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Thrifty Wife Happy Life

Helping women love what they wear on a budget

How to Take a Basic Outfit from Day to Night

April 9, 2019 by Katie Haller

Day to night outfit
I don’t know about you, but I’ve always felt that there are 2 different ways to dress for the day and night.  I’ve also been known to overthink them both, that’s why today I’m sharing 2 looks, wearing the same exact base outfit.  This base outfit is so simple, it’s just a black tank top, jeans with a necklace and earrings.  All I did was switch out my shoes and purse to take this look from day to night.

*This post contains affiliate links, which means by clicking on and/or making a purchase through a link will result in a commission for this blog.  Thank you for your support! 

Day Look

During the day I like to stay casual and comfortable.  I typically wear flat shoes and carry a large tote purse to keep all my toddler gear in.  I love wearing simple tank tops and t-shirts because you can always change them up by the way you style them.  For this day look, I knotted my top at the bottom. 
Day to night outfit

Day to night outfit

Day to night outfit

Day to night outfit

 Shop my look

Jeans- Old Navy (exact)
Top- Target (exact)
Shoes- Kohls (exact)
Necklace- Nordstrom (exact)
Earrings- Esty (exact)
Purse- Last Call Neiman Marcus (similar)

Night Look

I always feel like the night has a dressier feel.  I like to put on a pair of heels or wedge shoes.  I’m 5’1 so I always like to add a little height when I can.  I also like to ditch my big mom purse whenever I have the chance to get out without my little guy.  My go-to, kid-free purse is my leopard clutch.  Leopard is always a great statement accessory. 
Day to night outfit

Day to night outfit

Day to night outfit

Day to night outfit

Shop my look

Jeans- Old Navy (exact)
Top- Target (exact)
Shoes- Target (similar)
Necklace- Nordstrom (exact)
Earrings- Esty (exact)
Purse- ThredUp- H&M (similar)

Filed in: Affordable Fashion, Making the Most of your Wardrobe, Mom Style, outfits • by Katie Haller • 10 Comments

The Perfect Spring Momiform

April 1, 2019 by Katie Haller

Yellow tank top- Spring Outfit
I have some exciting news that I’ve been dying to share with you guys.  I can’t share all the details right now, but what I want to tell you today is that this school year will be my last year working as a preschool teacher.  I’m retiring, well sort of.  I don’t think you can officially retire when you have little kids at home.  Basically, I won’t be a full time working mom anymore.  This has been something that my husband and I have been planning for a long time and with his recent upgrade to captain this year, it just seems like the perfect time for me to quit my job.  It’s no secret that I’ve been struggling for a while to balance work with being a wife, mother and also a blogger.  I’m very thankful that I’m able to have this opportunity to stop working at this point in my life and not have to make any major scarifies financially.  I’m hoping that I will be able to focus more of my attention on my family.  I want to be a better wife and mom.  I also hope that I can spend more time on my blog.  As Jack gets older, I have been really struggling to find time for blogging, so I’m so excited that I will have more time to put into that.  
Without having a job with a dress code, this will definitely give me the opportunity to have more fun with my wardrobe.  I can’t complain too much about my current work dress code, because it’s pretty casual, but I look forward to wearing open-toed shoes, distressed jeans and best of all… leggings whenever I want.  I’m just looking forward to not having anyone tell me how to dress.  Even though I will not have a job to get dressed for, I’m still going to want to get ready every day and have a fun cute outfit to wear, even if I’m just hanging around the house.  I have a feeling that I will really be embracing the momiform.   
Today I want to share the perfect spring momiform.  I found this look for under $20 at Old Navy last weekend.  I’ve been loving anything and everything yellow, so when I saw this yellow daisy print tank top for only $5, I had to have it.  I’ve also been loving light washed denim.  These jeans were on sale for only $15.  I love the rise on them and I also like that they are a light weight material which is perfect for the spring.  This is the type of outfit I hope to wear more often.  Scroll down for all the outfit details.

*This post contains affiliate links, which means by clicking on and/or making a purchase through a link, I will make a commission for this blog.  Thank you for your support! 
Yellow tank top- Spring Outfit

Yellow tank top- Spring Outfit
Yellow tank top- Spring Outfit

Yellow tank top- Spring Outfit
Yellow tank top- Spring Outfit

Shop my closet

Top- Old Navy (exact)
Jeans- Old Navy (exact)
Purse- Last Call Neiman Marcus (similar)
Sandals- Burlington Coat Factory (similar)
Necklace- Nordstrom (exact)
Earrings- Etsy (exact)

Filed in: Affordable Fashion, Mom Style • by Katie Haller • Leave a Comment

Practical Baby Gear

March 21, 2019 by Katie Haller

practical baby gear

When it comes to buying baby/kid gear, I’d like to think that I’m a minimalist.  I try to stick to only the necessities.  When I made my baby registry back when I was pregnant with Jack, I tried to keep it to only the things that I would absolutely need.  One item that I struggled with finding was a diaper bag.  The diaper bag was the one item on our baby registry that caused a fight between my husband and me. 


I wanted something practical, but I also wanted something that was cute that I could carry around.  I completely forgot that my husband was going to be staying home with Jack half the week while I was working and he might want to use a diaper bag too.  When we got the “cute” diaper bag in the mail as a gift my husband saw it and immediately vetoed it.  His argument was that he was not going to carry around a “girly looking purse” diaper bag.  Anyway, I ended up finding a simple black over the shoulder “gender-neutral” diaper bag for us to share.  It worked fine and I carried it for about the first 6 weeks, then I just decided to throw everything in my purse when we went out, but we still used the black bag as his school diaper bag. 

*This post is part of a collaboration with Birdrock Baby.  All opinions are 100% my own. This post also contains affiliate links, which means by clicking on and/or making a purchase through a link, I will earn a commission for this blog.  Thank you for your support! 

back pack diaper bag

Since I rarely used our diaper bag, I forgot how useful a diaper bag can be.  It makes me wish that I had my diaper bag from BirdRock Baby sooner.  This backpack style diaper bag has been so useful. It is spacious and has a spot for everything.  I don’t know what I would do without it when we travel.  I’m able to pack all Jack’s supplies and also keep my things in it.  This diaper bag has thought of everything.  It even has a charger in it for your phone. Did I mention that it’s gender neutral? There should be no arguments about dad not wanting to carry it.

back pack diaper bag

back pack diaper bag

Birdrock Baby is one of those small business that I love sharing, because they sell quality affordable baby products at a low price.  Plus they give back.  For every purchase you make from Birdrock Baby, they will donate a day’s worth of food for a child in need.  Check them out on their website (HERE) or you can also find them on Amazon (HERE), which is perfect if you are putting together an Amazon Baby Registry!!

Filed in: Mom Life, Mom Style, Motherhood • by Katie Haller • Leave a Comment

Mom-Friendly Fashion for All with Turquoise & Tangerine

March 18, 2019 by Katie Haller

Mom friendly fashion


This post is part of a collaboration with Turquoise & Tangerine. All opinions are 100% my own.

  I use to hear the word boutique and think of a small specialty store where the prices and styles were out of my league.  I now hear the word boutiques and get excited.  As a busy working mom, I do a lot of my shopping online.  The days of going for a full day of shopping at the mall are over for me.  I want to find affordable clothes fast, easy and online.  That’s why I’ve grown to love shopping at online boutiques.

Turquoise & Tangerine is one of those online boutiques that has made me want to explore shopping more often at small online shops.  They sell affordable, trendy clothes that are made for all women.  It doesn’t matter your age, body shape or budget and I love that.  The owner is a busy working mom herself, so she understands the importance of having a stress free shopping experience.  Their clothes are comfortable and mom-friendly, but they don’t sacrifice style. 

Today I’m sharing 2 pieces that I was gifted from Turquoise & Tangerine.  The first is this eggplant ruffle bottom tunic.  I always love a good tunic. It’s the perfect shirt to wear with leggings and a cardigan or you could dress it up for the classroom or a date night out.  Plus this is a great year-round color.  Below, I styled this top with my white jeans and my strappy sandals.  I also styled it a bit more casual with my distressed jeans and wedge sandals.

ruffle bottom tunic

ruffle bottom tunic

ruffle bottom tunic

ruffle bottom tunic
The other piece that I received from Turquoise & Tangerine was this floral kimono.  I love kimono’s in spring and summer.  They are so versatile.  You can wear them with jeans, dresses, shorts and they even make for a great bathing suit cover-up.  Below I have this kimono styled with the outfit from above and I also styled it with a black tank top and my black strappy wedge sandals. 
Floral kimono

Floral kimono
Floral kimono

Floral kimono

Floral kimono

(It was a pretty windy day when I took these pictures so I couldn’t resist this windy day picture.)

If you are looking for an easy shopping experience with casual trendy clothes, I highly recommend checking out Turquoise & Tangerine.  I’m sure I’ll be wearing these pieces in different ways all summer long, so follow along with me on Instagram to see how I wear them!

Shop my closet

Filed in: Affordable Fashion, Casual Work Wear, Mom Style, outfits • by Katie Haller • Leave a Comment

How to Put Together an Athleisure Look

January 14, 2019 by Katie Haller

How to Put Together an Athleisure Look

 As a native Michigander, I really can’t complain too much about the 50-degree temperatures of the Las Vegas winter, but I’m still feeling the winter blues.  The days are short and days are colder, it still puts me into a funk with my wardrobe.  Thankfully winter in Las Vegas is very short.  Before I know it the sun will be out and it will be 70 degrees every day, probably before I ever get around to posting these posts.  To be honest, all I want to do lately is to wear comfortable clothes.  Leggings, cozy sweaters, t-shirts… anything to keep me comfortable and warm.  That’s why every weekend I’ve been wearing athleisure wear.  I love athleisure clothes because it’s a perfect combination of workout athletic clothes with everyday casual clothes.  

Today I want to share one of my favorite athleisure looks and also what the key components are to putting together an athleisure look.  It’s actually really easy and most of you probably already have these pieces in your closet.  

*This post contains affiliate links, which means by clicking on and/or making a purchase through a link, I will earn a commission for this blog at no extra cost to you.  Thank you for your support!
How to Put Together an Athleisure Look
1.) Tennis shoes-  The most important piece of an athleisure look is athletic tennis shoes.  I personally think that black athletic shoes make for the best athleisure look, but.  I just feel like the black and white look so polished, but I also love other tennis shoes with these looks too.  I bought my tennis shoes (HERE) at Kohl’s back in the fall.  Tennis shoes seem to be my most expensive shoes in my closet because I always buy name brand.  I love Nike, Adidas, New Balance… they all have great styles.  The key is to find them on sale!  I’ve linked some of my favorite shoes below.

How to Put Together an Athleisure Look

2.) Leggings-  I think we can all agree that leggings are the best!  When I buy leggings, I look for 3 things; comfort, thickness, and affordability.  I like something comfortable that sucks in everything with a high waist.  I also look for something with a decently thick material.  One of my biggest fashion fears is to be the person who bends over in leggings and you can see the pattern on their underwear perfectly.  Lastly affordability.  My dream leggings are the Zella Live in High Waist Leggings (HERE), but I just can’t bring myself to spend the $59 for them. (Maybe the next big Nordstrom Sale).  I typically will look at stores like TJMaxx or Marshalls for decent brands of leggings.  I recently bought this pair of leggings (HERE) at Nordstrom Rack for under $10.  I really like the thickness of the leggings, but I will say that they are not as soft as some of my other leggings.  Another legging steal is at Forever 21 (HERE).  Their leggings are really nice everyday leggings and they are under $4!!  I still have a pair of Forever 21 leggings that I bought when I was pregnant with Jack, but I will say that their thickness wears out a lot, so I save those ones for my around the house leggings.

How to Put Together an Athleisure Look

3.) Graphic tee or loose-fitting top- I love my stripe tunics and I also love a good graphic tee.  For this look I’m sharing today I stuck with my comfy thrifted striped American Eagle top (HERE).  With tops, I like something that’s loose-fitting and long enough to cover my front and backside.  

How to Put Together an Athleisure Look

4.) A layering piece-  When I say a layering piece, I mean anything you can wear casually over a t-shirt.  It could be a vest, cardigan, jacket… really anything that you like to layer with during the cooler months.  I personally like denim jackets or boyfriend cardigans.  For this look, I went with my grey boyfriend cardigan (HERE) from Target.  It’s super cozy for the winter.

How to Put Together an Athleisure Look

5.) A hat- I love wearing hats lately, especially when it’s cold out.  For this look, I wore my winter pom pom beanie hat (similar HERE) that I got in the dollar section at Target before Christmas.  I also wear my Tigers baseball cap (HERE) all the time with my athleisure clothes.  It’s the perfect way to hide the fact that I didn’t want to do my hair.

So there you have it, 5 key components to completing an athleisure look.  If you like this post, check out my post on 5 Ways to Make Your Momiform More Stylish. Post HERE!!

Filed in: Affordable Fashion, Fashion Tips, Mom Style, outfits, Winter Fashion • by Katie Haller • Leave a Comment

LuLaRoe Review

November 5, 2018 by Katie Haller

Have you heard of LuLaRoe yet?  If you are like me, you probably know of them or maybe even know someone who sells it.  I mostly know LuLaRoe for their colorful prints and leggings.  The clothing brand focuses on selling comfortable clothing for all women, all sizes.  You can buy LuLaRoe from an independent retailer, through Facebook groups and pop up parties.  I was recently contacted by one of my followers, Crystal, from @coffeewithcrystallife.  She sells LuLaRoe and wanted to send me some of their clothing to try out and see how I liked it.  Of course, I said yes!  I had never actually looked closely at anything from LuLaRoe, so I was expecting a lot of leggings with big prints.  That was not the case at all.  Crystal had a lot of really pretty dresses and tops in her boutique.  Some had patterns, some had simple prints or solid colors.  There really was a wide variety to choose from, something I wasn’t expecting.  I picked out 3 items, so today I want to share them with you.


The first item I picked out was this striped dress called the Amelia.  I can never pass up a striped dress.  This dress is super comfortable and I love the fit.  I really love the quality of the fabric too.  It’s very lightweight and breathable.  I tried styling it casual, but I personally think that it looks better dressed up.  I’m thinking that I’m either going to save this dress for a wedding we are going to next fall or I will wear it to a Christmas party this year, who knows maybe I’ll wear it twice!

The other 2 items I picked out was a black tank top and a long grey duster cardigan called the Sarah.  Again, both of these clothing items are very good quality and extremely comfortable.  I feel like you can’t go wrong with a simple tank top because they are perfect for wearing under cardigans and jackets, then in the summertime, you can wear them on their own.  The duster cardigan is so cozy!  I’m loving the length of it!  The other day I wore it with leggings and I didn’t want to take it off.  I also love that it has pockets! 

I’m so happy that I had the chance to try out LuLaRoe because I can finally find out what all the fuss is all about.  I was really impressed with the quality and the comfort of all these items.  I also really love that LulaRoe caters to all women.  Their sizes go from XXS to XXXL.  Fashion is for everyone, no matter what size you are and I love that this company recognizes that.  The only downfall that I could find is that their clothes are a little pricey, at least for my budget.  I typically don’t spend that much on my clothes, however, I am never afraid of a splurge.  
If you are interested in trying out LuLaRoe, head over to Chrystal’s Instagram (HERE) or Facebook group (HERE) to learn more. 

Filed in: fashion, Mom Style • 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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thriftywifehappylife

Affordable everyday petite (5’1) mom style
A mix of affordable retailers + thrifted fashion
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What I would wear to work if I was still teaching! What I would wear to work if I was still teaching!! 👩‍🏫🍎📚

I’ve been sharing teacher-friendly workwear over the last few weeks here on Instagram. So in honor of #teacherappreciationweek I’m rounding up 4 weeks on the blog today! 

🛍️ Comment TEACHER and I will send you the link to my blog post and the shopping link to this post!! 

🔗https://thriftywifehappylife.com/2025/05/what-i-would-wear-4-weeks-of-spring-teacher-outfits/

#teacheroutfits #teacherstyle #workwearoutfits #workwearideas #affordablefashion #styletips
Looking for a cute versatile top for spring and su Looking for a cute versatile top for spring and summer? This $16 striped sweater vest from @walmart is perfect! 

🛍️Comment VEST and I will send you the shopping links to this post! 🔗https://liketk.it/5d6b3

#walmartstyle #walmartfashion #budgetfashion #howtowearit #6waystostyle #outfitideasforyou
I have one month until my Caribbean cruise 🚢 va I have one month until my Caribbean cruise 🚢 vacation and I’ve been outfit planning! 

Here are some looks that I would wear while sightseeing on at the island ports! 

🛍️Comment CRUISE OUTFITS and I will send you the shopping links to this post! 🔗https://liketk.it/5d2E8

#cruisevacation #cruiseoutfit #sightseeingoutfit #whattowear #outfitideas #vacationoutfits
What I wore this week as a 40-year old mom of 2! What I wore this week as a 40-year old mom of 2! 

Which day is your favorite? 

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A week of teacher workwear outfits! The end of t A week of teacher workwear outfits! 

The end of the school year is near, so here’s some more outfit ideas to keep you going for the next couple weeks! 

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#workwearinspiration #teacheroutfits #teacherstyle #outfitideas #springworkwear #springstyle #affordablefashion #whatiwouldwear
April best sellers!! 🌷 These are the items you April best sellers!! 🌷

These are the items you have been loving during the month of April from my @shop.ltk shopping page! 

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Need some easy, cute outfits for busy summer days? Need some easy, cute outfits for busy summer days? These Amazon finds are total lifesavers—comfy, flattering, and perfect for throwing on when you’re rushing out the door with kids in tow.

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What I wore today! I love an all black base! It’ What I wore today! I love an all black base! It’s always so easy to build upon! 

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