer dress from @somaintimates! It’s so comfy and versatile! Best of all it has a built-in bra so there’s no need to worry about what style of bra to wear with it!! 

I’m 5’1 and wearing an xsmall. It runs slightly big! 

🛍How to shop my posts🛍
✨Click on the link in my bio and go to the button that says “shop my LTK page”. 
✨Download the free @shop.ltk app and follow @thriftywifehappylife for all my outfit details! 
✨ Comment or DM me if you have any questions or need any help finding a link! 😊

#somapartner #summerstyle #bradress #builtinbra #easystyle #summerdress #summeroutfits #howtowearit #outfitideas #momoutfits #momstyle #styleover35
I’m re-sharing some of my favorite @gibsonlook p I’m re-sharing some of my favorite @gibsonlook pieces!! I have been loving all these pieces, especially the tops! 

✨Get 20% off with my code: THRIFTYWIFE20

Sale runs from now until Monday 5/29/23 11:59pm. 

🛍How to shop my posts🛍
✨ Comment “LINK” and I will DM you the link directly! 👏🏻
✨Click on the link in my bio and go to the button that says “shop my LTK page”. 
✨Download the free @shop.ltk app and follow @thriftywifehappylife for all my outfit details! 
✨ Comment or DM me if you have any questions or need any help finding a link! 😊

#gibsonlook #getthelook #wardrobestaples #momstyle #everydaystyle #easystyle #salealert #memorialdaysales #summerfinds #wardobeessentials #summerstyle #michiganblogger #michiganstyleblogger
✨My mom-friendly summer capsule wardrobe is here ✨My mom-friendly summer capsule wardrobe is here!!✨

This wardrobe capsule is full of easy to mix and match pieces that will help you stay stylish all summer long! Head over to the blog where you can find all the details on how to stay stylish when the weather is hot and also what bras to wear with your summer tops and dresses!! 

🛍️How to shop the summer capsule wardrobe 🛍️
✨ Comment “LINK” and I will DM the link to my blog post directly to you! 
✨ Go the link page in my bio and click on the button that says “read the blog”. 
✨ Go to thriftywifehappylife.com to read this blog post and more! 
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#momwardrobe #momstyle #summercapsule #momfriendly #fashionideas #momootd #wardrobecapsule #capsulewardrobe #momstyleblogger #casualoutfits #summeroutfits #summerstyle #summerwardrobeessentials #summerwardrobecapsule #petitestyle #petitefashion #petitefriendly
🖤 GoodwillFinds Pinterest Inspired Looks! 🖤 🖤 GoodwillFinds Pinterest Inspired Looks! 🖤

#ad I found so many great pieces online thrifting at @goodwillfinds_! They work perfectly to recreate these Pinterest inspired looks I have saved to my boards! You can currently shop the Buy More Save More Memorial sale at GoodwillFinds!! 

🖤 Outfit 1: Inspired by @jeanwang 
Blouse- Express
Jeans- Express
Blazer- J.Crew 
Shoes- Fanco Sorto
Purse- Steve Madden
Jewelry- Madewell, J.Crew, Alex Ani, Poly
Sunglasses- Feisedy

🖤 Outfit 2: Inspired by @lillydemello 
Green striped button-down- Anthropologie
White jeans- Paige
Shoes- Franco Sarto
Purse- Steve Madden
Sunglasses- Feisedy

#goodwillfinds #looksforless #thriftstorefinds #onlinethriftstore #onlinethrifting #thriftyfashion #thriftstyle #affordablefashion #recycledfashion #secondhandstyle #michiganblogger #styleinspo
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