Beautifully crafted, budget priced.Jenness Steen

Reporter

One of my favorite words in the English language is “clearance.” My mom and I love never paying full price for things that we know we can get an awesome deal on at somewhere such as TJ Maxx or our personal favorite, Dirt Cheap.

I gave myself a challenge of finding a nice “back to school” outfit with a budget of a maximum of $30 for the entire outfit, plus shoes and accessories. I will admit this was a lot more difficult than I thought it could be. I went to four different stores around town but in the end my total for the entire outfit with taxes and all was $28.53!

I spent $5 on the yellow, orange and green stone bracelet at The Purple Elephant. Then, I headed over to Leigh Mall and found the awesome beaded, orange statement necklace and matching earrings at Cato’s for $6.41. After that, I ran in TJ Maxx (as I do on a regular basis) and picked up this fun solid black dress with a peep hole and pockets for $7. It was originally sold at $16.99 so, I consider this a steal. Then, I realized I needed one more thing to make this outfit complete with some awesome shoes. I headed over and got these Target brand shoes on sale at Dirt Cheap for $10. Luckily, I remembered the awesome new student discount they offer with proof of student ID and coupon and got these orange wedges for $9.63.

Living on a set budget for things isn’t always as difficult as they may seem. I had fun giving myself this challenge and in the process got an awesome new outfit that I can sport around on campus and even to work!