New feature: 'Bargain of the Day'!

Welcome to another new feature here on Bargains N' Babies:  Bargain of the day!  This will entail some of the best bargains on the particular day I am out on the hunt for great finds:)

Today my mom, the girls and I ventured to Darboy to go to Gordmans.  This is a great store with everything from clothing to household goods to toys.  They sell many "name brand" items at a discount up to 60% of the original price.  My mom and I love to go shop here and usually go a few times a year (its an hour from home and kinda in the middle of some farmland lol).

These were my favorite purchase today:

Purple and Orange Metal Garden Flower with blue gemstone Center

"Theirs" $18.00 "Ours "$8.99

Total Savings $9.01

This is the time of year where everyone is cleaning up their yard from the winter and planting flowers and sprucing up the landscape.  These are fun pieces with great colors for the summer season.  And what a great deal!

After leaving Gordmans, we decided to hit the Oshkosh Outlet Malls since they were only 20 minutes from where we were.  I went in to Gymboree and got slapped in the face by the $3.99 bins!  Needless to say, I walked out with all of this:

Dark blue skinny jeans with heart and flower embroidery reg $26.99 clearance $3.99

Red tutu reg $25.99 clearance $3.99

Black Kitty boots with wool trim regular $24.99 clearance $3.99

Peace sparkle shirt regular $16.99 clearance $3.99

Tres’ Chic shirt regular 1$6.99 clearance $3.99

Pink corduroy button up skirt regular $24.99 clearance $3.99

Rainbow leggings regular $13.99 clearance $3.99

                  Total Savings $123.00

                     Some great fall and Christmas gifts for the girls!

And then of course I couldn't pass up Old Navy:)

2 piece striped ruffle swimsuit regular $14.94 clearance $5.49

                     Total Savings $9.45

Having two beautiful girls, its hard for me to pass up matching swimsuits, and why not at this great price!

Shopping to top off the weekend is one Sunday Funday:)  Happy Bargaining! 

More amazing deals:)

 East 5^th Vintage pink sweater with Rhinestone buttons on sleeves regularly $36 clearance $2

St Johns Bay Ivory and Grey Stripe Sweater regularly 40 clearance $4

     Nicole Mueller Pink Sequin Trim Sweater regularly $58 sale $15

M N G by Mango Red Sweater Dress regularly $39.90 sale $20 clearance $7

Some more great finds from JC Penny's end of season sales.   Some are too good to pass up so hit one up near you:)

DIY-Jewelry

One of the most reasonable ways to save money in many areas whether it be clothing, jewelry, household project, cards, invitations you name it is to DIY- Do It Yourself.  DIY projects are not only cost effective, they can be a lot of fun and a way for you to express your creative through art! 


I am going to be publishing a few posts in the coming weeks on some of my DIY projects.  This one is focused around my jewelry. 


Back in 2009, a co worker of mine taught me how to start making necklaces.  I liked it so much and loved to go shop for different beads and colors and put different ideas together.  That winter I made every single one of my friends and family either a necklace, bracelet, anklet and even a watch!  I was so impressed with all of the different styles of beads out there and the fact that I could give a gift that was not only reasonable for my wallet, but it was thoughtful and home made.  After i gave out all my gifts, I started to get requests for different items and I was lucky enough to have my same teacher show me how to do earrings (thanks Di).  So I started to take orders and even made my own little side company out of it 'Jems by JoAnne'.  With the help of many supportive friends and family, I even hosted my own little jewelry show and sold many of my pieces i created.  I also have worn and designed many pieces for myself. 


Often times, you can find great coupons on beads, wire and the findings that go along with jewelry making.  Michaels, which is my favorite place to get my supplies, often runs a 50% off deal on their sterling silver products which is usually when i stock up.  You can also watch for many of their beads and pendants to go on sale and get them for reasonable as well. 
The web also has some great sites to get jewelry in larger supply for good deals.  I have found many great items at Jewlerysupply.com including Swarovski Crystal pieces for reasonable!  Its def worth checking out.

Things have been kinda busy lately for me so I haven't been making as much as I'd like, but I will definitely be getting back into it soon because I found some great new beads on clearance at Michaels:)


So if you are a creative person, take a chance on creating some of your own jewelry for yourself or others!  Its a fun project and its a great way to express your style.

And check out my facebook page for 'Jems by JoAnne'

Out fit of the day-$1 PJ's for Ms Diva

So, if your an avid visitor of my blogs, you saw my post about the $1 racks at Walmart last weekend.  I hope you checked it out!  Here is just a small preview of one of the 14 of my purchases:)

Faded Glory 2 Piece PJ's regularly $9.92 clearance $1

You just can't beat the price.  And with the rate that this girl is growing out of clothes, it is silly to buy expensive clothes all the time!  Gotta love dollar deals:)  Stay tuned, more to come!

Outfit of the day-Colors of the Season

Some of the most fun and "in" colors this spring and summer are bright, bold and neon colors.  Pinks, oranges, yellows, cobalt blue, bright green to name a few.  Sometimes all you need is on piece of clothing in one of these colors to make an outfit pop.

I am really loving the colored jeans that have been out this spring.  When I was in Phoenix a few weeks ago for work, I spent my last day at the Glendale mall and snatched up two piars of Calvin Klein stech jeans...a pair in fushia pink (love) and a pair in cobalt blue (double love).

Here is how I paired my colored jeans for a night out to the movies (Hunger Games-Yay!)

Boston Store-GAL washed deerskin multi colored purse $75 sale $29.99

Tahari Bally knit crème tee reg $68 Marshalls $16.99 clearance $5

Dillards-Color pop skinny jeans by Calvin Klein (pink) reg  $69 sale $29.99

Couture-Camel jacket reg $70 sale $36.99 (part of buy one get one half off) 

Shiekh Shoes- Stella Camel Boot reg $54.97 sale $39.97 (Part of buy one pair of boots get another free) 

The thing I love about all of these items is that they can be paired with many different other pieces in many other styles.  I love clothes that can be versitile!  That means it can be worn again and again but look like part of a new outfit everytime. 

Make sure to put some color in your watdrobe this spting and summer season.  It will definitely put some pop in your style.

So I go into our local Walmart today to do a little pre Easter dinner shopping...not even LOOKING for clothes and they throw the $1 racks at me.  I walk in the entrance and see them and just keep walking (my husband likes to tell me I do  little too much shopping) so I keep going.  Onward on to follow my list!  When I get to the middle of the store and there is a whole row of racks that say $1 and about 6 associates there to Mark all the prices down.  i try to resist and I just get loured in.  I mean seriously, $1???

I walk away buying 14 clothing items = $14.00...and some of these items were 2 or 3 piece items.  Some were Disney some were Nickelodeon etc.  GREAT DEALS.  I saw every woman in there flock to these isles and get on there cell phone to call a friend.  I immediately called my mom who went and spent another $14.  You really can't pass it up.  So if you are in the area, stop by Walmart and check it OUT...totally worth your time!

Outfit of the day for date night:)

I have mentioned before my love for Jessica Simpson's line.  She makes some really cute purses .....I have 4 and 2 wallets:)  All for great deals of course!

But she also has some cute clothes out there.  Boston Store (my favorite place to shop) carries her line.  Not all stores do, for example, Sheboygan's stores don't, but Milwaukee does.  And when her stuff goes on yellow dot, you can find some hot date night outfits!

Jessica Simpson grey crop sweater original $79.00 yellow dot $11.85

Jessica Simpson grey skirt original $49.00 yellow dot $7.35

Knee High Black Boots $36 Shiekh Shoes

How cute is the back of this skirt with the zipper all the way up the back!

Gotta love great deals.  And you can always count on them with Boston Store's yellow dot sales.   Better yet, great deals on cute J Simps clothes = one happy lady!!!  Happy Shopping:) 

Baby's Outfit of the Day:)

Who can resits as cute of a model as this:)

3 piece Leopard outfit regular $29.99 clearance $5.99 Shopko.

Shopko has some great steals for babies and children.  They usually always have 60-80% off racks worth checking out.  If you are local, there is one in Sheboygan, but there is also a great Shopko in Grafton where I can always find good deals from clothing to household items.  So if you are passing one by, go check it out, you are bound to find at least one good bargain that will make it worth your time!

Fashion Role Models

                                               Rachel McAdams

                                                 Jessica Simpson

                                                   Jennifer Aniston

                                                     Emma Stone

                                                       SJP

                                                             

Although these women have many different style and taste from each other, these are the woman I draw some inspiration from.  They each have their own, unique style.  It would be nice if I had their money and stylists, but I can easily find similar styles and looks for a good dealJ

A woman’s style says a lot about who she is.  It doesn’t define her, but it expresses how she may be feeling on that day: sexy, sporty, casual, modern, etc.

It’s important to know what kind of clothes you like and what is flattering on you.  Just because I see a snapped photo of Jessica Simpson wearing leather pants one day and like the look doesn’t mean that they will necessarily look good on me.  But often times I can find a substitute for those leather pants that may give me that sexy bad girl vibe I am going for.

My style is all over the map.  I can dress sophisticated business woman one day and bohemian chic the next.  It just depends on my mood (and of course the weather).  But I find it important to know what you like.  Even if you have a variety of styles, colors, textures, you should never go into a store clueless on what you are looking for, because then you could be there all day!    If there is a certain look you like and you pulled it from a magazine or website, take the pic along with you for some guidance.  Even though the piece and the price may not be what you are looking for, you can find something similar that matches both your style and your wallet better.