Thrifty Wife Happy Life

Helping women love what they wear on a budget

Kate’s Shoes for less- Shopping finds

by Katie Haller

About a month ago I wrote a post on how I was on a hunt for some new shoes to add to my closet. I was looking for a pair of nude-colored pumps, similar to the L.K Bennett shoes that Kate Middleton is always wearing. I have been doing a lot of research on these shoes. I wanted to find a cute, stylish, comfortable shoe that was also in my price range. I looked everywhere that you might think to search for cheap shoes. Amazon, Target, Kohls, Payless, DSW, clearance rooms in department stores and even thrift stores. What I found was… it is extremely difficult to find any pair of shoes for under $30. I know that $30 is really not a lot of money for a pair of shoes, but still, I wanted something for an even lower price. Either way, I ended up settling with $30 as my max price of what I was willing to spend for my shoes.
I ended up finding a few cute pairs of shoes that I was interested in at DSW. They had a pretty decent selection, but the only downside was that the cheapest pair of shoes I could find was $39.99. I ended up getting a $10 off coupon this past week in my e-mail, so I was pretty set on buying the shoes from DSW. Just when I thought I had made my decision, I checked my Target mobile coupons on my iPhone. I had a $5 off $30 shoe purchase at Target. I really couldn’t pass up the price of $25.

 Here is my biggest dilemma when it comes to discount shopping. I like to shop at stores like DSW, TJ Maxx and Marshall’s because they sell all of the brands that you can buy at the department stores for less money. Target is its own brand and when given the choice, I’d rather buy the more expensive brand for less, then the Target brand for the same price. I feel like I’m getting a better quality of a product. In this situation I ended up going with the Target shoes, and here is why… I think Target has great quality products. I spend a lot of money at Target, so I would know. Some of my favorite shoes are from Target. They seem to hold up very well over time and more importantly… they are extremely comfortable. I’ve bought the more expensive name brands in the past and they kill my feet, so why not go for the discount store like Target?

So what do you think? Do they look like Kate Middleton’s  L.K. Bennett Shoes? I have to say that they’re not a bad match for $25.

I love my new shoes! If you’re looking for new shoes, but don’t want to spend a lot of money, I suggest you check out Target.

Shopping Finds

by Katie Haller

When it comes to saving money, shopping for clothes is my biggest weakness. My husband tells me every month “no spending”! I know what he means by this… Don’t buy anything that you don’t need. Well… I need clothes. I’ve gone about 2 months without buying anything new. Okay… well maybe I bought one or two things here or there, but it wasn’t much. I bought a sweater at Target that was on clearance for $5 and a pair of boots at Target that were purchased with a gift card from Christmas, so really it has been a while.I’ve been feeling like it was time to spend just a little bit of money on a few new items to add to my closet. So the other day I stopped at Kohls where they had a ton of clearance sales. I wasn’t really looking for anything in particular, but I had an idea of some items I’ve been wanting, one being some bright-colored pants. I lucked out, because sitting on the end of the rack was a pair of red cropped jeans in my size for $5. I knew I had to try them on. I’ve been wanting a new pair of colored pants for a while now, but I wasn’t willing to spend a lot of money on them. I knew I couldn’t pass up $5.

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Kate’s Shoes for Less

by Katie Haller

It’s no secret that I absolutely love Kate Middleton’s style. I’m constantly looking at what she’s wearing for inspiration for my own wardrobe. After looking through many of her outfits, I realized that my closet is missing a couple important accessories. I seem to be lacking in my shoe collection.
I have always noticed these L.K. Bennett nude pumps that Kate is always wearing. I feel like they are her trademark shoes. They run about £195, which would be about $324 in the U.S. I’m on a hunt to find a similar pair before the summer, but my spending limit is $30.

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Plan Before you Buy

by Katie Haller

Like I have said before, it is not always easy to go shopping on a small budget. It takes a lot of discipline. One thing that I find helpful, is to plan ahead before I buy. I like to do my research first and find items that I will actually get good use out of. I try to keep an ongoing list of items that I want to buy eventually. Sometimes my list changes, but I usually keep it on hand with me at all times. This way I know what I’m looking for. I try not to buy things I don’t need. Having a list helps me avoid buyers’ remorse.

I start my research by looking at Pinterest. Pinterest is a great way to keep up with the latest fashion trends. I pin looks that I think are cute and I would actually wear, but a lot of times the clothes I pin are too expensive for my budget. What I like to do is keep an eye out for cheaper options. I usually look around on the internet first to price things out. I don’t usually buy online, because I prefer to see it in person. I like to try things on and touch it before I buy it, but that’s just me. After I have an idea of how much I want to pay for something, then I can look in the stores. Sometimes I can find something right away, other times it takes me months. It took me all summer to finally find a maxi skirt that I liked.
Here is an example of how I used a Pinterest idea and found an affordable option…

I am obsessed with Tory Burch flats. They’re so cute for everyday shoes. Well, I can’t spend $200 on a pair of flats. So, I had to keep my eyes open for something similar, that was also affordable. I got lucky. At DSW, I found a pair of Audrey Brooke flats. They look very similar to the Tory Burch flats I wanted. They were originally sold for $100 at the department store, but at DSW they were marked at $59.95. Well, I found them on the clearance rack for 40% off. I also used a coupon and ended up paying $32.83 with tax. I wear them all the time and love them! No buyers remorse here.


Stretching your dollar$$

by Katie Haller

I have to admit that I’ve been on a bit of a shopping kick lately. I always get like this at the beginning of a new season. The problem for me, as always, is that I don’t have very much money to be spending on new clothes. I have to make do with the small amount of money I can spend. This means I can’t just walk into a store and buy whatever I want. I have to be smart about it to stretch my money or else I’m going to have an empty closet.

Right now, my husband and I have absolutely no dept. We don’t have a car payment, a mortgage, student loans or any credit cards with balances on them. We still use credit cards and put everything we spend on them. This is a great way of tracking how much we spend each month, plus we get cashback rewards, which who doesn’t love getting free money every few months? We have a $1,500 budget each month for both of us. That includes our phone bills, energy bill, cable/internet bill, grocery’s, gas and anything else we spend. For two people this is not a lot of money. This is why I try to do my best to spend as little money as I can on the extras.
How do I still go shopping on this low of a budget? Well here are some tips on how to still be able to shop and buy new clothes, but spend as little as possible…
1.)   Always check out the clearance racks! This is my favorite place in any store. I have found some of the best deals here. I feel like sometimes people have such a negative view of clearance clothes. I know they’re last season’s clothes, they’re the ugly colors no one wants or worse they have nothing cute in your size. Yes, all these things can be true, but it’s just like the thrift store thing, you have to be selective. Keep your eyes open and look through every item. Usually the end of the season is a great time to look for clearance clothes. There is a great selection and the deals get better and better the closer you get to the new season!
2.) Use coupons and store loyalty programs! I love getting those e-mails with coupons in them! I get e-mails from all kinds of stores. 20% off here, $5 off there. They really add up and help you save. Most of the time you can use those coupons on top of clearance and sale items.
3.) Look for Apps on your smartphone! I use my iPhone for everything. There are so many great store apps that offer rewards or coupons. One app that I am a huge fan of is Old Navy’s Snap App. It’s so easy to use. All you do is take a picture of the Old Navy store logo and you have a chance to get a coupon to save anywhere between $5 to $15. My favorite is the Snap Five, because it gives you $5 off anything in the store, as long as it is at least $5. 
 4.) Make it into a game! For me, it’s fun to find the deals. Set a budget before you go shopping and stick to it! Sometimes you will lose at this game and sometimes you will win. Have fun with it!

Here is my latest outfit. All these items came from clearance racks and I used coupons.
(Oh yes, don’t judge the white pants after Labor Day. I did my research and most people say white pants are fine to wear all the way through the winter.)
Shirt- Target-$5.98
Pants- Target-$6.88
Shoes- DSW-$32.83
Necklace-$4.20
Total price of outfit– 49.88

Honestly my best advice to stretch your dollar is to never pay full price! I challenge everyone to try to stretch their money! You will feel great knowing how much you saved!  

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