Moda & the Mar: The High & Low of it

Happy Tuesday!

It is 29 degrees here and I think I may just freeze to death. I know, I know... all of you buried under 14 inches of snow and ice with a -44 wind chill are rolling your eyes and saying mean things to me right now. I get it. I cannot even wrap my brain around negative 44 degrees. Does that mean you instantly turn into stone/ice and thaw out in Spring? I won't try to compare my cold to yours. BUT - for this beach girl, 29 is bone-chilling. Bone-chilling and a great excuse to pull out all of my snow gear that stays tucked neatly in the closet year after year.

This outfit is such a perfect example of saves and splurges. Why I am not a coupon-clipping, serious savings expert, I do have a few tricks for stretching my paycheck and closet. By making sure I save on trendier items or over-priced basics, I can treat myself to more pieces that I have been lusting after {like this gorgeous piece.} - that, and I can continue to stock my closet while ~~my financial investors~~ my parents help to supplement. One of my New Year's resolutions is to be less impulsive when shopping, and to save up for pieces I really want. Often I find myself looking at half of my closet and wondering why and where I bought half of it.

One of my favorite tips for stocking up on basic pieces, or trends you want to try without investing too much, is Forever XXI. I like to refer to it as Forever 31, because let's be honest - we are all still rocking it way past our 21st birthday. I found this lightweight merino sweater for about $18 online and made sure to hit the $50 minimum with other pieces I needed to qualify for free-shipping. The gingham button-down is Gap and the corduroy mini is J.Crew, but both were purchased for $15 (including shipping) from two of my favorite Instagram thrift shops. I live in a very small town and thrifting is not very lucrative. Since it is so hard to find quality pieces at home, I have turned to the IG world for thrifty finds. The statement necklace is identical to the J.Crew piece, but at a fraction of the price from T.J.Maxx. I am definitely a Maxxinista. I balanced out all of the thrifted and budget-friendly pieces with a few splurges - my Dooney and Bourke satchel and the J.Crew Nottingham riding boots. Most of my outfits are typically this mix of high and low pieces to create interest and variation... and to keep my budget in check.

I hope this post helped you to think outside of your normal shopping routine. Do you have any budget-friendly tips to share with me?

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