5 Step DIY Pretty Pedi

I challenge you to find me a girl who doesn't love to be pampered.  I mean, is there anything better than hitting the salon with your best girls for a relaxing pedi in a vibrating chair? I think not.

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But I also think there is something to be said for the calm and quiet that comes from taking some time to give your feet a little love at home.  Just you, your toes and a bottle of your best polish.  

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A salon pedicure is a fab treat, but a treat it should be.  To save some dollars while keeping your toes in check between outings to the salon,  give yourself an at-home DIY pretty pedi with these five steps:

Doing it yourself may require more effort, but just think what you can do with that extra $30 to $50 dollars you would have spent at the salon.

May I interested you in a new dress? A pair of wedges for summer? Dinner & drinks? The list goes on.

1. H&M Dress - $34.95 / 2. Mossimo Strappy Wedge - $29.99

So whether you plan on hitting the town this weekend or being a couch potato (my fave), make sure your toes don't look funky and give yourself a DIY pedi Bargain Blonde style.  TGIF bargainistas.

Stripes for Spring all under $30

I can count on one hand how many times I've had to put a legit coat on this winter and it puts a frown on my face to know those Hunter wellies I was so excited about wearing are perched in my closet with the tags still attached.

For the longest I've kept hope alive that a mini snow storm or even a cold front was going to blow in so that my winter attire could come out to play this year, but alas, I've accepted that Spring is on the horizon and winter weather has boycotted Texas.  Although I'm not happy about this reality, I am happy about one Spring fashion trend in particular: stripes.  Below are some affordable stripes all under $30 from two of my favorite Bargain Blonde approved stores: Old Navy and H&M.

$14.95 - BUY

Tank: $16.00  / Sweetheart Skinny Jeans: $29.50

via Spring Lookbook

Shirt - $19.50 / The Flirt Wide Leg Trouser Jean - $15.97

Blue & White Shirt - $26. 50 / Khaki Shorts - $19.94
Side-toe top: $26.94 / Denim Shorts - $24.94

What do you think about stripes for Spring?  And more importantly, what's your favorite Spring trend so far?

Before you start your holiday shopping, read this

You may know I'm not one for getting things done way in advance, so I haven't exactly started my Christmas shopping yet.  You're shocked, I know.  The reality is I just can't partake in the Black Friday madness. 

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However, when I do start my trek to the stores, this blondie will have a plan.  It's easy to make a budget but STICKING to it is an entirely different story.  I'm no financial expert. Trust.  But I do try my best not to live above my means and Christmas is no different.  Here are my three steps to help you avoid a holiday spending hangover in January. You know how much I hate a hangover. 

Organization makes life so much easier, this I know.  So before you even start your shopping, use a free printable like the one below to decide who you want and need to buy gifts for. This little diddy will help you plan, purchase, wrap and ship all while tracking what you're spending on each loved one. 

Free Printable Master Gift List



Decide how much you can afford to spend on each person.  This step is not rocket science, just refer to the chart below:

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Plan a shopping agenda by keeping an eye out for in-store and online sales.

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More importantly, before you leave the house to shop, promise yourself you’ll stick to your agenda.  If you have enough self control to mentally do this, high five.  I, however, know how easy it is to swipe a card.  Who me?  Yes, me. To help with this, use an envelope budgeting system.

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But what the eff is envelope budgeting Lindsey?  Well, friend, it is when you have an envelope for each person you are buying for.  After you complete steps one and two, you should know exactly how much you can afford to spend on each one of your peeps.  You take that amount of cash out and put it in each person's envelope.  Easy peasy.  Just don't spend any more on them that the cash in their envelope. 

The moral of the story here is:  If you can't afford it, don't buy it. If only it were that easy. I can promise you that your family and friends will love you just the same.   Happy shopping bargainistas!

Sweet and Sour Showers' bargain shower hosting tips!

Good day bargainistas!  Today I am sashaying around Dallas helping Courtney with her make-up and dress for her bridal portraits.  I can't believe her wedding is 2 months away, eeeep!  Since I knew I'd be detained, I lined up a very special treat for you: a guest post from my talented fellow Texas ladies at Sweet & Sour Showers.  They wrote an awesome post about bargain shower hosting tips, so I'm just going to let them take it away ...

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Hey everyone!  We are Jac and Leah from Sweet & Sour Showers, and we are thrilled to be guest posting on the Bargain Blonde today!

We live in Austin, but we sort of feel like we know Lindsey in real life because two of her besties are our friends from college - shout out to Liz and Stefanie!  

So about us - we have been friends since high school (although you won't see any 9th grade pics any time soon) and recently took the plunge into the blog world.  Since we're at the age where tons of our friends are getting married and having babies, we have had LOTS of practice planning showers.  What we noticed through all this practice, though, is that while there are tons of wedding and totally over-the-top party-planning sites, there isn't a good resource to help girls our age throw a really special shower for our BFFs.

You know what else we noticed?  Sometimes planning showers sucks - especially the part about how being a bridesmaid can run you into debt.  So, we thought it would be kind of fun to blog about that, too. 

To help cope with the rising cost of life as a bridesmaid, here are our favorite money saving tips:

Don't be a shower martyr.  We can totally relate to all the control freaks out there, but taking on the entire shower by yourself can be time-consuming and expensive.  You should check with other bridesmaids or even family members to see if they’d be interested in sharing hostess duties.  

Lose the boys.   Couples showers are becoming the new norm, but you know what’s the quickest way to double your guest list?  INVITING THE MEN.  Encourage your bride to keep the party intimate (a nicer way of saying "cheap").

Hold the shower at home.  Paying for everyone’s food and drinks at a restaurant can add up fast.  Even if you REALLY don’t like to cook, catering food at home will surely save some cash.   

Engagement Brunch

Time it right.  Don’t throw your party at 6pm when people are expecting a full meal.  Try scheduling your shower for mid-afternoon (around 2pm), or after dinner (around 8pm).  This allows you to just provide snacks, appetizers, or maybe even try your hand at a desserts-only shower – we can certainly help you there!

Monogram Themed Shower

DIY décor.  We love to craft and try our hand at homemade party decor, especially on the cheap.  One of our favorites has been these paper rosettes - check out our tutorial here. Don't try to stock an open bar.  Drinks are one of our favorite parts of any shower, but as soon as you enter mixed-drink territory, the bills can add up.  Sticking to beer and wine is perfectly acceptable, and you can also find some fun recipes online that involve doctoring up these staples.   Our go-to drink has always been summer beer, a fun out-of-the-norm drink with simple ingredients and HIGH potency.  Check out the recipe here. 

Paper Rosettes

Create a shrine to the guest of honor.  This one is so simple we literally do it EVERY time.  Replace the photos in your home with pics of the guest(s) of honor.  Print out some of the couple’s engagement photos or silly pictures, and use the frames you already have at home. 

Tapas and Sangria Shower

Don't underestimate the power of a little competition.  We are big fans of shower games because they are basically free entertainment.  With a little planning and some cheap household items you may already have, you can easily try your hand at some of our favorite shower games and bachelorette party games.

Minute to Win It Couples Shower

To see more pics and read about our parties, visit our shower themes page.  

Did we mention we also love to bake?   We thought that blogging about all our showers would be a great way to feature our baked treats, many of which we have customized specifically for wedding-related events.  

Here is a look at some of our favorites:

You can check out more of our baked treats here, and feel free to contact us for a quote if you are in the Austin area.

So there you have it!  Thanks again to Lindsey for letting us guest post.  (Our husbands may or may not think you are the "biggest blogger in the world" - true story.)  

To all of Lindsey's loyal followers - we hope you'll come check out our blog, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter.  Be sure to say hi! (This is Lindsey: y'all better get on it!)


Happy Planning (on a budget),

Sweet and Sour Showers

Getting to know the Bargain Blonde, Part 1

Hello class. Today we are covering my favorite subject: me.

I keed, I keed.  But I am in the "hot seat" as they call it on The View and as promised, I'm answering all of your burning questions.  

For easier reading, I've broken them up into the following categories: beauty, money, diet & fitness, blogging, personal and last but not least, random.  I want to answer ALL of your questions, which would have made this post entirely too long, so I'm breaking this up into 2 posts.   Today I'm covering beauty and money, so here we go ...

Katie H asked, "Since I'm a fellow white girl (aka 2 minutes of sunlight and I am burnt), do you use tanner on your face or just on your bod?"

Both! As Katie mentioned, I am white and have been pale my entire life.  And not just white, but ghastly white. I'm a naturally very fair-skinned person with naturally blonde hair.  Most real blondes cannot tan, which would be the case with me.  I use self-tanner all over and even more so on my face since it gets washed more frequently than the rest of me.

I have a Mystic Tanning membership, so I am able to get unlimited spray tans monthly.  I also have an arsenal of self-tanning products, but the truth is I'm normally too lazy to put them on.  Typically, I head to the salon, get sprayed and I'm done with it.  Since my face fades quicker, I use the Mystic or Versa sunless spray and spray my face in between trips to the salon. 

These are a little pricey, but contain the same solution as what you get at the salons, so they are worth it IMHO.  My salon runs specials so I only buy them when I can get them discounted. I usually end up paying around $15 for each can.

My other sunless tanning products I like for my face are: Hawaiian Tropic Island Radiance, Banana Boat Summer Color and Lancome Flash Bronzer.

When all else fails, slather that bronzer on.  I could go on for days about sunless tanning, but I'll save that for its own post. I've got a lot more questions to get through.

Sarmin asks, "Would you ever go brunette?"

Hell to the no.  I wish I could, but I look dis-gust with brown hair. And I know this because I had a brown wig for my 26th Jersey Shore birthday party.   As my mother said when she saw the pic, "Ew, tell me that's not real."  I'll never have brown hair, I can promise you that.  It was fun getting my JWoww on for a night, but I must say blondes really do have more fun! Muahahaha

Jess (Pretty Physicist) asked, "What is one thing you won't skimp on cost-wise and one thing you will always skimp on?"

The one area I will not skimp on is my hair cut. Until I found my fab-o hair guy 5 years ago, I cried almost every single time I got my hair cut.  Hair cuts were traumatizing for me and I'm not exaggerating.  There was a time in college I burst into tears in the chair, went home and locked myself in my room for hours and wouldn't answer my phone.   Sounds dramatic, but my hair is very important to me as I'm sure it is to you, which is why I don't skimp when it comes to who is cutting it regardless of price.

I won't tell you exactly how much my cut (no color) cost me, but I'll tell you with tip it's more than double digits.  Since finding my guy, I trust him completely and have never left the salon unhappy.  He's seriously worth every penny to me, so this is my one splurge.  Every girl needs one.

Ironically, the one thing I'll always skimp on is shampoo and conditioner, which ties into the next question so I'll explain more below. 

Jess (The Kentucky Priss) asked, "Name something expensive you've splurged on that ultimately wish you had not."

This was a good one!  I don't make big purchases with out some serious thought and major research, so I was having a hard time thinking of one.  Then it dawned on me. One time I got conned into buying this bottle of Keratase shampoo for $40 because the lady at the salon SWORE to me it would work wonders on my oily hair.  One thing to say to her: "You LIIIAAAR!"

You see, I have to wash my hair every day or else it'll look like an oil slick and my head gets itchy.  Yummy.  I was skeptical because I swear by drug store shampoo and conditioners, but against my better judgment, I got it.  The Keratase made absolutely no difference and every time I spot that stupid bottle in my shower, I get angry. 

My $5 Dove Intensive Repair and TRESemme Color Protection work perfectly, and the one thing I get complimented most on is my hair.  No weave here girls, but you judge for yourself what you think of my "cheap" shampoo and conditioner results:

Your thoughts?

This concludes Part 1 of getting to know me and yes, I started off a little tame.  The juicier questions are Monday, so stay tuned and have a fantastic Halloweenie weekend.  I can't wait to see every one's costumes next week!  TGIF times 10 and boo!

You need: e.l.f. Mineral Infused Mascara & HD Powder

TGIF. We survived another week ... high fives all-around.

Today I'm introducing you to two make-up products that I, as a self-proclaimed "e.l.f. connoisseur", think you need in your life: e.l.f. mineral infused mascara ($3) and e.l.f. Studio High Definition Powder ($6).  Revolutionary.

In this picture I'm wearing the e.l.f. natural false lashes ($1) that I've blogged about before, the mineral mascara and the HD powder mentioned above. I have not touched up this photo and it was taken with no flash.

Anytime anyone asks me what to buy from e.l.f., the first thing I suggest to them is the mineral infused mascara. 

Hands down, the best mascara I've tried in years. The wand NEVER gets clumpy and I, IMHO,  think it looks identical to Clinique mascara and L'Oreal Voluminous, which is what I swore by prior to discovering this magic mascara wand.

Dare I say it?  I will.  I like it better than the Dior that Raven sent me.  I'm telling y'all, just because a make-up company slaps a hefty price tag on something, it does not mean it's better.  You can get quality products for a fraction of the price. 

Now, let's chit-chat about the $6 e.l.f. Studio HD Powder. Looks like so:

Have any of you tried the $30 Make-Up Forever HD Powder?  This is it's budget friendly twin. HD powder is a translucent loose powder that sets your foundation while creating a "soft focus" effect to the skin and masks fine lines and imperfections. 
 
Personally, I've never tried the Make-Up Forever version because let's be real, I'm not spending 30 bones on powder.  However, I've heard/read they are identical products.  Just for y'all, I did a quick Google search and found a comparison review of both here and here. 

I can tell you that I'm a huge fan of the e.l.f. HD powder, but instead of using the application poof it comes with, I prefer to apply with the e.l.f. Professional Total Face Brush ($1).  Reviewed by moi here.

Both powders are made with almost the exact same ingredients except one is going to set you back $30 and the other only $6.  I think we all know what the right decision is here. Don't let me down.

My top ten "Dollar Store" deals and duds

One dolla make ya holla!  I've only briefly mentioned my love for dollar stores in this post, so today I want to expand on my favorite dollar store deals while also deterring you from dollar store duds.

Let's start with my top five fab finds* first, and and then I'll cover a list of five items to avoid.

1. Gift Wrap

One of my dream jobs growing up was to work at a department store gift wrap counter, but once I discovered gift wrapping wasn't exactly a lucrative career, I ultimately had to give that dream up. Boo!

Although I don't get paid to wrap gifts, I still love it and dollar stores are my go-to headquarters for all my gift wrapping needs including cards, which are only 50 cents each.  Their card selection is surprisingly pretty good. 

If I need seasonal wrapping paper during the holidays or something fun and girly for a bestie's birthday, you can find me perusing the gift wrap aisles at my nearby Dollar Tree for the cutest gift bags, bows, ribbon, wrapping paper and tissue.

2. Party Supplies

Last year I got my GTL on with a Jersey Shore themed birthday party (oh, yes I did) and i purchased all of my party supplies at the dollar store. 

If you're throwing a party and need balloons, cups, plates, table cloths or cutlery, you can find it all at dollar stores for cheaper than places like Party City, Wal-Mart and Target.  *insert obligatory fist pump*

3. Cleaning Supplies



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While cleaning my crack den tops the list of my least favorite things to do and I certainly wish I could just turn off my lights, unfortunately, the health department takes issue with adults living in filth.  Dollar stores have some name brand cleaning products, but you'll also find a lot of off brand products that work just as well.

In addiction to cleaning products, I also like to buy disinfectant wipes, gloves, sponges and scrubbers at dollar stores.  Momma's gotta keep a clean house so Neicy Nash doesn't bust in on me for real.

 4. Seasonal & Holiday Items

Goodies from the Dollar Tree I used to make my nephew's Easter basket.  Read deets HERE. 

I got quite a bit of Christmas decor from dollar stores last year, which you can see HERE.  Some of their holiday and seasonal items can be extremely gaudy, but dollar stores do have some really cute stuff too. Obviously just use your discretion when shopping unless tacky decor is your thing, then be my guest.  I'm not going to judge. 

 5. Cooking and Dining Accessories

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Since I'm not Kim Kardashian and I can't ask my friends and fam to buy me things like a $120 serving spoon, I have to slum it by shopping at the dollar store for my every day kitchen utensils. 

You should definitely splurge on items like sharp, durable kitchen knifes, but a lot of cooking accessories can be bought at dollar stores for 50 to 90 percent less than at Target or Wal-Mart.  Take that Kim K.

That concludes my faves, and now let's move onto the top five dollar duds to stay away from:

*Side note: I did read these actually work and some of you already commented that they do.  Just sayin' at first glance I wasn't so sure about dollar store preggers test. 

1. Vitamins - Apparently according to Consumer Reports, vitamins found in dollar stores don't always have the amount of nutrients claimed on the label.  I'm too lazy to take vitamins (I know, I know), but if I did take them, I'd certainly want them to at least be beneficial. 

2. Aspirin & other meds - Aspirin and other medications may be left on the shelf past their expiration dates. I don't know about you, but I'm not really comfortable taking OTC medicine sold for $1.  Call me crazy.

3. Electrical products - Dollar store electronics and extension cords may have fake UL labels and could be unsafe.  I'd prefer not to get electrocuted if I can help it, so I think I'll splurge on electronics elsewhere.  How 'bout you?

4. Toothpaste - In 2007, the FDA warned that many brands of toothpaste found at dollar stores carried a poisonous chemical found in antifreeze. Although recalls were issued, some of these products could still be on shelves, including toothpaste made to look like your favorite brands.  If you're like me and value your teeth, stay away.

5. Batteries - Cheap batteries may be prone to leakage, or most likely won't run as long as name brand batteries. 

And that concludes my dollar store guide, I hope you found some of this information useful.  At the very least, maybe this post stopped you from buying poisonous toothpaste.  And for that, you can thank me.

Can you think of any dollar store deals and duds I left off this list? 

*My all-time favorite thing to buy at dollar stores are bins that I use for organization.  I've already posted about dollar store organization, so I didn't cover them again in this post. If you need to catch-up, go to my "tidy" section by clicking HERE.