Thrifty Wife Happy Life

Little Black Tank Dress- Styled 6 Ways

September 5, 2018 by Katie Haller

There is nothing that I love more than a versatile piece of clothing. If I can’t wear it in more than one way, then most likely I’m not going to buy it. One store that I can always find good versatile clothing is H&M. H&M is my go-to for affordable basic pieces. I buy a lot of tank tops, t-shirts, dresses and cardigans at H&M. When I’m thrift shopping, it’s one of those brands that I look for, because I’m familiar with the way their clothes fit and wear.

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

For today’s post, I wanted to share this black tank dress from H&M. It’s so simple, so there are endless amounts of ways to style it. This dress is actually a hand-me-down from my sister-in-law’s closet, but since it’s one of those classic H&M basic pieces, you can still find it at the store.

Denim Jacket- Savers- Old Navy (SIMILAR) || Shoes- Kohl’s (SIMILAR)

Blazer- LC Lauren Conrad Kohl’s (EXACT) || Shoes- Target (SIMILAR)

Jacket- Old Navy- Savers (SIMILAR) || Shoes- Walmart- (SIMILAR) || Scarf- Old Navy (SIMILAR)

Kimono- PinkBlush (EXACT) || Shoes- Walmart (SIMILAR)

Chambray Top- Savers- Brand Unknown (SIMILAR) || Shoes- Old Navy (SIMILAR)

Cardigan- H&M (EXACT) || Shoes- Kohl’s (SIMILAR)

Surviving the Heat of Summer with Little Kids

August 30, 2018 by Katie Haller

I know that summer is coming to an end for most people, but for us here in Las Vegas, it feels like summer will never end. Summer is long here and it’s hot. Hot is an understatement. It is brutally hot in Las Vegas during the summer. As a mom of a young toddler, the summer months can be tricky. I worry a lot about how the heat affects my little guy. This is my 3rd summer as a mom and I’ve learned a few tricks on how to stay cool and comfortable during our forever summers. Today I want to go through and give some tips on how we have survived the hot summers while having a young child.

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

Jack’s Bathing Suit (exact) || My Bathing Suit (exact) || My Hat (exact)

Pools and Splash Pads
Yes, pools are the perfect place to cool off in the summertime, especially when you live in the desert. We are pretty lucky that we have a neighborhood pool, so we can go whenever we feel like cooling off. We also have lots of parks in our area with splash pads which is always fun. Another thing that we have started to do this summer is going to local resort pools. A lot of them are free for locals and it’s a fun way to have a little day vacation.

Keep Your Car Shaded
We drive small cars without tinted windows, so when Jack was a little baby I was very concerned about the sun shining in on him while driving in the car. I bought some sunshades (similar HERE and HERE) to put in our windows and they have worked out pretty well. It’s probably best to drive a car with tinted windows in the back if you have kids, but if you don’t have them, it’s always nice to know a different option is there.

Lightweight clothes
Dressing in lightweight clothes is the way to go in the summertime for adults and kids. Currently, I dress Jack in a cotton t-shirt and shorts almost every day. When he was a little baby, I pretty much dressed him in onesies every day. A great way to dress up a onesie on a baby is to add some cute little footwear. These lightweight booties from Bird Rock Baby are the cutest way to dress up a simple onesie on a baby. I personally love the cactus print, because I think it goes perfectly for a desert summer.

Indoor Activities in the Air Conditioning
We all know that you can always stay inside your house in the air conditioning, but there are tons of indoor activities for kids. I’ve learned from watching Blippi on YouTube kids that there are a lot of indoor playgrounds in Las Vegas, which we haven’t taken Jack to any yet, but I would love to go one day. There are also children’s museums, arcades, movie theatres, and aquariums. You can just google indoor activities for kids and I’m sure you will find a whole list of things to do in your area. I think it’s important to not get cabin fever during the summer months. There is enough of that during the winter months.

A vacation to Cooler Temperatures
When I lived in Michigan, I liked to vacation to warmer places. Now that I live in Las Vegas, I like to vacation to cooler places. We went to Oceanside, CA this summer and it was amazing to feel cooler temperatures. It was still warm, but it was nice to escape the heat and feel 70 degrees.

Drink lots of Water
For my last tip, I think that it’s pretty obvious, but important not to forget. Staying hydrated is so important when it’s hot out, especially for little kids. I always keep a water cup in my purse whenever we leave the house. When Jack was nursing the doctor told me to make sure he was eating often to stay hydrated and once he turned six months I started keeping some water in a little sippy for him. You can’t forget water during the summer.

Hand-me-Down Bell Sleeve Dress

August 25, 2018 by Katie Haller

Hey everyone! As usual, things have been pretty busy around here. I recently started a new school year at work, so I’ve been busy getting my classroom all settled in. I actually have to say that so far, this has been the best start of a school year. I feel the most prepared for the new year. Everything is the way I want it in my classroom and I have an awesome teacher assistant who is helping me stay organized and on track. The kids are great too! As each school year starts, I always have to be prepared for some kind of challenge, but so far things are going smoothly.

At home, I have Jack who is always keeping me busy. We also have a furry little house guest who is visiting. My brother and sister-in-law are on vacation for 2 weeks and we are watching their cat. Jack loves having the kitty cat around, but I don’t think the kitty feels the same way.

For today’s outfit post, I want to share a hand-me-down dress from my sister-in-law’s closet. A couple months ago, she gave me a bag full of clothes that I went through. I ended up keeping a few things and this dress was one of them. I thought that the bell sleeves were really cute and the print was fun. I felt like this look would be a cute dress to wear on a date night…. if we ever get around to having one.

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

I’ve linked some similar affordable dresses below for you.

Desert Style with Desert Tide Boutique

August 22, 2018 by Katie Haller

Before I moved to Las Vegas, I had never been to the desert. I had only looked down at it as I flew over it on my way to California. I never thought that I would end up living in the desert one day, but here I am. I’m going on my 4th year of living in the desert and I have to say that I really love it. I do miss the beauty of Michigan, but the desert has its own beautiful landscape. It’s different than anywhere else in the world. I love the mountains, the sunshine and the fact that you can see for miles at some points.

Another thing I love about living in the desert is the style. I’m always attracted to Instagram pictures of the desert landscape or clothes styled in the desert. That is why when I came across the Instagram page of Desert Tide Boutique, I knew I had to check them out. Desert Tide Boutique is located in Santa Fe, New Mexico and they sell stylish and quality clothes that match the style and feel of the American Southwest perfectly. I was instantly drawn into their beautiful prints and flowy bohemian style.

This summer fireworks tie front top caught my attention right away. First of all, I’m obsessed with stripes. I don’t have much red in my wardrobe, so this is the perfect way to wear red. I’m also loving this style of shirt with the ruffled sleeves and the tie front. I know I’ll be wearing it a lot throughout the fall and winter this year. Even though my back yard doesn’t offer too much of a desert background, I do think this top has a great desert feel to it.

*This post is part of a collaboration with Desert Tide Boutique. As always all opinions are 100% my own. This post also includes affiliate links. By making a purchase through a link, with code, I will earn a commission for this blog. Thank you for your support!

Check out Desert Tide Boutique for yourself and use the code THRIFTWIFE to get 20% off your purchase.

My Thrifting Story

August 17, 2018 by Katie Haller

Today is National Thrift Store Day, so in honor of that, I wanted to share with you my thrifting story. I always love to hear about how people get into thrift shopping because everyone has their own story, so why not share mine?

Growing up, my family never spent a lot of money on clothes. My mom was always a clearance and sales shopper. She always taught me to never pay full price for my clothes, but it was really my grandmother, who I call Mimi, who taught me about thrift shopping. My Mimi was always shopping her local thrift stores and neighborhood garage sales. She would always share her latest finds with me. She was always so proud to tell me how much she spent or how much she saved on all her finds. As a mother of six kids and married to a carpenter, money was always tight for them, so Mimi always did her best to dress her best on her budget. She still thrifts and dresses her best to this day at 93 years old.

I always remembered my Mimi’s thrifting skills, but it wasn’t until I was a young adult that I started to thrift myself. Money was really tight when I first got married and sadly my wardrobe was put on hold while my husband and I worked hard to pay off my student loan dept. I decided to check out our local Salvation Army store to see if I could find anything I liked. My first thrift find was a black limited blazer for $4. I had been wanting a blazer, but I didn’t have the money to buy one. After that great find, I started visiting the Salvation Army frequently. I learned about their sales and started to find things here and there to update my wardrobe.

When I moved out to Las Vegas, I found out that my area had lots of thrift stores. It is such a transit area, so people are consistently cleaning out their closets. Within a mile of my house, I have a Goodwill, Salvation Army, and Savers, not to mention a few local stores as well. I started stopping by often and learning the sales. After Jack was born, I turned into an even bigger thrift shopper than before, because I started thrifting for him as well as myself. I feel like once you start to find those great prices on thrift finds, it’s hard to go back to shopping at the normal discount stores. As a mom, I feel guilty when I spend too much on myself, so thrift shopping always is a guilt-free way for me to shop.

Now I would have to say that my wardrobe is probably more than half thrifted. Saving for our future is really important to my husband and me. I’ve always had my frugal ways, but I never really knew how to save my money. With thrift shopping, I feel like I can still shop and save at the same time. If I was spending money on expensive clothes as much as I thrift shop we really wouldn’t be saving all that much money.

Another reason why I love thrifting is because it’s good for the environment. I wouldn’t say that I’m a huge environmentalist, but I do believe that it’s important that we all do our small part to help our environment. I recycle my trash, so why not recycle my fashion? I’ve learned that the fashion industry is one of the largest polluting industries. It doesn’t help that people are buying more clothes than ever and keeping them half as long. Of course I buy new clothes, but buying my clothes second hand gives me different feeling.

So that’s my thrifting story. What’s your thrifting story? Below I have my latest thrift find from The Goodwill. I found this floral Abercrombie dress for $4 a couple weeks ago. I love the colors, because I think it will transition well into the fall. I paired it with my Old Navy denim jacket that I found at Savers and my strappy sandals from ThredUP.

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

Back-to-School Teacher Outfits

August 13, 2018 by Katie Haller

Teacher Outfites- 9 Ways to Wear a Striped Dress in your classroom

It’s back to school time, and I am super excited about today’s post! I’m teaming up with 6 other teacher fashion bloggers to share teacher inspired outfits to wear in your classroom. We are from all over the country and teach different grades, so hopefully, you will find some teacher fashion inspiration from that fits your style and budget.

For the last 10 years, I have been working in early childhood education. I’ve been an infant and toddler teacher in childcare centers, I’ve been an administrator at a childcare center and I’ve taught preschool at 3 different non-profit Head Start programs. I am currently going into my 4th year teaching PreK at a Head Start program in Nevada. I definitely have to say that 4 and 5-year old’s are my favorite age in early childhood. I love preparing kids for Kindergarten. When I was younger, I always knew that I wanted to work with children when I got older, but I never thought that I would be working with this group of children. After graduating from college with my bachelor’s degree in Child Development and Family Studies, I knew that I wanted to work for Head Start. If you’re not familiar with Head Start, it’s a federally funded preschool program for low-income families. We work closely with children and their families to help close the achievement gap in education.

I will be the first to admit that my job is not easy. I work year-round, there is a lot of paperwork and many of our children come to us with special needs and behavior problems. There are times when I question why I do this job. This past year was my hardest year ever. I thought about quitting every day and questioned if I really should be doing this kind of job. But I held in there and finally made it to the end of the long year (Yup our school year ends at the end of July and starts back up in early August, so there is no summer break for me.) This year I plan to start fresh and on a positive note.

One thing that always helps me get through my day and stay positive is a cute outfit. I’m a firm believer that your outfit can set the tone of your day. When I wear something that I don’t love or I don’t feel good in, then I’m not going to have a good workday. But when I step up my outfit a bit and wear something that makes me feel good, I’m in a different mood. I’m happier, I’m more patient with the kids and I’m more motivated to get things done in my classroom.

My dress code at work is pretty casual. That’s nice being a preschool teacher because we do everything with the kids… we paint, we dance, we run on the playground and eat 2 meals with the children, so as you can imagine, it can get messy. Luckily we can wear jeans all week long, but I also try to dress up and wear a dress from time to time. Dresses are so comfortable to wear in the classroom, especially when it’s really hot outside.

For today’s post, I struggled with coming up with a really cute and creative look, so I decided to just stick to my basic’s and style a striped dress from my closet. (original post HERE) I think everyone that I work with knows how much I love stripes because I wear them at least 4 times a week. They are just so versatile. When you work with the same people every day, you start to learn about their wardrobe. I try to never wear the same exact look twice. I repeat my clothes all the time, but I just wear them in different ways. That’s why I wanted to share 9 ways that you can style a striped dress to wear in your classroom. This way you can still repeat your clothes, without repeating your outfit.

*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!

Cardigan- Old Navy- thrifted at Savers (SIMILAR) || Flats- Old Navy (SIMILAR) || Earrings- Target (SIMILAR)

Cardigan- H&M- Thrifted from Savers (SIMILAR) || Boots- Target (SIMILAR) || Necklace- Nordstrom Rack (SIMILAR)

Cardigan- Macy’s (SIMILAR) || Booties- Burlington Coat Factory (EXACT) || Necklace- Charming Charlie (SIMILAR) Watch- Jord (EXACT)

Shirt- Unknown Brand- Thrifted from Savers (SIMILAR) || Shoes- Madden Girl- Thrifted from ThredUP (SIMILAR) || Bracelet- Kate Spade (EXACT)

Vest- Brand unknown- thrifted from Savers (SIMILAR) || Shoes- Walmart (SIMILAR) || Necklace- thrifted from Savers (SIMILAR)

Jacket- Old Navy- thrifted from Savers (SIMILAR) || Shoes- Kohl’s- thrifted from ThredUP (SIMILAR) || Necklace- Kohl’s (SIMILAR)

Sweater- Old Navy (EXACT) || Shoes- Kohl’s- thrifted from ThredUP (SIMILAR) || Bracelet- Kate Spade (EXACT) || Belt- Target (SIMILAR)

Blazer- LC Lauren Conrad (EXACT) || Belt- hand-me-down (SIMILAR) || Shoes- Target (SIMILAR) Watch- JORD (EXACT)

T-shirt- Target (SIMILAR) || Shoes- Madden Girl- thrifted from ThredUP (SIMILAR) || Watch- Nordstrom Rack (SIMILAR) Necklace- LC Lauren Conrad (SIMILAR)

The options are really endless when it comes to styling a striped dress, but hopefully, you can use some of these outfit ideas when styling your own dresses in your wardrobe. Don’t forget to check out the other blogger’s post below for more teacher wardrobe inspiration. Thanks for stopping by!!

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