Thrifty Wife Happy Life

Helping women love what they wear on a budget

Graphic T-shirt Love with Top Crate

by Katie Haller

Who loves graphic tees?  I know I do!  They are so fun and trendy.  I love how you can wear them with almost anything.  They are perfect to wear when working out, running errands or just being lazy around the house. I feel like you can throw on a graphic tee with any bottoms and instantly have on a cute outfit without even trying.

*This post is part of a collaboration with Top Crate.  As always my opinions are 100% my own.  This post also includes affiliate links.  By making a purchase through a link, I will make a commission for this blog. Thank you for your support! 

 I was recently contacted by Top Crate to see if I wanted to try out some of their t-shirts.  I don’t say yes to every opportunity that comes my way, but when I saw their selection of graphic tees, I immediately said yes.  Top Crate has a graphic T-shirt for everyone.  From holiday theme shirts to food theme shirts, they have them all.  You can never have enough graphic tee’s and that’s why Top Crate is perfect for graphic t-shirt lovers.  They have a subscription box that you can sign up for.  You will receive a box every month with 2 t-shirts that fit your personality and lifestyle.  You can choose to sign up for 3 months, 6 months or 1 year.  I always love a company that gives back, so I was happy to see that for every subscription box, Top Crate donates a T-shirt to a local women’s shelter.  You can read more about Top Crate HERE! 

I easily found 2 shirts at Top Crate that fit my personality and lifestyle.  The first one is the Mom Life shirt.  This shirt says it all.  I decided to were it with a “mom life” outfit.  This is my new errand running outfit for fall.

T-shirt (EXACT) || Jacket (EXACT) || Leggings (SIMILAR) || Shoes (EXACT)

My next t-shirt is from Top Crate’s Fall collection.  Thankful and Blessed.  I think this shirt is the perfect shirt to wear around Thanksgiving.  I can’t wait to pair it with a cute plaid button-down as the weather cools off.  One thing I forgot to mention about these T-shirts is how comfortable the material is.  The shirts are nice quality, lightweight and they fit perfectly.  I went with a small and it fits very true to size.

T-shirt (EXACT) || Jeans (SIMILAR) || Shoes (SIMILAR) || Bracelet (EXACT) || Earrings (SIMILAR) 
I’m so excited for all of you, because Top Crate wants to share one of their T-shirts with you!  You can go to my Instagram post HERE, and enter to win the Thankful and Blessed T-shirt that I’m wearing above.  It’s really easy to enter, so I hope you will take a minute and enter!
Shop my closet



Toddler Update + Outfit Post with PinkBlush

by Katie Haller

Today I’m talking about the 2 things that I always have on my mind; my toddler and fashion.  I remember thinking that having an infant kept me so busy.  Between the feedings, diapers, and lack of sleep, I thought that I never got a minute to rest.  Now that Jack is 2, all that baby stuff seems so easy to me now.  People always told us that some things will get easier as your child grows and other things will be harder.  Boy were they right.  Sometimes, being a toddler mom is so easy.  When Jack gets engaged in something and is in a good mood it’s so great, but then there are the other times when I am just exhausted.  Jack is so busy and he can be so demanding of my attention.  It can definitely be challenging figuring out how to balance my home life, my full-time job, my blog, and social media all while trying to be a good mom.  I’m constantly multi-tasking.  What I’m finding out is that multi-tasking is just a part of being a mom.   

People always ask me when are we going to try for another baby.  I will say that I don’t even want to think about having another baby until Jack will sleep consistently through the night for a whole month.  I’m pretty sure that Jack is the world’s worst sleeper.  It’s gotten better, much better from the first year, but he is still waking up during the night.  Now he just comes into our bed whenever he wakes up.  I wouldn’t mind having him in our bed if he didn’t sleep sideways and toss and turn all night long.  With as sick as I was for my first trimester with Jack, I do not know how I could get through a pregnancy with no sleep, a demanding toddler and still function at work.  Hopefully, Jack will get better at sleeping, at least that’s what I’ve been telling myself since the day he was born. 
Even though my little guy can be a total crazy person at times, he is also so adorable!  I think God makes toddlers extremely cute for a reason.  His little smile and laugh puts a smile on my face all the time.  He is talking so much and forming sentences.  We understand him and even other people are starting to understand him sometimes.  I do have a lot of fun with him.  One thing I’ve been trying to do more often is spend more quality time with him, by putting my phone in the other room and just playing with him.  Sometimes I have too many distractions, but Jack is what’s important right now.  Watching him grow and soaking in this toddler age before it’s too late.

This post is part of a collaboration with PinkBlush.  All opinions are 100% my own. 
Now on to the fashion!  Every year around this time of the summer I start getting excited about fall fashion.  Since we don’t really experience fall temperatures until late November,  I usually get really into transitional fall looks.  One trend I’m really loving right now are the front button tie tops.  I’ve been seeing them everywhere.  They are so cute and casual, plus perfect to transition into your fall wardrobe.  This navy striped button tie front top is from my favorite boutique PinkBlush.  I really love the ruffled sleeves on this top.  I think it sets it apart from some of the other tops I’ve seen like this.  I styled it for today’s look with distressed jeans and my slides, but it could easily be styled with jean shorts for summer or a nicer pair of jeans or pants and some flats for the classroom.  I plan on wearing it to one of my professional development days this week at work.

PinkBlush

To find more trendy tops like this one, be sure to head over to PinkBlush!

A Love for Stripes

by Katie Haller

I know that I’m not alone when I say that I LOVE STRIPES!  It’s no secret.  For whatever reason, the black and white pattern catches my eye every time.  But each pattern of stripes that I buy is a little different than the rest.  When I go shopping, I am so practical.  I look for clothes that I’m going to get good use out of and that can be worn over and over again.  For me, stripes are always the answer.  
I went on a fast from shopping last month.  After Memorial Day, I told myself that I wasn’t allowed to buy any new clothes for the month of June.  I made it through June, and since I’m going on vacation this weekend, I wanted to get a new dress.  I fell in love with this white dress with black stripes (SIMILAR) from TJMaxx.  I felt that the black on white stripes gave it a nautical feel that would be perfect for a beach vacation. 
 The best color to accessorize stripes with in my opinion is a cognac or camel brown.  It always makes the stripes pop.  I’ve been so light on my jewelry this summer because it’s so hot.  Unless I plan on spending the entire day in air conditioning, I usually just wear statement earrings of some sort.  I love these little teardrop earrings I found at Walmart for $2 (SIMILAR).  My necklaces tend to tarnish when I sweat behind my neck in the heat (#cheapjewelryproblems), so instead, I’ve been using my sunglasses (SIMILAR) as my neck accessory and wearing them in my shirt when they are not over my eyes.  This dress is perfect on its own, but I layered it with my thrifted denim vest (SIMILAR) for this look.  A denim vest makes for a great alternative to a denim jacket in the summer.  It gives the same look, but the sleeveless vest helps when it’s so hot out.  For shoes, I went with my favorite slip-on wedges (SIMILAR).  These shoes are so comfy, I can wear them for a full day and my feet don’t hurt.

For more stripe dresses and similar affordable options, shop the look below!

Surviving Summer with PinkBlush

by Katie Haller

This is my third summer living in Las Vegas.  I’d like to think that I’m getting used to the hot summers, but there is always some point in the summer, usually right around mid-July, that I get so sick of the heat.  I can handle the dry hot days of 105 degrees no problem, but when we get our first blast of humidity at the beginning of the monsoon season, that’s when I want to get in my car and drive to the coolest destination I can find.  Luckily next week I’ll be escaping to the beaches of California for a week, but I know that the hot humid days will be waiting for me when I get back. 

When I talk about a humid day in the desert, I’m talking about only 20% humidity, which is really nothing compared to a Midwest summer day, but it’s the heat that makes it so much worse.  I find it nearly impossible to get dressed with it hot and humid.  The easiest way for me to dress in the heat is in comfortable flowy dresses.  Anything that is loose-fitting is perfect.  
This post is part of a collaboration with PinkBlush.  As always my opinions are 100% my own. 
This navy blue ruffled bottom dress from PinkBlush is the perfect solution to dressing comfortably in the heat.  I love how flowy and lose it fits.  The back has a very cute lace-up crisscross tie on it, which I think gives it the perfect amount of detail.  I wore this dress last weekend while we hung out with my brother and sister-in-law, exploring some spots here in Las Vegas.  It was super hot, humid and cloudy that day.  Jack was acting up because he was tired, out of sorts and probably hot.  I think I would have been in a horrible mood if I wasn’t wearing this dress, but I ended up having a nice time with my family because I felt comfortable and cute in my outfit.     

PinkBlush 

To shop my dress and more comfortable summer dresses, check out PinkBlush!

Local Henderson Thrift Store

by Katie Haller

I’ve always loved to second-hand shop, but after moving out to Las Vegas, I’ve been doing the majority of my shopping at second-hand stores.  For myself, I never seem to have a difficult time finding great finds, but when it comes to second-hand shopping for Jack, I don’t always have the best luck.  One problem that I’m consistently running into while thrift shopping for Jack is a lack of selection and quality, especially when it comes to boy items.  

*This post is part of a collaboration with Archer & Jane.  All options are 100% my own. 
Recently, I stumbled upon a thrift store that solves all my problems for buying my little guy second-hand items.  The store is called Archer + Jane and it’s located on Water Street right in downtown Henderson.   I don’t think a lot of Las Vegas locals even know that downtown Henderson exists, but it’s one of the few original downtowns in the Las Vegas area.  Where I’m from back in Michigan we have lots of little towns with little local shops and restaurants and I really missed that when I moved out here to Vegas because everything is so new.  Archer + Jane has all the charm of one of those little shops back in the Midwest. 
Archer + Jane sells pre-loved goods for both children and moms.  The owner carefully goes through each donation bag and carefully selects the items that she wants to sell in her store.  The kid’s clothes are in perfect condition, even the boy’s clothes!  Archer + Jane is also a great place to find baby gear like gently used pack-n-plays, baby carriers, booster seats, and boppy chairs, many of them are still in their original packaging.  It’s a great place to find those extra items that maybe you didn’t get from your baby registry and you don’t want to pay full price for.  You can also find brands like Noodle & Boo,  Lil ‘O’ Blossom and Green Toys. 
If you’re looking for a spot to recycle your baby products, Archer + Jane is the perfect place.  Just drop off a bag of gently used baby, women or maternity items and you can earn store credit for more shopping! 

As Jack gets older, I am always finding things around the house that I might need, but I don’t want to go to the store and spend full price.  I’ve been looking for a booster chair for him for a while now, but I’ve had no luck finding an inexpensive one.  I found this brand new Safety First booster chair at Archer & Jane for only $15.  It had never been used and was still in the box.  It retails for $30.

If you are a Las Vegas local or know someone who lives in the Las Vegas/Henderson area, I highly recommend checking out Archer + Jane.  Head over to my Instagram page (HERE) to enter to win a $25 gift card to Archer & Jane. Giveaway will end on July 27th.  Don’t forget to follow along with Archer + Jane on social media to see all the latest merchandise and sales! Find them on Facebook (HERE), Instagram (HERE) and Twitter (HERE).

Happy Thrifting!!

Floral Sundress with PinkBlush

by Katie Haller

Hey guys!  So it’s already mid-June and I’m feeling like my summer laziness is really setting in.  I mentioned a few times that June is a long work month for me.  Working through the summer is never fun, but I’ve been getting new kids transferring into my classroom and old kids transferring out, which makes things a little hectic for us teachers.  My work weeks have been busy as always, but my weekends have been amazing!  

We haven’t done much, but every weekend feels like a vacation for me.  The weather this month hasn’t been as hot as the Las Vegas summer’s that I’ve experienced in the past.  We have been getting out around town and spending lots of time at the pool.  The last 2 weekends I felt like I lived in my bathing suit.  It’s also been really nice because my brother and sister-in-law just moved to Las Vegas last month.  We have been seeing them regularly and it’s been really nice.  I’m so happy to have family living in the same metro area as me.  It’s been a long time. 
Now that June is half over I can really start to get excited about next month.  I’ve been really looking forward to July for a while because we have a couple trips planned.  We are taking our first mini-family vacation with just the 3 of us and going to a resort not far from Las Vegas.  We have never stayed at an actual hotel with Jack because all our traveling since he was born has been to stay at our family’s homes.  It should be fun.  We also have a week planned with my husband’s side of the family at the ocean.  To me, there is no better summer vacation than a trip to the ocean.  
With all this excitement of the summer season going on, I’ve been super lazy lately.  I’ve been not feeling up to doing my usual weekend chore routine.  I’d rather get out of the house and enjoy the weather, than clean toilets and floors.  (I’m trying to work on my husband about getting a house cleaner for that, but we will have to see if he will give in.)  I’ve also been super lazy about cooking, but I always seem to get like that in the summer.  Pretty much all of our meals come out of a Trader Joe’s frozen meal bag, or I find something that takes under 20 minutes to make.  I promise I will get a blog post out soon on some of my favorite quick and easy meals.  The last thing I’ve been pretty lazy about this summer has been my wardrobe.  
*This post is part of a collaboration with PinkBlush.  All options are 100% my own.
Lazy style doesn’t mean that you have to look lazy while wearing it.  It just means that you don’t have to put as much effort into it.  I’ve been wearing a lot of dresses and rompers because they are easy to style and make for light laundry loads.  I’ve really been loving floral prints this summer and this ivory floral sleeveless dress from PinkBlush is the perfect lazy dress for summer.  The print on it gives it the perfect amount of style to dress it up or dress it down.  It’s so pretty, you barely need to add any accessories to it.   For this look I’m sharing today, I decided to dress it up with my strappy heels and little blush crossbody purse.  For jewelry, I kept it simple and found some simple goal pieces.   I’m planning on wearing it to work soon, so I’ll probably wear it with a denim jacket and some flats.  I figured it would be perfect to wear out for dinner while on vacation with my wedge shoes or flat sandals.  Either way, I wear it, it’s the perfect effortless summer dress. 

Want to find more summer floral dresses to add to your summer wardrobe? Check out PinkBlush! 

PinkBlush

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