Month: March 2013

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Finding Good Deals

Last week, I showcased a selection of pretty but rather expensive dresses. Today we’ll talk about bargain outfits. About 2/3 of my wardrobe are sale finds. The following outfits I put together for less than $120, head to toe.

Here are some of my tips for scoring the best deals:

1.) Don’t be vain. I do not know if it is losing a ton of weight, but I never let a size tag dictate if I will wear something. I always check the sales racks in all of the sizes. Who knows? It might have gotten to clearance, because it fits oddly. I wear a medium, but I check the small, medium and large racks. The item might be marked as a large, but fit like a medium. The true size large women have passed it up, because it was too small. The same holds true for smaller sizes. It could be a great find and you can always belt it.

2.) Think about tailoring. Nordstrom Rack gives you a yearly $100 free tailoring budget with their card. You do not have to have bought your clothes from there! Their debit card is linked directly to your checking account and you can earn rewards for your bargains. Double score!

3.) Be persistent. If you love something, but want it for a better price, keep checking up on it. Subscribe to blogs that will keep you posted on the sales at your favorite stores. I love effortlessanthropologie.blogspot.com for all of my Anthropologie tips.

4.). Do not be afraid of used clothing. Some of my very favorite purchases have been from lovely ladies on ebay selling their “old” clothing. As long as it states the condition of the clothes, I have no problem snagging their pieces for a steal. Just get them cleaned! If you have ever stayed in a hotel, you have slept in sheets a stranger has slept in. It is the same concept.

5.) Finally, if you really love something, it is okay to splurge (as long as you can afford to do so).

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I am wearing a shirtdress from Nordstrom Rack, that again was in a different size than I would normally wear. It is a size small. It was marked down from $88 to $13. I just tucked it into an old clearance Anthropologie skirt (that’s the beauty of a “shirt”dress) that I bought for $40, 5 years ago. I paired it with some simple flats given to me from a sweet friend. The earrings are from H&M. I think they were $2. Total price for outfit: $55

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Modcloth has a deal every couple of months, where you pay them $15, pick a size and they send you a random piece of clothing. They call it “Stylish Surprise.” It is a nonreturnable item. You never know what you are going to get. I got really lucky and scored with this Ikat dress they sent me. I find Modcloth runs small, so this is a large.

My husband and I had a disagreement about this dress. He hates the placement of the belt. I cannot say I am a huge fan, either. But that is where the waist is elasticized. And I happen to love the black and white pattern. Before this picture was taken, there was a huge fashion meltdown. It went like this:

“I have never seen anyone wear a belt like that before.”

“Why is your belt so high? I have never seen a belt worn that high before.”

Good times!

I paired the ikat dress with a belt from Anthropologie, $22.50. I am also wearing vintage boots, $50. The earrings are from Anthropologie (can you tell they are my favorite?), $32. Total price for outfit: $119.50

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I bought this dress at the Nordstrom Rack (are you sensing a pattern?). It is Free People Denim Shirtdress. I think it retailed for $168. I paid $25.80. It is a large, but I belted it. I paired it with a Calvin Klein belt also from the rack for $25. I am wearing my old Ralph Lauren boots I bought 10 years ago for $100. I only buy $8 leggings from Target. The necklace is $45 (with shipping) from Simplylivly on Etsy. Total cost: $203.80. Yes, this is way over, but I wanted to show my dress score! : )

Do you have a favorite bargain tip? What has been your best score?

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Easier Rice Krispie Treats

Easier Rice Krispie Treats Recipe

*Adapted from Kelloggs Rice Krispie Treat Recipe

How can rice krispie treats get any easier? Well, they can. And this makes a ton!

I am sure someone has thought of this before, because I can be a bit slow. However, I felt like a genius when I finally figured out how to be even lazier with my rice krispie treats. So, just humor me!

Here is how I make them without measuring:

Ingredients

12 oz. box Rice Krispies Cereal
2 10 oz. bags of marshmallows (size and brand does not matter but if your store only carries 16 oz. sizes, you will need one whole 16 oz. bag plus 2 additional cups of marshmallows)
1 stick salted butter

Take a stick of butter and rub a 13X9 pan with the stick, until the pan is coated.

In a very large stock pot, melt the rest of the stick of butter on low heat on the cooktop. The moment the butter is melted, add both bags of marshmallows.

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Stir continuously until the whole mixture is melted. Turn off heat.

Open the whole box of rice krispies cereal and dump it in. Stir until all of the marshmallow is distributed into the cereal.

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Pour the mixture into the buttered dish. Well… it will not pour. So, glop the mixture into the buttered dish.

Now, gently pound the mixture with the back of your fists until it is smooth. I am not kidding.

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Now, this is where it gets tricky. Everyone is going to want the oooeey goooeey stock pot remains. Pick your favorite child and let them have it. Who am I kidding? No one fights over the stockpot, because no one knows about the stock pot. It is my very favorite sticky secret.

After you have secretly indulged yourself, immediately put the stockpot in the sink and fill it with soapy water. It will make life much easier for you later.

Wait for the rice krispie treats to cool. This will be very hard. Slice it in to appropriate slices.

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I put mine individually in saran wrap and displayed them prettily. You can do this, or just cover the whole pan with saran wrap….But then it will be ugly and you will be sad.

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Enjoy!

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Green Chest in Hand

I have a secret. I cannot resist a chest. No, not that kind of chest. But a beautiful antique chest. A chest perfect for hiding anything you want inside, even another chest. Of course it is kind of a hard secret to keep in a small house like our own. My husband humors me and deals with my stacks upon stacks of wooden obsessions. Lately, though, it has gone a little too far.

I try to always picture where something will go in my house before I make a purchase. If I can’t figure it out, I walk away. If I later come up with a brilliant solution, I will purchase it. If not, someone else will definitely make it a happy home.

This has always worked for me.

Until now.

On a recent trip to the flea market, I spotted this guy.

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Look at that chipped creamy green paint. Check out that beautiful faded red cross symbol. He can stand vertically (like a dresser) or horizontally ( like, well, a chest).

Isn’t he lovely? I asked how much the chest was and the sweet guy said, “$90.”

How could I resist? Before my husband knew what had happened, he was carrying this heavy beauty through the busy market. I was ecstatic! What a steal! Only, I had a problem. Where was I going to put this new acquisition? I was quiet all the way home, trying to think of the right solution.

But, we arrived home, and I still had no answer. So, my husband unceremoniously dumped my latest baby in our garage. He has been languishing there for months now. Every time I get out of my car in the garage, I see him. And he breaks my heart. And I am wracked with guilt.

So, I need to figure out where I can put him.

Do you like him here?

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Do you like him there?

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Do you like him anywhere?
Do you like my green crossed friend?
Tell me, tell me,
Where shall he end?

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The Moral of the Washing Machine Repairman

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our laundry bin purchased at the flea market (I had to add something pretty to the post)

Our washing machine is going on nine years old. I bought the matching washer and dryer in blue (like an idiot. Now they have me, because I cannot replace one without replacing the other. Please stick to white).

The other day, I noticed that my washing machine is leaking a little at the bottom. I quickly called the repair center and a technician came out today.

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I’m a dork and tried to recreate the puddle of water

In the last six months, I have had three technicians come out for different appliance problems (we’re falling apart around here!). Each time, the technician has been helpful but they have all been the type of men that have a story. The type of man that would not feel comfortable hanging out with friends, but would prefer watching t.v. at home, by himself.

It has been an adventure to see who will turn up next.

Today, it was a younger man. He was tall and awkward, but quietly sweet and lovely. He had a wedding band and at one point mentioned that he has always wondered if his wife has a very strong neck, because she is 5’tall and he is 6’2″. The thought that he worried after his wife’s neck when she looked up at him made me happy. He was so apologetic for all of the things that are wrong with my machine. As if he is the one who has been overloading it for the past nine years.

Towards the end of the appointment, he had to break down some figures. Instead of sitting at either of the two tables within ten feet of him, he sat down crossed legged on the floor. Me being me, I did not even notice. I just continued to speak to him from my seat on the couch. I am a free spirited gal and if you want to sit on the floor, I won’t stop you.

But my husband, demonstrating once again that he is the kinder human being in our relationship, quickly asked him if he would like to sit at the table.

The man smiled and said, “No, thank you.” He explained that in all the times he is in people’s homes, he is always worried that he will break something. Or be blamed for breaking something that was all ready broken before he sat down.

So, we sat there quietly for a moment.

Then the man faintly said, “it is funny, but some people…oh never mind.”. And he softly smiled and continued with his figures.

Now I was intrigued. If there is one thing I love, it is a good story. “Some people what?”. I was dying to know. I imagined the stories that he was about to tell me. Naked people painted gold answering the door, a refrigerator stocked with nothing but pickles, an all purple wardrobe in every family member’s size haphazardly strewn across the laundry room floor. Some people what?

And so he grinned and said, “there are so many times that I sit on the floor and the homeowner will sit down next to me. And I think it is so awkward and funny that we are both sitting on the floor in their house, while there are seats all around us.”

I formed a picture of that in my mind and it melted my heart.

That is so sweet. What lovely people. I began to imagine the type of person who would do that. It definitely sounded like elderly people might, having more manners than the rest of us. But then I began worrying after their hips as they kneeled on the floor. I had just switched from elderly to Southern hospitality to soft hearted biker dude in my imagination, when my husband interrupted my thoughts.

He said to the young man, “That is so funny, because I was just about to sit down next to you.”

And reality sunk in. This is what defines us as human beings. Would you sit on the floor with him or continue to sit in your comfortable couch and not notice? I realized I would much rather have had my husband’s heart, in this instance, than my own. My love swelled for my husband at that moment for being the kind of person that I wasn’t.

The sweet man gave us our figures and left.

Now I am stuck with the cold hard fact that I am not as nice as I thought I was and a troublesome washing machine dilemma.

Would you pay $600 to repair your nine year old machine or shell out double that for a brand new one? I think I am 75% leaning towards the repair.

So my questions are twofold: What would you do about the washing machine? And which type of person are you; the accommodating sit on the floor type or the oblivious couch sitter?