Thrifty Wife Happy Life

Shopping Finds~ $9 Outfit

June 13, 2015 by Katie Haller

One of my favorite ways to spend a Saturday morning is to head out for a little thrift store shopping. This weekend I decided to check out The Goodwill. When I go to a thrift store, I like to go with a clear mind and plenty of time to look through the racks. That’s why a Saturday morning is the perfect time of the week to go.

On this particular shopping trip, I really enjoyed searching through the clothes racks. Thrift store shopping can be so much fun hunting out those great bargain prices. The best part is, on top of the already low prices, there is always a sale. Today it was 50% off green and purple tags.

I’ve set a budget for myself when it comes to thrift store shopping. $10 is my max, so I try to stretch it out as much as I can. I ended up finding an entire outfit for $9!!

Striped Top- $2

Denim Shorts- $4

Wedge Sandals- $3

(The necklace was a recent Target clearance purchase, so it doesn’t count for the outfit)

My Closet~ Weekend Wardrobe

June 7, 2015 by Katie Haller

I hope that everyone had a nice relaxing weekend! I know I did! One thing I love about the weekend is having the time to explore my closet and test out some new looks. That’s just what I did this weekend.

It’s getting pretty hot here in Vegas, so I felt it was time to bust out some of my shorts. We did a little beer tasting on Saturday at one of the local brewery’s that we just discovered recently. This was the outfit I wore. I’m really loving my green necklace right now. It really helps add the pop of color I need in my mostly black and neutral colored wardrobe.

Denim Jacket- Meijer (similar)

Black Shorts- Forever 21 (exact)

Polka Dot Blouse- Kohl’s (similar)

Wedge Shoes- Kohl’s (similar)

Green Necklace- Target (similar)

On Sundays, I usually like to dress up cute for church in the morning. I tried to avoid wearing my jean jacket again, but I just couldn’t help it, I thought the denim looked better than a cardigan.

Pink Striped Dress- Old Navy (exact)

Turquoise Necklace- Kohl’s (similar)
Brown Wedge Shoes- Macy’s (similar)

For Sunday afternoons, I just like to be comfortable. This maxi dress is perfect for lounging around the house or running errands. Again, I wore my jean jacket, because I always need something to put on in the air-conditioned stores.

Maxi Dress- Ross (similar)

Have a wonderful week!

10 Summer Essentials for Under $10

June 5, 2015 by Katie Haller

Summer is here! It’s what we’ve all been waiting for. Long sunny days, the smell of suntan lotion, relaxing by the water…. these are just a few of my favorite things about summer. In honor of it being the first official month of summer, I thought that I’d share some of my must-haves for summer. The best thing about these items is that you can find them all for $10 or less!

1.) Sun Hat
I’m not really a hat person, but ever since I moved to Nevada, I’ve realized how important it is to keep my head covered. Your head is always exposed to the sun, so if your planning to spend a decent amount of time outside, be sure to bring a sun hat. I ended up finding a cute straw fedora, similar to the one above, in the dollar section at Target for $3. It’s cute and perfect for the pool.

2.) Moisturizer with SPF
The sun can damage your skin so easily and cause wrinkles, sunspots or skin cancer. Since your face is always exposed to the sun, you have to always be sure that you always have at least an SPF 15 on your face. I use the Target up & up brand of daily moisturizer sunscreen lotion. It’s compared to Cetaphil. (I’m never afraid of the knock off store brand, especially when it’s cheaper than the name brand.)

3.) ChapStick
Just like your head and face, your lips need to be protected in the summer sun too. My favorite brand of chapstick is Burts Bees. I’ve been using this brand for years and I can’t find a better chapstick in that price range. Something I’ve learned from living in a sunny place is that you don’t want to wear lip gloss in the sun. According to an article on doctoroz.com, wearing lip gloss is the equivalent of sunbathing after putting on baby oil. Using baby oil only concentrates the rays of the sun, making it much more likely to get burned skin. It’s best to stick with a chapstick with SPF in it.

4.) SunGlasses
I feel like this one is kind of obvious, but I cannot survive without my sunglasses. I literally start to sneeze the second I walk into the brightness of the sun if I don’t have my sunglasses. I refuse to buy expensive sunglasses. I have a $5 max on these for three major reasons…. I break them, lose them and scratch them up in my purse. I have found great sunglasses at TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Ross, Five Below and most recently I was loving The Dollar Tree’s selection.

5.) Flip Flops
My mom used to call these thongs when I was a kid, that was until the “Thong Song” came out, now we just refer to them as flip flops. I’m sure most of you have more than one pair of these. Every summer I wait for the Old Navy flip flop sale and stock up, because what would summer be without flip flops at the pool or beach?

6.) Bright pink nail polish

I always have polish on my nails. In the summer I love bright pink colors. As you may or may not know, I’m a big fan of Sinful Colors nail polish. They have a great selection of colors and only coast around $2. My favorite color right now is called Bikini.

7.) Beach Bag

You have to have a beach bag in the summer. Something to tote around when you’re at the beach, pool, lake, park… where ever your summer takes you. A beach bag doesn’t have to be fancy. Target’s dollar section has some cute ones and so does the Dollar Tree. You can also use a reusable shopping bag. Stores like TJ Maxx sell some really cute reusable shopping bags that are much cheaper than buying an actual beach bag.

8.) Reusable drink cup

I love my reusable cups! I use mine for water, ice tea, ice coffee, smoothies, even beer. What is summer without an ice cold beverage. You can find some cute cups in the dollar section at Target right now.

9.) Make up remover wipes

I use make up remover wipes all year round, but they are a must in the summer. They will quickly remove your eye makeup if your planning on swimming. I also will use them for a quick touch up by wiping them under my eyes if my make up starts to run in the heat. To get more use out of them, I cut them in half. That way I don’t run out as fast. Some of my favorite brands are Target up & up or Kroger brand. They have the best prices!

10.) Oil free sunscreen lotion
You have to use sunscreen in the summer, but sunscreen is expensive. You go through it so fast, that it seems silly to spend a lot of money on it. I always buy the store brand of sunscreen in at least a SPF of 30. I still get a nice tan with 30. It has to be an oil free sunscreen though. I have pretty oily skin, so I can’t handle the greasy feel on my skin.

Those are my 10 summer essentials for under $10. What are your must have items for the summer months?

Shopping finds~ Thrift Store Deals

May 25, 2015 by Katie Haller

I love national holidays like Memorial Day, President’s Day and Labor Day. It’s not just because it’s a day off work or a day to honor our country, but because it’s the best time to find great deals at thrift stores. Stores like The Goodwill, Salvation Army, and Savers have all clothes in their stores 50% off. I find that pretty exciting!

I started off my Memorial Day with a trip to Savers Thrift Store. I had never been there before, but I have heard a lot of good things about it from my coworkers, so I was excited to check it out. I did have pretty low expectations, since all my thrift store trips so far in Nevada have been disappointing, but not today. Today I had some good luck, and I’m pretty thrilled with my purchases. All the clothes, shoes and accessories at Savers were 50% off. The store had a great selection with a nice layout. Everything was sorted by style and size. I got there right at 9:00 am when they opened, and I’m so glad I did because the store was packed. I wasn’t really in need of anything, but I ended up finding some great deals I couldn’t pass up.

Here are my finds from my shopping trip

This was one of my favorite finds. It’s a cotton wrap dress from Target. It was regularly $3.99, but I got it for 50% off of that. I love the summery print!

I also found a couple shirts. This button-down top is super lightweight, it’s the perfect button-down for summer. It was half off of $3.99

This top is another cute summer top that I found from H&M. It was half off $4.99.

I’m also pretty excited about my bathing suit tops. I would never buy bathing suit bottoms at a thrift store, but I see nothing wrong with buying some tops. I love mixing and matching my bathing suits. These two tops were 50% off of $2.99 and $1.99

My grand total for these 5 items, with tax was $9.97. You can’t beat that!

If you didn’t get a chance to get to the thrift store this Memorial Day, don’t worry, 4th of July is right around the corner.

Blonde on a Budget

May 23, 2015 by Katie Haller

Did you know that only 2% of the world’s population is naturally blonde? This is why blonde hair is considered a hair color minority. For me, I love my blonde hair. I was born blonde and I couldn’t imagine myself any other way. Being blonde is a part of who I am.

When it comes to keeping up that light blonde look, it’s not always cheap. I try to keep my hair as natural as possible, but I also like to lighten up the color with some highlights every so often.

I recently found a salon in Nevada and decided to finally spend the money and lighten up my hair for summer. As I was paying, the stylist asked if I wanted to schedule my next appointment. I told her no thank you, I usually go a long time in between highlights. She then said, “not a problem, we can put you down for 8 or 10 weeks out”. That’s when I had to confess to her that when I say a long time, I mean 6 months, or whenever I can’t stand my hair anymore, whatever comes first. The truth is a trip to the salon cost me around $140, and even though I know a lot of people spend more than that, it’s still a lot for me to fork out. When you’re trying to save and be conservative with your money, a trip to the salon every other month can’t always be a top priority. Even if I do feel that it’s well worth the money. When it comes to my hair, it’s best to leave it up to a professional.

So how do I keep up my blonde look without making frequent visits to the salon? Here are a few tricks I’ve discovered over the years.

Fun in the sun!

I love living in the 5th sunniest city in the United States. It has definitely helped me keep my hair lighter. Back in Michigan, I would typically get my hair done in the spring and then I wouldn’t get my highlights done again until the late fall. The summer sun always helped keep my hair stay nice and bright.

Lemon juice

Lemon juice is a natural and easy way to help the blonde shine through. I’m a big fan of spraying some lemon juice in my hair before a walk or sitting by the pool. If you’re lacking sunlight, you can always use the heat from a blow dryer with the lemon juice to help naturally lighten up your hair.

Curling your hair

When my highlights are growing out a lot, this is when I start curling my hair every day. For some reason, I feel like curls and waves help hide your roots, where straightening seems to showcase your roots. I like to use my straightener to make some waves in my typically straight hair.

Embrace your base color

Thankfully the ombre look is in right now. People pay to make their roots show, so why not show off those roots for free and embrace that natural color?

Keep it natural

When your lightening your hair, it’s best to not make any drastic changes. Use you natural color as a base and lighten up from there.

Make a highlighting schedule
Save your salon visits the right time. Since I go so long in between my highlights, I like to set up a schedule, so that my hair looks best at certain times of the year. I like to lighted up my hair in the early summer, so I’m all ready for summer weddings and vacations, then I get it done again in the late fall, so I’m all ready for the holidays.

How much money do you spend on your hair? Do you think you could cut out a few salon trips a year to save your money?