Thrifty Wife Happy Life

Helping women love what they wear on a budget

My Favorite Winter Coats

by Katie Haller

Must have winter jackets
It may seem strange for me to be writing a post on winter coats because I live in Las Vegas.  We really don’t need many winter coats in the desert, but a winter coat is something that everyone should have no matter what climate you live in.  Whether you take a trip up to the mountains or have a chilly day, it’s always good to have a nice winter coat.  When looking for a winter coat you want to find something that fits your style, is practical and will also last you for years to come.  I have 2 favorite styles of coats in my closet that fit all of my criteria.  So today I want to share with you my favorites.  
*This post contains affiliate links, which mean by clicking on and/or making a purchase through a link will result in a commission for this blog.  Thank you for your support!
winter jackets

winter jackets

winter jackets
Fur Hooded Parka Jacket
My black faux fur hooded parka jacket is my favorite winter coat ever!  I bought it about 5 years ago when I was still living in Michigan from Old Navy.  I can’t remember the exact price, but I know I bought it on sale for under $30.  At first, I was worried that buying a cheap winter coat would be a mistake because it wouldn’t keep me warm enough, but I was wrong.  This coat helped me survive 2 of the coldest winters I can remember.  I have only worn it a couple times since I moved to Las Vegas, but I always hold on to it, because I never know when I’m going to be in a cold place. 

winter jackets

winter jackets

winter jackets
Pea Coat
My second favorite style of a winter coat has always been a double-breasted button pea coat.  They look so classic. I have a couple pea coats in my closet, but this blue plaid pea coat is my favorite.  I love the cut and I love the pattern.  It’s also an Old Navy coat, but I bought it at Savers for $4.  

Those are my favorite coats.  What are your favorite winter coats?

3 Holiday Party Outfit Ideas

by Katie Haller

Holiday party outfit ideas
I just love a good holiday party.  It’s the perfect excuse to get dressed up and out of the house for an evening.  Every year, my husband’s company throws a pretty good party here in Vegas.  In the last couple of years, we had to miss the party, because of Jack and no baby sitter.  This year we are taking up my brother and sister-in-law on some babysitting so we can attend and I’m so excited to have a night out with just Kevin and me.

When we first decided to go to this event, my first thought was that I needed to go shopping to find a cute new outfit for the party, but then I remembered that I have tons of clothes in my closet that I never get to wear, because well… I work full time, I’m a mom and I have no life.  I might as well let some of my nicer clothes get a night out too.  Why spend money when I don’t need to?  I decided to put together a blog post to share my options, so here at 3 outfit ideas for holiday parties this season.
(I have tried my best to link similar affordable options under each look, but since my clothes are either really old, thrifted or hard to find, nothing is exact.  Feel free to leave me a message or email if you have any questions!)

*This post contains affiliate links, which means by clicking on and/or making a purchase through a link, I will earn a commission for this blog.  Thank you for your support!

Holiday party outfit ideas

Holiday party outfit ideas

Holiday party outfit ideas
 Outfit #1- Striped dress with red and leopard accessories
This striped dress is the LuLaRoe dress that I shared last month in a post (Post HERE).  Stripes are always easy to accessorize.  I always hold on to my red necklace to use as a holiday accessory.  I also like mixing it up with the leopard clutch.  For shoes, I stuck to a black bootie with a heal, because they are more comfortable for walking in.  You will also notice that I have black tights on in all these looks.  I just love black tights under a skirt in the winter.  I love how they suck everything in and make your legs look flawless.  

Holiday party outfit ideas

Holiday party outfit ideas

Holiday party outfit ideas
 Outfit #2- Metalic skirt with a black blouse
Who doesn’t love a bit of sparkle around the holidays?  I bought this silver metallic skirt about 7 years ago because I remember wearing it during Kevin and I’s first married Christmas together.  I love this skirt because it’s so easy to wear with anything black.  For this look, I paired it with the black blouse that I bought a while ago on clearance at Kohls.  These patent leather Ivanka Trump shoes are my favorite pair of shoes for special events.  They were one of my favorite deals of all time.  I found them in the clearance shoe room at Von Maur marked down to $29 from $125.  I love the height they give me.  To add a little extra sparkle I accessorized with my rhinestone jewelry.  

Holiday party outfit ideas

Holiday party outfit ideas

Holiday party outfit ideas
Outfit #3- Red houndstooth skirt with a blazer
For my last look, I have to share my favorite Christmas skirt.  This skirt was a hand-me-down from my mom’s closet.  It’s from Express and I just love it!  The red makes it the perfect holiday skirt.  I wore it with my black blazer because I figured that it could double as my jacket while out in the evening.  For jewelry, I accessorized with my rhinestones again.

The party is tonight, and I’m still deciding which outfit to wear.  Which do you like best?  I will share what I pick on my Instagram!

Like the post? Don’t forget to pin it for later!

3 Holiday Party Outfit Ideas #holidayoutfits #outfitideas

My Favorite Things Gift Guide

by Katie Haller

It’s time for my last gift guide of the season.  I did one for Teacher gifts, Toddler gifts and today I’m talking about gifts for her.  Nothing against the guys, but I’m horrible on buying guy gifts.  For girls, I just think of what I would like for myself.  That’s why for today’s post, I’ve rounded up some of my favorite things.  This is a list of things that I either use daily or really want to buy for myself. 

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10

*This post contains affiliate links, which means by clicking on and/or making a purchase through a link, I will earn a commission for this blog. Thank you for your support! 

I do not have this set yet, but it’s defiantly on my wish list.  One of my friends at work has been using it and she loves it.  I always do my nails at home and this gel set gives your nails that gel finish that makes it look like you just left the nail salon. 

I got this eye shadow pallet a couple years ago for Christmas and I love it.  I think if you’re going to give someone makeup, this is the perfect makeup gift.  It’s a good quality of eye shadow and the colors work with almost any skin tone. 

Slippers $29.37
Who doesn’t love a nice pair of house slippers.  I’m in bare feet most of the year, but in the winter I love being able to slip into a pair of slippers to wear around the house.

This is a repeat from my teacher gift guide, but I am so obsessed with my leather earrings that I just had to add them again.  They are so practical to wear all the time.  I personally think that they make the perfect gift.

I bought a steamer this year and it’s my favorite!  I hate ironing and I avoid it at all cost.  A steamer keeps your clothes looking nice and wrinkle free without dragging out a giant ironing table.  Mine is small enough to use a travel steamer as well. It heats up fast and doesn’t spit out water like other steamers, plus it’s a great price! 
Pottery Barn has the cutest monogram coffee mugs.  They are very affordable and make a great gift.  I’m pretty sure I’m going to buy one for myself this year, since I’ve been wanting a “K” mug for a very long time.

Knit Blanket $17.99
I love getting and giving blankets as gifts.  A nice throw blanket is always good to have.

Pajama Pants $38.00
Every year I tell my mom that all I want for Christmas are jammy bottoms.  That’s all I wear in the winter to bed.  My favorite pair is from PinkBlush.  I wear them daily.

Hodded Cardigan $38.00 
This PinkBlush cardigan is my favorite and most warn item in the closet.  It’s so cozy and I feel like I’m wearing my bathrobe when I wear it.  I get so many complements when I wear it.  I think it would make a great gift.

This is on my list, because I really need one, but I also think it would make a great gift.  Any kind of winter accessories always make great Christmas gifts.

Happy Christmas shopping everyone!

Toddler Gifts Under $15!

by Katie Haller


1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9

Whether you are a parent of a toddler or you have nieces and nephews to buy for, kids are the best to Christmas shop for.  It always makes me happy to buy little kids Christmas gifts.  The best thing about kids is that it doesn’t take much to excite them.  My little guy gets excited over a sticker.  Today I’m sharing 9 toddler gifts under $15! These make great stocking stuffers or just small gifts for any toddler on your shopping list.

*This post contains affiliate links, which means by clicking on and/or making a purchase through a link, I will earn a commission for this blog.  Thank you for your support! 

I’m a huge fan of Green Toys! Jack has a couple of these toys and he really loves them!  They are made well and perfect for little kids, plus they are made from recycled materials so they are environmentally friendly, which is always a plus! 
Bath Foam Letters
This is one of Jack’s favorite toys!  He loves the alphabet and these letters helped him learn it.  I credit YouTube Kids for most of his alphabet knowledge, but playing with these letters let him practice them and get even better at the alphabet.


Ornament
My mom gave me an ornament in my stocking every year, and I still have them all.  I would love to start that tradition with Jack.  Ornaments are great because you can give them something that they are interested in or will help you remember that year.


Melissa and Doug Crayon Set
The Easter bunny brought Jack this crayon set last year and let me tell you, it’s our favorite set of crayons.  They are triangle, so they don’t roll off the table like other crayons.  They also are harder to break and they clean off of furniture and floors much easier than other crayons.


Blippi Coloring Book

I’m not sure if you have little ones obsessed with Blippi, but we love him at our house.  Jack learns so much from Blippi.  This coloring book goes along with a lot of the Blippi videos.  It’s really cute and perfect for toddlers.


Board Books
Books are always a good gift idea for every age.  I especially like books that talk about relatable topics for kids.  Books about becoming a big brother or sister, books about manners and in our case a book about potty training.


Color Bath Drops
These color drops are a great stocking stuffer.  They make bath time really fun.  You can mix the colors and experiment with them.  They sometimes are the only way I can get Jack into the tub at the end of the day.


Melissa and Doug 4 in 1 Puzzle Sets
I love Melissa and Doug toys.  They make the best toddler puzzles.  I love the little 4 in 1 puzzle sets, because they are compact and easy to clean up and store.


Honest Company Bubble Bath
Lastly, I have to share my favorite bubble bath.  Kids love bubble baths.  This always makes a nice stocking stuffer.  I love the smell of this bubble bath and it’s very gentle on skin, which is what you need during the dry winter months.

Hopefully, you find this gift guide helpful for your little ones.

Happy Christmas shopping!!

3 Must Have Scarves

by Katie Haller

I’ve always loved wearing scarves during the fall and winter, but after moving to a warmer climate, I find myself wearing scarves less than I used to.  I recently gave a bunch of scarves away on my last closet cleanout, but there are some scarves that are always worth keeping no matter what kind of climate you live in.  Believe it or not, it does get chilly in the wintertime in Las Vegas.  Scarves can offer the perfect amount of warmth sometimes.  It all depends on how you layer them.

 Today I want to share 3 types of scarves that are perfect no matter what kind of climate you live in.  These are the scarves that you will want to hold on to and not add to the cleanout bag.

*This post contains affiliate links, which means by clicking on and making a purchase through a link will result in a commission for this blog at no cost to you.  Thank you for your support!

Blanket Scarves are great!  They are still very popular and are perfect to layer over a t-shirt, sweater or cardigan.  I bought my blanket scarf I’m wearing above from ilymix, which they don’t have this particular scarf any more, but you can still find it on Amazon (HERE).

I love plaid!  There is nothing better than a plaid scarf around the holidays.  Whether it’s a blanket scarf or infinity scarf, the pattern always looks nice.  I found this grey plaid scarf at Banana Republic Factory a couple years ago on clearance for $6.  I love that you can find plaid in all kinds of colors to match whatever season it is.

Of course I was going to mention leopard.  I love to accessorize with leopard print.  A leopard scarf is the perfect way to add a little bit of print to your outfit.  I found my leopard scarf last fall at Old Navy.  Unfortunately, I can’t find it this year, but luckily Nordstrom has the almost exact scarf for the same price (HERE).

 Those are my favorite types are scarves.  Are you a scarf person?

Shop my post

Teacher Gift Guide- Under $30!!

by Katie Haller

This is my 3rd year doing a teacher gift guide.  I love doing them because of not a lot of bloggers’ high light gifts for teachers.  For me, teachers are my favorite people to gift at Christmas time.  As a teacher myself, I know how much we appreciate being remembered by our students.  As a parent, I love being able to spoil my child’s teacher, because I want to show them how grateful we are for their hard work and care of our son throughout the year.  I’ve been asked before if teachers prefer gift cards over gifts and my answer is no. 


Personally, for me, I don’t think you can ever go wrong with a gift card, but it’s always nice to have a personal gift from one of your students.  I hold on to those gifts and I always think about the student who gave me the gift each time I use them.  It doesn’t have to be anything expensive, because it’s really the thought that counts, that’s why I have listed 7 affordable teacher gifts to give to your child’s teacher this year.

*This post contains affiliate links, which means by clicking on and/or making a purchase through a link will result in a commission for this blog with no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support!

One || Leather Earrings
I’ve been seeing leather earrings all over Instagram this past year.  A few months ago I won a giveaway with Brinley & Co and I am loving these earrings.  I wear them to work almost every day.  They are the perfect earrings for a teacher because they are lightweight and easy to wear around children.

As a teacher, I am outside with the children every day.  To me, winter accessories are always a good gift.  I’m really loving all the cute winter hats out right now.  That’s why I think a winter hat would make a nice teacher gift.

 Blankets always make great Christmas gifts for everyone.  They are cozy during the winter months.  I love getting blankets as gifts.  I’ve gotten them from students before and I always find them a thoughtful and useful gift. 

Four || Makeup
Last year, one of my students gave me makeup for Christmas.  I thought that it was such a great gift because I personally love makeup.  Even if your child’s teacher doesn’t wear a lot of makeup, they still might appreciate a nice eye-shadow pallet.

Five || Ornament
 I love getting tree ornaments from students.  Each year that I put them on my tree, I remember my students.  Ornaments always make a great personalized gift.

Six || Graphic T-shirt
 Who doesn’t love a good graphic tee?  There are tons of cute graphic t-shirts out there for teachers.  These are something that teachers can wear to work on casual Friday or just wear on the weekends.  

Seven || Scarf
I think I add a scarf to my teacher gift list every year.  A scarf is such a good gift.  It’s something that all most all teachers would appreciate. 

Eight || Tote Bag
 Do teacher totes ever go out of style?  They always come in handy.  That’s why I think a cute teacher tote makes a great gift. 
I always feel bad that I leave out the guy teachers when I do my teacher gift guide, but in my personal experience, guys are extremely hard to shop for.  That’s why I say, stick with a gift card for them.  You can’t go wrong with that.  Hopefully, you find this post helpful and it gives you a few ideas.  For more teacher gift ideas you can check out my posts from the last two years HERE and HERE. 
Happy Shopping!! 

Follow

@thriftywifehappylife