OOTD: Holiday Party with the Bestest of Friends

Hey frugies,

Every year for the past 7 years, my bestest friends from university gather for an epic potluck feast. Through the years, you can imagine how our group's dynamics have evolved; from singles, to couples, to newlyweds, and now offspring!, not to mention how our attire has also ebbed and flowed with ever-changing trends and lifestyle! We've witnessed the spectrum from when it used to be a novelty to "dress-up" to it now being a luxury to "dress-down." Not to disappoint, allow me to share with you my outfit-of-the-day (OOTD) for this very special annual occasion:

I apologize in advance for not having remembered the exact cost of everything, as 2 out of 4 of these items were actually purchased years ago! From left to right:

• White coat from Old Navy purchased during their 50% off all outerwear sale circa 2009 (around $45)
• Red studded bodycon 3/4 sleeve dress from Forever 21 (less than $35)
• Biege and gold Sway clutch from JustFab.com purchased during their BOGO clutch event (around $20 each)
• Black wedge heels from Aldo purchased at 10% off (around $70)

To add, I had painted my nails in a snowflake design and donned matte red lips courtesy of NYX in Perfect Red as well.

What holiday outfits are you sporting this year and to what occasions? I'd love to see them! Leave me a comment below.

Thanks for stopping by,

yvrfrugalista

Currently Coveting...

Hey frugies,

One fall trend that directly speaks to me is the embellishment of sweaters, jackets, and shoes using studs and spikes. I've never been a girly-girl, so studs and spikes are right up my alley. Albeit a trend for some, this edgy look is sure to stick with me.

When my eyes met a pair of studded boots retailing at over $200, I became captivated... with the idea of trying to find a frugal comparable. Time for Splurge versus Steal!

On the left from Town Shoes is "Taunt" by ZiGi that I originally saw in-store for $225. On the right from Piperlime is "Motor" by Wanted for around $69. The material construction of each may be vastly different, as reflected in the price tag, but if you're just toying with the idea of dressing on-trend for the season, you can have your cake and eat it too!

Are you liking or hating the studs and spikes look? Leave me a comment and let me know what other studded must-have items you own!

Thanks for stopping by,
yvrfrugalista

New Blog: Yvrfrugalista's Nails

Heya frugies,

Check out my new hobby; nail stamping beautiful, budget-conscious, and wearable manicures! I created a whole new blog at yvrfrugalistanails.blogspot.ca to share my designs (accessible through clicking on the tab above that reads "Nail Art" too!). Here's a teaser:

To learn how I created this nail design, click here.

Thanks for stopping by,

yvrfrugalista

The Frugalista Wedding

Heya frugies,

As promised, here is a glimpse into our big day! As a frugalista, I conscientiously looked at our entire budget and weighed what we deemed important (splurge) versus what I knew I could save on, all the while without compromising our sense of style and the overall experience we wanted our guests to enjoy.

What we splurged on:

• Venue & Food - Good food is very important to me and my newly-minted husband. We really know how to enjoy food. Sadly, budgetary limitations prevented us from choosing our first-choice. In serendipitous fashion, our decision to hold our wedding at the Richmond Golf & Country Club really suited my taste for modern luxury and my husband's love for picturesque, sprawling golf greens.
• Photography - Whether you're a once-only or experienced bride, you only get one chance to capture all the special moments on that day. Having the right photographer tell your story of your wedding day really helps. After all, there are no do-overs! We interviewed 3 professional and equally talented photographers and chose Katch Studios.
• Wedding Planner - Worth every penny, IMHO. Having an experienced wedding planner do the leg work for you is invaluable and we recommend considering one if you know exactly what you want but are unsure about how to go about obtaining it. We chose Leo Damien of Wish Events for his eye for exquisite and effortless-looking design.

What we saved on (pretty much everything else!):

Our Invitation

Your invitation is really the first point of communication that your wedding guests will see and helps to set the mood and style of your wedding. I found these gorgeous invitations at, of all places, Michaels. At 50 invitations per box, I needed 4 boxes to adequately invite the 200 guests on our list. But wait, I saved 50% on 3 of 4 boxes. How'd I swing that? For each purchase, my receipt offered 50% off 1 item on my next visit within a calendar week!

His Ring

His engagement proposal came to me as a complete surprise and therefore, I held no budgetary jurisdiction over the cost of my engagement ring (LOL)! Admittedly however, I do have discerning taste and only one other person, my maid of honour, knew that I longed for an Ascher-cut, conflict-free diamond. Thanks to his equally discerning taste, he opted for a non-traditional band, not made of gold but, made of tungsten carbide — an uniquely dense metal, so durable it won't bend, scratch, nor tarnish. Check out the many other styles of tungsten carbide rings at Black Tie Rings; you'll be surprised at how affordable these rings are!

My Dress

Simply put, I could not stomach the idea of spending upwards of $1,000 on a dress that I would only wear for a few hours. This dress cost me only one-tenth of that! In total, I spent about $500 on 4 dresses  of different silhouettes where 3 would serve as wardrobe in our engagement photo shoot. My veil was self-made using $5 worth of tulle and a hair comb from Michaels.

The Decor

Finally, the decor is what sets your wedding apart and helps to make the experience of your guests memorable. With the sophisticated mood set by our invitations, we chose decor that would carry that theme through to our wedding day; from Jeff Leatham-inspired flower arrangements at wholesale (thanks to our wedding planner), to the self-made card box for $10 (compared to $80 store-bought), to inexpensive, consumable party favours of M&M chocolates, I made sure to save wherever possible. Even our (fake) wedding cake, created by the wonderful Peter Fong of Ganache Patisserie, fit our desired theme to a tee!

Hope you enjoyed this sneak peek into our special day! Let me know your thoughts on splurging and saving on your wedding by leaving me a comment below.

Thanks for stopping by,
yvrfrugalista

Saying Yes to the Budget Savvy Dress

Heya frugies,

Let's talk about weddings... And how expensive they can be. There's the cost of the venue, flowers, bridesmaids dresses, rings, photography, favors, and the list goes on, and on, and on.

Naturally, when it came to my own wedding I looked for ways to be frugal without compromising my own sense of style. Let's start with one of the most important components that first comes to mind of a newly-engaged bride-to-be — THE DRESS.

I couldn't pick just one! Ever since Sex And The City: The Movie, I fell in love with the idea of doing a multiple dress photo shoot. Our chosen wedding photographers, Katch Studios, was excited to embark on this adventure with us and entertained my dream of shooting several dresses as our non-conventional engagement photo shoot.

The above 3 dresses, ordered from dhgate.com and milanoo.com, each cost an average of $120 shipping included. We lucked out as Bao Bei Chinese Brasserie opened their doors to us on a Sunday for Katch to capture these and other stunning images.

Now you've seen the 3 dresses I wore for the engagement photo shoot... What about the dress on the day of my wedding?!? Again, ordered from dhgate.com for $100 shipping included:

What are your thoughts on saving or splurging on a wedding dress? Leave me a comment below. Stayed tuned for photos and more frugal ideas from our wedding day!

Thanks for stopping by,

yvrfrugalista

Hand Cream To Change the World

Everyone could use hand cream. This was evidenced to me when a male coworker who works across the building from me approached me for hand cream. Okay, so maybe the drying soap from the soap dispensers in the washrooms are to blame. The point is, every now and again, from time-to-time, we all use hand cream.

This weekend, I serendipitously came across the hand cream to end child prostitution at The Body Shop. One hundred percent (100%) of the proceeds from their New Soft Hands Kind Heart Hand Cream go to benefit ECPAT in Canada, Beyond Borders and the Somaly Mam Foundation - a network of organizations world wide tirelessly working toward ending child prostitution, pornography, and trafficking for sexual purposes.

Since I had decided to buy hand cream to leave at work anyway, I feel that my $10 will be better served by purchasing this product over others. This cause is also one that is very close to my heart. If you had just $10 to spare, wouldn't you want to stop child exploitation?

Traffic-stopping facts about human trafficking:

• Human trafficking is the third largest⁽¹⁾ and fastest growing criminal industry in the world⁽²⁾
• 1.8 million children are exploited in the global commercial sex trade though this figure is thought to be much higher due to the underground dealings of the traffickers⁽³⁾
• Reports show that sexual exploitation is the most likely purpose of trafficking⁽⁴⁾
• Trafficking exists in countries all over the world. It doesn't only exist in the poorest countries⁽⁵⁾

⁽¹⁾ UNFPA 2006
⁽²⁾ UN.GIFT 2008
⁽³⁾ ILO 2002
⁽⁴⁾ UNICEF UK 2003
⁽⁵⁾ UNICEF UK 2003

Mad for Plaid!

This ain't your daddy's camping plaid shirt, ladies! When shopping for this autumn/winter must-have this season, make sure your plaid shirt is fitted and tapered to your feminine curves. Here, I've picked out three girly plaid shirts from three different price points. Happy shopping!

From left to right:

• Plaid flannel shirt, Forever 21, $12.50
• Plaid blouse, Garage, $29.90
• Plaid ombre shirt, Gap, $49.50