My Kind of Outdoor Activity...

I mentioned the other day that I am not an o utdoorsy person and that my idea of a good time outside is shopping at an outlet mall. Well, this week on our vacation at the beautiful Wyndham Resort in Sevierville, Tennessee, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that a Tanger Outlets was sitting only about a mile from us. And, naturally, the stores were calling my name. Monday we hit the ground running and it was a really great day of shopping. And I got exercise (that's some serious walking), fresh air, and even a little weight lifting action (hey, those bags get heavy!). 

I'm sometimes a little skeptical of outlet malls, because the word "outlet" seems to trick us into thinking we're automatically getting a good deal, which is not always the case. Most of the time, you're not really getting clearance-type reduced prices (and you all know how I feel about clearance.) Also, you can sometimes tell the difference in quality/style of clothing at an outlet store as opposed to the actual store at a mall. So really, my rule of thumb when outlet shopping is to look for an additional percentage off... at least 30%, but sometimes you'll find 50% and that's a real goldmine. 

My shopping outfit: all from Target except the purse (Nine West) 

Imagine my delight at the mall this week when nearly ALL my favorite stores had an ADDITIONAL 50% off! J. Crew, Banana Republic, Ann Taylor, and a few more had some really great sales going, and I took full advantage. With some money saved up for vacation and my regular budget, I didn't go too crazy but I did fill some holes in my closet and, let's be honest, bought a few things just because they were pretty (not to mention great deals!). 

I fell in LOVE with this little beauty from Ann Taylor... it was a little more than I would normally spend on a necklace but still a great deal and since it's so versatile, I knew I could bump up the value by wearing it with lots of different things. One of the items on my list was a pretty and unique necklace and this one fit the bill.

These dresses were $11 each at Banana Republic. Eleven dollars! I vacillated between the two until finally choosing the navy (sorry, instagrammers!) but my mother-in-law was trying to bring up her total enough to use a coupon so she generously purchased the coral for me. Yay! They are a really light-weight ponte material but not "flimsy" like most summer dresses. Score.

A couple of basic tees from Old Navy... the grey one I'm especially excited about. If you remember I bought that navy and white striped tee a few weeks ago (and have worn it many, many times already) and I needed a grey t-shirt, so I was thrilled to find the same one in this color. It's such a nice, easy fit and very soft. The navy is comfy too, and both were around 5 dollars, if I remember correctly.

I've needed some neutral wedges for a while now, and while these are very basic, I like that I can wear them with something dressy or casual. Plus, I've had good luck with this brand from Belk in the past and they were only $12, so I'll take it. And those little red skimmers? Just a treat for myself for the 4th... but aren't they cute! They have a whole bunch of colors if you live near a Belk!

Oh, J. Crew, how I love you. If you don't love this store for anything but a good boat-necked striped shirt (or two!) then you're missing the point. They have a couple other colors available online and everything's 50% too! I can't wait to wear these, even in the fall. Stripes are totally my jam, you know?

Well, that's it... I'd say I did pretty well considering everything I bought was between $5-20. I'd say the average cost of everything was maybe $10 each, which is not giving-it-away clearance but since everything I got is good quality and I LOVE each piece, I'm okay with breaking away with my usual garage-sale price point goal. (Cheapskate, right here.) 

As always, do tell if you have found any good deals lately. I love to know I'm not the only person out there frivolously buying striped shirts in multiple colors. (If you are too, I know we're meant to be friends.)

Ash

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