Texas Weather.

There are many interesting things in this world, but one thing that never fails to interest me is the weather in Texas. You may have heard locals and visitors agree that the weather here is definitely bi-polar and I’m here to declare that statement to be entirely and brutally true.

Earlier this week I was able to walk out of my house wearing heels, a pencil skirt, a sheer tank-top and a blazer. I was a little more dressed up than usual because my 15-18 minute PR presentation was that day and one of our requirements was to dress in business-like attire. I did not take a picture of me in this outfit unfortunately, I was so overwhelmed with all the requirements needed for the presentation and thinking about how there will not only be the class watching, but a panel of 7 judges total watching and asking questions at the very end. My class normally runs for almost 3 hours and I am not kidding when I say this, but I was at school until almost 11 p.m. on that day because of all the presentations, questions and certificates being handed out. So no picture was taken of my outfit on this day.

Tuesday was cloudy. It was cloudy, but chilly in the morning and eventually that chilly wind turned into humidity. I needed to bundle up a little bit more on this day with some tights underneath my skirt, tall suede boots, and a long sleeve top. In the middle of the day however, I wanted nothing more than to take off my tights because I got too warm.

Wednesday it started to rain and the temperature dropped down to 41 degrees. Us Texans can withstand 100 degree weather and we are used to a much warmer environment, so when it drops below 50, we are FREEZING over here. I know this temperature is not a big deal to anyone who lives up north, but to the south, it’s a bit shocking to say the least. Thursday was even colder and still rainy so I was inspired to shoot a video on what to wear on a cold and rainy day. There are 3 outfits that I filmed and I hope to get this video up early next week.

Then, just when I thought that the weather couldn’t get more cold….

San Antonio, Texas got snow on Thursday night. This image is what my backyard looked like last night when it was snowing. Here I am at 21 years old and this was my very first time experiencing snow. My family was mesmerized by the beauty and the abnormality of this happening in a city deep in south Texas. I got to kick the snow, step in it, write my name in it, look up and stick my tongue out like a kid, and my mom even threw a snowball at my back while my dad recorded it. It was the best day ever this year.

This image is one of our cars and seeing it covered in snow was pretty neat. I enjoyed seeing all the little kids and their families walk out of their homes in disbelief that it was snowing. No one saw this kind of surprise happening. The last time that it snowed in my hometown was in the 80’s, when MY parents were kids!

This is how crazy Texas weather is. In one week, I got to wear various types of outfits because of the weather. I went from wearing outfits like the one of me shown below earlier this week, to stepping outside looking like Kenny from South Park!

Here we are on Friday and most of the snow is already gone. The sun was shining when I left my house around noon and there was warmth once more in the great outdoors. Now it is the evening and it is cold, but not as cold as it was 24 hours ago.

I hope you guys enjoyed reading about what the weather has been like here in Texas and although it was shockingly cold to a lot of us, I enjoyed it the best I could because I know that anyone living in California could’ve really used this snow and rain that we got. Especially with all the fires that are happening over there and destroying a lot of homes and tourist attractions. Please take a moment and send some positive vibes or prayers there way because these fires need to be put to an end already. While we are here  bundled up or living peacefully in our homes, someone else is going through something troubling because they may lose their homes. Firefighters have endlessly fought to protect their state and it would be appreciated if any of you who have read this far will take a moment to recognize the tragedy that is occurring and send the best wishes their way.

On a lighter note, keep an eye out for my rainy day video on my YouTube channel and if you haven’t already, subscribe to me! You can visit my channel by clicking this link:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEcAQXGrMMLM5UHV1YIP2Rw

 

That’s all I have for you all for today, stay stylish!

 

 

National Thrift Store Day!

Instagram has made me aware that it is National Thrift Store Day today! I personally love to thrift shop and it has saved me a lot of money while also keeping me in style. Thrift Store finds have made their way to almost every single outfit that I wear. You can honestly find a ton of stuff at a thrift store and I really love the fact that when people compliment something I am wearing, that item or piece of apparel is almost always thrifted.

I have no shame in being a thrift store shopper. I am letting you guys know that I almost never buy anything regular priced when it comes to clothes, accessories and shoes. If thrift store shopping is absolutely not your thing, then I recommend that you find some re-sale stores in your area. Re-sale stores in my hometown are Plato’s Closet, Uptown Cheapskate and New To You. These stores buy and sell second-hand merchandise and these items that they buy and sell are usually name brand items!

If you are absolutely not a fan of second-hand clothing, shoes, accessories or anything like that, but still want to save money, I highly suggest saving money for those end of season sales. My favorite store to shop at when this happens is Dillards! I LOVE that store. If you do not want to wait until the end of the season to shop deals, log on to the store’s website and look at their sales and promotions to see if you get lucky!

I hope you guys are all having a great week and are completely aware that staying stylish does not have to be so pricey!

If you would like to see my top four favorite thrift store finds, starting with the frontal view of the summer dress I am wearing in the image below, please find me on Instagram @alamocitysara 🙂

 

 

Work, Work, Work, Work, Work

Before I got my current job, I was working retail. I was working at the store WetSeal and pretty much had the ability to wear whatever I wanted as long as it was an appropriate length and cut that would represent the store and myself well. WetSeal merchandise was always encouraged to wear, so you can imagine just how much I would spend on clothes there on pay day. Plus who doesn’t like a great employee discount?

Now that I am in an office environment, there had to be some changes to my wardrobe. I am the person who sits at the front desk. I answer phone calls, I work on documents, I greet visitors and try to help them with general questions about certain services and because I sit in the front desk, I am the first face people see which puts the need to represent my department well. This put some pressure on me about what I can’t wear anymore. No more ripped jeans. No more spaghetti strapped tops. No more shorts, even if they were dressy shorts. No more shirts that say words like “Tacos & Tequila” or “Beach Please” or “no makeup, no problem” or “all I need is coffee and wifi”…you get the picture. I went into the job interview wearing a high neck black dress and black closed toe flats. I kept the makeup natural looking and straightened my hair. You have no idea how much I researched on what to wear for an interview. Maybe I can blog on some tips soon?

Anyways, my style has transformed since being at my current job and today I am going to show you 3 different looks that I have gotten compliments on at work. This first one is a bit fierce, but it is not over the top. In my personal opinion, mixing two different animal prints is pretty daring and can make any outfit look more trendy. This outfit is under $75 and has started a lot of conversations from visitors to the office.

This second outfit was under $50! The colors in this outfit made me think of Daphnie from Scooby-Doo! Pretty sophisticated and girly at the same time.

Last look is one that plays with flawless black and white with a pop of color! This outfit was also under $75 and the skirt was only $4!

Which one of these outfits is your favorite? Do you want to know details on these outfits? Tomorrow I will be posting more details on these three outfits and am currently working on a video for you guys! I hope you guys enjoyed these looks. Do not be afraid to allow your style to grow up with you! Stay stylish my friends.

 

 

Feed Your Soul Without Using Your Wallet

My fashionistas, financially struggling college students, minimum wage part-time employees, anyone living paycheck to paycheck…remember that it is okay to take a step back and search for what is in your closet before searching for a deal through online shopping. It was about two weeks ago when I decided to set aside some time to go through everything in my closet. I tried on things and realized that not only did things not fit like they used to, but my style has changed over time.

The clothes I felt this way about had no place in my closet anymore so I decided to grab a big bag and started placing these clothes in there so I can donate them to thrift stores. I also took my name brand items and am making a bag that I will take to Plato’s Closet once I finish going through my drawers. By just going through my closet, I ended up donating two bags of clothing and five pairs of shoes from my closet.

I have also given shoes and clothing to little donation stations like the one in the image above. I was able to give back to the community and make extra space in my closet. I know that donating clothing can be hard when you tell yourself that you will fit back into those pants one day, or if certain clothes have an emotional value to you, but remember that clothes are meant to be worn and flaunted instead of never seeing the light of day again.

If you ever feel this way, my advice to you is to look at my blog post, Wants vs Needs and create a list of the things you currently want and a list of things that you need. Look at this list and ask yourself, “Am I willing to get rid of this one item that doesn’t work for me anymore for a new item I want/need that will work for me?”

If the answer is yes, find your strength and donate!

After donating clothing, you will feel strong for overcoming this obstacle which in turn is great for your soul and does not hurt your wallet. Before donating, I did stop and think for a moment in my car one last time if I really wanted to give all these clothes up. What made me certain that this was the best thing to do, was the fact that there are a lot of people just like me who come to thrift stores in hopes to finding something nice without over-spending.

On a side note since we are on the topic of thrift shopping, guess what?

I won a $10 gift card from Thrift City! They loved my photo of the dress I purchased from their store that I purchased and wore to my friend’s wedding last Saturday. Dress is in the image below.

And here is the gift card that I won and picked up earlier today!

So here is how I won this gift card…

First I purchased an item from their store, then I posted a photo of me wearing the dress on my Instagram account @alamocitysara and I used the hashtag #shopthriftcity . Make sure that if this is something that you’re interested in doing that your account is not set on private and that you are certain that there is a Thrift City in your area that you can shop at and pick up your gift card.

That is all you have to do in order to have a chance to win a $10 gift card. They pick a new winner every week and will DM you if you win with details on what to do next in order to claim your prize!

I believe this is all I have for you all today. Make the move to donate and give back to your community. Also take the time to step back and think about what you really want to spend your money on by listing the things you want and need.

Thanks for reading and stay stylish!

Wants vs. Needs

Am I the only one who gets paid and gets super happy and crazy that I end up only being somewhat rich for less than 24 hours before I’m broke again?

This never fails to happen to me. Pay day arrives and I almost trip and fall as I run to the mall. I’m not going to lie, I spend a lot of money on things I want way over things that I need. Wants are not just materialistic things, but also food. How can I say no to food? Do I really need some of those Great American Cookies? No, but I want it.

I’m not going to tell you that you should learn how to buy things that you need over things you just simply want. Instead, I’m here to remind you that you are not the only one who may go overboard with spending money the second you get paid. I am going to show you some things that I need versus things that I want. You’ll notice right away that the wants are greater.

I’ve been needing another blazer. I have one black one right now, but after trying to put on outfits for work in the morning, I realized that I could really use a white one. This one is from Boohoo. I need to just purchase it already. I could really use it to amp up my more professional looking outfits for work.

I really need a pair of black jeans…

The ones off to the right are from Fashionnova. I like these in particular because I have these in the Medium Blue color and I think that they are comfortable and very flattering. They are also high-waisted which is the only type of jean I like wearing now-a-days.

I am always looking to save money, but when it comes to pants, I am willing to spend the money if I like the way that it fits and it feels comfortable. I still do not really know what my proper pant size is. I can tell you right now that I have pant sizes in my closet ranging from size 2 to size 9. Crazy, but it has made me pay closer attention to size charts.

Moving on, I also really need another strapless bra. I have been wearing the only one I have religiously with all the off-the-shoulder, spaghetti strap or strapless tops and dresses that are all they hype this summer. I want to get another strapless bra in a nude color so that I can wear it with anything. I have not found a nude bra that I like, so I have no image for this item. However, I do have an image for some nude shoes that I like.

These are from Nordstrom and are 33% off at the moment. I always prefer 50% off or more which is why I haven’t purchased these yet. I know I am taking a gamble to wait for the price to lower for these, but I also want these shoes in pink. Do I need pink shoes? No. But that pink is SO gorgeous!

I know that I can pair more things with the nude color. I know, I know, I know!! Did you notice how everything I need is a nude color?

But I really cannot pass up the pink. I am a sucker for colorful stuff. These shoes are so awesome and I know I will cry if I don’t get them in pink. Could I live without the nude colored ones? Yeah. But the truth is that I need more neutrals! Sometimes black doesn’t really go with the outfit. Moving on to even more wants…

I’m obsessing over this almost $100 mustard yellow jacket from Verge Girl. Just look at it. I love that this jacket demands attention and stands out from the crowd without being too bright. I will have this jacket.

What I will not have is this romper on here from ModCloth…I took the gamble to wait for the price to go down and I looked for it only to discover that they only have XL available. Sigh…

I just want to ask God one thing…Bless this mess!

The real Holy Water is the way that this site describes their product Bless This Mess spray. On Anese, this spray is a hydrating mist that apparently smells very heavenly. I want it! I am so curious about this product even though I have a ton of sprays that I love. I really recommend you guys go check out this website. Their beauty products seem really cool and they all have funny names! I love it! Their website is listed below. Are there things that you guys want really badly? Are there things that you need but are still finding yourself holding off just so that you can buy what you want first?

You’re not alone my friend. Cheers.

https://www.anese.co/

Wedding Bells

It is that weird time in life where you notice that you and your friends are all going in different directions…

Some friends are independent with full time jobs, some have children, some have moved to a different state, some are in college, some still live with their parents (myself included), some are busy constantly working, some are busy constantly partying, and no joke- some may have even passed away.

I have reached this weird time in my life where my life and my friend’s lives begin to go off in very different directions. We are no longer going through the same things at the same time like we did in high school. It’s funny. It’s crazy. It’s all just so very weird. Despite what may be happening, there is something that stops you in your tracks unlike anything else when you learn that one of your friends is getting married.

The couple had announced their engagement about a year ago. They will be getting married this week. Yes, a year has gone by already! About two weeks ago I attended the Bachelorette party. The one and only Bachelorette party I had ever attended. I went to the nearest Target and bought her lingerie of course! You’re welcome Johnny.

I participated in all the games, one included creating a wedding gown out of toilet paper. I wish the gown I had created would’ve won!

The jeopardy game was my favorite. The three categories were The Bride, The Groom and The Couple. I knew most of the answers for the most part, but everyone else just seemed to shout louder. It was a lovely experience overall. There was food, decorations, gift bags, lots of underwear for the bride to be, and friends and family. But now that the wedding is THIS week, things are just becoming super real.

 

I am talking about this today because marriage is a real game changer. Married or not, I still love my friends all the same. I am excited to witness my friends become one this week. I know that this event is significant to my boyfriend as well. The groom is his best friend. I found a dress from the thrift store for $5 that I will be wearing for the wedding. Since my boyfriend is a groomsmen who will be wearing a tux and a gold tie, I decided to put some gold into my own outfit to match him. This photo doesn’t do this dress justice, but I swear there are some gold undertones in it. I have my golden ‘Sealed With A Kiss’ gold shoes from Necessary Clothing that I will be wearing. Now I just need that golden necklace!

 

 

Necessary Clothing

Good evening everyone! I am doing things a bit differently today by posting a blog as I begin to settle down for the night versus first thing in the morning. I am thinking about doing things this way on the weekend. Do you guys prefer to read blogs in the morning to start the day or in the evening as you unwind from the day? Comment and let me know!

Today I took my time fixing my hair and makeup while I watched the show Sex and the City and drank coffee. I left my house around 1:30 p.m. and enjoyed the best pulled pork sandwich from a Bar-B-Que place in my hometown named B-Daddy’s. From there my boyfriend and I took some pictures around the area and walked off our lunch at Ross and a thrift store where I got this pretty dress for only $5! I am a college student who is always looking to save money and I really believe thrift stores hold some hidden gems if you truly take the time to look around.

I thought that this dress looked so lovely, that I plan on wearing it to my friend’s wedding next Saturday with my gold heels from a New York based store named Necessary Clothing. Speaking of which, I was very surprised to see that they used my photo of their ‘Sealed With A Kiss’ gold heel and posted it on their Instagram account! This may not seem like a big deal to those who constantly have their photos posted and recognized by the stores they tag, but to me, it was the cherry on top to my day! I was so stoked the second I saw that a photo I took was recognized by New York City based fashion store. The image below is a screenshot of this proud moment!

Since I am on the topic of Instagram, I really want to take a second and kindly ask you all to check out my fashion account @alamocitysara If you press the Instagram icon off to the right side of the page, you will be directed to my profile. Please be sure to give me a follow if you would like to see more fashion from me. I am happy with the clothes I put on my back and understand the importance of putting your best foot forward even when on a budget. I will definitely post a picture of the $5 dress I found at the thrift store tomorrow as well as other cool fashion photography. Let me know if you become a follower to my Instagram account and if you would like me to follow you back as well. You are all incredible and I believe everyone has something beautiful and great to offer. Continue to work hard and do not get discouraged. When you least expect it, you’ll be recognized and discovered one step at a time!

Thank you and goodnight 🙂