Walmart Womens Swimsuit Clearance - $3.00 to $5.00

If you are still in the market for a swimsuit for a late Summer outing or vacation somewhere over the Fall or Winter, you might want to check out Walmart.

When I stopped in at Walmart this evening I noticed they have a good variety of swimsuit tops and bottoms on clearance starting at $3 and full swimsuits starting at $5.  I almost bought the black swim top in front and the vertical stripe swimsuit on the second rack and did pick up a blue swim top and a blue print maxi skirt for $3 each.

They do have a few swimsuits listed on Walmart's website. However, for a better selection, I suggest checking out your local store.

5 Trends You Can Rock at Any Age (Budget Edition)

This is from a Youtuber I follow, Busbee Style who is a professional wardrobe consultant and she has a list of current trends that any age can "rock".

My style these days is mostly oversized and comfortable, but working on improving that.

For a more limited budget though, I will offer a few suggestions:

Jeans

• Levi's jeans have a variety of styles and I have found them to be the most durable.
• Thrift Stores on half-price sale days.  
• Kohl's or JC Penney's when they have a sale and stacking with coupon codes.

Color Trends

• Surprisingly, in Dollar General    While the selection is not vast, I don't think I have seen a piece over $15.  Most of it is comfortable and they even carry Bobbie Brooks brand (as made famous by John Cougar Mellencamp in his 1982 song "Jack and Diane".

Modern Motorcycle Jackets

• Consignment Shops 
• Macy's  with sale or coupon usually $40 and up 

Animal Prints

I do think you can go wrong with too much animal print:Photo: Source

This I think is specially if you are older, so I will limit this to:

• Shoes - 6pm.com - they have pumps starting at $11.80.
• Scarf  -  Ebay.com - While a lot of items that come up under the sort are not animal prints, the Auctions start as low as .01 and some include free shipping.

Sunglasses

If more for fashion and not out in the Sun all-day:

• Dollar Tree - they have a variety of style during the Spring/Summer months.
• DIY your Dollar Tree Sunglasses.  Below is a pair that I glued a chain using E6000 glue to the top several years back as a copycat of a Chanel pair that sold for $2,200.

• Forever 21 - they have a large variety in current styles starting at $5.90.

McDonald's Limited Time Promotion: Worldwide Favorites

When going through a local drive-thru at McDonald's to get a soft drink I noticed the above limited-time promotion that McDonald's is offering where you can get a sampling of 4 foods served at other McDonald's globally.

• Canada's Tomato Mozzarella Chicken Sandwich
• Spain's Grand Extreme Bacon Burger
• Australia's Cheesy Bacon Fries
• Netherland's Stroopwafel McFlurry

The one I am planning on trying is the Stroopwafel McFlurry.  I wasn't sure what a Stroopwafel was, but in Googling found it a thin wafter of baked dough filled with caramel syrup.

Which, if any, appeal to you to want to try?

CLEAN CAR HACKS! How to Clean & Organize Your Car!

I subscribe to the above channel posting as she has to good tips for cleaning your car and shares some unique products.well and well worth a watch.

Note:  Links to products she shows are on her channel below the video.  Most are under $20, but a few of them there may be a lower cost alternative, so I have included that below as well. 

In the video, she has inexpensive DIY Window Cleaner and a DIY Seatbelt cleaner and I plan on trying out the window cleaner some time.

CRAFT FOAM PAINT BRUSHES TO CLEAN VENTS
I think this is a pretty genius idea.   Most of the craft shops sell individual ones for under $1 or you might be able to find a small bag at Dollar Tree.

WINDOW SCRAPER
She uses a plastic window scraper to get bits off a window or windshield and it links to a pan scraper, but you might be able to pick up cheaper at Walmart or a pack of putty scrapers from Home Depot for around $4.

FLUBBER LOOKING DUST CLEANER

I have to say I have never seen anything like it, but I am intrigued and it looks like it might be fun to play with.   The cost is currently $7.99 on Amazon. 

In Googling, I did find a https://www.cnet.com/how-to/how-to-make-cleaning-slime-for-electronics/ that uses borax, white Elmer's glue and water that would be much cheaper to make and it looked like it was working on a keyboard.  This may be a DIY in my future.

Photo;  Screenshot from video

Screenshot from video

BLINGED STEERING WHEEL COVER

This her mother got it for her and it is currently on Amazon for $14.57. 

Although I have picked up steering wheel covers at Walmart on clearance for $3 before and I suppose you could pick up bling ribbon from Dollar Tree or a crafts store and glue it around the outside that it might be slightly cheaper, it is not likely to last up as long and probably worth the investment.

CREVICE STORAGE BOXES

I had considered making something to attach to the door of my car to hold things, but I like this idea of utilizing the crevice between the console and seat to store things better and it looks upscale.

Currently, a set of 2 for $16.95 (on Amazon and it comes with spacers to help keep it open a bit.  If I had a nicer vehicle it might be worth investment, but on Ol' Red, my 2000 Hyundai Accent, it would probably look too much out of place, so space may continue to be an occasional 2 pocket binder holder.

SEAT HOOKS

I had not seen this before, but I love the idea.  I checked Walmart's website and although they have some individual ones that are cheaper, they also look more flimsy, so the deal for a pack of 4 for $6.90 on Amazon does seem like the best deal so far.

SILICONE BAKING MOLDS FOR IN CONSOLE 

It would make sense to have something you can put in and take out, but I have never had an in-console drink holder like this, but these cupcake molds can come in handy for a variety of things and can be picked up inexpensively at end of season Christmas sales.  I think the last ones I bought were at Walmart for $1.25 for 6 at after Christmas sale.

CAR SEAT PROTECTOR WITH TWO POCKETS 

If you cart around a young child in a car seat, at $24.97 on Amazon, it is probably going to be worth the investment.

A cheaper, but less aesthetically pleasing alternative that I used when my son was young was an old baby blanket and vinyl table cloth picked up at a 75% end of a season clearance sale on top of that.

CAR ORGANIZERS

For a hang on the back seat organizer, Sew Can She has a tutorial to make your own backseat car organizer, but the large grommet kit, even with a 40% off coupon from Hobby Lobby or similar one JoAnn's will cost more than buying one.  Making your own though would you could use a cheery fabric and it would be one of a kind, but both Amazon or  Walmart and have several inexpensive options.

I don't have one presently, but the last one I picked up for $2 from a thrift store and it looked brand new. 

In the past, I had purchased a trunk organizer off of Amazon that had a place for cold storage in the center in the past but found wasn't using it like I thought I would.   

Instead, I replaced it with storage cubes like this from Dollar Tree for $1 each and inserted a box approximately the same size inside for structure to hold up better.

Target Has Beauty Tip Basics

Photo; Source

It seems like lately Target has become invested in marking their beauty products and they now have basic beauty tips on their website.

The segments are short, concise with lots of pictures and a good overview.

A tip I picked up under their finding your foundation match is to test on your nose and forehead.  

On the Eyeshadow and Contouring it shows basic products, tools and a standard application that could be flattering for an everyday looks, but keep in mind contouring takes a lot of practice and blend, blend, blend, blend, blend to look natural and not like your face is dirty or a clown-like appearance, especially in harsh Summer light.   

The one title that I disgree with though is How To Grow Hair Faster.  There isn't really any way to do that, although your overall health, nutrition, and use of heat products that can damage hair can impact growth and breakage.   I can attest that I was not able to grow my hair past shoulder length until I stopped bleaching, blowdrying and hot-rollering my hair.

They also have tips on natural and curly hair, skincare, beating dandruff and cleaning make up brushes so if you are interested in any of those types of things might want to poke around that area and check it out.

Target Beauty Tips link

Food Trend - "Easy For You" Heat and Eat - $7.99 the Pound Entree and Sides

I spotted this neary the dairy section at the Kroger in Southgate Plaza and it is in a refrigerated case offering heat and eat gourmet type entrees and sides for $7.99 lb.

The instructions indicate heat up the product in a covered skillet for 8-12 minutes. 

Without having tested out I cannot say anything to the taste, a few issues are:

• Labeling -  obviously one this is that everything needs to be clearly labeled and in the 3rd picture down 3 items are not.

• Costs - Cheaper to make from scratch, some by a little, some by a lot.   The entrees would be more worth the cost as the products cost more than the sides.

• Time  - Cilantro Lime Rice can be made from scratch in the same amount of time and a fraction of the cost with using the Cilantro Lime Rice recipe at Closet Cooking and Minute Rice or any other quick cook rice.

• Freshness - would be fresher and have more nutrients than frozen, but not sure how they would handle the "best by" date on something like this and would be a question I would ask the store before purchasing.

• Ease - The more complicated the dish might be to make from scratch, the more it might be worth it.   

• Time - being ready in less than 15 minutes on a weeknight might be worth it, but if you can postpone at least part you can make Ina Garten's Garlic Roasted Potatoes in about an hour with little prep work for $3-4 per pound.

• Prep - If you don't eat a certain food and no experience preparing, such as chicken, preparing from scratch could be disastrous to prep from scratch and might be worth it.   Live Science has a good article on proper chicken prep to avoid Salmonella and cross contamination.  Like wise on Shrimp, that center vein in shrimp is their digestive tract and needs to be removed.  Epicurious has a video on Youtube how to devein them.

For me, I could see any of the shrimp dishes possibly being worth it for a special occasion for family members as I don't eat seafood, but would have to buy a little and have a seafood lover try it out first. 

What do you think of something like this?  Is this something that you think you would buy and if so, what types of dishes would you try?

Sides:  Cilantro Lime Rice, Parmarella Mac & Cheese, Garlic & Herb Roasted Potatoes

4 Shrimp dishes and Salmon Ravioli

Mushroom Truffle Risoto on left, Roasted Pepper Mac and Cheese on right, center item not labeled.

Prime Rib Strips with Mushrooms and Gravy. Orange Mango Chicken, Chicken and Sausage, Rustic Roasted Tomato Basil Chicken and Vegetables.

Mary Quant Style Mini-Dress - Link to Free Pattern

Photo:  Snapshot from pattern

I stumbled across this via a vlog I follow on Youtube called Michoumakes by lovely English woman who sews, designs and crafts.

In the link below she shares a story about on a field trip to the London when she was in a design class and how they bought something small at two of the expensive stores so they would have a high end shopping bag to show off on the train ride home, but also shares a link to the V & A Museum of Art and Design where they currently are showing a collection of the iconic 1960's designer Mary Quant.

I was just a young child when she was popular and the first designer I ever recall my Mom talking about and she thought the style would be cuter on younger girls if they wear a pair of shorts underneath for modesty.  I think some of the Simplicity and McCalls pattern she sewed for me were knock-offs

The V & A has a link on their site to a free pattern for a Mary Quant Style Mini-Dress that was made by mother-daughter team of Alice & Co Patterns.

It is an A line shift dress with several variations available.  I think it is really cute if you are younger and have the legs to show off, but if I make this, I like, the woman at Michoumakes would wear it as a top as my mini-dress days are long gone.

For those that do make this you can share your creations on social media #WeWantQuant @vamuseum @aliceandcopatterns.

Link to pattern on V & A 's website here