Thrifty Wife Happy Life

Helping women love what they wear on a budget

Making the Most of Your Wardrobe- Striped Dress

by Katie Haller

I always love doing my “Making the Most of Your Wardrobe” post, because I love sharing how I accessorize my clothes.  My closet is full of simple clothing pieces that can be re-worn over and over again, I just accessorize it a little differently each time.  I feel like this is the practical way to make the most of your clothing.

 I bought this simple stripe racerback dress at Walmart back in August (similar here here and here).  Every August, I go get my school supplies at Walmart and I can never help myself but to take a quick peek at the clothes.  I found that a lot of their junior summer clothes were on clearance for really low prices between $1-$5.  I stumbled upon this little dress and couldn’t reset it.  It was only $5.  As I’m sure you can tell, I have a bit of an obsession with stripe patterns, especially black and white stripes.  I just find stripes to be so classic and simple to accessorize.

Here are some ways that I’ve worn this little dress.

This first look is my favorite!  I wore my black blazer from Forever 21 (similar), my new turquoise pendant necklace from Nordstrom Rack (similar), my nude flats from Target (exact) and my cross over blush purse from Ross (similar). 

This is a perfect weekend look.  I wore the denim jacket that I bought a couple summers ago while grocery shopping at Meijer (similar), my white sandals from Target (exact), a coral statement necklace from Charming Charlie (similar) and my coral Coach purse.

This is a great transitional fall look, perfect for the Las Vegas fall temperatures.  I wore my long cardigan from H&M (similar), my gold pendant necklace from Burlington Coat Factory (similar) and my new ankle boots also from Burlington Coat Factory (similar).

For this last look, I really love wearing sneakers with a dress.  It just helps to dress it down and give it a casual look.  I wore my same denim jacket as above, with a simple long silver necklace (I’ve had this one so long I can’t remember where I bought it.) and my pink sneakers from Target (similar).

  This dress has quickly become one of my favorite dresses.  I love how a little $5 purchase can add so much to your wardrobe.  Look for more posts like this, because I have a lot more closet favorites that I would love to share!

Weekend Wardrobe

by Katie Haller

I’m so happy that it’s August.  It’s the last month of summer and even though I love summer, I’m ready for some cooler temperatures.  I miss being able to wear jeans and layer my clothes.  Until then, I’ll continue to figure out my summer wardrobe by using what I already have in my closet. 


Saturday
Top- TJ Maxx
Shorts- Goodwill
Sandals- Target
Sunday
Top- Target
Shorts- Old Navy
Sandals- Target
It was a very casual weekend for me.  I hope everyone has a great week!!

Mom Wear + Pink Blush + $50 Giveaway!!

by Katie Haller

Lately, my wardrobe has quickly been turning into mom wear.  To me, mom wear is anything that I can throw on quickly, that’s comfortable and practical, but also stylish.  Little Jack does not like to let me have too much time to get myself ready in the morning, so that’s why it’s nice to have those pieces of clothing that are mindless and require very little effort to put together and still look stylish.

This is why when Pink Blush asked me to collaborate with them, I jumped at the opportunity!  When I was pregnant I remember coming across a lot of Pink Blush maternity clothes on Pinterest and I loved what I saw!  What I didn’t realize at the time was that Pink Blush is so much more than just maternity clothes.  They also have a women’s line, perfect for busy moms.  While I was pregnant, I enjoyed styling my bump in nonmaternity clothes because it was more practical for me to get the most out of my wardrobe.  That’s why I bought clothes that I could wear during and after my pregnancy.  This is why I love Pink Blush so much.  Their women’s line transforms perfectly from pregnancy into mom life.

I am currently loving my new dress from Pink Blush!  This dress is pretty much my definition of what mom wear is.  It’s comfortable, practical and stylish.  It is quickly becoming my go-to dress; perfect for work, running errands, church or for family outings.  Of course, I like to stick with what I’m comfortable in and stripes are always my go-to pattern.  The great thing about this dress is that it would also work perfectly if I were pregnant again.

  Another thing that I love about this dress is how versatile it is.  I love that I can wear it casually with flip flops or flats or I can dress it up with some wedges or heels.  It’s perfect year-round for any season.  I can’t wait to style it with some leggings and boots this winter.

Of course I’m always looking for a deal and I find Pink Blush to be very affordable.  I can even stick to my $30 shopping budget.  The site always has some sort of discount promo code running along with 15% off your first order, plus free shipping, which always makes me happy!
Right now I am hosting my very first give away!  I’m teaming up with Pink Blush to give one lucky reader the chance to win a $50 gift card to Pink Blush!  All you have to do is follow these steps…
Follow me on Instagram @thriftywifehappylife 
Follow on Instagram @shoppinkblush or @pinkblushmaternity
Like my Facebook page Thrifty Wife, Happy Life 
Leave me a comment on Instagram with the #pinkblushgiveaway in it. 
I will announce the winner on Instagram on August 20th!
*Please note- If you have won a Pink Blush gift card within the last 3 months you will not qualify for this giveaway. 
*Disclaimer- This dress was given to me by Pink Blush in exchange for this review.  My review is 100% my honest opinion.

Making the Most of Your Non-Maternity Clothes

by Katie Haller

I may not be pregnant anymore, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t still share some of my favorite maternity looks.  I had so much fun being creative and coming up with ways to dress my baby bump on a budget.  I’ve gotten a lot of feedback from friends and readers about how much they liked the maternity posts that I figured why not do a few more maternity posts? 
One thing that I love to share is just how simple it is to take a normal non-maternity outfit and turn it into a maternity look. 
Today I thought I would share a few of my favorite striped dresses from my wardrobe.  I kind of have an obsession with stripes, especially if they are black and white.  I just love the bold look that a striped dress gives.  Here are some ways I wore my non-maternity dresses while I was pregnant and also before and after my pregnancy.

*This post contains affiliate links, which means by clicking on and/or making a purchase through a link I will earn a small commission for this blog.  Thank you for your support!
This dress I bought at Target a couple years ago. (Similar)  It’s very comfortable. It has an elastic waistband in the middle that I usually wear the tie over or put a belt over.  While I was pregnant, I just put the elastic on top of my bump and folded over the extra material. 
This is also a Target dress (Similar).  It’s a thicker material, so it was nice to have during the winter months.  I actually liked wearing it with a bump better than without the bump. 
This dress is from Old Navy (Similar).  It fit perfectly through my second trimester.  I always liked wearing a belt above my bump while styling my maternity outfits. 
This dress I bought at H&M while I was pregnant (Similar).  I love it!  This look was one of my favorite maternity looks while I was pregnant.  I wore a long black cardigan with a green statement necklace and black flats. 
I hope you have some new ideas for styling your baby bump!

Shop baby bump-friendly non-maternity dress

What I Wore- Mom Wear

by Katie Haller

I have definitely been slacking with my outfit post lately. My reason for this is my 3-month-old baby, of course.  He takes up all of that free time that I used to have to blog.  Lately, my days are packed and I never feel like I’m getting ahead on anything.  Monday through Friday I go to work.  My preschool class goes from 8-2, then at 2:00, I try to manage my time appropriately to finish all my paperwork during my planning time, so that at 3:30, I’m on my way home to see my baby boy.  Once I’m home there’s dinner to make, laundry to fold, a baby to change, feed and keep happy.


After I put him to bed around 8:00, I have an hour to clean the kitchen, wash his bottles, get myself ready for bed and prep everything for the next day.  I sometimes get a few minutes to do a little blogging or check my blog social media accounts, but that’s about it.  I have to make sure that I’m asleep no later than 9:00, because I know that I’ll be up with the baby before midnight.  I’m usually up at least 3 times during the night with my little guy.  (He is not the greatest sleeper.)  The next morning I drag my tired self out of bed to do it all over again.  This is why I live for the weekends, but even then, Saturday and Sunday are my catch up days.  I knew having a baby would completely change my life forever, but living it every day can be overwhelming at times.  Please don’t get me wrong though, I wouldn’t trade it for the world.  I love every moment I get with my baby boy.  Every smile reminds me just how much I love that little human.  I love being a mom and I would never want to trade it in for my old life before my baby was born. 

So with all that said, you can understand that my life is busier than ever.  However, I refuse to loose my sense of style.  Having on a cute outfit can always brighten my day.  What I’ve been trying to come up with is easy to put together outfits that are comfortable and cute.  I like to call it “mom wear”. 
Here are some of my mom’s looks from this week. 
Sunday, I wore this hand-me-down dress that my mom gave me a while back.  I love a black dress.  It’s easy to accessorize and looks good on everyone. 
Dress- Nordstrom
Jacket- Meijer
Shoes- Target
My Monday outfit is pretty much my standard look for the workweek.  Leggings, tank top and a cardigan with flats are always my go-to outfit because it’s comfortable and looks cute.  Since I work with kids, I figured my work outfits are good looks for stay at home moms too.
Tank Top- H&M
Cardigan- Target
Leggings- Forever 21
On Tuesday, I wore my grey tunic with a white cardigan.  The cardigan is an Express cardigan that I bought at the Salvation Army for $3.  I love finding simple staple clothes at thrift stores for cheap, especially when it comes to my work clothes. 
Tunic- Nordstrom Rack
Sweater- Salvation Army
Leggings- Forever 21
On Thursday, I wore this look that I wore a few times in the fall while I was pregnant. (Pregnancy look here).  It’s an easy look that doesn’t require a lot of thought. 
Shirt- Old Navy
Cardigan- Target
Jeggings- Old Navy
On Friday, I really wanted to wear a dress, so I wore my new swing dress (read about it here) with a cardigan.  I love how comfortable this dress is in the heat.  It’s a perfect summer mom outfit.

Dress- Nordstrom Rack

Cardigan- Old Navy
 
Look for more mom wear post soon!  I’m all about trying to stay stylish while being a mom.  Plus with the lack of time on my hands, I don’t have time to get to the store and buy new clothes, so I’m trying to reinvent some new looks with the older clothes that I already have in my closet for now.  I can’t wait to share more soon!

Maternity Style- Before the Bump

by Katie Haller

Maternity fashion has definitely come along way over the years.  People used to think about maternity clothes as a bad thing because there were no cute options.  When I look back on some of the clothes that my mom wore in the ’80s when she was pregnant with me, I question how anyone ever thought that looked good.  Why would you put a pregnant woman in a giant sheet hiding her figure completely?  Now a day’s being pregnant is all about staying fashionable and cute.  Women have the chance to show off their baby bump proudly without hiding under a giant piece of clothing.
When I first found out I was pregnant, the one thing that I was really excited about was putting together cute maternity outfits.  I couldn’t wait to find ways to dress my baby bump.  Well, it takes a while to grow a baby, so really maternity fashion comes later in pregnancy.  I’m currently in my 5th month, so my baby is still very small.  My belly is slowly growing, but I still feel like it looks like I just ate 2 Thanksgiving dinners.  It won’t be long until I’m officially in maternity clothes, but as of right now, I’m still in that in-between stage. 
Even though I’m still pretty small, I am constantly uncomfortable in my clothes.  My jeans are tight, my tops are tight…all I’ve been wanting is to be comfortable, without looking like a slob.  So today, I thought I’d show off a few of my favorite “before the bump” maternity outfits.  These are just a few of my favorite clothing pieces that have helped me get through the first 4 months of pregnancy.
Left: Old Navy (similar) Right: Express (similar)
The first look that I have really been enjoying are my sundresses.  Sundresses are great during early pregnancy, especially during the summer.  It was so hot this summer and even though I wasn’t showing yet, I was sick and miserable.  Being able to throw on a cute empire waist sundress helped me dress myself up a bit and stay comfortable and cool at the same time.  Above are a couple of my dresses that I’ve worn recently.  Here are a few more sundresses I’ve posted in the past that I’ve also been getting a lot of use out of (here) (here) (here).

Another piece of clothing that I’m loving is my leggings.  Leggings are my best friends right now. Who doesn’t love a comfortable pair of leggings, especially when your feeling bloated?  Even though my jeans still fit, it’s just been too hot and they feel too tight, so I’ve been pretty much living in a legging.  I even bought a pair of jeggings a month ago at Ross, so that it didn’t look like I was wearing leggings to work every day.  I sometimes feel like leggings are a bit too casual for normal daily wear, but I think as long as you wear a long enough shirt and accessorize properly, leggings can be a cute option. 
Left: Skirt-Ross (similar)  Right: Dress- Target (similar)
Maxi dresses and skirts are another perfect options during early pregnancy.  I’m sure they will also be great to wear throughout my entire pregnancy as well.  I just love maxi dresses and skirts, because they’re comfortable and casual, yet they are dressy at the same time. 
Those are just a few of  my favorite “before the bump” looks.  I can’t wait to start putting together more maternity outfits and of course sharing them with you! 
What’s your favorite “before the bump” look?

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