Friday Favorites: Splurge Versus Steal Edition!!

Hi!! Happy Friday!! 

How has your week been?? 

Despite it feeling like winter where we live this week and our sweet little James coming down with a fever a couple days ago, we have had a great spring break! We have had so much fun doing a fun activity everyday this week! 

We have visited our friends and met their new baby boy, went out to dinner, met daddy for lunch, painted pictures for the new baby's room and tonight- we are having a pizza party and then going out for frozen yogurt. Nothing over the top- but having a simple, special activity planned for each day of our spring break has really made it a wonderful week!

And now it's Friday!! Wasn't it just Monday?!? HA!

So- I normally share random "favorites" of mine on Friday- but I thought I would do a little something different today :) This past Wednesday, Erica, Leigh and I hosted our monthly link-up, Pinspiration Wednesday. Our theme for this month was to share your favorite spring outfits or style inspirations. 

I had SO much fun pinning outfits- that I was inspired to put together a little "splurge versus steal" FAVORITES post of some of my favorite spring/summer clothing items! 

ONE

First up- I love a simple ankle "t-strap" sandal. I RARELY wear a wedge sandal- and you can pretty much always find me wearing flip flops if the weather is warm. But- when I need to wear a "dressier" (and I know I am using the term "dressy" pretty loosely- HA!) summer shoe- my FAVORITE is the sandal pictured below. 

I own the pair of sandals on the left- they are a total STEAL :) They are from Walmart and cost $8.76!! I bought my sandals last summer, wore them A LOT and they are still in great shape!! I will definitely be wearing them all the time this summer too. If you are in the market for a higher end brand- that I know so many people love- you can check out this Sam Edelman version- which I found on Nordstrom.com. They are $74.95...which I am going to say fits into the SPLURGE category- at least for me it does :) But- they have great reviews and come in lots of different colors and textures- so they definitely might be worth checking out!

 TWO
I am ALL about wearing colorful t-shirts paired with colored chino shorts once the weather gets warm. My favorite place to get my 3 inch chino shorts is J.Crew Factory- they always have great sales, but J.Crew also sells them and I was just recently at Target and saw they are carrying colored chino shorts too! So- to go with my colored shorts- I found a couple t-shirt options. The t-shirt on the left is from Walmart and is $2.87. YES. You read that right. I know my friend Amy has 4 of these t-shirts in different colors and about a month ago- I picked up 5 of them. At $2.87- how could you not?!? For the splurge option of this style of t-shirt- head on over to J.Crew (pictured on the right)! They range in price from $19.99-$29.50- depending on the color.  While I don't think paying $20 for a t-shirt that I LOVE is a huge amount of money- paying under $3 for t-shirt is my FAVORITE :) 

 THREE
Okay- so with the temperatures warming up (they are going to warm up- right!?!? HA!) I like to transition from wearing full length workout leggings to cropped leggings. Zella is an AMAZING line of activewear you can find on Nordstrom.com. I have a workout skort from their line and I love it- but it was definitely a splurge for me to buy at $50. 
With that being said, Zella carries several styles of cropped workout pants like the ones pictured on the left- and they are $52. Definitely not as pricey as a pair of cropped workout leggings from Lululemon- but also not what I consider to be super affordable. Enter my FAVORITE pair of cropped workout pants- pictured on the right. They are from Walmart's Danskin Now Activewear line and they are $11.96!!! I own these pants- in a black tie-dyed pattern and I seriously love them. Hands down my FAVORITE pair of workout pants to warm in the warmer weather months! And did I mention they are $11.96?? :)

 FOUR
My cousin is getting married the first weekend of June and I am totally on the lookout for a dress that is appropriate for a mom of 5- who just had a baby 5 weeks prior :) I feel the most comfortable in dresses that are solid colored and are a little more modestly styled- but I also like when there is a little something "special" about the dress. Am I making any sense?!? HA! So- I found this super pretty navy colored lace dress (pictured on the left) on Nordstrom.com (it comes in A LOT of pretty colors)- and while I really do love everything about it- I am not a huge fan of the $88 price tag. I was so excited when I came across this similar style of dress- navy with lace overlay- on Target.com for $24.99 (pictured on the right)!! And honestly, I think the Target version of this dress might be more flattering on me! I am thinking this dress could definitely end up being a big FAVORITE of mine- not only to wear to my cousin's wedding, but also to wear to Baby #5's baptism, that will be taking place later on this summer!

FIVE
I know this whole post has been about fun clothing splurges and steals- but I just couldn't leave out a baby related splurge versus steal- not with being less than 3 weeks away from my due date!! HA! 
So one of the most popular, muslin swaddle blankets on the market are by the brand Aden and Anais. They are WONDERFUL. I was gifted a set of 3 from my best friend when I had my daughter Celine and my mom found me 6 more of them at a garage sale (they were in perfect condition!!) right after I had James. They are big, lightweight and I really love using them. They are also pricey. The set of 4 Aden and Anais blankets pictured on the right are $49.95. Well...just in the last 6 months or so, Walmart and the Aden and Anais brand have collaborated together on a line called, Ideal Baby!! I got my friend, who just welcomed her adorable son, a couple weeks ago, a few Ideal Baby swaddle blankets and they are just like the original Aden and Anais blankets- but for a fraction of the price! The set of three Ideal Baby blankets- pictured on the left- (made by the makers of Aden and Anais) are $19.97!! Such a steal! I am waiting to find out if we have a boy or a girl- because I want to get some gender specific blankets for the baby- but you can bet I will be getting them from the Ideal Baby line! They are definitely my new FAVORITE swaddle blanket! 

So- now it's your turn- any steals you've scored lately?? What are some of your favorite things to wear in the spring/summer months??

Hope you have the BEST day and a WONDERFUL weekend!!

I am linking up with Andrea and Erika for their Friday Favorites Link Up!

 I am also linking up with April for Five on Friday!

 Joining Karli for her, Oh Hey Friday Link Up! too!

And lastly, linking up with Katie, Tif, Della & Caitlin for High Five for Friday!