Adding fun pops of color through statement pieces are easy way to dress up old outfit

Thank you all so much for your kind and thoughtful words last week as I shared about bringing my Frugal Fashionista series back, but more importantly, why it stopped in the first place. It was very encouraging and every single comment meant the world to me, well except one, but in life, isn’t there always that one? 🙂

Honestly, the comments and interaction are what I love the most about the blog, but as we all get busier, it just hard to leave them. If you haven’t read the last post, I ask you to head there first because it sets a background for me bringing back one of my favorite series (and yours.)

This past month, I’ve been doing some traveling. I am not a plan and pack kind of girl. Does this surprise you?

Frugal Fashionista - pops of color

In fact, more often than not, I grab the closest clean clothes and pray that I can pull outfits together once I arrive at my destination. The reason why this is important for you to know is that fashion needs to be fun, not stressful. It breaks my heart to hear the amount of time women spend worried about what to wear, and we need to have some freedom from that.

It never ceases to amaze me when people tell  me how stylish I am. If they only knew, they would laugh along with me.

My priority is always in the accessories. The last trip I went on, I forgot my accessory bag and I was lost. 😉 My simple $1 yard sale shirts only work for a night on the town with a great necklace.

I am a believer that you can wear anything if you have a few fun accessories to tie the outfit together.

Frugal Fashionista - love statement necklaces

A new favorite $5 shirt find was this sparkly tank top. I typically don’t wear much bling on my shirts; I let the necklace or earrings do the talking, but these two combined just made me happy. A perfect pairing for summer, turquoise and yellow are wonderful complements to each other.

Adding some summer color to my frugal fashionista wardrobe
In the past, nearly 95% of the clothes I featured were all second hand. The little switch you’ll see me making is that while 90% of my wardrobe is still thrifted, I’ve purchased a few new items on clearance and/or out of season. In my opinion, getting pants that fit well is critical in how you feel about your overall outfit.

I was thrilled when I found these super fun colorful pants for $10 clearanced. For retail, buy off season! I even wrote a whole post about buying clothes out of season back in 2010. (I still love that 2 out of the 3 outfits, even if they don’t fit right now.)

I’m a bit  conscious of wearing sleeveless things right now, so I always grab a cardigan.

Blog has fun simple outfits on frugal budget

This one was only $2 at a yard sale and it covers a multitude of sins. With long cardigans, I can get away with wearing pants that may have gotten a tad too tight in the bootie area, plus long cardigans always hide muffin tops.

I don’t care if they go out of style. I will wear them forever and ever. 🙂

Love these fun bangles

 Did you notice my beautiful bangles? Yes, this outfit is all about the little pops of color. These Cents of Style yellow bangles make everything more fun and for a few dollars they elevate the outfit.

(P.S. Cents of Style is having a 50% off Summer clearance today Use Coupon Code 50CLEARANCE)

Find a fun pair of colored pants. They give a great pop of color

Here are the same fun pop of color pants paired with the most comfortable $1 yard sale Banana Republic black shirt. I love this shirt. I’ve slept in this shirt. I may have even slept in this shirt, throw this gorgeous necklace on and then worn this shirt out, but you’d never know. 😉

Statement necklaces take a $1 yard sale shirt to something special

Yes, I know this is a bold look and you may be thinking you could never pull it off.  That is ok. We all need to pick accessories that we feel comfortable with, but go a bit more adventurous with your accessories. You won’t regret it. Take a baby step.

I admit that I have too many black tops in my wardrobe. It’s a problem really,  and I asked the question, “Can you ever have too much black?” years ago in a post. (My daughter said, “Wow, mom, those last outfits are ugly.” I agreed. It was five years ago. The shawl is a winner. 😉

I also have a huge little black dress collection. That is a core wardrobe piece and one of the reasons I love them is because I always find GREAT quality black shirts and dresses second hand. They are the perfect back drop for my statement necklaces.

Jen Schmidt 2014

This picture was taken just this past week. My $1 black yard sale shirt was the perfect canvas to highlight that gorgeous necklace. (And yes, that cardigan again, plus the $3 Goodwill striped skirt. I need to get a full length picture of it because it’s fabulous!)

Fun thrifted shoes

Now onto the shoes. Thrift store find: $4 and they make me feel like a woman. 🙂 Really, when I wear them I just feel fashionable, even though they were someone else’s fashion find first.

And now I am going to focus on the letting go of Pinterest Perfection fact that I brought up last week. I won’t even mention the fact that my necklaces were crooked on multiple pictures or that once again, I will get a comment about my make up. The thing that feels great? The post is done and I’m on my way to encouraging you that we can embrace who we are and do it on a budget.

You know what I said as I took these pictures?

“I am so exhausted. It’s been a long day. I should probably go freshen my make up and hair, but I just don’t care.” And I know 99% of you don’t either.  🙂

Adorable leather sandels

So now you have to go scroll up and see the difference between the two different outfits. haha

Frugal fashionista great looks on thrift store budget

All I know is that this pair of leather shoes I “stole” from a yard sale for $2 and my toe nails are fully painted. All in all, I would call that an amazing day.

I hope that your weekend is full of lots of chocolate, painted toe nails, pops of color and wonderful times with family and friends.