Fall Shopping On A Dime At Walmart

Walmart… I have a love hate, mostly hate, relationship with that place. I only go there when I absolutely need to, and yesterday was one of those days. As I was passing the women’s section I saw it. It being a red and black plaid shirt. Y’all, I have had a red plaid shirt on my mind since the Nordstrom Anniversary sale. There was this one by Rails that I loved but it was $150. Nope! Move along. I’m not spending that much on a plaid shirt. So, as I was saying, there was this red shirt, and it inspired me. How about a fall round up post from the good ole Wally World, because no one is too good to shop at Walmart.

The words trendy and Walmart have never went hand in hand for me personally, but, you guys, they are tying to go there, even though it really only feels like a half hearted attempt. The attempt is most noticeable in the two newest lines, which are called Time And Tru and Terra & Sky, which is the plus sized line. I shopped the Time And Tru line.  I will be honest, this brand seems to have an identity crisis to me. There were some pieces that were of decent quality, and dare I say trendy, but there were other things that felt cheap and dated. The other brand that I tried on was the No Boundaries label. This is a Juniors line, and the quality was definitely lacking in a lot of the peices. I did find the plaid shirt in that brand though, and its quality is ok for the price, and the black skinny jeans I tried were actually surprisingly sturdy feeling. Below you can see what I tried on.

I was honestly a little shook at how much I liked these pants! They were somewhere between a legging and a pant, and had an exposed zipper on the back. They also were in a great Glen Plaid pattern, which is a huge trend this fall. They felt pretty sturdy, not too thin, and fit true to size. Time and Tru Women's Skinny Zip Back Ponte Pant. This shirt left me kind of indifferent. I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it either. Also, I wish it had been a little longer with the pants, as I am paranoid about showing my tush in leggings. I think it would be super cute with a pair of distressed jeans. Also, this top was from No Boundaries, which is Walmart's Juniors line, so it definitely ran small. I sized up 1, but you could even go 2 if you would like a looser fit. Grommet Lace Up Scoop Neck Rib Knit T-Shirt

You know I can't resist a good camo print, and I really loved this relaxed thermal top.
 Women's Time and Tru Long Sleeve Thermal Henley.  Fits TTS.
Women's Core Super Skinny Jean in Fly Tint These ran a little small in my opinion. I usually wear a 12, and these were tight. I liked that the ankle opening was small, because I have a hard time finding skinny jeans that are small enough in the ankle. I wish I could have tried on the 14 as well, but sadly they were out of stock. Im curious if the ankle opening will still be as small in the next size up. Hopefully I can try them on during my next Walmart run.

This outfit is from the No Boundaries line. Since this is Juniors I had to size up in both peices. Actually , I take that back, Im wearing a size large top in this picture, which is my true size. I ended up purchasing the XL though because I wanted to actually be able to button it. I loved the button detail on the side as well. Lace Back Yoke Plaid Roll Tab Sleeve Blouse. I sized up 1 in the pants and they fit well. They also have a button fly and high rise that is on trend. Overall, these jeans felt sturdy and well made, but the black dye had a strong smell, so I ultimately put them back. Triple Stack Wide Cuff Jeans

There were a few honorable mentions as well, but I didn't try these on because I already have peices very similar to them, If you are looking for low cost trendy options to add to your Fall wardrobe then these would do great!

1. Time and Tru Women's Hooded Anorak Utility Jacket

2. Time and Tru Ribbed Duster Cardigan

3.Time and Tru Hi Lo Plaid Shirt Dress

Also, if you are looking for Teddy Bear Fleece Walmart has you covered! There were 2 options: one by Time and Tru and one by No Boundaries. Personally, I would go with the Time and Tru option. It was more expensive, but it had a higher quality look and feel.

Time & Tru Women's Snow Tipped Quarter Zip Jacket

No Boundaries Sherpa Half Zip Pullover Hoodie

Next I will move on to the shoes. I will go ahead and say that Walmart's Fall shoe game is pretty strong. There were so many cute booties. I wanted to take at least 2 pairs home but I resisted since I already have so many booties. The best part is all of these were $25 or less.

I have included a few of links here. Time and Tru Western Style Boot, Time and Tru Woven Boot, Time and Tru Fringe Boot, and Time and Tru Wedge Boot

Next can we talk about slip on sneakers? I love sneakers. They are my go to shoe, and these quilted ones are amazing for the price. I have a similar pair in perforated faux leather by Time and Tru and I absolutely love them. I would definitely recommend scooping these up!

Time and Tru Flat Quilted Shoe

Also, can you believe that you can buy some over the knee boots for 20 bucks? Well believe it, because Walmart has them. The quality is average, and the investment is minimal for this trend forward shoe.

Time and Tru Over The Knee Boots

To round out my Trip I hit the handbags. Walmart has never been my go to stop for handbags mainly because they are usually pretty bland. I really like for my accessories to elevate my outfit, and if I am going to splurge on something it is more often than not a handbag. That being said, Walmart does have some cute trend forward bags right now that are great if you are on a budget. My favorite was the leopard print handbag. Leopard is a major fall trend, which thrills me because I have loved any kind of animal print for as long as I can remember. GIVE ME ALL THE LEOPARD PRINT!!! An added bonus is that this bag looks more expensive than it is. Its a classic style bag with a fun pop of leopard. I am confident that this bag will be stylish even beyond this Fall. Another option are the faux fur and velvet shoppers by Time and Tru. These are definitely a more trendy bag, so it makes sense to not invest a lot in a piece that will likely not have a lot of staying power past Fall. For the price these totes are a great way to inject a little fun into an outfit.

Time and Tru Harper Satchel

Time and Tru Black Fur Tote, Burgundy Fur Tote, Mauve Velvet Tote, Emerald Velvet Tote

Finally, no trip to Walmart for me is complete without a stop by the men's department to look at the graphic tees. I have found some of my best band t-shirts at Walmart for less than 10 bucks. On this trip I wasn't disappointed.

Happy Little Trees and Squad Goals brought to you by Bob Ross and The Golden Girls

I was super bummed that they didn't have this Poison T-Shirt in my size!

So there you have it. My not so short list of things to check out for Fall on your next Walmart run!. Im going to leave you with this shot of that red plaid button down and my epic Bob Ross shirt.

XOXO,
Cassie

Living With Purpose

2018 has really been a year of growth for me, both personally and professionally. I want to take a few blog posts to really focus on that growth. This one is an introduction to what I am going to call LIVING WITH PURPOSE. For me, Living With Purpose is about having focus and drive in all aspects of my life. Its about not just drifting from point A to point B without any sense of need or desire. Below I have a list of how I started living with purpose. Use it as inspiration for your own list!

This one really seems too obvious, but its really sad how many women don’t take care of their health. Self care should be number 1, because if we aren’t taking care of ourselves then we can’t take care of anything else. If we are not healthy it spills over into all facets of our lives. I’m not just talking about changing your diet or going to the gym, although diet and exercise are super important. I’m talking about being healthy physically and mentally. Im talking about being able to run through a sprinkler with your kids without getting winded, about not raging out over trivial things. Find that thing that makes your heart beat. For me its my daughter and husband. Whatever it is us it as your motivation. The catalyst for my change was surmounting stress at the end of 2017 that culminated in a nervous breakdown at the beginning of 2018. It started with the death of my grandfather in the late fall. That stress was worsened by a tumultuous environment at work, and a stressful period at home where my husband had to travel a lot for his job. It finally came crashing down when my husband was out of town. I missed a week at work, and I finally talked to a doctor. I discovered that I have General and Social Anxiety Disorder, and I finally felt like I had some answers to why I had been feeling the way that I had been feeling most of my life. I have no shame in admitting that I have a mental illness. I am medicated for that illness, and I am certainly a better wife and mom since getting the help that I needed. So, do whatever you need to do to be healthy. Get help if necessary. Once you get healthy it will be easier to live the rest of your life with purpose.

I know, as a mother this one is tough! Once I became a mom everything else took a back seat…including myself. Take some time and put yourself first. I promise you will be a better wife and mom if you do. This was the point that I focused on some of the more superficial things. I say superficial only because, for me I was working on the outward during this step. Of course, the end result was so much more than how I looked. I gained confidence that was noticeable to everyone around me. People were coming up to me and telling me a looked healthy and happy. They didn’t tell me that I looked like had lost weight, which I had, but they were telling me that I looked HEALTHY AND HAPPY. No one had ever told me that before. The boost to my self esteem was amazing, and I kept the momentum moving forward. I revamped my beauty routine and focused on quality of products instead of quantity of products. I focused on learning to love the things that made me, well, me. I embraced my curly hair. I revamped my wardrobe to compliment my body after becoming a mom and my weight loss. It felt good to figure out who I was again. I’m going to have a few blog posts after this one to discuss how I found purpose in my personal style and beauty routine, and I am so excited to share it with you guys! So, all you Mamas out there who are lost in the day to day, take some time for yourself!

Find you passion and PERSUE IT! For me that was fashion. I have always loved clothes and shopping, but growing up we didn’t have a lot of money. Also, I was from a small city in North Georgia. I didn’t have the money or location to have access to shopping big name brands or trends. Y'all, Dalton didn't even get a T.J Maxx until, like, 2008. I had Walmart and Thrift Stores. My love for bargain hunting and thrifting came from necessity. As a teenager I stocked up on fashion magazines to see what the upcoming trends were, and I found affordable versions that were easily accessible for me. Now that I do have the means I still love shopping for good deals, and I absolutely love thrifting. As a hobby I started listing vintage clothes that I would find that I loved, but weren’t my size, on Etsy. I sold some things here and there, but I never really made any money at it. It was just fun for me to hunt for vintage and share my finds with a few like minded individuals. I started this blog as a way to share my finds, but it was never enough. I wanted something more. I wanted to build a business, a brand if you will. I decided to shift my focus from solely vintage to sharing my personal style with the readers of my blog. I got into Poshmark to sell clothes from my closet that I didn’t wear anymore. Let me tell you, Poshmark was the platform I had been searching for. I started listing my vintage on there as well, and I found that I was selling more and actually making money. I started sourcing and listing what I was finding in my Closet as well. Long story short, I found something that I enjoy and turned it into something profitable for me. It was a fairly organic process that evolved as I did. I no longer talk about by reselling as a hobby. I tell people it is my job. Sure I work a 9-5 job in Graphic Arts, but I also have a style blog and resale business. Finding my passion was the final piece to my personal path to purpose. 

Over the next couple of weeks I want to share with you some of this process. I want to show you how I live with purpose instead of just shuffling around day to day. My hope is that maybe I can serve you up a little inspiration! I hope that you will check back in soon!

Why White Jeans Triggered My Anxiety

Y'all, I'm going to go ahead and say it. I have anxiety. Like, I have to be medicated level anxiety. To other people the things that work me up probably seem stupid, but to me they are totally legit reasons to want to run away screaming. Social situations are my downfall. I either shut down and don't talk to anyone, or I ramble incoherently until the person I am talking to thinks I have lost my mind. There is no middle ground. With that being established, let me tell you about my decision to buy some white jeans...

A couple of weeks ago I was browsing Pinterest like I am apt to do, and I came across some major outfit inspiration. I decided that I needed some white jeans. In my mind I knew what I wanted. I wanted them to be just the right level of distressed, mostly because crisp white jeans just aren't my thing. I decided that I needed a shopping trip, so out I went with Ava the next day to one of my favorite places: Old Navy.

I scoured the tables of Rock Star jeans and jeggings (my go to), and I found a few pairs that were white, while trying to wrangle my wired up 2 year old. They really weren't exactly what I was looking for, but I had my Little One with me (terrible idea) and I was distracted, so I grabbed a pair that I (mostly) liked and headed home. When I tried them on I really wanted to love them, but I just wasn't satisfied. They were too baggy around the ankles, which is not a problem that usually have with the Rock Star style. Also, they only had a tiny bit of distressing at the front pockets. I decided there was no sense in keeping my distracted purchase, so I would go and return them the next day.

After Ava's bedtime I did some online research and found exactly what I was looking for on American Eagle's website. Confession time: I haven't set foot in an American Eagle in approximately 10 years. I didn't want to seem like one of those women who was desperately trying to hang on to my youth by shopping where the teenagers do (cue the ridiculous self consciousness), but these jeans were exactly what I was looking for. Normally I would have just ordered them online, but I had no idea how they would fit, so there was only one choice. I had to go into an actual store and try them on.

The next day I went to the mall after work sans kiddo, because I wasn't going to relive that hot mess again. I walked through the doors of American Eagle, and y'all, I kind of felt like the weird kid walking into high school for the first time. Here I was, a 35 year old with an epic Mom Bod, walking into a store with things like Soft & Sexy tank tops and shortie shorts that were shorter than the pockets that were hanging out of the bottom. I felt weird and self conscious, and I didn't like it. Im pretty sure that the three girls working there were all under 18. They looked at me and smiled, and continued folding shirts. I was convinced that after I walked past they were snickering and wondering what I was doing in there. Of course this was all in my head... thanks anxiety!

With my face hot I walked over to the rack of jeans and selected the white ones I had looked at online and went back towards the dressing rooms. A friendly girl unlocked the door for me, and told me to let her know if I needed a different size or anything. I stood there for a moment looking at the jeans realizing that they looked small. Too small. Enter the self consciousness again... there was no way these jeans were going to fit me, and if they did I was going to look like a busted can of biscuits. I tried them on, filled with self doubt, and holy cow, they fit! They fit really well in fact. They were exactly what I was searching for. They fit in the ankles properly, and had just the right amount of distressing. I was sold.

Filled with the confidence I had left somewhere outside the front door of the store, I took my jeans up to the cashier. I had realized something while I was shopping. Age is really just a number, and I should shop wherever I find what suits my vision. We should wear things that make us feel great about ourselves. Feeling good about ourselves boosts confidence, and I know for me confidence makes me feel stronger and more able. While I may not be wearing shortie shorts any time soon, I did discover that American Eagle has great jeans that suit my body ( I now have 2 more pairs and didn't mind going back into the store at all). Personal style really is about taking what you love and making it your own. The key is owning it. Never feel awkward in your choices. Rock that Mom Bod with confidence. I know that's easier said than done, but I am working on it everyday. And without further delay I will show you the outfit that I put together with my new white jeans!

Shirt: Universal Thread, Jeans: American Eagle, Shoes: A New Day,
Necklace: Sugarfix by Baublebar, Bracelet: Vintage

This vintage bracelet has extra meaning, because turquiose
 is my daughter's birthstone 

You should run to Target to get these shoes fast! They are perfect. They can be dressy or
casual, and the heel is comfy enough that I can still run after my toddler in them.

What A Strange Trip It's Been

So this is going to be a long one...

I'm going to start off by saying that being 35 years old is weird... I kind of feel like I am stuck in some sort of mid life version of that Britney Spears song "I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman". On one hand I still feel like the person who could stay up until 3 a.m and take 4 tequila shots, but on the other hand I know I would, worse case scenario, die or, best case scenario, end up wishing I was dead for 2 days if I tried that now. Being in my 30's has ended up feeling like some sort of crazy transitional period.

I definitely feel like my personal style has evolved since hitting my 30's. I'm positive that motherhood has played a big role in that as well. Becoming a Mommy was almost like starting from scratch; like adulthood's new puberty or something. My body changed, and things I was comfortable in were no longer comfortable anymore. I was in a new mom rut, you guys. I abandoned pants with buttons, and leggings were my new best friend. All my time and energy was spent supporting this tiny new life, and I was a-okay with that for a while. I also gained A LOT of weight during my pregnancy. 75 pounds to be exact. I never lost all of it after Nugget was born. I carried around 30 extra pounds for 2 years after she was born. Mid way through that 2 year period I started feeling like it was time to get my groove back. I had to figure out who I was as a person again after I had devoted every ounce of myself into being "Ava's Mommy". I needed to figure out who Cassandra was again. The thing I learned is that I was never going back to who I was before becoming a 30 something mom. I was the same, but I was different if that makes any sense. If you are a mom though, of course it makes sense.

The first step of my personal style journey was discovering LuLaRoe. I know the response to the brand is a mixed bag. People either love it or hate it. There doesn't seem to be a lot of in between. For me though, LuLaRoe was a godsend at the time. You mean, I can look cute and be comfortable? Sign me up. I was fully into the cult of LuLaRoe. I was stalking Facebook pages looking for Unicorn patterns. I was hosting my own pop ups so I could earn free stuff. I was snatching up ALL THE THINGS!!! My closet was bursting with clothes. My husband was concerned for our bank account. I needed to rein it in, and I needed to find some balance. I had lost those quirks to my personal style that made me, well, ME! I looked like a walking LuLaRoe advertisement.

I combed through some of my old pieces that I had hung on to. Of course they were too small, but the essence of my style was still there. There was lots of black, animal print, stripes, distressing, and vintage. I compared it to the LuLaRoe that I had been buying with a frenzied pace over the past year, and I found that the new didn't really have a common thread at all. It was a random hodgepodge of things that I thought I liked at the time, but in reality what I loved was the novelty of it. I had loved that slightly rock and roll style with a dash of vintage before my pregnancy, and I found that I was still drawn to it in my 30s. That, my friends, is because it's the core of what I seek in my personal style. I had to weave that back into my new quest for comfort and mom appropriate things.

The first thing I did was I went through all the LuLaRoe with an objective eye. I weeded out anything that didn't feel like me, and well it was a lot of stuff. I found that I was impulse buying, and with LuLaRoe that can be a real problem. Since there is no guarantee of seeing the same pattern twice I was experiencing serious FOMO, and that had to stop. I found that when I was done I had a nice selection of solids, stripes,  and classic patterns like animal prints and florals. Nice florals though, not the ones that look like a bad acid trip (if you shop LuLaRoe you know what I am talking about). I started mixing in the new with the old, and I found that I had a new look that was still the old me, but it was evolved for the person I had became.

For me, I had always equated Mom style with being relaxed to the point of not caring, but since becoming a Mom I have discovered thats not the case. Now, Mom Style is being stylish while still being able to execute my responsibilities as a mother. I found that I could look styled and put together, but still able to tend to Ava. It was my epiphany. I was ready for change. I was also ready to be able to wear my wedding ring after almost 3 years. You see it hadn't fit in that long due to the weight gain . Me and the Hubs decided to get healthy starting January the 1st (You know, a resolution 😏). The thing is, when you are ready for change, and its motivated by something other than vanity, you tap into this hidden well of determination. I wanted to be healthy for my daughter. I wanted to set a good example so that she could see what healthy self care looks like. I wanted to be able to wear the ring that had so many emotional ties to it. The pounds started to come of. Here we are, 5 months later, and I can wear my rings again and I can put on pants with buttons and zippers.

So, here I am, finally catching my stride in this 30's thing. I still love my LuLa, but I also love distressed jeans and a great vintage find. I found ways to make all these things work together, and I think that I am pulling it off! See, one of the most amazing things about being 35, is this new found confidence that I have (well, except for that time 2 weeks ago that I decided to shop at American Eagle, but thats another story for another blog post 😂). I feel strong and capable in my 30's, and that is something that I never had in my 20's. I finally feel that I am ready to pick up this blog again and share my journey with y'all. I can't wait to see what my future brings.

xoxo,
Cassandra