Thrifty Wife Happy Life

Helping women love what they wear on a budget

What I Wore- Work Week Wardrobe

by Katie Haller

Happy Friday!  Here are some of my work outfits from this week. 

Tuesday 
Top- TJ Maxx (similar)
Cardigan- H&M (similar)
Jeans- Target (similar)
Shoes- Target (exact)
Wednesday 
Dress- Pink Blush (exact)
Jacket- Meijer (similar)
Shoes- Target (exact)
Thursday 
Top- Target (exact)
Blazer- Kohl’s (exact)
Pants- Old Navy (exact)
There they area short and sweet.  I hope all of you have a great weekend!

Building a Marternity Wardrobe on a Budget

by Katie Haller

When you’re shopping for your maternity wardrobe, it’s important that you keep in mind that you are only pregnant for 9 months.  It may seem like a long time, but it really flies by.  Plus, you’re really not showing at all during your first trimester, especially if it’s your first baby, so maternity clothes are something you only wear for a very short time.  When I was pregnant, my goal was always to look cute and stylish without spending a lot of money on maternity clothes.  I built my maternity wardrobe by buying only the essentials.  I mostly bought nonmaternity clothes, because I wanted to wear them after I was pregnant too, however, there were a few maternity clothes that I did purchase.

Here are my 7 essential items from my maternity wardrobe that I couldn’t live without during my pregnancy.

  1. Long Tank Tops- When I was pregnant, I stocked up on a bunch of long tank tops.  I didn’t even bother with buying any maternity tank tops, I just bought regular tanks in a size larger than I usually would wear.  I found that Target’s basic long tank tops (here) were great for stretching over my baby bump and H&M has some great long jersey tank tops (here) that worked great through my pregnancy. 
  2. Long Cardigan- I love my long cardigans and I loved them, even more, when I was pregnant.  I loved layering them with all my long tank tops.  I usually find really cute cardigans at Target (here) and H&M (here) for a great price.
  3. Leggings- I found that there was no reason to buy maternity leggings for me.  I fell in love with my Forever 21 leggings (here).  I usually would buy a size small, but while I was pregnant I bought them in a medium and they went up higher on my belly, just like maternity leggings would.  They worked great throughout my pregnancy and you really can’t beat the price at $3.80 apiece.
  4. A Simple Dress- I decided to buy one maternity dress while I was pregnant.  I was in my third trimester during the holidays, so I wanted a simple dress that I could wear over and over again.  I ended up finding a cute one at Target (here).
  5. Maternity Jeans- Even though I was able to wear my normal jeans throughout my pregnancy, I still wanted a pair of maternity jeans that I could wear comfortably.  I ended up finding a pair from Motherhood Maternity (here).  Since maternity jeans aren’t cheap, you really only need one pair, plus you really won’t need to wear them for very long.  I didn’t even fit into maternity jeans until my 3rd trimester.
  6. Maternity/Nursing bra- This is an absolute must-have maternity item.  One thing I didn’t realize was that your rib cage expands as your baby grows, causing your normal bras to not fit around you.  This is why it’s important to find a good comfortable wireless bra.  This nursing bra from Target (here) was a lifesaver for me.  I’m still wearing these bras and I may never go back to wearing my old underwire bras. 
  7. Belly Band- My belly band may have been the most important maternity purchase that I made while  I was pregnant.  The belly band helped me wear all my normal nonmaternity clothes all the way into my 9th month.  I bought mine at Target (here). 
Here are some ways that I styled my bump wearing these 7 essentials pieces.
These are 3 outfits wearing my 3 favorite cardigans that I wore while I was pregnant. 
There was nothing more comfortable than leggings when I was pregnant.  Here are 3 ways that I wore my leggings throughout my pregnancy. 
This is the one maternity dress that I did purchase during my pregnancy.  I stuck with a basic color like black so that I could wear it over and over again in different ways. 
These are 3 outfits I wore wearing my maternity jeans.
These 3 outfits are all worn with my regular jeans wearing a belly band.  My trick to fitting in my jeans was to wear low fitting jeans and use the hair tie trick, then I’d cover up with my belly band.  It worked great, even in my 9th month.  
Just remember when your building your maternity wardrobe, not everything has to be bought in the maternity section.  Shop smart and pick out pieces that you can wear after baby too!  Try to make the most of dressing your bump.  It goes by fast!

What I Wore- Casual Work Week Wear

by Katie Haller

I’m so excited that it’s the weekend!  It’s been a long week for me, but I’m excited because I was able to document a couple outfits that I wore to work.
I’m a preschool teacher, so I often find it hard to put together a cute workweek wardrobe.  I feel like I end up repeating a lot of outfits because it’s easy, but I’ve decided that this school year I would really like to step up my work wardrobe.  I spend 5 days a week at work, so I need to come up with some new looks that I feel confident in and will help motivate me into the new school year! 
Even though I work at a year-round preschool program, I am done with kids until our new school year starts.  This means that I have a couple weeks of classroom prep and training.  To me, this means that I get to explore my closet and wear whatever I want without worrying about getting paint or bleach or flour on it.

Here are my looks from Thursday and Friday.

On Thursday I wore my new navy top from Target (original post here).   I am really loving this top!  It’s a great summer top and I love the embroidery detail on the bottom.  I knew that I had to layer up because anyone who has ever been in a casino during the summertime in Las Vegas knows that it might be 110 degrees outside, but inside it feels like the arctic.

Top- Target
Cardigan- Target
Jeans- Meijer
Purse- Savers

On Friday I attempted to add some color to my look.  I feel like I’m so comfortable in dark and neutral colors, that sometimes I forget how much I love colorful patterns.  That’s why I wore this maxi dress with my denim jacket.  I also added my turquoise necklace to the colorful look.

Dress- Target
Denim Jacket- Meijer
Necklace- Kohl’s

I always think it’s a good idea to take a second look inside your closet to see what you can find.  I’m looking forward to doing that this new school year and sharing more looks from my closet.  I can’t wait to share more!

Weekend Wardrobe

by Katie Haller

I’m so happy that it’s August.  It’s the last month of summer and even though I love summer, I’m ready for some cooler temperatures.  I miss being able to wear jeans and layer my clothes.  Until then, I’ll continue to figure out my summer wardrobe by using what I already have in my closet. 


Saturday
Top- TJ Maxx
Shorts- Goodwill
Sandals- Target
Sunday
Top- Target
Shorts- Old Navy
Sandals- Target
It was a very casual weekend for me.  I hope everyone has a great week!!

Mom Wear + Pink Blush + $50 Giveaway!!

by Katie Haller

Lately, my wardrobe has quickly been turning into mom wear.  To me, mom wear is anything that I can throw on quickly, that’s comfortable and practical, but also stylish.  Little Jack does not like to let me have too much time to get myself ready in the morning, so that’s why it’s nice to have those pieces of clothing that are mindless and require very little effort to put together and still look stylish.

This is why when Pink Blush asked me to collaborate with them, I jumped at the opportunity!  When I was pregnant I remember coming across a lot of Pink Blush maternity clothes on Pinterest and I loved what I saw!  What I didn’t realize at the time was that Pink Blush is so much more than just maternity clothes.  They also have a women’s line, perfect for busy moms.  While I was pregnant, I enjoyed styling my bump in nonmaternity clothes because it was more practical for me to get the most out of my wardrobe.  That’s why I bought clothes that I could wear during and after my pregnancy.  This is why I love Pink Blush so much.  Their women’s line transforms perfectly from pregnancy into mom life.

I am currently loving my new dress from Pink Blush!  This dress is pretty much my definition of what mom wear is.  It’s comfortable, practical and stylish.  It is quickly becoming my go-to dress; perfect for work, running errands, church or for family outings.  Of course, I like to stick with what I’m comfortable in and stripes are always my go-to pattern.  The great thing about this dress is that it would also work perfectly if I were pregnant again.

  Another thing that I love about this dress is how versatile it is.  I love that I can wear it casually with flip flops or flats or I can dress it up with some wedges or heels.  It’s perfect year-round for any season.  I can’t wait to style it with some leggings and boots this winter.

Of course I’m always looking for a deal and I find Pink Blush to be very affordable.  I can even stick to my $30 shopping budget.  The site always has some sort of discount promo code running along with 15% off your first order, plus free shipping, which always makes me happy!
Right now I am hosting my very first give away!  I’m teaming up with Pink Blush to give one lucky reader the chance to win a $50 gift card to Pink Blush!  All you have to do is follow these steps…
Follow me on Instagram @thriftywifehappylife 
Follow on Instagram @shoppinkblush or @pinkblushmaternity
Like my Facebook page Thrifty Wife, Happy Life 
Leave me a comment on Instagram with the #pinkblushgiveaway in it. 
I will announce the winner on Instagram on August 20th!
*Please note- If you have won a Pink Blush gift card within the last 3 months you will not qualify for this giveaway. 
*Disclaimer- This dress was given to me by Pink Blush in exchange for this review.  My review is 100% my honest opinion.

Living in Las Vegas

by Katie Haller

It’s hard to believe that I’ve been living in Las Vegas for almost a year and a half.  Time is flying by!  I came to Las Vegas with an open mind, knowing that this may not be long term.  My husband’s job here was supposed to be a stepping stone for him in his career, but with the way things are going, Las Vegas is ending up being a possible long term home for us.  Things have been going so well for both of our careers here that we are both settling into the idea that we could call this place home for the long term. 
It’s always funny to see how people react when I say I live in Las Vegas.  They usually ask me if I live on the strip or if I gamble a lot.  Actually, I never gamble and no, I don’t live on the strip.  I live in a normal suburban area.  I will say that there is always something to do when you live in Vegas.  It’s a growing city and there is always a new restaurant or brewery popping up to try.  We seem to never run out of new places to explore.

I had never vacationed in Las Vegas before, but ever since I moved here, I feel like my life has been one long vacation.  (At least on the weekends that is.)  I definitely have some favorite spots in the Las Vegas Valley that I love to go visit.  Here are some pictures from the last year and a half of my time exploring our new home. 

When Kevin and I really want to feel like tourists, we head down to the strip.  My favorite hotel to walk around is The Bellagio.  I love its location right in the heart of the strip, making it a fun place to walk around.  Last fall we spent a Saturday visiting The Bellagio Botanical Gardens in the hotel and watching a fountain show.  I love the fountain shows!  If you’re ever in Las Vegas, this is a must-see, plus it’s free. 
The view standing in front of The Bellagio looking at the fountain and the Pairs Las Vegas.
Same view, during the fountain show.
Another favorite place of mine in Las Vegas is the Red Rock Canyon.  The majority of people who visit Las Vegas don’t even realize this exists.  It’s a very short drive to the canyon from the Strip.  It’s such a beautiful place to see.  It definitely showcases the beauty of the Mojave Desert.  Here are a few pictures from one of my many trips to the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.

Another great place to visit outside of the strip is Boulder City.  I’m sure most people know about the Hoover Dam.  Boulder City is right on the way to the Dam.  There are shops and restaurants in town, but my favorite part of Boulder City is the views of Lake Mead.  I just think that this huge body of man-made water in the middle of the desert is pretty impressive. 
Last fall we discovered this park in Boulder City overlooking Lake Mead with wild bighorn sheep grazing.
A view from Lake Mead National Recreational Area
 Lastly, I just had to share this final picture.  One great perk of living in Las Vegas is that locals get deals on show tickets on the strip.  The weekend before I had Jack, Kevin got free tickets from work for a show on the strip.  Even though I was 9 months pregnant, I jumped at the chance for us to have one final date night before we became parents.  This was the picture I took while leaving the Paris Las Vegas.  I love it because it looks like we had our last date as a couple in Paris.
 

If you’re interested in planning a trip to Las Vegas in your future, be sure to check out vegas.com for great deals in Las Vegas and to find out all that Vegas has to offer both on and off the strip! 
#capturingvegas

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