Welcome to Bright on a Budget!

Hi, my name’s Tif.  Welcome to my new blog, Bright on a Budget!  Since this is the first post, I figured I would give you a little background about me and a preview of what to expect from my blog.

I grew up in a small town in eastern Kentucky.  I worked my way through undergrad at Pikeville College, spent three years in law school at UK (GO CATS!!!), and am now getting my MBA at Morehead State while working full-time.  I am a new mom and an amazing wife (regardless of what my husband says about my cooking, cleaning, or anything else housewife-related).   

As I worked my way through college and law school, I learned a couple of things: budgeting did NOT have to equal boring, and thrifty CAN be trendy.  It’s not how much money you have–it’s how you use it.  I like nice things, but I never pay full price!

For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved a good deal–okay, I take that back–a REALLY good deal!  Sometimes I just happen upon an awesome sale, but other times I watch items like a hawk to get them for the price I’m willing to pay.  I set a price point in my head and stick to it!  I apply this philosophy to everything, from beauty to baby, hair to home decor, and style to saving in general, and now I want to share my philosophy with you!

Being bright on a budget can work for anybody, regardless of what your budget is.  It’s a way of life, and that’s what I’ll be sharing on this blog.  To start off, I’ll show you how you can do a simple budget that won’t intimidate you.  When you’re busy, you don’t have time to sit down and balance a checkbook everyday, or count every dime, so you need something that’s easy and workable.

I’ll share tips for how to get a great manicure without going to the salon and how to do your own flower arrangements (yes, even wedding flowers!).

There will be posts about how to pair cheaper but trendy accessories with basic outfits to transform your look–you can never go wrong with a white shirt and bright scarf, like my picture above.  BTW, that scarf was $2 on clearance.

Babies are expensive, so I’ll share my favorite baby items that are affordable.  I highly recommend the Snuza for any new moms out there, or if you have a baby shower to buy for.  Amazon has a great discount on it right now!

And makeup.  We’ll talk about what items you should splurge for at the beauty counter and which items you should save and buy at the drugstore/discount store.  Below is a great deal that I got in the mail today!  When I find deals like these, you can be sure that I’ll let you know ASAP because deals like these sell out fast.

Target Beauty Box.  $5!  Contains my favorite brand of drugstore mascara (L’Oreal Voluminous).  I think it’s sold  out now, but you can check here.

Right now, Ulta  has their 21 Days of Beauty Sale going on, where they have amazing one-day deals on prestige cosmetics.  Deals I recommend are:

• Tuesday 03/18: Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes! mascara for $10, regularly $19 (one of my all time favorite mascaras!).
• Sunday 03/30: Pur Minerals 4-in-1 Pressed Mineral Makeup SPF 15 for $17, regularly $27.
• Saturday 04/05: Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer for $18, regularly $36.

          ***I think the limit is 2 products per customer, but these products at these prices are worth       stocking up on***

I hope this has given you a good overview of what to expect.  I’ll always be willing to share good deals that I find, so be sure to follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.

Feel free to leave a comment below or email me at brightonabudget@gmail.com with questions or comments.