Rent The Runaway Cinderella

As a grown up on a budget, I still like to play dress up.  So when a friend asked if I would help her out with a formal work event, I said "sure why not."  The opportunity to see Mary Wilson of The Supremes, enjoy a nice dinner and get glammed up in exchange for a little work appealed to my frugal heart.  Like every other woman I know, I have a couple formal dresses in my closet but for this, I wanted to wear a dress with a little "something" to it.  However, I didn't want to pay a small fortune for a dress, I would wear if not only once then not in the near future.  Enter Rent The Runway, a site where you can rent designer dresses at a fraction of the cost to purchase.  If you've watch The Today Show in recent weeks you may have heard them rave about this site as the latest and greatest but thanks to my go to style site FashionCents, I was already head of the game.

I chose a Carmen Marco Valvo dress for the evening. 

I was inspired by a dress by the designer worn by Ann Curry.

Source: zimbio.com via Candace on Pinterest

Why This Worked For Me -

• You can shop for dresses based on price, occasion and color.  What I really liked was the ability to also search by body type and age.
• You can order the dress in two sizes, eliminating the question of "What if doesn't fit?"
• The descriptions were very detailed.  You knew how the dress would hang based on shoe height. I needed to change the length of the dress based on my height and the shoes I planned to wear.
• Most importantly...the price!  I rented my dress (retail $745) for $89.95. Normally the cost would have been $139.95 but as a new member to the site, I received a $50 discount courtesy of the invitation I received from FashionCents.  This includes shipping and insurance.  The regular rental cost for me is still a great deal.

Why This Would Work For You -

• Available dresses range from beach wear to weddings. This includes Prom dresses for those of you with High School Juniors and Seniors!
• If you have multiple events in the same time frame, Rent The Runway currently has a deal where you can rent an additional dress for $25.
• You can look fabulous without killing your wallet.  

What's Next -

• Step onto the Runway - Open your RTR account with this link and you'll get $20 towards your rental and I'll get $20 too!  How's that for a win-win?
• Need some advice on what to wear to formal events?  Check out Fashion Guru, Kim Turner's video below.

Dress Barn - Spring Fashion Trends

Today, I had the great fortune to help showcase Dress Barn's Spring Fashion Trends.  It gave me another opportunity to visit Dress Barn and see the new trends they carry in their stores.  My first visit was back in December as the winner of the Win A Holiday Look from Dress Barn Giveaway.  At the time, I was impressed with the latest trends in the store so I knew I would be wearing a great dress today.


Let me be clear...I am not a model!  This was a chance to step outside my comfort zone and the best perk was a great outfit.  Check out the video and see the dress I chose below.   April 11: Style Files - Spring Fashion Trends

Be sure to check out www.dressbarn.com and if shop at the Dress Barn in Elmhurst, IL tell Jaclyn I said hi!

This was my first choice

This was the show

My final choice

Source: dressbarn.com via Candace on Pinterest

Getting More from Your Grocery Store

Look in your purse or on your key ring.  If you’re like most consumers, looking back at you are reward cards or key fobs from your favorite stores.  Frequent shopper cards were created to generate loyalty to a particular business.  Keep shopping and you get a cost savings either at the time of purchase or at a later date (and sometimes both).  I’ll admit I have quite a few.  One or two I use often and others I haven’t used in years.  There are advantages and disadvantages to joining a rewards program.  You give up all privacy regarding your shopping habits and even how your pay for your purchases.  Retailers use this information to create incentives to get you back in the store usually with coupon and special offers.  This normally works in your favor unless you’re pregnant and you shop at Target.