fat budget bitch.

Hearts, Hearts, Hearts, Hearts.

2012-03-08T18:20:00.001-08:00

There's a theme to today's outfit and I'll give you a hint: HEARTS.

Heart Top: City Chic.
Skirt + Heart Tights: Dots.
Boots (not pictured): Target.

I got this top from City Chic a few weeks ago when it was on sale and it's honestly the most COMFORTABLE top I've ever owned. The material is super soft and dreamy and the puff sleeves are too freaking cute. I've never expected much from shirts, but this top has honestly made me rethink everything I put over my boobs and stomach from now on. I didn't even know shirts could BE this great! Not only is it super comfortable and soft, but it also cinches in alllll the right places. I'm far from being any sort of hourglass shape (my stomach is large and in charge, let's be real), but this shirt provides a different illusion that's kind of fun for a change.

No, but seriously, I am in LOVE with this top. And no - I'm not getting any dimes to say any of this, I literally am just this passionate regarding this top (though hey, City Chic, don't be a stranger!)

The tights are from Dots as I mentioned above. I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with Dots, to be honest. I love their prices and a lot of their stuff, but I'm not terribly in love with their products' quality. I've bought two pairs of tights from Dots and while they are both adorable, the first pair was absolutely WRECKED after one wear. This pair has lasted two wears so far and doesn't seem to be breaking down on me yet, so perhaps the first pair was just a fluke. Let's hope so, because Dots' tights are REALLY cute and I don't want to have to stop buying them!

ALSO: I'm cleaning out my closet and selling a lot of my clothes (for cheap!) All prices listed INCLUDE shipping within the US. BUY!

as always, thanks for reading!
-Michelle.

"Fatshion" February Roundup.

2012-03-01T22:07:00.001-08:00

For the last month, I've been a rather sporadic participant in Fatshion February on my Tumblr. For those who are wondering what the fuck I'm talking about, Fatshion February is essentially a month dedicated to Outfits of the Day (OOTDs) from people who identify as fat. Anyone over a size 12 will probably recognize the fact that appealing plus size clothing is not exactly easy to find, so having a month like this is EXTREMELY helpful in finding new places to shop/new styles to admire. Before I became aware of and entered the Fatshion community in my late teens, my wardrobe largely consisted of whatever I could squeeze my ass in from Kohls that didn't look too terribly matronly. Since discovering the community, my life has honestly changed for the better. I'm not afraid to take risks with my wardrobe; I have a whole new arsenal of things (that fit me!) to add to my wishlist; I've gained friends and a sense of community that I had never quite had before and I'm now aware of so many great resources that help me in expressing myself aesthetically. It's, truly, been a great thing.

Mushy infomercial-like stuff aside, here's the outfits I "contributed" this year! Hopefully, next year, I'll actually do it on the daily (and using a proper camera and not my webcam aka my go-to lazy method of choice). We'll see!

February 23rd.
Bird Top: Forever 21.
Shorts: Cato.
Tights & Undershirt & Boots: Target.
Locket: Gift from the boyfriend.

February 21st. Top: City Chic.
Skirt: Dots.
Leggings: Target.
Hat: Forever 21.

February 6th.
Top: Torrid.
Skirt: K-Mart.
Leggings: Target.

February 2nd.
Blouse: K-Mart.
Skirt: Target.
Belt: Cato.

In the next week I should have a couple of proper posts for you all, so keep on checkin'. And, as always, thanks for reading!

2012's #1 Procrastinator / New Stuff!

2012-02-08T22:13:00.000-08:00

If you're anything like me, you are sure as fuck not making any kind of investment unless something's on sale. To me, it's just a smart lifestyle choice... hence why I just recently got a legitimate winter coat and a calendar for 2012. It's not procrastination, it's being savvy! Right?

Now is a FANTASTIC time to buy your winterwear. Most stores now have their winter clothes on some serious clearance to make room for spring clothes and you can really find some gems in those sale stickered racks. I got this fantastic military inspired coat from Target a few weeks ago for 50% off. It was originally $70-something dollars, but I got it for $30-something. I am completely in love with it -- it's comfortable, warm, and stylish. These pictures really don't show it off well enough (I tied it sort of awkwardly here and it looks like it might be missing a button, but I assure you it's not!), so here's a stock photo of the coat for prosperity.

I don't believe Target is selling the coat on their online store anymore, but it can definitely still be found on the clearance racks in-store! This coat in particular is from their Plus section and is a size 3 (approximately around a US22 for those of you who aren't familiar with Target's Plus sizing).

Perhaps my greatest purchase of 2012 is the 6 Packs, 9 Lives calendar. I was originally jokingly linked to it by my boyfriend (whom I'm sure never fathomed that I'd actually buy it), but, as soon as I saw it, I knew I needed that shit on my wall (to put it poetically). The calendar itself is awesome and hilarious and arousing all at the same time and everyone should buy one, honestly. They're still on sale here on the foundanimals website for $7.99 (and that's including shipping!) and all the proceeds go towards helping cats in shelters.

In terms of more new stuff, I've made some exciting updates to Fat Budget Bitch! I now have a Blogs I Like section on the left side of the blog that you all should DEFINITELY check out, as well as a new Facebook fan page! If any of you want your blogs to be linked on that section, please email me about it!! As always, you can reach me at sparklingwhine@gmail.com. Because, not gonna lie, I feel weird just linking blogs I dig without the owner's knowledge of it.

As I mentioned previously, Fat Budget Bitch now has a Facebook fan page! So everyone should like it for timely, totally not annoying posts about when the blog is updated! Please.

Very Necessary Purchases / Fun in a Grocery Store.

2012-01-19T22:07:00.000-08:00

Tonight I went to Kroger, the major grocery store in my region, to initially buy a quick bag of frozen vegetables to stirfry up for dinner. While I was there I decided to check out the clearance shelf, as per my usual. While the clearance section at grocery stores is always a hit if you're looking for discounted laxatives or flatware, it's more likely to be a miss for anything actually useful (no offense, fans of laxatives and flatware). Tonight, however, the clearance shelf was in rare form and I found a ton of stuff for cheep-cheep cheap.

1) Piggy Angry Birds Plush

Orig: ~~$17.99~~ SALE: $3.00

2) LoveBox Durex Condoms (3 Pack in Little Designed Tin)

Orig: ~~$4.49~~ SALE $1.00

3) Covergirl CG Smoothers Tinted Moisturizer (Fair/Pale)

Orig: ~~$6.79~~ SALE: $1.00

4) Avalon Organics Clarifying Lemon Conditioner

Orig: ~~$8.15~~ SALE: $2.00

5) Jesse's Girl Color Changing Lipstick (#20201 Envy)

Orig: ~~$2.48~~ SALE: .25

6) Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick (#622 Daring Pink)

Orig: ~~$4.00~~ SALE $1.00

Original Total: $43.90

I Paid: $8.25

Basically, the moral of the story is to check out the clearance section at EVERY store (even grocery stores!) You might be surprised by what you may find.

Now I'm gonna go cuddle up with my talking pig plush, have sex three times, moisturize and coverup my face simultaneously, have my hair smell like lemons, and wear weird lip colors (what else is new, right). Before I end this post officially, here's what the Revlon lipstick looks like on -- it's a pretty pigmented shade and it seems to last for a long while. Pretty good deal, I think.

cheers and thanks for reading, as always,

Michelle

2011 Recap / Last Year's Outfits.

2012-01-12T13:07:00.000-08:00

I just now realized that I didn't really do any sort of recap for 2011, so this is probably as close as we're gonna get. 2011 was a weird year for me -- full of both ups and downs. My final grandparent, my grandmother, passed away in August and my first pet, my cat Beauty whom I had since I was 8, died in October. In a way, it almost seemed like all connections to my childhood really went away this year. I turned 21 in July, but it was a rather lowkey birthday. I didn't get smashed in a bar (I'm really just not much of a drinker!), but I did get to spend some nice quality time with good friends. I began dating my amazing boyfriend John in March, which was admittedly the highlight of my year. Over the summer, my issues with anxiety and depression sort of kicked into hyperdrive after a stint on birth control, which made for a couple of extremely difficult months. In August, my good friend Grace and I left the dorms for good and began renting our own little house close to campus. Overall, 2011 was kind of a clusterfuck, but it definitely had its moments.

Anyway, here are some of last year's getups!

Honestly, looking back, I think some of these just look a mess. However, I'm proud of the fact that I've grown to be more daring with my fashion choices overall. Thrifting more often has been a HUGE help in getting more clothes for cheap -- a huge portion of this stuff was Goodwill'd or bought on sale (I typically only buy store stuff if it's marked 50% or more off; this blog is called fatbudgetbitch for a reason!). If you're interested in any of these specific outfits (or pieces from a specific outfit), they can all be found and described in detail on my flickr.

This year, I look forward to developing a more cohesive and put together look. I look forward to sprucing up my little rental house and truly enjoying my walks to class each day. I look forward to (and dread) my upcoming 19 hour semester. I look forward to meeting new people and trying new things and I look forward to spending time with the old friends I love. I look forward to learning how to cook more stuff and being a DJ at the college radio station. I look forward to a better year where hopefully I'll better myself.

cheers and thanks for reading, as always,
Michelle

Some Kind of 50's Thing + Hair Flower Thief.

2011-12-31T09:54:00.000-08:00

Romper: Goodwill!!
Tights: Dots.
Cardigan: Target.
Hairflower: MacGuyvered swag from my old job at a craft store.
Boots (not pictured): Target.

Hey everybody! Hope everyone is living it up on this last day of 2011 - I'm going to a party later at my boyfriend's, but this isn't the outfit for that. This is actually the outfit I wore on my last day of finals a few weeks ago that I'm just not getting around to posting (BAD blogger!).

Showing off my budget bitch hair flower.

During my senior year of high school, I worked at a chain craft store part time as a cashier. It wasn't the greatest job (I had more balls of yarn thrown at my face by elderly women than I'd like to remember), but it paid well enough. After closing time, when I wasn't handed bathroom duty (which I was assigned suspiciously more often than everyone else, don't worry, I've got detectives on the case), I'd sweep the salesfloor. The store I worked at had a large faux floral section and oftentimes the flowers would fall off their stems (or were pulled off by kids, whatever) and were left on the floor. When I had sweeping duty, I'd covertly collect these fallen flowers and take them home with me to turn into makeshift hair flowers using bobbypins. It beat paying $5 for the same exact thing at a store and I've kept the flowers I've collected for years afterwards. Obviously, I'm still using them!

Detail on the tights. The tights are from Dots and were only $8, but they're not exactly longlasting. I've worn them twice since I got them and they've basically fallen completely apart. Pretty, but not a great investment if you're looking for longevity.

One last photo of the outfit.

Here's to a 2012 better than 2011!

xoxo
And as always, thanks for reading and all your support!
-Michelle

A Very Lowdef Christmas.

2011-12-26T21:01:00.000-08:00

I was too lazy to fiddle with my proper camera this Christmas, so here's some pieces from my very lowdef Christmas with assistance from webcam and instagram.

Obnoxious Christmas Outfit!
Dress (XXL) + Sweater (XXL): Target, several years ago. I bought both on clearance for under $10 each.
Fishnets: Discounted After Halloween @ WalMart for like 50 cents.
JINGLE BELL EARRINGS (also known as the best part of Christmas): I don't remember, but whatever.

I spent the first half of the day with my family and the second half with my boyfriend's family. It was a pretty lovely day.

1. Boyfriend's family tree. 2. Boyfriend post nap. 3. Silly present. 4. Cafe 360.

Happy holidays, belated from me to you.

Inspirations: Loud, Bad, and A Little Crazy Edition.

2011-12-12T16:02:00.000-08:00

Left: Stormer from the 80's cartoon Jem, Top Right: Rihanna, Bottom Right: Kate Pierson of the band The B-52s.

These fine ladies are who I've really been digging on lately for their ballsy style and sweet, sweet sass. I love how they utilize rockabilly throwback pieces and aren't afraid to mix and match loud patterns. Their big hair only adds to their radness -- from Kate Pierson's epic beehives to Rihanna's fierce long curly red locks to Stormer's flowered classic big blue mane, all of these women know how to rock a look. Their styles represent a unitizing mix of my past and present inspirations.

OOTD for 12/3/2011.

2011-12-04T15:52:00.000-08:00

Top: Target (XL).
Skirt: Goodwill (Marked as XL/20/22).
Boots: Target (7).

Poofy Hair: aftermath of housemate's braid job.

So I'm excited to post my first official Outfit of the Day on my blog! I thrifted this skirt at Goodwill a month or so ago for just a couple of dollars -- something I considered a steal because 1) I fucking love skirts and 2) Its tacky 80's cube print spoke to my kitschy side.


See what I mean by tacky cube print? The fact that it's such a shiny polyester material really only makes it even greater. Also pictured: My favorite gem'd sleeveless top from Target that I've owned for years.

Important feature of a skirt: ability to swing out and get huge.

Lately, I've really been digging wearing these boots from Target. I got them two years ago for less than $10 on clearance and they've held up wonderfully since then. They have a small clunky heel, but they're extremely comfortable and PERFECT for walking to class in the rain (which, despite the fact that we're creeping into winter, there's been a LOT of rain in Kentucky lately). Never underestimate the fly factor for a simple boots + bare legs + skirt/dress combo.

Until the next blog! In the meantime, I'm going to try to survive the last week of classes and finals week. Oy.

Welcome to the blog!

2011-11-28T07:05:00.000-08:00

This is going to be my (slightly more cohesive than tumblr!) place to post regarding fashion, fat, and everything else I fancy. I'm a fat budget bitch with a love for the internet, cutesy shit, and gratuitous photos. Welcome to my blog!

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