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Thrifty Wife Happy Life

Helping women love what they wear on a budget

Making the Most of Your Wardrobe- Blush Long Cardigan

January 7, 2017 by Katie Haller

Happy New Year everyone!  I know I’m a week late, but it’s been a busy couple of weeks.  We were in Michigan over Christmas and then I went back to work on Tuesday.  My month is only going to get busier because we are moving into a new house at the end of January.  I’m so excited, but I have so much to do to prepare.  I apologize in advance for the lack of a blog post this month.  

As you can see, I’ve made a few changes to my blog for the new year.  One of my new year goals was to make some changes to improve my blog this year.  I still just enjoy blogging for fun, so I’m not ready to make any major changes yet, but I thought a new look might freshen it up for the new year.  This blog is always a work in progress.  I just want to thank everyone for your emails, pins likes and just for reading Thrifty Wife, Happy Life!  I felt like 2016 was a major year for my blog.  I gained so many new readers and followers, so thank you!  It means a lot to me!  I look forward to making 2017 an even better year! 
Today, I thought that I would share a post that I started working on before Christmas.  I bought this blush long cardigan sweater at Target (exact) while I was doing a bit of Christmas shopping.  My closet is full of neutral colors, so I thought it might be nice to have a blush cardigan to add a touch of color.  I love how versatile cardigans can be.  You can layer them over almost any top.  Here are four ways that I’ve styled my blush cardigan. 
For this first look, I layered the cardigan over a black LC Lauren Conrad top from Kohl’s (similar).  I like how the blouse dresses up a simple look with leggings. 
I feel like I’m always wearing stripes, so of course, I layered the cardigan with my stripe tunic from Old Navy (exact).  I like to cuff my long sleeve shirts when I layer them with a sweater.  I just like the look that it gives. 
For this look, I added a green statement necklace to add some more color to the look.  Pink and green are 2 of my favorite colors, so I always like to mix them together.
I always love a good scarf layered look.  I really love this simple silver scarf.  I found it at Five Below for $5 a few years back.  I always say that I will buy my clothes and accessories from any store, as long as it’s cute and a good deal.  Sometimes you never know what you will find at stores like Five Below or the Dollar Tree.  This simple scarf is one of my most worn scarves because it’s so basic and matches every outfit. 
That’s how I’m styling my long cardigan.  How do you style your cardigans?

Filed in: Affordable Fashion, Making the Most of your Wardrobe, My Closet, outfits, Winter Fashion • by Katie Haller • 1 Comment

Instagram Outfit Review- End of 2016

December 27, 2016 by Katie Haller

 It’s been a while since my last Instagram outfit review.  This is the last one for 2016!  I have posted a lot of outfits on Instagram since my last review, so here are some of my favorites. 

Top- Old Navy
Cardigan-Target
Jeggings- Old Navy
Shoes- Burlington Coat Factory 
Purse- Savers
Top- Old Navy
Sweater- Macy’s 
Leggings- Last Call Neiman Marcus
Ankle Boots- Burlington Coat Factory 
Purse- Last Call Neiman Marcus
Top- Kohl’s 
Cardigan- H&M
Jeans- Target
Necklace- Charming Charlie 
Top- H&M
Cardigan- H&M
Boots- Target 
Scarf- Kohl’s 
Top- Target
Cardigan- Target
Scarf- Target 

Top- Nordstrom Rack
Jacket- Meijer
Scarf- DSW

Scarf- Charming Charlie 

Blazer- Kohl’s

Necklace- Target
Purse- Last Call Neiman Marcus 

Top- Target
Scarf- Five Below
Shoes- Target

Jeans- Meijer 

Necklace- Burlington Coat Factory 

Cardigan- Target 

Boots- DSW

Top- Target
Necklace- Target 

Scarf- Nordstrom 

Coat- Old Navy- thrifted from Savers
I hope you liked my looks from this year!  As always, don’t forget to follow me on Instagram @thriftywifehappylife.  Have a great New Year and look for more affordable outfit posts in 2017!!

Filed in: Affordable Fashion, Daily Outfits, instagram review, My Closet, outfits • by Katie Haller • Leave a Comment

My Closet- Holiday Looks

December 22, 2016 by Katie Haller

Every year around the holidays, I like to do a post for budget friendly holiday outfits.  This year, I have put together a few simple looks that I am planning on wearing over Christmas break.  I am flying home to spend Christmas in Michigan and my week between Christmas and New Year’s Eve is completely booked with family gatherings.  I can’t wait to see everyone, but of course, I like to have an idea of what I’m wearing.  It’s always best to plan your outfits ahead of time so that you don’t have to worry about thinking about what to wear on the day of an event.  Here are some of the outfits that I have planned to wear for the holidays. 
 
 I’m planning on wearing this look for Christmas Eve.  I love wearing leggings and boots with a simple dress.  I accessorized it with some of my favorite Christmas accessories; my infinity scarf from DSW (similar) and my red boyfriend cardigan from Target (similar).
I recently bought this cranberry colored cowl neck sweater from Target (similar).  I love how it looks with leggings, boots and leg warmers.  I think this would be such a cozy Christmas Day look. 
I love my new grey plaid scarf from Banana Republic Factory (similar and similar).  I love the neutral colors, it can be paired with any outfit almost.  For this look, I wore it with a forest green shirt which gives it that Christmas look. 
I bought this cream top at Target (similar) last year and I love accessorizing it with this green necklace from Charming Charlie (similar).  I always like to accessorize with green and red around Christmas time and this necklace is perfect for that. 

Those are my Christmas looks.  What are you planning on wearing over the holidays?

Filed in: Affordable Fashion, holidays, My Closet, outfits • by Katie Haller • Leave a Comment

Thrifty Looks- Favorite Thrift Store Dresses

November 28, 2016 by Katie Haller

The last couple of months have just been a blur for me.  Jack is so busy that my days are filled with chasing him around the house, feeding him, cleaning up after him and pretty much spending every moment thinking about him.  I’ve been wanting to get back into doing some more outfit post, however, it’s not as easy as it used to be in my pre-baby life.  Sometimes I feel like I’m lacking in my creativity.  I decided that I would do a “Thrifty Looks” series of posts to share some of my favorite thrift stores finds.  I always like to stay true to the theme of my blog and show off my affordable clothing.  I thought that by sharing my favorite thrift store finds and how simple it can be to incorporate them into my everyday wardrobe, would be the perfect way to do just that!

  Today, I thought that I would share some of my dresses that I’ve bought at either the Salvation Army or Savers in the past few years.  I was recently looking through my closet and I realized that probably about 50% of my dresses have been bought at thrift stores.  Dresses are just one of those items that are always a great find at a thrift store.  They are usually cheap, and unless its something too flashy, they usually won’t go out of style anytime soon.  I love to adopt dresses into my own closet and accessorize them up.

Here are 4 thrift store dresses, all under $5.  This is how I am accessorizing them for fall and winter this year.

 

 
This first dress is a simple brown dress that I bought a few years back at the Salvation Army.  Brown isn’t always my favorite color on me, but because of how comfortable and basic this dress is, I’ve kept it.  This fall, I’ve decided to style it with an infinity scarf and taupe ankle boots.  The purse is also a thrift store find from this past Memorial Day sale at Savers (post here).
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I bought this Forever 21 t-shirt dress at Savers last year at the Labor Day sale (post here).  I love how comfortable this dress is.  I recently styled it with my denim jacket, ankle boots, a silver scarf, and my thrifted brown purse again. 
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This dress is actually a hand me down from my mom, but it was purchased at a second-hand store.  I love how simple and classic this dress is on its own, but it also looks great layered up as well.  For this look here, I added my leopard scarf, denim jacket, black wedge shoes, and my brown purse again. 
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I bought this simple fitted black dress at the Salvation Army a few years ago.  I believe I only paid $2 for it.  I love black dresses because you can never go wrong with an LBD.  I feel that you can never have enough black dresses in your closet, especially when you’re buying them for only $2, right?  I styled up this dress with my grey blazer, turquoise pendant necklace, my blush crossbody purse, and black peep-toed shoes.  
Being a thrifty shopper will always help out your bank account and you can still have a great collection of clothes.  Just keep your eye out for those special pieces.  Do you have any great thrift store finds hanging in your closet?

Filed in: Fall Fashion, My Closet, outfits, Thrifty Looks • by Katie Haller • 2 Comments

Making the Most of Your Wardrobe- Stripe Tunic

November 12, 2016 by Katie Haller

I just couldn’t help myself and I bought another piece of clothing in black and white stripes.  Back in September, while doing some fall shopping, I found this long sleeve tunic at Old Navy (exact).  It was on sale for 50% off, which came to $8.49.   I thought about buying it in another color, but they didn’t have my size, so I ended up with the stripes.

I’m really loving this top right now.  I wish I had it in every color because it’s perfect for fall and winter in the desert.  It’s lightweight, so it’s perfect for layering and I love the length on it.  It’s perfect to wear with leggings or jeans.

Here are 4 ways that I accessorized the top.

I love this first look.  I’m wearing my favorite pair of distress denim jeans from Target (similar) with my ankle boots (exact).  I accessorized with my black satchel purse (exact) and my turquoise pendant necklace.
For this next look, I wore black legging and a jean jacket with some leopard flats and my black satchel purse.  
I’m always a fan of mixing stripes with leopard, so I love this look here.  I wore my distressed jeans and ankle boots again and  accessorized with my leopard scarf (similar) and cognac tote purse (exact)

This last look is great for a cool fall day.  I wore black leggings with my brown boots.  I accessorized with my fuchsia knit infinity scarf (similar) and my black satchel purse.

Hopefully, these looks can help you finger out how to accessorize your stripes.

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

Instagram Outfit Review

November 7, 2016 by Katie Haller

It’s time for another Instagram outfit review.  I’ve been posting so many of my daily outfits on Instagram, it’s kind of replaced my weekly “What I Wore” outfit posts.  It’s just easier lately to take a quick outfit selfie, rather than put together a full blog post.  When I find the time, I like to do an overview of my favorite looks from the past month or so.

I am loving the weather right now.  It’s absolutely perfect.  Mornings are cool and the afternoons have highs in the 70’s and low 80’s.  It’s the perfect kind of weather for layering, which is my favorite way to dress. 
Here are some of my looks from the past month.  As always, I try to link my clothes, but because many of my clothes are older and I buy so many of them on clearance or at thrift stores, I’m not always able to link it to the exact item.  However, I always try to find similar affordable items to link up.  Unfortunately, I’ve had a hard time finding similar items for a few of my accessories, so I will just list the stores. 
Shirt- Target (similar)
Jeans- Target (similar)
Cardigan- Target (similar)
Shoes- Burlington Coat Factory
Purse- Last Call Neiman Marcus (exact)
Top- Old Navy
Waterfall Cardigan- Target (similar)
Jeans– (Old)- Express (similar)
Shoes- Target (exact)
Top- Target (exact)
Cardigan- Macy’s (similar)
Jeans- Old Navy (similar)
Necklace- Nordstrom Rack
Top- Nordstrom Rack (similar)
Leggings- Last Call Neiman Marcus (similar)
Scarf- Charming Charlie (similar)
Sandals- Target (no longer in stock online) 
Top- Old Navy (exact)
Cardigan- Forever 21 (similar)
Scarf- Charming Charlie (similar)
Boots- Burlington Coat Factory (exact)
Top- Old Navy (exact)
Jeans- Kohl’s (exact)
Shoes- Ross (similar)
Necklace- Burlington Coat Factory 
Top- Target (similar)
Cardigan- H&M (similar)
Boots- Target (similar)
Denim Jacket- Meijer (similar)
Jeggings- TJ Maxx (similar)
Scarf- Nordstrom (similar)
Purse- Last Call  (exact)
Top- Target (exact)
Cardigan- Target (similar)
 Jeggings- Old Navy/ thrifted (similar)
Shoes- Old Navy (similar)
Leggings- Forever 21 (exact)
Denim Jacket- Meijer (see above)
Scarf- Five Below (similar)
Shoes- DSW (exact)

I hope you like the looks.  Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram @thriftywifehappylife to see more of my everyday looks.  Have a great week!!

Filed in: Affordable Fashion, Daily Outfits, 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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thriftywifehappylife

Affordable everyday petite (5’1) mom style
A mix of affordable retailers + thrifted fashion
👨‍✈️Wife + Mom of 2 💙💗
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Best Sellers from May!! 🌸 Here are the pieces Best Sellers from May!! 🌸

Here are the pieces you have been shopping on the @shop.ltk app! 

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What I wore then vs. what I wore now! Today I’m What I wore then vs. what I wore now!

Today I’m updating a longtime favorite look with a maxi dress that has a little more shape and structure—but still has all the things I loved about the original. Same formula (maxi + denim jacket), just a bit more refined.

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My favorite bathing suits as a 40-year old mom of My favorite bathing suits as a 40-year old mom of 2! 👙

What mom-friendly bathing suit means to me:
✔️ Good booty coverage
✔️ Hides my stretch marks + tummy support! 
✔️ And I can actually move, swim, and chase my kids without worrying about anything falling out 🙃

Swipe to see some of my favorites!! 

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Mom-Friendly Summer Capsule Wardrobe: 20 Pieces, 9 Mom-Friendly Summer Capsule Wardrobe: 20 Pieces, 96 Outfits!! 

All the shopping details are LIVE on the blog!! Comment CAPSULE and I will send you the link to the post!! 

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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! 

The weather had been terrible this week 😩 So I basically wore my go-to comfort outfit combo all week long— thrifted jeans + cardigan/sweater + ballet flats. 

How is the weather where you live this spring?? 

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My Mom-Friendly Summer Capsule Wardrobe is LIVE on My Mom-Friendly Summer Capsule Wardrobe is LIVE on the blog! ☀️

✨See all 96 outfits in blog post!! Outfit reel coming soon!! 

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What I wore then vs. What I wore now I have alway What I wore then vs. What I wore now

I have always loved cardigan sweaters. Lately I’ve been wearing them buttoned up, which is an easy way to update the style and wear it in a new way! 

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If you are over spending money this school year, b If you are over spending money this school year, but still want to send in a little end of the year appreciation gift to your kid’s teacher then this $5 gift idea is a perfect! 

@walmart has these cute little faux plants for under $5! I googled these free printable tags and used some left over Christmas ribbon to make these cute little end of year teacher gifts. 🪴

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