Venley by Youth Monument and A Giveaway Link

In an effort to find the best options for budget friendly style, I am always on the look out for great new places to shop.  In one of the networks that I belong to I came across a great new site that I wanted to take the time to share with you.The site came to me via USA Lovelist and introduced me to a great American design team. Venley by Youth Monument is an affordable option for some of those elusive quality basics that we are always searching for and a great option for all of those looking to keep their wardrobe dollars here in the U.S. Youth Monument is vertically integrated in downtown Los Angeles and has some great fashion forward options for your casual wardrobe.  Here I found some great quality pieces that would work with any budget for both myself as well as the hubby.  My favorite piece is a 3/4 sleeve baseball raglan in charcoal grey. The top is shown with a denim cutoff short, but it would also work well with a distressed capri for casual days with the kiddos.  If you are one of those couples who likes to match on occasion, there is a matching version for him.  As an added bonus, the company is also sponsoring a great giveaway with over $500 in prizes as well. The intent of the contest is to help fuel the occupation of your closet with Made in America products. You enter the giveaway by sending a tweet with the hashtag #occupyyourcloset explaining why Made in the USA is important to you. The contest will run until the end of April with a total of 20 winners and every tweet will qualify as an entry so tweet away. I hope you like the designer as much as I do, and I will continue to bring you up and coming designers as I find them.  Once you check out the site, circle back and let me know what your favorite piece was.

Top 5 Style Savings Tips

It is  one  thing to be able to create fashion forward style but it is quite another to be able to pull off that same style with limited funds.  In an effort to build my wardrobe to the desired level, I have created my top five list of must use techniques to keep your money where it needs to be: in your bank account.

Dump the cookies

We have all heard of the dreaded cookie, but do you really know what they do behind the scenes? Retailers determine the offers that they send their customers based on the information that they gain from tracking your shopping habits with cookies.  If you want to get better offers from your favorite stores then periodically dump the cookies attached to your computer.  Once your cookies are dumped you will look like a new customer to your favorite retailer which means that they will offer you a better deal to make your first purchase and entice you to become a loyal customer.

White As The Forbidden Fashion Color No More

Anyone that knows me also knows that Grace is not my middle name, and that means that for a large part of my life I have avoided white as a basic rule of fashion.  In this past year though I have tried to expand my fashion horizons which means that I am making an attempt to break some of my own fashion rules. This week I am branching out and tackling the color white. Nothing says spring and summer like a basic white bottom and I was not going to be left out of that statement.

Bringing Spring to the Office

One of the things that I love about fashion is that there are so many options available, it is almost impossible to get bored. I have talked a lot about getting outside of my box and today is no different. I found this leather skirt option and I was instantly hooked. I knew that I wanted to find a way to style it. Leather is a tricky fabric to work with in that if you style it wrong the entire outfit can wind up looking cheap. So, here are my guidelines for out of the box spring style.

The Formula For Shopping Success

Achieving style on a budget is a simple formula that boils down to two principles. You have to know when to shop and how to shop. If you can master those two techniques, then you are well on your way to red carpet style on a shoestring budget.

When to Shop

Like any other business, retail has seasons and cycles that dictate what happens when. If you follow those cycles, then you can score major finds on the cheap. For example, January is all about clearance in retail and stores are taking major markdowns as they prepare for the onslaught of spring goods that are about to arrive. Now is the time to stock up on coats and boots that can be tucked away for next year. If you stick with basic colors, then they will look fresh and new when you break them out next year. January is also the time when the older models for electronics are discounted to make the showroom ready for the latest and greatest that vendors have to offer. Next month look for deals on jewelry just in time for Valentine’s Day. If you are looking to score a new swimsuit, then hit your favorite retailer in August, they will be having one final clearance sale before returning items to the vendor for pennies on the dollar. The best time to buy that great pair of jeans is in October once the babies have gone back to school.  Each month has its own item that is headed out the door and is now a major deal. If you know when to shop, then you have won half the battle and you will never pay retail again. For me that just means that I can get twice as much.

How to Shop

The other part of the style equation is about knowing how to shop, which is my favorite part of the quest. When it comes to knowing how to shop, that means that you never leave home without a coupon or a stash of rewards points. When you combine a great sale and a coupon or a bundle of rewards points, then for the most part things are almost free. Just last week, I used the $20 in rewards points that I earned Christmas shopping for the family and combined them with a spring preview sale where I paid $4 for two pairs of shorts that I will wear this spring and summer. The trick is to sign up for email alerts from the stores that you frequent most often. There is not a day that goes by where there is not some type of coupon available. If you do leave home without one then just ask, most retailers have extras. Almost all of those coupons can also be combined with sales to get an even better deal. For example, with the jacket featured here, it retailed at $130 and was on sale for ½ off. Then, I used a coupon where I got another $30 off and only paid $35 for a $130 jacket. That’s a grand slam if I do say so myself. Finally, if you are on Pinterest then sign up for Lyst.com, this site will notify you when anything that you have pinned on Pinterest goes on sale. It takes the guess work out of shopping…just plan, pin and save.

Shopping is my sport of choice and scoring the big deal is my version of a grand slam. I hope this helps in your quest to achieve your own version of style on a budget. Thanks for taking the time to visit the place where budget and style meet and feel free to leave a shout out to the great deals you were able to find on your own shopping adventure.

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A complete waste of makeup