I’m a huge fan of vintage-inspired clothing, but most of the secondhand stores I can afford to shop in do not offer very much vintage clothing in my size, to my tastes, and in my price range, if they offer any at all.  I stick to buying mostly basics and more business clothing (for when I am teaching or presenting for classes and need to dress up) which need little embellishments. 

I decided not to buy strictly from secondhand stores recently when I was on the prowl for a cute skirt that could go from casual to semi-formal in a flash.  I wanted something with a pattern, preferably a floral pattern since I can never get enough of them, and also wanted it to hit just above my knee since my petite frame makes wearing skirts any longer or shorter a big no-no most of the time.  I searched secondhand stores but couldn’t find anything that fit my tastes.  So, I headed to regular clothing stores.  After a couple months of looking around occasionally, I still came up short.  I was ready to give up.

A couple weeks ago, I wandered into Charlotte Russe, one of my favorite stores when I am not buying secondhand.  I was blown away at how much vintage-inspired clothing there was.  The store was completely remodeled, so I think it has had a new design in the clothing as well, but am not sure.  I planned on just trying a few things on “just to see how things looked.”  Well ladies, you should know the rest of the story!  I found the perfect skirt without even looking!  Take a look:

Lace Inset Floral Skirt

On me, it hits just above my knees and sits slightly below my belly button, so I can wear it as a high-waisted skirt with a shirt tucked into it or let a shirt hang over it and still look good.  I love the floral pattern and the little band of lace.  Plus, it has a dark black lining on underneath, so I don’t have to worry about it being transparent.  For me, it was a lot of money, but really $22.50 for a gorgeous skirt I can wear out with my friends, on a date with San, or even to a wedding is a bargain in my book.  It even comes in another color if you are interested:

I can’t wait to have a reason to wear it!  Lately I’ve been doing a lot of working and not much else (you don’t see many Subway employees sporting a cute floral skirt), so I need to make plans with some friends or find time to meet up with San for a fun date night!  Too bad my legs don’t look as good as the models (I’m much to pale and short), but the skirt should take the attention away, right?  Just nod and agree! :)

What is your favorite clothing item that switches from day to night in a pinch or can easily be worn casually or for a more formal occasion?

I thought they would be a great addition to all the kitchen supplies I’ve been collecting for my studio apartment.  They only cost $19.99 as well, which means I could actually afford them.  However, while at Target earlier this week, I came across this seven piece ceramic canister set at an even more affordable price:

It is made by Room Essentials, who make a lot of affordable products mainly aimed at young poor college students like me.  These canisters are perfect – they are white (so they match everything), they create a great airtight seal so nothing inside will spoil and they come with sleek stainless steel scoopers.  And seriously, those little ones are so cute I may not even put anything in them but keep them out on display anyway!  And it all only put me back $15!  Nice!  Here they are in my mom’s kitchen:

The best part about these is that for a tiny bit of cash, I have bought a quality set that could possibly last me the rest of my life.  I can’t get enough of quality at low prices and since they are a neutral color, they will never go out of style.  If you are need of some canisters, you should consider these because they are a great buy at a great price.

What has been your best purchase lately?  Have you bought anything that has outlasted its worth based on the price?

Note: No brands or products mentioned in this post are affiliated with this blog.  I could not get enough of the great quality and super low price of these and couldn’t wait to share it with all of you!

I grew up and live during the summers in a small town in SE Minnesota.  The main city I do shopping in is Rochester.  It’s a good size city with lots of parks, schools, shopping areas, restaurants, and is home to the Mayo Clinic, so it is definitely a good place to live.  I don’t know where I will end up after graduating college, but I wouldn’t be surprised if I moved to Rochester.  Because of this, I have subscribed to an MLS email listing of houses under $200,000 for a couple years now.  I feel dorky admitting that, but I love houses.  What do you expect from me?!

Lately, I have come across a couple that have made my heart rate speed up and a little squeal to escape from my mouth.  I am obsessed with old houses, so when a search comes up with one in my imaginary price range, I get really excited!  Maybe I will be able to own my dream home right away!  Most of the searches come up with split level homes and older ranches that do appeal to me for the most part, but there is something about those old American Four Square and Dutch Colonials with their crown molding and/or hardwood floors that do something to me.

My imaginary house hunting requirements are:

• A yard larger than .15 acres
• At least 3 bedrooms (so there is room to grow and not have to move right away)
• Preferably 2 or more bathrooms
• Can’t be too perfect – I want to do a little work on it
• Enough square feet so that the bedrooms aren’t completely tiny
• Preferably dark stained or white trim and cabinets
• Preferably wood floors in most rooms

Let me show you two of the houses that fit the requirements and make my heart go pitter-patter.

The first one is a beautiful Dutch Colonial with 3 bedrooms and 3 baths that sits on just .15 acres (which is a let down).

Check out some of the interior shots – look at the character in this home!

I spy a window seat and a built-in bookcase.

For more shots of the house, head over here.

The main letdowns are the yard…

…and the basement.  It doesn’t match the rest of the house at all, but at least it is finished.

The best part, though, is that it is listed at $179,900, so it fits into my imaginary budget.  Yay me!

Okay, now on to the one that I have literally been having wonderful dreams about lately and have even stalked on Google Maps (I hope all my dignity is not being lost in this post).

It’s a gorgeous yellow American Four Square home with 3 bedrooms and 2 baths that sits on a nice lot of .23 acres.

Now, the inside has great potential but just needs a tiny bit of work.  For more pictures, head over here.

Are those dark stained pocket doors?  Are they trying to give me a heart attack?

The kitchen is less than ideal (the ceiling, outdated cabinets), but with some elbow grease and some cash it could at least be painted and the ceiling possible sheet rocked until I could afford (with my imaginary money, of course) to update the whole thing.  It’s quite large, though, and potential is key in my imaginary house hunts.

I definitely can’t complain with gorgeous wood floors in the bedrooms!

And the yard is a perfect size (this is only part of it).  But something has really imaginarily sold me on this house.  I am a HUGE fan of third story attics.  Well…

Here is one just waiting for me to finish and turn into a craft room!  Yay!  And it’s listed at $169,900!  Please excuse me while I go sign the imaginary contract and get handed the imaginary keys….

Okay, so am I crazy or what?  Please tell me you do this on occasion as well.  I hope that the practice-makes-perfect saying applies here. If so, real estate agents are going to love me when it comes time to buy my first house because I know exactly what is out there and how much of a house I can afford in the area (as well as in the Twin Cities – where I do other imaginary house hunts).  Do you have any house crushes on homes in your area that you could see yourself living in?

I found some good comforters that would suit my needs, but were not very pretty.  I decided I wanted a comforter with pin tucks instead of the sewn in blocks, both of which are used to keep the filling evenly spaced.  After searching for a very long time, I found this beauty:

It is a Dream Oaks Wrinkle-Resistant Cotton Sateen Pin Tuck comforter.  I love the name enough on its own!  At a very affordable $49.66 (retails at $78), I couldn’t say no. Plus, the reviews won me over.  I decided if I didn’t absolutely adore it, I would send it back, since it was a little on the high end with my tiny budget.  When it arrived, I was isappointed because it was thin and very wrinkly.  However, I decided to wash it since it doesn’t come with a non-washable tag attached.  I’m so glad I did – it is stunning!  The wrinkles came out beautifully and it fluffed up nicely after hang drying for a few hours.

Here is the old comforter:

And here is the new comforter:

I didn’t even buy it specifically for this room, but for my apartment at school since I didn’t think it would go well in this room.  Well, boy was I wrong!  Everything is starting to make sense now that the colors have a nice foundation to contrast against.  It is even more comfortable than I imagined as well.  I couldn’t be happier with it.

What do you think – did I score big or did you like the old comforter better?  By the way, since I am living by my new “Less is More” mantra, I plan on using the old comforter in the future in a space bedroom, or maybe even using it with a duvet cover or making a new comforter out of it.

On a side note, I will be doing the Think About It posts sporadically.  I don’t like having them as a weekly installment anymore, but like them in general, so I will lessen the amount I post but still will keep them coming.

However, what happens when we realize that we are hoarding?  I do not want to make light of hoarding, but I have noticed that I hoard some things.  I definitely do not have piles of stuff blocking my windows and doorways, but I have noticed trends in the things I buy.  I buy things I don’t need, but I buy them over and over because I am really like them.

What things do I hoard?  Can you guess by this picture?

I’ll do the counting for you – there are nine cardigans in this picture.  The three in the bottom right corner I just bought this weekend.  Most of them I have picked up for $10 or less, but I still find it a little strange to have this many.  I feel like I can justify each purchase, however, because I really do wear them a lot (some of them at least, like the black one with the white stripe around the opening in the bottom left corner).  I also tell myself that when I am teaching, cardigans will be my staple item that I will wear for all sorts of occasions.  Plus, they really do help me transition my spring and summer clothes into fall and winter, meaning I am wearing most of my clothes year-round instead of seasonally.  However, I still feel like this cardigan obsession of mine is slightly out of control.  I always tell myself I don’t need anymore, and then I end up buying another.  I had a couple more, but I am selling them at a garage sale.

Another thing I find myself buying time and time again I actually spend very little on, but money is money and I need to save as much as possible.  I usually buy the next item at garage sales.  Let’s take a look at past photos from garage sales I’ve shared on the blog to see the pattern.

Nope – it’s not an ironing board obsession (right now, anyway)…

Remember when I turned this pedestal bowl into a makeup brush holder?  Half the reason I did that was so I could feel that I wasn’t buying things with no purpose (although I know I really do buy all of these things with no purpose in mind – only because I like them).

I love colored glass.  It doesn’t even usually matter what the color is – if it’s colored and cheap I’ll probably guy it.  Now, some of you may say that buying things in bulk like this is not hoarding, but rather collecting.  Well, I am not displaying any of these things as a collection and I don’t buy them with the intention of “collecting,” so for me I really am hoarding them, although I am getting enjoyment and use out of some of them.  I think some people do collect things which I would not consider hoarding, so this post does not refer to those people or that kind of buying.

Now that I’ve noticed this trend in my buying habits, I have decided to monitor myself more and only buy things I have space for (which won’t be much in my studio apartment this fall) and things I really need or want.  With both of these requirements, I don’t think I will be buying many cardigans or colored glass pieces which will make me and my wallet very happy.

Now, I’m dying to know if I am the only one with minor hoarding symptoms.  Do you buy anything repeatedly even if you don’t need it?  Please don’t make me feel like I’m the only one!