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.

Weekend Wardrobe

by Katie Haller

It was another hot weekend in Las Vegas.  This is my first real summer of planning outfits while living in Las Vegas.  Last year I was pregnant with Jack and spent the entire summer indoors as much as possible with morning/ all day sickness.  This year I’m really trying to embrace the heat with my wardrobe, but it’s not always easy dressing in the heat.  I’m learning that I’ve been overthinking my outfits this summer.  I’m now just trying to keep my looks simple and comfortable.  That’s what I did this weekend.  I really haven’t had the opportunity to do much shopping this summer, so I’m trying to pull out old clothes that I haven’t worn in a while and find new ways to wear them.
On Saturday, I kept it really casual and wore cut off shorts that I actually made out of an old pair of Bermuda shorts that I wasn’t feeling anymore.  I cut them to a better length and now I’ve been getting a lot of use out of them around the house. 
Top- Old Navy
Shorts- Kohl’s 
Sandals- Target
Necklace- Target
On Sunday, I wore this green striped halter top dress that I’ve had since college.  I never got much use out of it, because I always felt like it was never hot enough to wear.  Well, it’s perfect for Las Vegas, because it’s defiantly hot enough around here to wear a summer dress like this, even if I do go into an air conditioned place.
Dress- Victoria Secret
Sandals- Target
Necklace- Kohl’s
Hope you liked my weekend looks.  Have a great week! 

What to Wear for the 4th of July!

by Katie Haller

I love the 4th of July!  It’s always been a special holiday for my family and me.  Not only is it our country’s birthday, but it’s also my dad’s birthday.  I have a lot of happy memories spending this day with my family while growing up.  Ever since I was a little girl, I always had to make sure that I wore my red, white and blue on Independence Day.  Now that I’m an adult,  not much has changed.  I still look for those colors in my closet to make sure I’m festive for whatever I have planned on that day. 

Some easy ways to put together a great 4th of July outfit is to look for basic pieces like shorts, tank tops, and skirts, then accessorize them with some holiday flair.  For me, I like to accessorize with my red beads and add some denim in for my blue.

Whether you plan to spend your day at the beach, a picnic, barbecue, parade, fireworks or even if you have to be at the office…here are some easy ways to incorporate red, white and blue into your look.
I like this casual maxi skirt look.  It’s perfect for a hot summer day, plus it’s super comfortable!
I love this white Ann Taylor dress.  I actually wear it as a bathing suit cover up most of the time, but when you pair it with some wedge shoes, red beads, and a denim jacket; it can really dress it up nicely. 
This casual look is perfect for a day time BBQ, then you can add the denim jacket to it for evening fireworks.  I love the navy and white stripes in this tank top. 
This is another great evening to look for fireworks.  Having a red sweater in your closet can definitely come in handy, especially for holidays. 
This look is a great work outfit for the day before the long weekend.  We all know that a workday can drag on, especially the day before a holiday weekend.  Dressing up a little bit festive can make your day more fun! 
Those are my 4th of July looks.  Follow me on Instagram @thriftywifehappylife to find out what I end up wearing this year on the 4th.  I hope everyone has a safe a fun holiday!

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!

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