Scandal At The Limited: Spring Collection

If you were following my blog last fall, you might remember a post featuring the new (at the time) clothing line at The Limited based on Scandal. If not, you can read it here. It’s actually been one of the post popular posts! Anyways, they’re at it again! The Limited just released the spring collection of the line, so of course I had to go check it out! If I’m being honest, I don’t love it as much as I loved the fall line. Regardless, there are still some gorgeous pieces in it. I’ll let you make up your own minds, though! Here are just a few pieces that caught my eye. You can check out the rest of the line here.

Left: Blazer | Skirt | Top

Middle: Dress | Dress

Right: Blazer | Skirt | Top

Which piece is your favorite?

There are affiliate links in this post.

Current Fashion Wishlist

When it comes to beauty versus fashion, my obsession is definitely with fashion. Yes, I wear makeup everyday. I like learning new makeup tricks and seeing new makeup looks. Yes, I adore lipstick. But it’s not like my love for clothing. I can’t bring myself to by anything more than drugstore makeup, but I’ll devote far more money than I should to clothing. I’ll occasionally browse Pinterest and YouTube for makeup ideas, but I can spend all day online shopping and lusting over outfits on Pinterest. I always have a running wishlist, both in my phone and on a Pinterest board, of clothes that are on my to-buy list.

Today I threw together a few pieces that I’m loving right now and that are definitely on my wishlist!

• I love sheath dresses. I wish the weather in Wisconsin were more mild all year so I could wear them without having to deal with the not-so-attractive additions of tights and winter boots. This one from H&M is gorgeous and only $25. I’m always happy with the pieces I get at H&M, so I’m definitely excited about this dress.
• LOVE this jacket! This might be my favorite piece on this wishlist. It’s edgy, but still so chic and stylish and totally work appropriate. I think the peplum is what clinches this one for me.
• This top from Maurices puts me in a good mood just looking at it. It’s bright and summery and makes me think of warm weather. I could wear it with a skirt or nice pants for work, or pair it with a pair of jeans and rock it on the weekends.
• These shoes from Top Shop are gorgeous, and at a fantastic price! If you’re in the market for a new pair of pumps, check these out! Then send me a picture so I can seethe with jealousy.
• I have a problem when it comes to scarves. I love looking at them on other people. I think they’re a great accessory. I love shopping for them and buying them. But I never wear them! At least, not very often. I seriously have to stop buying them. But I’m including this one on my wishlist anyways.
• Last, but certainly not least! I literally almost bought this jacket at Maurices last weekend. I had it in my hand in the correct size and I was staring at it. But, I didn’t. I decided to hold off. I still have a Maurices gift card in my wallet, so this bad boy may be making it’s way to my closet soon enough anyways.

What are some items on your fashion wishlist right now?

*There are affiliate links in this post

Five Things To Do On December 26

Well, Christmas is officially over (though many people might have more family celebrations through the weekend). For the past several months life has been a hustle and bustle of decorating, shopping, wrapping, and planning. So, now what? Here are just a few things you can do on December 26.

1. Fall into a food coma from all the Christmas food you ate.

Christmas cookies, dessert spaghetti, etc.

2. Watch all the movies you got as Christmas gifts.

It’s pretty much the last day it’s socially acceptable to watch Christmas movies!

3. Put away decorations.

Take this time to start putting away some of the Christmas decor that has taken over your home and life.

4. Travel home.

If you’re one of the unfortunate souls who has to travel home immediately after Christmas, you can spend your day battling the airport crowds.

5. Shop.

I know what you’re thinking. “Erin, we just spent the past two months at the mall Christmas shopping. That’s the last thing we want to do today.” I understand. But keep in mind that many stores have crazy deals the day after Christmas! Plus, you might have gifts to exchange or gift cards to spend!

Black Friday Survival Guide

Image Source: n0where.net

We’re just two days away, people! 48 hours from now, people will shoving their way through store aisles to get door buster sales. Maybe you’re one of those people gearing up to bust some doors. Maybe you’re leaning toward skipping it because you just can’t handle the chaos. Either way, I decided to share some Black Friday shopping tips with you all to help you survive the day, and maybe convince you that it isn’t so scary!

1. Be Prepared. If you want you’re shopping to be as successful as possible, which I assume you do, be prepared. Make a list and know what you’re planning to buy. With the sales you’ll see on Black Friday, obviously there will be some impulse shopping. But know the things you definitely plan to buy. For me, wedding rings are at the top of that list this year!

2. Going along with tip #1, make you do your research and know what sales are going on. Most stores have already released their Black Friday sale flier, so you can price everything out. If you’re hoping to get a killer deal on a TV this year, don’t just go to a store that sells TV’s and assume they’ll be on sale! Check fliers to Walmart, Target, Best Buy, etc to see who has them for the best price.

3. Make yourself a budget. Just because you can buy $3,000 worth of crap for $1,000 doesn’t mean you should be spending $1,000! You need limits.

4. Check return policies. Amazing sales and door busters might lead us to make shopping decisions that we might not otherwise make. That puke-green sweater that we wouldn’t give a second look at $50 might look a lot more attractive at $15. Make sure things are returnable in case you wake up on Saturday and are no longer seeing a great sale, but an ugly sweater.

5. Bring a friend! Some people may prefer shopping alone, but I would much rather go with a friend. With as long as you’ll be waiting in line on Friday, you’ll appreciate having a buddy to keep you company. Plus, they can run interference while you grab the last copy of Frozen for your kiddos.

6. Eat before you head to the mall. Yes, they have a food court. On any other day it’s a completely viable, and preferable, option. Chinese food, pizza and ice cream all in the same place? Score! But on Black Friday the food court is going to be insane. Even if you can stand the 30 minute wait to get a fast-food lunch, you won’t be able to find a table. Splurge on a nicer restaurant outside the mall where you can sit.

7. Did you read through this entire list and are now dreading Black Friday shopping even more? No problem! Tons of stores are offering the same sales online! You likely won’t get the door busters, but you’ll still be able to score some great deals. On both Black Friday and Cyber Monday, stores are likely to have free shipping. (Hint: Target has free shipping for the entire holiday season! I’ve already taken advantage).

Will you be going Black Friday shopping this year? What are you planning to buy? I’d love to hear your tips or crazy stories!

How to Save Money Shopping Online

If you’re like me, or most other citizens of the 21st century, you’ve been transitioning over the years to doing more shopping online. It’s easier, quicker, and in some cases cheaper. I certainly don’t buy everything online. But if there’s an item I want to buy that I don’t need right away, I usually dig around online and see what kind of deal I can find. There is always some kind of deal. And it’s no longer necessary to clip coupons from the Sunday paper to find them! I’ll share with you here a few ways I’ve found to save money by shopping online.

1. Retail Me Not: This is my #1 strategy for saving money when shopping online. You can type in whatever store you’re shopping at, and they’ll supply you with coupon codes or tell you of sales that are going on. I’m often able to find free shipping coupons on here. Before I buy anything online, I check here first. 99% of the time, I save money.

2. Ebates: This site is great, because it rewards you for the shopping you’ll do anyways. Ebates offers cash back on purchases for just about every major store, and many non-major stores. If you’re going to do some online shopping, go to Ebates first. Type the store you’re looking for in the search bar, and it will tell you what kind of cash back reward they have (2%, 5%, 8%, etc). Ebates will redirect you to the store site, and you’ll get credit for your purchase. They pay out every four months. If you’re shopping online during the holiday season, you could have a hefty rewards check coming your way!

3. Shopular: Shopular basically allows you to browse the sale catalogs of all your favorites stores in one app. Save your favorites stores, and their deals will show up in your feed. Right now they’ve got a comprehensive list of Black Friday deals!

4. Online Consignment Shops: We all know that thrift shopping can save you big bucks. Even though I find something I like just about every time I walk into Goodwill, I hardly ever shop there. Recently, I’ve discovered some online thrift stores that offer the same perks as Goodwill, but from your computer! A few that I like checking out are Threadflip and ThredUp. You can get anything from Forever 21 to high end designers, all at a huge discount. If you’re looking to sell some gently-used clothes, you can do that as well.

5. Newsletter Memberships: I know, it can be obnoxious to get the daily emails from every store you’ve ever shopping at. I usually end up unsubscribing from their emails, especially the stores that literally do send something every day. But I would definitely stay subscribed to the newsletter for your favorite stores. You’re the first to find out about sales, including those that last only a few hours, and can receive premium discounts available to members only.

6. Groupon: I want to preface this one by saying that Groupon isn’t going to be as useful for your normal everyday shopping in the way the other 5 bullet points are. But Groupon is awesome in it’s own way. We usually use Groupon for things like eating out and activities. They always have coupons for sale for local restaurants and adventures, from vacations to local mini golf. Basically, you purchase a coupon from them to use at the establishment. They often have restaurant coupons for up to 50% off. The Paint Nite I mentioned in a recent post was also the result of Groupon.

I hope this post was helpful to you. What are your tried and true ways for saving money online?