thrifty finds 1-15-12

my local savers was having 50% off for the holiday this weekend, so i ventured down there to look at baby clothes.  $57 later I left with:
 

6 pairs of jeans for charlotte (gap, old navy, childrens place)
3 pairs of jeans for mommy (old navy, levi)

  

2 sweatshirts and a sweater for charlotte



3 onsies



2 pairs PJs and one skirt



shoes for mommy

3 sweaters for mommy

And the outfit she's wearing today!

brand name fail

i usually avoid going to establishments which imply that their customers are akin to livestock.  the golden corral is one of them.  the second is dressbarn.

next week i have my annual sales meeting in new orleans and i realized that i have no nice business casual clothes to wear.  i work from home, so my usual outfit is jeans and a hoodie or a sweater.  i have 2 pairs of dress pants and a few cardigans that i wear when i visit customers, but i don't have enough cute outfits for a whole week with my coworkers.  i decided to do a little shopping, but i didn't want to invest heavily since i am determined to NOT be this size for much longer.

my first go-to spot was old navy and i did pretty well.  i got some cardigans, a jersey wrap dress,  and a pair of skinny jeans (which i never ever ever thought i would buy, but i need them for my cute new boots*).  i didn't find a good blazer or anything business-y though.   as i was leaving, i noticed that there was a dressbarn next door.  since the weather was bad, there was virtually no one around and i decided that i could quickly check out the store, just to see if it was a bad as i thought it would be.

i ended up spending $136 there.  i got a cute silk tank (pictured on the model) in a colbalt/black paisley-type pattern to wear under a black sweater with black pants.  i got a clearance brown/green patterned gauzy tank ($7!) to wear under this blazer (although mine is a dark tan color, not black).  i got this grey long sleeved tunic with a cute monochrome rosette detail at the collar.   i also got a cowl neck scarf (brown/grey) and 3 pairs of earrings. 

i was happy to shop in the "misses" section and not the "womens" section, although the "womens" section actually had some really cute things that weren't available in the smaller sizes.  that kind of sucked.

anyhow, i was surprised. i'm not sure what i thought i would find in there, but i assumed it would be hideous, all based on the name.  i'm guessing that when it started, their brand manager was like "i have a GREAT idea for a name!  hint:  it's where all the self proclaimed "clothes horses" will want to shop!"  



*so annoyed that these are only $26 now.  I paid around $40, which I thought was a good deal at the time!! i am also pissed because they are now sold out of black ones.  they are very comfy. 

inspiration

inspiration always strikes me at the most random times.  usually i'm in the middle of something else and i have to stop what i'm doing so that i can do the new thing right. this. minute.  for example, i'll be blow drying my hair when i decide to make a new recipe for dinner.  so i stop blow drying to go take stock of the ingredients i have and make a shopping list.  with wet hair.  i have no idea why i can't finish the first thing i'm doing and THEN start the new thing.  i can either look at it as a super annoying habit, or multi-tasking at it's finest.. i think it's really just adult ADD.

so anyhow, i recently started reading a blog done by lori, a friend of mine from highschool - it's called  no more sweatpants.  it's a fashion blog that details her journey to be more creative with the clothes in her closet and to test her fashion boundaries.  i've spent most of my morning reading her archives and i am totally inspired to do something similar.  since i started working from home, i have become very lax in my outfits.  when i started gaining more weight, i slipped even further.  i'm typing this at 11:30 on a wednesday morning and i am still in my pajamas and fuzzy bathrobe.  in a few minutes i will most likely change into either workout clothes or jeans and a hoodie to run my errands.  if i meet a client i will wear the only pair of dress pants that fits me and a neutral colored cardigan. it's BORING.  and i feel FRUMPY.  which makes me feel worse about myself.  not cool.

i would love to get dressed up a little, but i'm terrified that i will look ridiculous because or how large i am right now.  but that is TOTALLY stupid.  i'm going to look the same size in jeans and a hoodie as i would look in nicer jeans, a sweater, cute shoes, and some accessories.   yeah i'll look big, but i'll also look put together.  this will make me feel better about myself which will help lead to better food and exercise choices which will lead to a smaller body and more confident me.

the other thing that inspires me about lori's blog is that most of her clothes are thrifted or from the places that i like to shop (ross, target, kohls, etc).   they're not expensive, yet she makes them look fantastic!  i've always been frugal, but a little wary of thrift stores.  lately i've been wanting to give them a go - make it more of a treasure hunt - and satisfy my shopping desire without spending money i don't have. 

so today, after i put on my jeans and sweater with cute shoes and some accessories, i'm going to drop by the local thrift store to see if i can find something unique to jazz me up a little. 

i'll let you know what i find.

say yes to the dress

i received a call from the bridal shop 3 weeks ago saying that my dress was in. this made me more anxious than i would have thought.

i have never been the type of girl who dreamed about her wedding dress. when i got engaged, the dress choices were so overwhelming. i just wanted to find something that looked ok on me and didn't cost a fortune and get the heck out of the dress shop. there is something about being the center of attention and surrounded by expensive white delicate material that is very unnerving to me.

the first time i went shopping was with my mom and my friend erica. we went to a little boutique in seattle and i cursed myself for not wearing cuter undies. i was very nervous because i am not thrilled with my body right now and was convinced that i would be the only girl in the world who couldn't find a wedding dress that would look good. to my surprised, there were a few that i liked, but i refused to buy them because it was my first foray into dress shopping.

the second time i went was with my mom and sister in law when they were visiting me in denver. we went to a larger store and started grabbing anything that i thought might work. three dresses into it, i put one on, looked in the mirror, and thought hmm.. this actually isn't that bad.. wait a minute.. do i have a WAIST?? my mom and sil both loved it, but i wanted to try on a few more*. so after rejecting 4 or 5 more dresses, i stopped and told my mom that i actually think the one we all liked was it, and, priced at half of what i was planning on spending, it was a deal i couldn't refuse.

so my mom and sil kind of squealed and had me put it back on and i studied myself, mentally taking note of what i needed to spend extra time on at the gym.. i wondered aloud if it was really the one.. could it be this easy? is it ok that i'm not over emotional and crying? is it ok that i am being so practical about this and will i end up not liking it as the wedding day nears? will i kick myself for not trying on 100's of dresses until i found one that i didn't want to take off?

since the price was right and the dress looked good, i decided to get it.

so today when i went into the shop to pick up my dress, i was a little nervous that it wouldn't fit or look as good as i thought it did the day i picked it out. to my relief, it zipped up just fine. and i still like it. it's not uber fancy or frilly, but you know what? neither am i! and that's when i smiled to myself and realized that i *had* found the perfect dress *for me*, and i'm sure with a few alterations, i will be over emotional and crying and refusing to take it off.



*had i given into my ocd, i would have tried on every dress under the sun just to make sure that there wasn't something better. luckily, we did not have the time for that. and i got tired after about 10 dresses - those suckers are heavy!

fashion police

i was in old navy today shopping for some cute tank tops to keep me cool at lollapalooza this weekend. they have this new style called a "trapeze" tank. on the hanger it looks really cute - and i thought it would be the perfect thing to cover up my love handles.

oh. my. god.

cover up my love handles it did.. but it also made me look 8 months pregnant and about 3 sizes bigger all over!

how ironic that the only person that can pull off a shirt like this is a person who has no need to hide any body flaws.

i get more action when i dress like a boy

so i was thinking back to some of the more entertaining nights of the last few months. and they all have one thing in common. i get hit on exponentially more when i'm dressed like a boy*. example: long sleeve undershirt, tight band tshirt, cords or ripped jeans, and trendy running shoes. maybe a leather necklace thing. nothing fussy with my hair. simple, but good makeup. those are the nights i'm pretty much guaranteed some action. is it because i'm more comfortable that way? more approachable? not trying too hard? it is an awesome discovery, and gives me much more faith in guys (or at least the ones I want to associate with!).

*obviously i don't LOOK like a boy since my big ass boobs pretty much give me away.