Spring Break: Clothing Haul

My friend Lizette and I spent pretty much the entire Spring Break together. We met up in L.A and then drove to Las Vegas with her sister, her sister's boyfriend, and her cousin, in order to celebrate her birthday. We were in Las Vegas for the weekend and then drove back to LA. The next day, we took a day trip to Tijuana, Mexico (her sister, her, and I were the only ones that went on this little day adventure). We spent the rest of the break in L.A and then I flew to N.Y and then headed back to school. A lot of folks have wanted to hear about how each trip went, but also how I was able to afford it all. So I have decided to break it down here on my blog so that folks can get a better look at how I travel and do so affordably.

This blogpost, as you can tell from the title, will basically be a haul of what clothes we purchased for the trip. Being that I do not own much, in terms of summer clothing, Lizette and I went shopping. However, now that I think about it, she didn't really wear much of what she bought while we were on Spring Break, so I think it's safe to say that I benefitted most from the shopping trip (haha).

To start: nothing I purchased was over $10. I only shopped for what I needed and I only really needed a couple of casual dresses. I guess I can be described as being quite frugal; when it comes to shopping, I always try to spend as little as possible. If something is cute but not within my budget, it usually stays on the shelf . From my experience with traveling, the most expensive thing is usually my plane tickets (unless I purchase them way in advance, which is rare).

Liz and I ended up going to the Holyoke Mall; we woke up extra early on what I believe was a Saturday morning because she had work later that afternoon.

We went into stores such as: Forever21, H&M, JCPenny, and Guess, but ended up buying the majority of what we purchased from the Burlington Coat Factory (hence why everything I purchased was $10 or less). Don't sleep on Burlington, y'all.

First dress I purchased: $8.99- BCF

Liz: $8.99 from the BCF

We did a mini haul on SnapChat
(hence the photo captions).
Btw, if you don't already,
you should follow me on the Snap

BCF: $10

Babydoll Dress: BCF for $7.99

I ended up selling this dress because I didn't
really like it, but I got it for $10 at the BCF

Same dress Liz was wearing in her
look #3
I was tired of taking photos
so I just started acting silly (haha)

We purchased the same dress: BCF $10
I'm wearing it above (look #3)

Liz purchased this from a random store at the mall
I believe it was $19.99

After selling the dress I didn't quite like,
I ended up purchasing this dress
from a girl on my campus who was selling it for $10

                                                                           Bonus Buys:

While in L.A, I needed a pair of cute sandals.
I found these when Liz and I went to a swap meet.
Got em for only $5

I also purchased a bathing suit top from JCPenny with a gift card that I'd had for like 5 years. The top was like 24 bucks, but honestly, I just wanted to finally get rid of the card. I received the gift card in my senior prom gift bag from high school, so yeah, mad long ago. So as it turns out, I actually did purchase something that was over ten bucks, but I would consider this to be more of a gift. 

If you have questions about anything spoken about here, in part one, please feel free to leave a comment below. Also, stay tuned because there is more to come. There is a lot to cover so please bare with me.

-xoxo 

Several Mini Spiels Within a Mini Winter Break Haul

The semester has begun and things have been a bit hectic. I've been working hard to get settled and organized because I am taking 22 credits (again) this semester and I can't afford to let myself get behind. Not to mention, I have two big performances this month (one on Saturday and another in about three weeks). The first involves music; I am a part of an accapella group at my school and we are performing at an event for the BSA conference. The second is a play called The Vagina Monologues; I haven't had much time to devote to my lines, but after this Saturday hopefully I'll be able to dive in and have them memorized in no time. This past week I have been constantly telling myself, "Girl, you are a force," and it has been helping me stay motivated and on top of things. I have a lot to do, but I am determined to continue to pursue the things that I love while still maintaining a hold on my academic career. This blog is something that I told myself that I would try really hard to keep up with, despite my workload, and I am going to do just that. 

So without further ado, I'd like to share some of the items I purchased and received over the winter break. 

  Black Ripped Jeans and Cut out Top from Danice Clothing Store (Barclays Center Mall) 

So this is literally what I wore for New Years Eve. My friends and I decided to go out to this bar in the city and I wanted to look cute but casual. I did my makeup, wore a really awesome headwrap, and put on my all black Vans. I wanted to be as comfortable as possible so that I would be able to dance and have a good time (mission accomplished).

These next few clothing items were a gift from my uncle who apparently thinks that I am going to take over the corporate world (never going to happen). He insisted that I shop for some "nice things," aka clothes deemed appropriate for interviews and such so he took me to JCPenny's. While we were out shopping I was wearing ripped jeans and a Nirvana tee so as you can imagine,  I do not often wear "nice things." 

I am currently in the middle of trying to secure a summer internship so if/when I land one, my uncle will probably be the first person I call and tell. Fwi, everything I picked out was on sale. I don't know if it's just me but whenever something is on sale, I start to wonder if everything we buy is constantly being overpriced (major possibility) and whether or not it could actually be sold for a "low-price" all the time (definitely could be). This thought frustrates me and is one of the reasons why I am not a very big shopper.

Bisou Bisou Michele Bohbot Black and Burgundy Dress Size 6
Originally $60 but it was sale so I got it for $22.29

Studio One New York Lace Navy Dress Size 4
Originally $72 but it was on sale so I got it for $26.74

Black Worthington Blazer Size 6
Originally $70 but it was on sale so I got it for $37.15

Liz Claiborne Ponte Casual Pants in Heather Grey and Navy Blue 
Originally $48.00 but they were on sale so I got them for $22.28 each

So in looking at the original prices versus the sale prices, do you see what I mean...? It's pretty wild, but anyways, lastly, my uncle got me a new carryon bag from Marshalls: Kenneth Cole Reaction 8 Wheelin Expandable Luggage Spinner Suitcase in Dark Green (suggested retail price is $200, but Marshalls sold it to us for $64.49. Four years ago I purchased a Tommy Hilfiger carryon bag for only $10 so if you are looking for luggage, don't sleep on Marshalls because they just might have what you need.

Both bags are pictured here

The carryon suitcase looks a  bit  like this, but it's dark green and the interior is a little different.

The next two photos include things that were all gifted to me via friends and family.

Necklaces, Chokers, Earrings, etc that were gifted to me by a good friend, my aunt, and my cousin

The majority of the things in this picture were gifted to me by my aunt and cousin, but the moose and snowflake socks were gifted to me by my mom

Last but not least, technically I did not purchase these boots (below) over the break because I got them when I got back to school, but I was so excited about them that I thought I should include them. So my school has a Facebook page where students can sell and exchange things. The day I got back to campus, someone was selling these boots for $20; I'd been looking for boots like these for quite some time. These particular boots are Cougar boots, they are usually quite pricey due their quality (they are waterproof and super warm). I looked these specific ones up online (Cougar Zag Waterproof Ankle Boot Black Deertan Leather) and they were priced for about $180. The person who sold them to me said that she had only worn them once (I literally could not even tell).

I think I'll call these my $20 "miracle boots" because not only did I get them at a great price, but they are super comfortable and stylish :D 

Winter Break: NYC, Florida, and Georgia (semi mini tales)

The day after completing my last final exam, I hopped on a Peter Pan bus and headed home to NYC (brooklyn to be exact). I hadn't visited home the entire semester so I was really excited to see my family and friends. For the first couple of days, I slept like nobodies business (I had just completed a 22 credit semester, I was exhausted). Since my family in NY does not celebrate Christmas (or any holiday for that matter), I am going to skip to NYE.

My friends and I on NYE

For NYE I ended up going  to a bar in Manhattan (Keybar) with two of my really good friends; we had an absolute blast. That night was my first time rock'n out to House music and it was an all around dope first time experience.

Book I read on the plane
(Highly recommend) 

Me chill'n at my aunt and uncle's house 

 Shortly after NYE, I flew down to Florida to visit my aunt and uncle. It had been a whole year since I'd seen them so I was super excited. Although they were often working during my visit, I still got to spend a good amount of time with them. We engaged in endless conversation about the new president and how the world was doomed (jk, but we definitely watched a lot of news and talked a lot about current events).When they were at work I would watch Netflix, read, write, and take random naps; it was absolutely fantastic.

On Sunday the 11th, I went to Georgia to visit my cousin who also runs a blog here on blogspot. Though my visit was only for a couple of days, we spent a ton of time together. We went on a tour of SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design) and then the next day we went back so that she could do a photoshoot for her blog. I had the privilege of directing and assisting the shoot which was such a great experience (1 and 2). After the shoot, we went to this really dope eatery called the Funky Brunch Cafe. I got a bomb veggie omelette, banana pancakes, and some fresh squeezed orange juice (best brunch spot I've ever been to).

Helping my cousin with her blog and pretty much everything we talked about that day is really what motivated me to get back to blogging consistently. So far, it has been a major pleasure and I am super glad that I decided to do it.

Blooper pic, from my cousin's shoot, that I captured

 After Georgia I went back down to Florida. Before heading back to my aunt and uncle's place, I went to visit my dad in St. Augustine; I stayed at his place for about a week. Though St. Augustine is beautiful in its  own right, but it's not a place that I would ever want to live (again). I was glad that I got to see my dad and some old and new friends, but honestly, visiting is always so strange. I always always end up feeling out of sorts when I'm there, almost as if I'm in The Twilight Zone and I hate feeling that way. Side note, The Twilight Zone is a pretty dope show, but I'm just saying.  

When the week came to an end, I headed back to my aunt and uncle's place and stayed there until I had to catch my flight back to NYC. The night before I was to leave, I was worried that my flight would be delayed because there was a tornado watch, but the rain stopped before morning and my flight was on time.

I flew Delta both ways

When the plane was flying into NYC however, it was raining and quite windy so we experienced some turbulence; there was a woman seated next to me who was completely terrified. She had been asleep for most of the ride because she took some sort of pill, but during the turbulence, she woke up and I thought she was going to puke (she didn't). It was weird because I wanted to comfort her somehow but I didn't really know how. It probably would have been super weird of me anyways, plus, when I'm like that, I usually prefer to be left alone so I decided to push myself up against the window in an attempt to give her as much room as possible. She was fine in the end, but as soon as we landed she called someone up on the phone and went off about how annoying the turbulence was (haha).
After being in NY for  two days,  I had to head back to MA for school. All in all, I had a pretty wonderful break. I reconnected with family and friends, I traveled (a lot), I slept (a lot), and I devoted time to reviving this blog. I am currently working on planning a trip to California for spring break. I will be sure to takes lots of pictures and document the entire trip so stay tuned for that.

xoxo