Trading Up Downtown

When it comes to fashion, I love a good deal! I like to dress well, but, surprisingly, I don’t usually spend a lot of money on what I wear. Here are some tips for dressing professionally and shopping on a budget.

Assess your closet.

Before you even set foot in a store, figure out what you need and what you want to add to your wardrobe. Seriously, take an afternoon to pull everything out of your closet and organize it. Try on pieces you haven’t worn in awhile, donate pieces that don’t fit well, and make a list of items that you want to purchase. Think about what pieces you would be able to wear with more than one outfit.

Stick to your list and set a realistic budget.

I usually give myself a budget range. I know it can be hard to stick to your budget when you find the perfect pair of pants or boots, so I allow myself a little wiggle room. But, I don’t let myself go overboard either.

Invest in wardrobe essentials.

A pair of black pants from Banana Republic are typically pretty pricey, but spending more money on a classic pair of pants, for instance, will not only save you money in the long run, but will also create go-to items in your wardrobe. Other items that I don’t skimp on are jeans, pants, dress shirts, bras, and boots.

Spend less on trendy items.

Usually, I can only wear a trendy top a few times before it goes out of style. I shop at Target, H&M, Marshalls, and TJ Maxx for trendy, but cheap pieces.

Buy quality, comfortable shoes.

Cheap shoes are the worst! They hurt your feet and a fall apart after a few weeks. Good shoes make all the difference! I stick to neutral colors, so I can easily interchange them with different outfits.
Head straight for the sale racks. I love Banana Republic and shop there a lot. But, I rarely buy items there for full price. I shop the sale racks like it’s my job! I’m willing to wait for things to go on sale.

Sign up for email alerts.

Stores like J. Crew and Banana Republic/Gap/Old Navy send emails when they are having big sales, so you can take advantage of them.

Look online for ideas.

I love J. Crew, but I think their prices are outrageous! Instead, I get ideas from their website and catalogues, and then shop at cheaper stores like Target or H&M to find look-alikes. I’ll even rip out pages from the J. Crew catalogue and bring them with me.

Shop at consignment stores.

Consignment shops often have great deals on typically expensive items, like coats, blazers, and designer handbags. Consignment stores can save you some serious money! And, you can make money by consigning the clothing you don’t wear! Check out my four-part consignment store series!

Utilize cheap accessories.

Most accessories can be purchased on a budget and can be used with a variety of outfits. I buy cheap jewelry from Target and H&M. A funky necklace, scarf, or chunky bracelet can totally jazz-up a basic t-shirt, jersey dress, or crewneck sweater.

What are your tips for dressing stylish on a budget?

Trading Up Downtown Giveaway

Thanks to everyone who entered last week’s giveaway! Here’s your winner: 83!

Congrats, Erin! Please email me at thaupert@nuval.com with your full name and mailing address to claim your prize.

Hi! My name is Meghan, and I’m a blogger over at www.HelpMeghanRun.com. First of all, thank you so much, Tina, for allowing me to do this guest blog post. I have been reading Carrots n’ Cake for a long time (I think since the very beginning even!) and it was one of the blogs that inspired my own.

I started Help Meghan Run to document my adventures in running, food, and fundraising while I run with Team in Training and train for the Nike Women’s Half Marathon in October in San Francisco. So after you read this guest post, go check out my blog.

As I’ve touched on in a couple of my posts, eating healthfully while in college is no easy task. In my situation, I live on a full, unlimited meal plan which includes 19 meals a week. Through trial and error and experiments with the food in my dining hall, I have found that what works best for me is servery food at regular mealtimes supplemented with my own food that I keep in my dorm room. Moderation is key: nothing is good in very large quantities. Moderation and variety are the main concepts I keep in mind. I aim to cover all my nutritional bases and be a mindful eater (if you don’t like it, don’t eat it!) while enjoying college. Life is too short to deprive yourself of everything all the time!

It gets tricky when, due to the unpredictability of the dining hall, sometimes nothing on the “hot” food line will appeal to me. That’s where my tried-and-true meals come in: meals that are always available and that I can throw together easily. And while these will certainly be helpful to college kids, I hope the ideas can be applied to other people, as well.

• Sweet potatoes. I love sweet potatoes, and I’m lucky my servery has them every day. My favorite way to eat these nutritional powerhouses is to combine them with black beans, and if I want a heartier meal, I make a toasted sweet potato/black bean sandwich.
• Cereal. Boring? A little bit, yes. But Cheerios with soy milk and cinnamon is my breakfast of choice, and it works for lunch or dinner in a pinch. It’s even better topped with nuts.
• Oatmeal. You take an instant packet (not the best, but we make do with what we have) and can either add hot water or milk. The toppings will depend on what’s available in the dining hall, but nuts, cereal, banana, and apple make good choices. If you want savory oatmeal, the toppings expand even further. This is also good for any meal of the day.
• Hard-boiled eggs. A great source of protein (from the whites) and essential vitamins (from the yolk). I usually mix up one whole egg and maybe another white or two as a topping for a salad, or even on a sandwich.
• Whole wheat bread. Sandwiches are incredibly versatile: anything from the salad bar, deli meat, beans, tofu, peanut butter, eggs, sweet potatoes…the list goes on and on! You can slap practically anything between two slices of bread.

So between those staples available in the dining hall and the food I have in my room, my bases are pretty much covered and I’m always happy, food wise! I just make sure to always have snacks with me. So what else do I eat? Fruit (bananas, apples, clementines) is a constant, and then here’s a sampling of what I keep in my room. Can you tell what brand I like? The almond butter is key because it’s so versatile! It works with bread (which I keep in my freezer so it lasts longer), oatmeal, bananas, apples…it goes on! Besides what’s shown in the pictures, I also keep walnuts, chocolate, veggie burgers (Amy’s), cinnamon, some type of granola (Nature’s Path and Udi’s are my favorite), and various other stuff in my room.

I hope you enjoyed my quick tips on eating healthfully in college! Good luck to all of you, and please stop by my blog if you get the chance!

Here’s an oldie, but goodie: Almond Butter-Stuffed French Toast!

Each bite is like tasting heaven!

Check out the melty almond butter goodness!

Like other nut butters, almond butter retains most of the nutrients of the almonds it comes from, including protein, fiber, and essential fatty acids, so, in general, it scores high on the NuVal scale. The NuVal score for my favorite almond butter, Marantha Natural Creamy Almond Butter, is 56.

Almond Butter-Stuffed French Toast

Makes 2

Ingredients:

• 4 slices of Nature’s Pride Whole Wheat bread with honey (NuVal score: 26)
• 2 Eggland’s Best Eggs (NuVal score: 44)
• 2 tbsp Vanilla Light Silk Soymilk (NuVal score: 82)
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tbsp of Marantha Natural Creamy Almond Butter (NuVal score: 56)

Directions:

Combine eggs, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon in a bowl to create the French toast batter. Mix well. Set aside.

Take 2 slices of bread, and spread 1 tbsp of almond butter on one slice. I used Arnold’s Bakery Light whole wheat bread, which worked great because it is thinly sliced.

Stick both pieces of bread together; almond butter on the inside.

Coat both pieces of bread with French toast batter, keeping almond butter on the inside of the 2 pieces.

Heat skillet and coat with non-stick spray. Place bread in skillet; heat both sides until lightly browned, approximately 2-3 minutes each side.

Top Almond butter-stuffed French toast with maple syrup (optional).

Eat and enjoy!