Diaries of a Bargainista Link-Up {Outfit Under $50}

For the second week, I introduce you to the Diaries of a Bargainista Link-up!  Last week we had 28 people link-up and I was smittened by the turnout.  I was hoping for atleast 10, so I didn't make a complete fool of myself in blogland!  I also re-introduce you to our Co-Host Sarah from Tucker Up.  If you missed last week, check out her outfit here.

I've been a busy bee this week, not only am I hosting my own link-up, but also co-hosting Friends to Followers at I am Pisces and linking up with Shanna and The Pleated Poppy!

New Rules this Week!!! You can now link-up ANY outfit post!

1. Follow Me and Sarah Via GFC
2. Like Alison from Get Your Pretty On via Facebook 
3. Link Up ANY Outfit post {please link directly to your post, not homepage}
4. Link back to our blogs or use the button below
5. Last, but not least, have fun and make new friends

<a href="http://allthingsalisamarie.blogspot.com" target="_blank" title="all things alisa"><img src="http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i16/amp0166/Linkup.jpg" border="0" alt="button"/></a></center> </a>
With that I introduce you to my newest Bargainista Sam with yet ANOTHER outfit under $50!

Hi pretties! I'm Sam from Sam ipsa Loquitur, and I'm beyond psyched that Alisa agreed to let me take on her Under $50 challenge. FUN FACT that I just discovered while stalking her about me page: we're both from Kansas! So cray. Flyover state bloggers, unite! :) I'll give you guys the abridged version of The Life of Sam so we can get down to business: Born. Cried a lot. Wore a lot of ill-fitting polyester and embarrassing two-piece swimsuits (thanks, Mom) and cartoon t-shirts. Grew a unibrow. Lost the unibrow. Studied abroad. Came home. Moved away. Got a dog. Went to law school (still here, actually). Met a boy. Got another dog. Boy moved in. Started a blog. Here!

Now, on to the outfit:

\Dress: Banana Republic, $20 | Tights: Target, $8 | Shoes: Unlisted via TJMaxx, $15 | Scarf: TJMaxx, $6 | Belt: free (came with another dress)

Grand total = $49

Let me tell you something... getting dressed from head to toe in the middle of winter for fifty bucks is no cake walk. Major props to Miss Alisa for doing this all the time! I go to school in a town with not-awesome thrifting (unless you're really into vintage style, which just isn't my thing) so TJMaxx and Target are my go-to stores. Our mall is pretty much where dreams go to die, so I do a lot of my shopping online or at the outlets that are about an hour away. This dress was on super clearance, so I got in in black and olive green. I get a ton of wear out of the olive one, but not really the black, so I was excited to bust it out for this challenge. I get deathly pale in the winter -- you may have noticed this, you know, if you have eyes -- so I shy away from black a lot of the time, but paired with the burgundy tights and leopard scarf I didn't feel washed out.

We've got to talk about these tights. I'm a skirt girl, but I never really got around to being a tights girl, which means being seriously frigid from the knees down when December hits. I'm determined to join the club this winter, so I went to Target and picked these up in burgundy, navy, hunter green, and charcoal gray. So far they're awesome, and for $8 I don't think you can beat the price. I went with the M/T size even though I'm barely 5'4, because having that extra bit of fabric definitely helps with the opacity. Check them out if you've been searching for tights! And if waistbands bother you like they bother me (I like my internal organs NOT severed, thanks) try this little tip: take a pair of scissors and snip about 1/2-3/4 inch down into the top of the band in a few places. It's enough to loosen them up, but not enough to make them fall down. Tell your spleen I said you're welcome ;)

Thanks to Alisa for letting me take over for the day, and I can't wait to see what outfits you guys link up!

Go ahead - link-up ANY OUTFIT POST!