Thrifty Wife Happy Life

Helping women love what they wear on a budget

Shopping Finds- Searching for a Bathing Suit on a Budget

by Katie Haller

It may not feel like it for most of the country, but summer is right around the corner.  With this in mind, I’ve been searching for the perfect bathing suit.  I’ve been in desperate need of a new bathing suit for a while now.  Since I don’t have a body like a Victoria Secret model, bathing suit shopping has never been fun for me.  Yet I still love a great swimsuit.  If you can find something that flatters your body, you’ll feel great! 
Now that I’m 30, not 21, I wanted to find a 2 piece that would be flattering and age-appropriate.  I also wanted to find something affordable.  Usually, I’d wait until late summer when bathing suits get marked down, but with 80-degree weather in the forecast for next week, I couldn’t hold off that long. 
Before I buy anything, I always go right to Pinterest to get an idea of what I want.  Here are a few of my favorite bathing suit pins.
Top Left: Victoria Secret Top Right: Victoria Secret Bottom Left: Revolve Bottom Right: Anthropologie

As you can see, I love a black bathing suit.  Black is classic and flattering, plus it goes with everything.  I like that I can mix and match my black tops and bottoms with other bathing suit tops and bottoms that I have in my drawers.  This way I don’t only get 1 new bathing suit, I get 3 new bathing suits.  I also wanted a bottom that would cover my backside and acute top that also had decent coverage.

If money was no object, I’d probably buy all 4 of these bathing suits above, but since I can’t really afford to buy even one of them, I had to look around for a suit in my price range.  I always try to stick to a $30 budget for all my clothes, including my bathing suits.

I ended up finding a cute bathing suit last weekend at Target.  They had a buy one get one 50% off sale going on.  Target bathing suits usually run between $12.99-$24.99 per piece.  Because of the sale, I was able to stick to my $30 budget.

Push-up Halter Bikini Top (Here) Keyhole Side Tie Bikini Bottoms (Here)

This bathing suit is the perfect suit for the summer.  I’ll be able to keep my eyes open for some cute clearance tops and bottoms to mix it up and also some cute beach cover-ups.  Target is still having their BOGO bathing suit sale, so I’d definitely check it out!  They have a great selection and I’ve always had good luck with Target bathing suits.  Happy Shopping and don’t forget, summer will be here before you know it!

Weekend Wardrobe~Shopping Finds

by Katie Haller

Yesterday, I did a little bit of shopping.  While I was out, looking at all the cute Christmas gifts, I realized just how much money people spend this time of the year.  Stores do a great job of marketing their products and making you want to buy them.  Shoppers are not only looking for gifts, but they are also looking for themselves.  Who can resist all the bargains that are in the stores this time of the year?  I too ended up buying myself something.  I was proud of myself for not getting lured into buying any of the beautifully displayed winter items.  Instead, I found some steals in the clearance section. 

 
I found this lightweight grey striped tee-shirt and tan sweater at Old Navy in their clearance section.  Each one coast $2.49.  It was hard to resist the price, especially when I know I will get a ton of use out of these.  The stores are packed with all the latest winter apparel, but if you really want to find good deals, you have to look at the out of season clothes. In my opinion, there are some clothes that can never be out of season, so that tends to be what I fill my closet with.

Here are a couple ways that I used my new “out of season” clothes and turned them into “in season” winter outfits. 


Sunday morning church look
Ann Taylot Tweed Skirt
Sweater (New)- Old Navy
Tank top- Old Navy
Shirt- Ann Taylor
Boots- DSW
Tights- Target

Sunday afternoon, errand running look
Casual winter look
Shirt (New)- Old Navy
Leggings- Express
Scarf- Five Below
Jean Jacket- Jessica Simpson
Leg warmers- Five Below
Boots- DSW

 

Shopping Finds~New Maxi Dress

by Katie Haller

The seasons are changing, so I’ve been keeping an eye out for cute new fall clothes. Usually, in the early Fall, I’m looking for cute sweaters and dresses that I can wear with a cute pair of boots. But not this year. I won’t be needing all those warm clothes when I’m living in a warm climate. With this in mind, I’ve been on the hunt for a cute maxi dress. Something that I can wear here in Michigan throughout the fall and also wear it as a summer dress.

While browsing through the clearance section at Target, I came across this pink and purple pattern maxi dress. It was only $8.98, 70% off the original price. I decided to go ahead and buy it. I really couldn’t beat the price. The dress is very simple on its own, but with the right accessories, it will be perfect for work, church or anywhere else I want to wear it. I accessorized the dress with a jean jacket, brown belt, brown wedged shoes, and a pearl necklace. I’m really loving this look. I just had to share it with all of you! What do you think?

Maxi dress with jean jacket, brown belt and pearl necklace

Shopping Finds~ What I Wore

by Katie Haller

I was recently asked by one of the parents at my work while picking up her daughter “You always have the cutest outfits on. Where do you get your clothes?” Well, I have to confess that I’m a little embarrassed to admit that my 2 latest favorite clothing items have come from the same store I do my grocery shopping at. The truth is I’m not afraid of buying clothes from anywhere. I will shop anywhere from Nordstrom to Goodwill and everywhere in between. As long as it fits my style and is a good price, I’ll buy it.

Here is my favorite outfit from this past week. I found this top at Meijer last weekend. The same place that I found my jean jacket a couple weeks ago.  I keep finding these great deals on Jessica Simpson’s clothes at Meijer. It’s not the typical place I would think of to find anything from Jessica Simpson, but I’m not going to complain. This polka dot sleeveless blouse was only $7.00. I ended up buying it. On Monday I wore it to work with a black sweater, black leggings, and wedge shoes.

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Shopping Finds- Jean Jacket

by Katie Haller

Lately, I’ve been doing a really great job of not spending any money on clothes for myself. I’ve been trying to stay out of stores the best I can and wear the clothes that I already have. My little purchases tend to add up. I try not to go shopping just to shop anymore. This keeps me from making impulse purchases I don’t need. What I like to do now is to keep an ongoing list of clothes that I’d like to buy if I find them for the right price. This way I know what I want and I don’t buy things, just to buy them.

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