ten outfits under $35, part X.

It’s been some time since I have written an outfit post. It takes me longer and longer these days, not just because of the time it takes to take pictures of all these outfits, but that the outfits are getting harder to put together. I am facing a shortage of cheap shirts. Cheap dresses and pants/jeans are no problem, but weirdly, I just don’t have that many shirts that fall into that $10-ish price point that makes them right for this blog. I do almost none of my shopping at Goodwill or Plato’s Closet any more, mostly because I am now old and impatient. I am still an avowed Country Peddler aficionado, which you will see reflected in this post. Part of it could be that I am very particular about the shirts I wear – much more so than pants. Who knows. In any case, I still have ten outfits to show you today!

This is my tenth post where the outfits are $35 or less. You can find the other nine here, plus the very first two (in which I had different price points):

$40 or less
$30 or less
under $35, part I
under $35, part II
under $35, part III
under $35, part IV
under $35, part V
under $35, part VI 
under $35, part VII
under $35, part VIII

under $35, part IX

(You really should check them out and see how my style has evolved over the years; it’s kind of amazing. I’ve been doing these since 2013, after all.)

If you’re reading this now, you’ve probably been through my cheap outfit rules – so I’m going to quit going over them. If you haven’t, you can find the full set of rules in volume VII. But here’s all you really need to know: I’m into hunting bargains, and the total cost of each and every outfit is under $35.

Anyway, onto the first cheap outfits of 2019!

jacket – Country Peddler – FREE! (used credit)

jeans – AE – $29.97

shoes – DSW – FREE! (was $90, all sorts of coupons/discounts)

bracelet – Etsy/Michaels – about $4 for supplies

TOTAL: $33.97

Country Peddler has (fairly) recently begun carrying boutique clothing, and this jacket was a part of that line. I love army green jackets SO MUCH and floral embroidery SO MUCH. This jacket is nice and light and I could definitely get away with wearing it as a shirt. These shoes are nothing short of a miracle: I had LOADS of coupons from DSW, and I bought three pairs of shoes online one day (in the middle of one of their massive sales). Somehow, I ended up saving around $100, and these TOMS wedges would have been $90. So I got them for free. You’ll be seeing a lot of them in these posts. The bracelet is one I made with the help of some elastic and a bit of glue. Easy peasy – that is, until it breaks, but so far so good.

dress – Country Peddler – FREE! (was $18, used credit)

shoes – Target – $28.49 (25% off)

bracelet – Etsy/Michaels – about $4 for supplies

TOTAL: $32.49

This dress is a lovely Country Peddler find, and I am so into this color. I made this bracelet as well – when you can make your own jewelry, it’s amazing how many pieces you can make for not very much money.

sweater – Tyana's Boutique – $15 (50% off)

pants – Maurices – $19.95 (clearance, last ones left)

shoes – DSW – FREE! (was $90, all sorts of coupons/discounts)
Lake Superior necklace – gift from Mom and Dad

TOTAL: $34.95

Tyana's is a boutique here in Luverne, and they have great stuff. They also have GREAT deals in between seasons. I got this shirt (and a grey version just like it) on the 50% off rack. The pants were the LAST pair on the Maurices website, hence the price. I am a huge proponent of these type of pants – they’re comfortable, classy enough for work, but sturdy enough for librarians like me to wear to work and crawl around on the floor. I buy all my pants based on whether or not they’ll hold up when I crawl around on the floor. My necklace is a wire outline of Lake Superior - my second favorite lake in the world, and a great reminder of summer adventures.

jumpsuit – Niche Boutique in Nisswa – $20 (clearance)

shoes – Modcloth – $13.49 (clearance and 50% off)

TOTAL: $33.49

Ok, so the only jumpsuit I’ve ever owned before is a red polyester one from Goodwill that I bought when I was 17 and wore for Halloween. But jumpsuits are back! I tried this on in a store in Nisswa, Minnesota on a total whim. It was on the clearance rack, and why not? Turns out? I LOVED it. I tried it on and looked like a long-legged 70s goddess. When I came out of the fitting room, James’s mouth actually dropped open. If that doesn’t say “go ahead and spend the $20,” I don’t know what does.

jacket – Country Peddler – FREE! (used credit)

shirt – Beautique – $18

jeans – AE – FREE! (free jean coupon)

shoes – Modcloth – $16.79 (additional 40% off clearance)

TOTAL: $34.79

I have never owned a leather jacket before, and to be honest, I’m pretty so-so on leather in general. Wearing an animal’s skin is just kind of weird when you think about it. That being said, I don’t believe I have ever purchased a new leather item. I have had a few consignment leather bags and shoes, but never a jacket until now. It’s still kind of weird that it’s leather, but I definitely like how it looks. Plus, I’m supporting a small and beloved business, not the actual people who skinned the cow. That’s something, I think. Beautique is a boutique in Brandon, South Dakota, and I got this shirt on clearance. They stand out among the others, though, because they have free shipping with no minimum purchase. I LOVE THAT. The jeans came from that continually amazing free jeans rewards program that American Eagle does – I think these jeans would’ve been something like $70 otherwise. And you know me: you’re never getting me to pay $70 for jeans.

dress – Maurices – $26.57

shoes – DSW – FREE! (was $90, all sorts of coupons/discounts)

headband – Prairie Mermaid – $7 ($5 off coupon)

TOTAL: $33.57

I’m so happy buffalo plaid is a thing, because I love it and it makes me feel so cozy and Minnesotan. Plus, this dress is long enough (which is always a challenge), and it has pockets. Obviously, dresses are made a thousand times better if they have pockets. My headband is from one of the loveliest boutiques – it’s called the Prairie Mermaid, and it’s in Brookings. They have such neat stuff, and the décor in there is like being in an underwater flower garden. Seriously, go look next time you’re in Brookings.

shirt – Country Peddler – FREE! ($9, used credit)

pants – Target – $29.99

shoes – Modcloth – FREE! (came with weird heel, couldn’t exchange, full credit)

bracelet – Lucky Day – $5

TOTAL: $34.99

As a broad-shouldered lady, button down shirts are a constant struggle for me. They either stretch across my shoulders, resulting in front buttons that gap, or they are boxy and make me look like a business casual football player. This shirt miraculously does neither. My pants? I can indeed crawl around on the floor with them, making them perfect library attire. Finally, my bracelet is made of the inside of a real Norwegian sweater.

jumpsuit – Yellow Umbrella Boutique Bemidji – $34 (15% stitching flaw)

shoes – Modcloth – FREE! (came with weird heel, couldn’t exchange, full credit)
cameo earrings – gift from Mom and Dad

TOTAL: $34

Oh look – another jumpsuit! This one was purchased during THE SAME TRIP as the first jumpsuit. This one makes me look like a badass lady aviator – or that’s what I’m going for, at least. My earrings are hard to see, but they are lovely little blue cameos, and I am IN LOVE with them. I got them from Mom and Dad for Christmas and have already lost count of how many times I've worn them.

shirt – Country Peddler – FREE! (was $10, used credit)

cardigan – Amazon – $13.77 (5% discount)

jeans – Maurices – $19.50

shoes – Country Peddler – FREE! (was $22, used credit)

Minnesota earrings – gift from my in-laws

TOTAL: $33.27

If you’re counting, this is the fifth outfit featuring items from Country Peddler. This blog really is the Country Peddler show, but I find so many treasures there, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. These snapping cardigans have been a big thing for a while, and I really like them. Librarians are famous for the amount of cardigans we own, and I am certainly no exception.

dress – Chelsea’s Boutique – $34.95

shoes – DSW – FREE! (was $90, all sorts of coupons/discounts)

necklace – made by James

TOTAL: $34.95

This dress has been one of the more versatile things I own. I’ve worn it to work, to funerals, to plays, and on dates. Like my red buffalo plaid dress, this dress is both long enough and has pockets. Plus, they’re both so comfortable that it feels like wearing pajamas all day long. My necklace is a turtle that James made out of old watch parts. I love it, but its little fins are sharp and deadly. So don’t mess with me when I’m wearing my turtle necklace.

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Thanks for sticking with me through another set of outfits under $35! The next one might not be ready for another six or seven or eight months, but rest assured I’m always on the hunt for the next bargain.

a love letter to Empire Oil.

Dear Empire Oil,

I never thought I would love an oil change business. But here we are.

Before I knew you, getting an oil change was equivalent to getting a tooth pulled. I had to make an appointment somewhere, and the process inevitably took twice the time I had initially budgeted. I would sit uncomfortably in a smelly waiting room for two hours, quietly reading my library book and wishing for death. Yes, these oil changes were affordable on my then-meager salary (this was 2010, after all), but they did cost me an entire evening. I hated getting my oil changed, and thus had it done far less often than I should have.

But then? You, Empire Oil. You came into my life.

I don’t remember why I first stopped in the small shop. Perhaps it was the lure of a fifteen-minute oil change, and perhaps it was that I had not had an oil change in quite some time. I do know that I had reached the point in my life where my time was beginning to be valuable to me, making me more willing to pay extra for things like fast oil changes.

So I stopped at Empire Oil, not anticipating this would change my car maintenance life.

As I pulled in the bay, I was met with three or four eager employees, every which of whom was incredibly polite. I sat in the modest waiting room for no more than ten minutes when it was announced my car was ready to go. Stunned, I stepped up to pay the bill. Not only was my oil changed, but every last thing on my car was checked, cleaned, and topped off.

Since that day, I have never looked back.

I have gotten countless oil changes at Empire Oil, and each one has been just as pleasant as the first. Never has an oil change taken the full fifteen minutes, even when every bay was full. The Empire Oil employees are the most polite group of people I have ever had the pleasure of encountering. And that’s what keeps me coming back.

So, my dear Empire Oil, as long as I live in your vicinity, rest assured I will never leave you. Should my life take me away from the Sioux Falls area, I know I will never find an oil change place like you.

Forever yours,

Calla

2018: a year in review.

If you’re like me (and God help you if you are), you stand at the end of yet another year, looking back and wondering, “What have I been doing this whole time? What did I accomplish besides watching all of The Office on Netflix and spending too much money on fancy coffee?” Every single year, I question if I have indeed made the best of my time, or if I have just been sitting on the couch for the entire year. At first glance (especially considering the last couple weeks of the year), it does seem like I haven’t done much of anything. But really? I’ve been pretty busy. Let’s take a look at what I’ve been up to in 2018.

JANUARY

In January, my dear friend Sarah and I went to see the Killers in St. Paul. We listened to the Killers in high school, and they were one of those bands who just seemed to speak with us. So many of their songs are about wishing to escape from a bleak small town (THAT WAS US!), and the lyrics are filled with emotion. The concert was absolutely everything we could’ve hoped for – they played all our favorite songs, and we danced like we were teenagers and not thirty-somethings with full-time jobs and mortgages. It was so amazing.

FEBRUARY

February brought the biggest change of 2018: I got a new job. I left my six-year tenure at Siouxland Libraries in Sioux Falls to become library director of the Rock County Community Library right here in Luverne. 

 I miss all the great people at Siouxland, but working at the Rock County Library has been a blast. I have had so much fun doing programming in Luverne, and I have certainly learned a lot since I started. I’m looking forward to what 2019 will bring to the library.

MARCH

My friend and classmate Amanda and I went to Minneapolis in March to shadow reference librarians at the main branch of the Hennepin County Library system. This was for a class, and we had to write a paper about what we learned. This may not sound like the most fun thing in the world to you, but we actually had a blast. The librarians took us into the staff areas of this massive library, and we saw magazine archives, a giant automated materials handling (AMH) machine, and all sorts of special collections. It was a librarian’s dream come true.

APRIL

My birthday was in April, and James was tasked with taking me somewhere for a weekend trip. The catch? I wouldn’t know the location. There aren’t a lot of places one can go in a weekend, and we ended up in Omaha. I did really enjoy exploring Omaha for the weekend – they have a lot of great food and neighborhoods. 

April also held the MOST ridiculous snowstorm – it shut down the entire state of Minnesota, including the library (which, according to my coworkers, was unprecedented).

MAY

May was the first Trivia Night in Luverne: a partnership between the library and Take 16, the brewery in town. It was so much fun, and we’ve been doing it once a month ever since. Take 16 is a great partner, and they have a beautiful event center for Trivia Night. We typically have between 60 and 70 people each time, including some die-hards that have been there every time. It’s easily my favorite library program. 

May is the annual Tulip Festival in Orange City, Iowa, and Mom and I have been going for the past several years. This year, my brother Mitch was able to join us, which was a lot of fun! 

Finally, James and I went to the cities for our friend Nate’s birthday extravaganza, which included a pitiful Twins game, three breweries, one distillery, and the Lyft driver from hell.

JUNE

Every summer, I try and dedicate as much time as possible to Lake Poinsett: my favorite place on earth. Summers are usually spent lounging about our friends Don and Carol’s cabin, but this year, things were a little different. My parents bought the cabin right next door to Don and Carol. It is AMAZING. James and I spent a ton of weekends there, and we spend the night a few times. I have to tell you, there’s nothing like waking up at the lake. 

James ran Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth this year, which is nothing short of amazing to non-runners like me.

JULY

July is my favorite month because all the best things happen in July – and summer is in full swing. James and I spent the Fourth of July in the Apostle Islands of Wisconsin, which were absolutely gorgeous. 

There was the Brookings summer arts festival, always a favorite. My uncle Dex passed away in May, and we had a celebration of his life in July. While the reason for the gathering was sad, I got to see cousins I don’t get to see very often, and we all had a really wonderful time spending time together. 

At the end of July, James and I went with my parents and aunt and uncle so they could play the National Anthem at a Lacrosse Loggers baseball game in Wisconsin. It was a great experience, and it turns out minor league baseball is a ton of fun.

AUGUST

I was working full time and in graduate school full time during the summer, so I didn’t get as much lounging and adventuring in as I would’ve liked. I did have one week off from school (but not work) in between semesters, so James and I took a long weekend and went to Bemidji. We saw Itasca State Park and the headwaters of the Mississippi. Bemidji was more fun than we had expected – and yes, we did see Paul Bunyan and Babe.

SEPTEMBER

September saw me beginning year five of story time in Ellsworth. James also began year nine teaching in Ellsworth – WHOA. James’s brother Scott and his fiancé Kathryn got married in Two Harbors in September, and James and I spent an extra night up there camping. It was perfect camping weather, and the North Shore is gorgeous in September. 

At the end of September, James and I spent the weekend in Minneapolis with my parents and went to see Hamilton. YOU GUYS. It was incredible.

OCTOBER

October was the busiest month of my life. I had two conferences, two new kittens, one trip to San Francisco, and approximately one million library programs. The conferences were in St. Cloud and Brainerd, so lots of driving. The new kittens came about because they wouldn’t make it on the farm at which they lived, and James and I have soft spots for cats in need. 

So now we’re a three-cat household: Ned (the runt), Mabel (the semi-blind one), and Mona (the giant fluffy one). James and I went to San Francisco as a belated fifth anniversary celebration, and we had an amazing time. San Francisco is one of my very favorite places, and James loved it, too. The weather was perfect, and we walked across the Golden Gate Bridge, saw Muir Woods, explored the neighborhoods, rode the cable cars, and soaked in the ocean air. 

Then there was Halloween – this year, I had not one, not two, not three… but FOUR costumes. I was Beetlejuice for a library murder mystery event, zombie Marty McFly for the Sioux Falls Zombie Walk, Marla Hooch for a strong women-themed Halloween party, and Winifred Sanderson on Halloween itself. Best holiday ever.

 NOVEMBER

In November, James and I once again traveled to Minneapolis. This time, we met my parents, James’s brother Jesse, and my brother Mitch (who, by some miracle, made it at the very last minute) to see The Book of Mormon. We all loved it, but my dad and brother were especially appreciative. After the matinee ended, my mom said, “Do you think if we just sat here, we could watch the next show??”

DECEMBER

In December, I finished up my fourth semester of graduate school work with one of the more stressful semesters ever. As I’m writing this, I am winding up a five-week break from school and loving every second of it. Only two semesters to go. SIGH. We also celebrated my mom's retirement from SDSU after 32 years! 

December held the fifth annual Norwegian Christmas with our friends Nate and Taylor, which is one of our favorite days of the year. We make all sorts of Scandinavian foods, create signature drinks, and laugh until our stomachs hurt. 

Of course, there was regular Christmas too. My whole family was together, which was nothing short of remarkable – Mitch, at the last minute, was able to make it home for Christmas. There’s nothing like Christmas together.

And here we are, at the beginning of 2019. I hope you get what you’re looking for out of 2019, and I hope 2018 was as good to you as it was to me.