How We Make It Work, Dressing...

Ok, so I wasn't able to get that decorating post up in time... maybe Monday?  Anyway, anyone who's visited this blog for any length of time knows how much I LOVE Goodwill and I love fashion!  I would say that I definitely put thought and effort into my clothes-- I was raised to believe that it was important to look your best-- and to do so on a tight budget!  If you look back in my posts labeled Dressing or even my "What To Wear When Expecting" Pregnancy posts, you will see a plethora of my Goodwill and yardsale steals.  Turns out I'm not the only Southern gal who loves a good deal.  Jen over at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam is doing a Frugal Fashionista Fashion Show today and I am linking up.  I was kindof bummed because this isn't my best Goodwill outfit, but I didn't have time to take another picture!  So here goes!

Shirt:  Anne Taylor via Goodwill $1

Sweater:  White House Black Market via Yardsale $1

Jeans: (not my fave :( ) JLo via Goodwill $1

Total Minus Shoes and Belt:  $3!

Shoes and belt purchased retail-- 6.50 for belt and around 7 or 8 for the shoes.  I love these strappy sandals, they remind me of the ones that Jennifer Grey wore on Dirty Dancing...  Anyway, as you can see, you DO NOT have to pay alot for nice clothes.  I love to buy a plain shirt and dress it up with a wide belt.  I turned my friend onto this, she was really feeling down about her recent weight gain and couldn't believe when I showed her what a wide belt can do for the waist line!  It really cinches it all in :)

Next in the series "How We Make It Work" will be hair and skin :)

Thanks to Jen for this opportunity to  link up!

The $2 Dress...

I got this dress from the yardsale of a lady who works for Cache. She was exactly my size-- score!!!


Here's a little better angle:

Accessorizing The Dollar Dress...

Before:

After:

Hoping To Make This Mine...

Apostrophe Wool Coat, Sears.com $89.99

What To Wear When Expecting...

Old Navy Dress: $10
Vera Wang Shoes: $6
Total not including jewelry: $16


And just in case you are wondering about my girth...

Whoomp! There it is! {Remember that song?}

What I Wore Sunday

~My Outfit~

Shoes: $12

Shirt: Motherhood via yardsale, .50*

Skirt: Motherhood via yardsale, .50*

Total: Approximately $13

~Elon's Outfit~

Shoes: Vans via yardsale, less than $1*

Shirt: Old Navy via yardsale, .33

Jeans: Osh Kosh via yardsale, less than $1*

Socks: Dollar Tree, .33

Total: Approximately $2.50

{*These came in a group of clothes for a set price, this is the approximate average}

What To Wear When Expecting...

Poorly Lit

Belly Shot-- Still at 5 months!

Shirt: Motherhood via Yardsale $1
Pants: Liz Lange via Goodwill $3
Shoes: ? via Yardsale $1
Total: $5

Loving these new to me pants from Goodwill. They have the adjustable waistband that can be buttoned to accommodate growth-- what a great idea!

What To Wear When Expecting?

Hmmm....

This was supposed to be an Victorian-equestrian look but the jeans are all wrong-- fit and color wise. I knew it could be better with some darker denim or brown pants this morning. So I'm frantically searching through my closet for my dark brown trousers when I realize-- I outgrew those things two months ago. Hence, the light colored denim. Clinton and Stacey would have my head for this fashion faux pas.

And here with a blazer-- still wrong; I'm all washed out in these colors and the length of the shirt combined with the worn out jeans just isn't doing anything for my shape. Oh well, I'll try it again when I have some better pants options. At least my necklace is pretty!

Shirt: Motherhood via Rag Bag-- free!

Blazer: Yikes, too old to remember!

Jeans: Calving Klein via Yardsale-- $2

Boots: Target-- $22

Total Without Blazer: $24

What To Wear When Expecting...

~5 Months~

Velvet Jacket- Goodwill, $3
Satin Cami- Goodwill, $2
Skirt- Motherhood via Rag Bag, Free!
Sandals- Mervyn's, $12

Total including Shoes= $17

What To Wear When Expecting...

Well, he's just too cute not to post!

~ Smart-Casual~

Shirt- $Free$ {rag bag}

Sweater- August Silk, Steinmart 6 Years ago-- I can't remember the price!

Pants- Ann Taylor Loft, Goodwill, $3

Shoes- Nine West, Yardsale $0.25

~ Formal Wear~

Sorry this picture is blurry and dark, it's the only one I had!

Dress and Shawl- Motherhood, Gift from Mom, $18

What To Wear When Expecting...

Sunday, Week 14 of Pregnancy-- wearing non-maternity clothes. Not my favorite outfit, but it's slim pickin's right now. These pictures all turned out so dark. Can't see the shoes in the first photo, but a little clearer in the second. I have gotten the most wear out of these red heels and red necklace!

New Shoes On The Block...

After yesterday's "heavy post," it's nice to get back to the shallow things in life--hee-hee! Anyway, Mervyn's is going out of business and I got these shoes with birthday money my mom sent. Can you see a pregnant woman with a huge basketball-belly perched atop these babies! Last time I had to see a chiropracter because I insisted on wearing heels!

Is This Normal?

Ok, I am only 7 weeks pregnant and already outgrowing many of my pants! How can that be? I now have the gut I had when I was 4 months pregnant with Elon. I am getting nervous because I am quickly outgrowing my pants but still not big enough for maternity-- maternity clothing at 7 weeks!!! And I am not eating lavishly-- I only eat when I am hungry, which is practically--ahem-- all the time... But really, is this normal for a second or third pregnancy?

Most of you know that I am naturally a small person. And believe me, I am not freaking about gaining weight due to this pregnancy-- the above cartoon is only a joke! I've just noticed that my belly is growing at an !alarming rate! and I'm curious as to whether this is common. I don't mind the weight gain-- really. Maybe none of my friends can see it, but since they can't see the--ahem-- full picture, they don't see the pot belly-- but I certainly do!

What I Wore Sunday...

This Sunday made me realize that this was the first time I have worn the same thing to two Sunday services since I got to AZ 6 months ago. Which made me realize two things:

1. I have a love for dress clothes. The phrase, "All dressed up with no place to go," comes to mind!
2. I do, at least, wear the clothes that I buy!

BCBG Dress $1- Yardsale
Necklace- $1 Yardsale
Faux Patent Leather Heels- $5-10 Charlotte Russe
Total- Between $7-$12

Elon's Birthday Outfits

Elon's great grandma gave him a check for his birthday. With it, I was able to purchase these two adorable outfits! My pictures don't do justice to the clothes :(

This first one still has the Mervyn's price tag on it. The tag says $32.99. I got it for $10.99 at Ross!

This Calvin Klein one still had the original tags on it as well. Regular price-- 68.00. I paid $12.99!

I also bought him a couple of matching hats at Old Navy. He loves to wear them backwards. I can't wait until cooler weather so I can take pictures of him modeling them. Thanks, Grandma Ginny!

What I Wore Sunday...

Sleeveless Mock Turtleneck- Goodwill $2
Tweed Pencil Skirt- Charlotte Russe via Goodwill $2
Faux Patent Leather Heels- Charlotte Russe Clearance $5 {I think}
Necklace- Gift from Nathan
Skinny Patent Leather Belt- From Another Outfit

Total excluding necklace: $9

What I Wore Sunday...

Sunday AM: Ignore my hair please. I woke up late.

Shirt, Ross $5

Skirt, Gap via yardsale $1

Lacey Peach Tank {hard to see}, Kohl's $ can't remember

Total: Not sure but still $6 isn't bad for a shirt and skirt.

Sunday PM: My mom would keel over if she knew I wore SHORTS to church! But hey, it's AZ and 113 degrees out there!

Shirt- Wet Seal via Goodwill $1.50

Shorts- Express via Goodwill $2.00 {I think these were brand new!}

Shoes- Yardsale, $1

Total: $4.50 ain't too shabby!

I used to NEVER buy used shoes. After passing up so many bargain shoes that look practically new, I decided to just disinfect them. I HOPE that kills all the germs!

Goodwill

I've been enjoying doing my What I Wore Sunday posts, and while my outfits aren't perfect, I do hope that they help ladies realize that it is possible to dress nicely on a budget. I do the posts because I love seeing what other people wear, their individual style-- how they accessorize and how much they spend on an outfit. It's really interesting to me. So I hope everyone enjoys the next few posts on my latest Goodwill purchases and also as I continue my What I Wore Sunday posts. If fashion isn't your thing, just bear with me-- I'll soon skip to another topic!

Shirt- $1.00 Banana Republic via Goodwill

Capris- $10 Ross

Shoes- can't remember, but they were on clearance at Ross

Necklace- gift from Nathan, Target

What I Wore Sunday...

I purchased this dress for about $10 six years ago at Express. I rarely wore it because I thought it was too plain, but when I paired it with a patent leather skinny belt and patent leather pumps it totally changed the outfit. I'm happy to have rediscovered an old dress!

What I Wore Sunday...

This is inspired by Emily over at Charming the Birds from the Trees. She used to do a post entitled "What I Wore Wednesday." I am going to *try* to post my outfits on Sundays, just for the fun of it. This one I wore to the Sunday After Dark Service since it is very casual.

Jacket- Kohl's, no more than 7 dollars

Shirt- Goodwill, $1.50

Necklace- Yardsale, $1

Tortoise Shell Bracelet- Gift, but I know it cost $1 at Claire's

Brown Suede Heels with Tortoise Shell Button {Nathan didn't capture}- Friend's Yardsale, $1

Pants- Old as the hills so I can't remember, but I'm sure they were cheap!

Total- $11.50 minus the pants-- not too bad.