By Heather from Domestic Extraordinaire

I’m not sure when I hit my first thrift store, I think it was probably when my oldest was a toddler.  I was amazed at all of the stuff and the prices!  I love shopping and finding a good deal and in my mind I had hit the jackpot!

90% of my wardrobe has come from thrift stores and resale shops.  The other 10% has come from clearance racks.  I hardly ever pay full price for an outfit and truth be told, I have a hard time paying full price at the thrift stores.  My teenage girls mock me unmercifully about this fact.

Many people compliment me on my outfits and are very surprised when I tell them either where I got it or how much the outfit cost.  They always proclaim that they never find anything worth while anytime they decided to pop into a thrift store or resale shop.  So today, I will share my thrifty secrets with you, so you too can have a killer wardrobe at a fraction of the cost.

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By Hillary from two L’s please

I’ve always had some difficulty dressing my body type. I’m tall but all of my height is in my torso. Since becoming pregnant, my struggle to dress my (ever growing!) body has reached desperate levels.

Fortunately, I’ve found a strategy that has greatly reduced the amount of time I spend fretting about how to dress my definitely-pregnant-but-not-yet-huge body.
1. Don’t be afraid to spend money on staples.

For me, this meant buying two identical pairs of dark wash maternity jeans. You may not be able to get away with wearing denim in a professional office but I’ve found that people are generally a little more lenient when dealing with a (crazy! hormonal! unpredictable!) pregnant lady. I wear my dark jeans to work every day, rotating out a pair when it needs to hit the laundry. Did it feel good to spend $100 on two pairs of jeans that I will (likely) never wear again? No. It it worth it to not have to worry about what I’m going to wear on my bottom half every day for the next four months? Yes. Emphatically, yes.

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By Kerri Anne Ladish from Kerrianne.org

Etsy is a first Internet love of mine. I’ve happily spent many an hour ogling handmade everything, from calendars to scarves to belts and bags made from re-purposed seat belts. It’s no secret I’m a fan of mustaches, real and imagined, and the very first felt mustache that sparked (Sisterhood of the) Traveling ‘Stache was from a favorite Etsy seller of mine. More recently, my primary purpose for scouring Etsy is to appease my obsession with prints of all shapes and artistic varieties, as I now have a weekly place to gush about my favorite pieces of art via Style Lush.

All of that to say: Etsy and I are pretty much BFFs.

As much as I verily love it, Etsy can also be pretty overwhelming sometimes. If you don’t already know where to start, or how to search, or who your favorite sellers are, it can be pretty easy to find yourself suddenly lost in a sea of overpriced tomfoolery.

Here’s my foolproof way for wading through the masses to find the handmade gems and your favorite creative types, and to altogether avoid the stuff that belongs in Regretsy’s or Craftastrophe’s respective halls of shame.

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By Jennie from She Likes Purple and Style Lush

Even though most moms I know would appreciate nothing more than a nap, a clean house and the dinner (and drink!) of their choice for Mother’s Day, gifts are the icing on the cake.

So, here’s a list of ten gifts for all the mothers in your life. Even if that mom happens to be you.

1. Spoon recipe cards from Rifle, Co.

If you know a mom who loves to cook, encourage her to start a recipe collection with these pretty cards.

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From Cool Mom Picks

Considering the first day of Spring has just passed, we’re anxious to retire our sweaters and socks and show a little (tanned) ankle. Since we’re not dropping as much cash as we might have in past seasons, we’ve been on the lookout for fun accessories that will help keep last year’s spring threads fresh. And since trends are pointing to bold statements made with vibrant splashes of color, who are we to argue?

Here you’ll find five accessory picks for spring, all under $50, to help you feel like you’ve hop ped off the pages of a magazine–without burning a whole in your wallet the size of those nursing bras.

1. DV by Dolce Vita Purple Sandals
If you’re generally a neutral shoe gal, take a risk this season with some of the gorgeous, saturated colors on the shelves. We’re loving these awesome purple (yes, purple) sandals which add a lot of personality to even a basic outfit without you having to think; always helpful when you’re running on no sleep. ($50 at Piperlime)
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From Miss Britt

This is where I reveal what a huge dork I am.

I plan my outfits lying in bed or standing in the shower.  I close my eyes and imagine my closet and some very cute "piece" I’ve decided I’m obsessed with that morning.  I build my outfit from there.  Yes, that is where I invest my mental energy in the morning.

Here are some ways I answer the daily question "what should I wear today?"

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From shopping queen Metalia

The current financial situation facing this country is enough to frighten and frustrate anyone. Of course, these feelings are only exacerbated when certain people (namely, ME) peruse the Anthropologie and J. Crew fall catalogs, shedding silent tears over the gorgeous fashions that fall well outside my self-imposed mandate of “fiscal accountability.” And by “fiscal accountability” I mean, “buying food for my children instead of $500 purple coats, even if they are really pretty .”

So what’s a fashion-forward girl on a budget to do? Well, desperate times call for desperate measures, but seeing as I’m not quite desperate enough to sew a dress out of a flour sack (YET), I’ll share with you my secret spots for a bargain online, and my favorite frugal shopping tricks.

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