How to Rock at Consignment Shopping

 

Happy 2015, my loves! After quite a hiatus of posting, I am back again to share my little trinkets of life with you. 

 

If you know me IRL, I am an avid consignment shopper. I love, love, love, good deals but I also love, love, love, cute and good brands of clothes.  This love of shopping mixed with a teachers budget leads me to an obsession with consignment stores.

 

These are my findings from my recent trip to a local consignment shop in OKC.  I was super lucky because I had a $25.00 giftcard for Christmas.

 

My favorite thing about consignment is you can sell your old clothes back for either store credit or cash.  I have clothing A.D.D. pretty bad, so it's a great opportunity to bring my gently used clothes in and make some money back to put towards my new little closet gems.

 

On this glorious day I found these 6 treasures. From left to right a black fifties style dress with a small cowl neck, a loose kimono style sweater, a black maxi skirt with buttons and floral print, a high waist pleated skirt (cream and black), mens plaid shirt, and a loose peach sundress.  I don't stick to a particular style, so consigning is extra fun for me because I can get creative. Somedays I want to be funky, other days I love being ultra feminine.

 

Consigning can be very overwhelming, so I follow these rules to help me have the best experience:

 

1. My biggest  goal now a days when I go shopping at a store like this is to not buy anything if I don't know what I already have in my closet to wear it with.  I used to be really bad to just buy pieces because they were cute, but that lead to buying MORE pieces because I would get home and realize I had nothing to go with it.

 

2. Go in with a few things in mind that you are wanting in your wardrobe. This particular day I knew I was looking for high waisted skirts, and plaid shirts.  I also mostly wear dresses so I almost always go through that section as well.

Some things to help is to think about your favorite colors, cuts, or a certain piece you have been coveting. This helps make it not so overwhelming and you don' t have to try on as many things.  Remember you can always go back another day. :-)

 

3. Set a budget.  If you get a little over excited like I do, set a budget. Since I had all this store credit, my goal was to not go over $10.00 when I went in.  Keeping this in mind helps you save money and also helps you to really pick out the pieces you love.

 

4. Have fun and love your body.  Remember that all brands will fit you differently.  Also these are preworn clothes so they may have been shrank or stretched. Don't take it personally and don't let size limit you.  I have bought from sizes XS-XL and it just depends on the clothes.  Also don't rule out mens clothes can be a cute addition!

 

Here are the outfits I put together from my finds! These are all winterized versions because it is so very cold here in OK right now! I hope you have as much reading this as I did putting it together!

 

Black and Cream High Waist Skirt ($6.50 consignment price)

Patterned Kimono ($19.99 consignment prices. This piece was brand new hence the higher price point)

High Waist Floral Maxi  ($6.50 consignment price)

Mens Plaid Shirt  ($6.50 consignment price)

Forever 21 Black Cowl Neck Dress  ($6.50 consignment price)

Flirty Peach Sundress  ($6.50 consignment price)

Mint and Leopard

(feelin' sassy)

 

My first outfit post in awhile! It is still scorching summer here in OKC, so I needed an outfit that is both professional and survivable in the 100+ heat!  Here it is!

 

(detail)

 

School is back in full swing. Here is some of the hilarity from today:

 

"Miss L, would you date a man that's been in jail?"

"No."

"Well there goes half the population!"

 

and

 

"Miss L, if you got a man, he would clean up your cat's crap!"

 

Oh dear! Silly gooses.

 

Happy Hump Day All!

Amanda

How to Plan a Month of Meals... In one day.

 

Hello Sweet Friends! This weekend I took on a new adventure. I decided to plan and create one month of freezer meals in ONE DAY.  I had read about this on pinterest and other blogs, but I had been wary to take on the challenge myself. 

 

School has started  back for me (I teach art at an elementary school here in OKC).  As any other teachers out there can relate, I was sadly thinking it was time to say goodbye to my summer of yummy, homecooked meals.  I decided to try this out instead, and oh my, I don't think I can ever go back to regular meal planning.

 

I love cooking, but I have always hated the stress of making the list, going to the store, and coming home (climbing three flights of stairs WITH groceries) only to have to repeat the same process a few days later. YUCK.  This is eliminating almost all of that yuck to just one day, which is really quite an adventure, especially if you rope in a friend or loved one!

 

Now, on to HOW I did this.

 

(Coffee is a Monday morning's best friend, can I get an AMEN!)

 

1. To start, I chose my recipes and made my list.  I personally chose nine full dinner meals, for two a week. You may choose more or less depending on how much you and your family eats, leftovers, going out to dinner, etc.  Being super single myself I chose 9 (2 per week plus an extra in case one runs short or I share it).

 

I chose to only make meals for the crockpot to eliminate all that cooking time.  If you want to throw in some regularly cooked meals, it works just the same (combine and freeze).

 

I divided my list into different categories with the grocery store in mind. That way I can go to each department only ONCE.  This will save you so much time!! (Note: This list is totally a mock up to give you an idea of how it works. Mine was much longer and was scribbled all over by the time I left the store! :-))

 

If you are trying to avoid going back to the store throughout the month (like me), try to remember other things you will want for your meals like snacks, breakfast food, and personal items.  I made an "other" category for things like catfood, toothpaste, etc. 

 

(the most food I have ever had in my apartment at once. AHH!)

 

2. The shopping trip was definitely the most daunting part.  I recommend going early or late in the morning to avoid crowds.  This is not a good 5 o clock in the afternoon project unless you are very brave!  I recommend getting a yummy coffee or treat before going to keep you motivated and happy!  Also grab a friend, spouse, or loved one if they are willing to cut down the gathering.

 

I went to two different stores.  The first store I went to (Aldi) is a super discount store here in OKC.  I got as much as I could there for a great price. 

 

I went to Wal*Mart (insert screams of terror here) for the rest of it.  The prices were ok but not as great as Aldi.  I went there because I can get my personal items there too and not have to make a third trip. 

 

I live on the third floor, so I carred all this up and down the stairs, in a dress (naturally).  No cardio workout for that day!

 

 

3.  I chose to do ONLY freezer meals for the crockpot to eliminate cooking time.  However this same idea works with regular meals too, because you can freeze just about anything! I did some research and most food can be frozen and stored for a good length of time.  Be wary of combining sauce with noodles, bread, and veggies, as it could make them limp or not cook as well.  Freeze it separately though will work fine.

 

I went through all of those groceries one recipe at a time, labeling each bag with the recipe name before I started to put the indgredients in.  Some of my recipes needed two bags for veggies and some just one.  This part only took me an hour and a half for 9 meals.   I saved the recipes on my phone for easy access and so I didn't have to write them out.

 

When you are ready to eat your meal, take it out of the freezer 12-24 hours and put it in the fridge to thaw.

 

4.  Cooking them has been a dream so far.  In the morning I put a crockpot liner (these are found next to the baggies at the grocery store) in my crockpot and put the dinner in! These liners are a lifesaver, no more scrubbing the crockpot yayyyyy!  Since I teach my days are long I convert any recipes on High to Low with this chart.

 

 

5. When you arrive home, you have a delicious meal prepared.  I picked up some simple sides at the store, such as rice, frozen veggie packs, instant mashed potatoes, pastas, etc.  Heat those up and you have a delicious meal and possibly leftovers!

 

I will post more recipes as I try them.  Here are a couple great websites that I used:

 

Frugal Girls Easy Crockpot Recipes

This Gal Cooks Recipes

 

Thank you all! I hope you enjoy your meal planning as much as I have.  I am super relaxed now and have a lot more time when I get home as well as healthier meals. 

 

I have also started prepping smoothies for the morning, so look forward to that blog post soon!

 

Xoxoxo,

Amanda

tribal maxi //fun in the sun

(my new obsession)

 

Hello Loves.  It has taken me awhile to get on the tribal print bandwagon, but I could not resist it in this maxi dress!  If you are like me you are equally obsessed with these dresses for their cuteness, and versatility. Oh, and throw a sweater or button up with it and we have work appropriate too, CHA-CHING!!

 

This week has been my first week of summer break.  I am still working, at a local bank that I have worked at on and off since college. It is such an amazing job.. great hours and great people.  I have trouble sitting still, so I love keeping busy and keeping in budget by still working!! :-)

 

This Friday is my sister and I's birthday! We are spending the day together tomorrow and I am sooo excited, I cannot wait to post about it.  My sister is very special to me.  How lucky I am that we also get to share the same birthday!!

 

(My sister and I at Redfest in Austin, TX)

ahoy matey

 

 

 

(stripes and anchors, oh my!)

 

Happy Tuesday All!

 

It was a hot one in OKC today (welcome summer!).  Somehow, even when it's 92 outside, it is still 65 inside work.  I am happy I had this fuzzy sweater to wear with todays ensemble to keep me warm.  The rest of the outfit made me feel nice and sunny all day though.  Points for me adding pops of color, still my yearly goal of brightening my neutral heavy wardrobe.

 

Not too much to report here, except I finally started watching Dexter today (a bit delayed, I know).  I find it really interesting but definitely a bit gross at the same time.  Does it get better? Worse? Is this a good summer watch?

 

What else can I add to my summer Netflix queue?

 

Love,

 

Amanda

long time no see

(lace hi-lo skirt and booties)

 

Hello, my long lost loves.  Somehow OKCGlam has suffered due to end of the year teacher doldrums and straight-up craziness!  I have survived the final quarter of our school year.   This included our district art show, school musical, retirement parties, slews of 5th grade activities plus attempts at having a social life and a career... phew!  No wonder I slept over 12 hours last night. #sorrynotsorry

 

This week I am teaching at a local art school/gallery/studio called Oklahoma Contemporary.  I am teaching sweet 5-7 year olds art this week and I am loving it!

 

I also love that I can wear heels at this job and not die.  I'm sure you other fashionista's understand!!

 

Here is my first summer work and summer play outfit. I love wearing outfits that are cute enough to wear straight from work to dinner with friends or wherever the day is taking me.

 

What are your summer outfit inspirations? Leave me some love!

 

~Amanda

hear me roar

 

TGIF, World!! I am feeling in much better spirits on this Friday.  Who knew that happy hour + great talks with your sisters/friendsthatarelikesisters can really lift your spirits? ;-) Never forget the power of girlfriends, my loves!

 

I think this outfit and skirt is just grrrreat!  I bought this skirt at Rue 21 this week.  It was one of those purchases that just yelled out at me.  I definiteily know this one will stay in my wardrobe for awhile.  I will wear it with tights in the fall and winter.  I do alot alot of consignment shopping so I tend to rotate clothes in and out.  I get excited when I find one that will stick with me  for awhile.  I suppose I have commitment phobia with my clothes!

 

I also completely agree with the thought that leopard is a neutral! Do you? What pieces do you have in your wardrobe that are a staple?

 

Happy Weekend, Loves!

 

~Amanda