Thrifty Wife Happy Life

Vacationing on a budget

December 15, 2013 by Katie Haller

One thing that my husband and I have always had in common is that we love going on vacations. Who doesn’t? We love going to new places, especially when it’s a warm tropical place. In the past 5 years, we have been together, we have gone on a lot of really nice vacations together. We really value that time away, so we plan and save for trips. Our goal is to go on a big trip twice a year. Since we are always looking for ways to save money, we, of course, plan our vacations around a budget.

Winterizing your Wardrob

December 8, 2013 by Katie Haller

I think that it’s safe to say that the cold weather is officially here and it’s not going away anytime soon. I have to admit that I am not a fan of the cold weather, but I do like season changes. The thing that I appreciate most about the season changes is the wardrobe changes. I love switching up my clothes. I get excited for the first cold day when I can pull out my favorite coats and boots, the same way I get excited to feel that first warm day after a long cold winter when I can take my coat off and put my sandals on. It’s nice to switch up your wardrobe every few months.

Cheap vs. Thrifty

November 11, 2013 by Katie Haller

The other day I was watching the show Extreme Cheapskate on TLC. The show is about people who are extremely cheap and how they have found ways to save money. One lady bought expired food and made her own reusable toilet paper. Another lady looked for food in the garbage cans outside of upscale grocery stores and washed her clothes while she showered. There were people peeing in jars, using yogurt cups as glasses to drink from, making condiments from restaurants and digging through dumpsters for furniture. I was sitting there watching this thinking, “that’s beyond cheap, that’s just weird”. These people think that they’re saving so much money, but they’re going about it all wrong. I might be tight with money, but I’m not going to stop buying toilet paper to save a few bucks.

The Quick at Home Manicure

November 2, 2013 by Katie Haller

I am always getting asked by people, where I get my nails done? I always have to tell them, I do them myself and they never believe me. I can’t tell you the last time I had a manicure professionally done. If you are trying to live your life on a budget, one of the first things to go should be the mani/pedis! Honestly, there is no reason to pay for something like that, when you can do it at home yourself for free!

Kate Middleton

October 27, 2013 by Katie Haller

I want to talk about Kate Middleton because she is my fashion role model. I look up to her and love her style. My obsession with Kate Middleton started the year I got married. I remember seeing a picture of her on the cover of a People magazine. I just thought that she was so pretty and natural-looking. She didn’t look like she was trying too hard to look perfect, but she still did. I followed all of the royal wedding coverage. At the same time, I was planning my own wedding. After their wedding, I watched as her style matured when she became the Duchess of Cambridge.

Plan Before you Buy

October 19, 2013 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.

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